Sizing question for a harness

[bpmamom]

I want to purchase a Dean & Tyler Universal No-Pull harness. It's a harness that starts out at the price of $55 for extra small and small, and goes to $65 for the XL size. I've heard great things about this harness. http://www.deanandtylerpro.com/Produ...uctCode=DTHUNV

Maggie has a girth of 31 1/2 inches, is 8 months old, about 90-95 pounds, and obviously not done growing. The problem is that I can't justify buying 2-3 different sizes to accommodate her growing, and she isn't responding well to other methods of getting her not to pull. She's getting too big to handle at times, and to be honest, we haven't gone on many walks lately because of this. She still gets plenty of outside/in yard exercise, but not being able to walk her is a problem for me.

She walks great and loose unless another dog or person comes nearby. She's friendly to a fault, and would not intentionally hurt anybody, but people are scared of the "monster" dog, and I really can't blame them. She rears up, pulls, barks, roos, and is happy, but for someone afraid of a dog or can't read the body language, it's a scary thing. I have yet to find a treat more interesting than a person or other dog. She goes deaf to me when others are around. I need to try something else.

Here is the girth sizing breakdown for these harnesses:

Medium 30" - 39"
Large 33" - 45"
Extra Large 34" - 47"

What should I do? Obviously she will grow, and may likely need the XL size in time, but I want to implement this item as soon as possible so that she can get used to it, we can train immediately with it, and we can have more pleasant walks.

Any advice is appreciated.

ETA: she's currently in the mesh no-pull harness, but it's just not uncomfortable enough for her in these situations. It's simply no longer adequate. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MQ3914/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com: 11103 Canine Concepts Non-pull Large Xl Black Mesh Dog Harness: Pet Supplies[/ame]

[mnmouse]

Not related to the harness question, but have you tried simply turning and going in the opposite direction when she starts to boil over her threshold point?

OR, have her most amazing treats with you and let her stick her whole nose in the bag and munch, but you have to do this BEFORE she crosses her excitement threshold--THEN move directly away from the object of her excitement--then when she's calm and focused on you again--more nose in the treat bag action.

Her reaction may not be over-friendliness like you think. It's more likely over-stimulation--and going bonkers is just how she reacts because she's never learned a different way to deal with it. Moving AWAY from the stimulus will be very rewarding to her (more than any food treat, as you've stated), even if you don't think so--it will lower her stimulation and stress levels--and low-stress is where most dogs prefer to stay.

[kayla baxter]

When I ordered mine they called me because the XL was out of stock and I needed it to ship out by a certain date and they swore up and down that the large would definitely fit all but the largest danes. Guess what? It doesn't. It was just borderline too small when I got it last spring and Zephyr was about 130lbs and had a 36" girth. The girth is fine, but the strap that goes from shoulder across the front of the chest to the other shoulder can't be adjusted and it made the girth strap dig into the armpits a bit. I had to remove the strap that goes between the front legs because it didn't go big enough and the girth strap sits back father without it. It's totally too small for Riddle now and he just turned a year and is 145lbs. I'd measure her across the front where that strap goes and see how big she is. I don't know if they give the measurement for that online, but the large is about 26". Riddle would need another 3" of strap to fit into it.

[Angel7292]

We own 3 D&T harnesses. One of them being the universal no-pull. I *LOVED* our original 2 harnesses from them (the Fun and the Works). Then I invested in the 3rd, a universal no-pull and I HATE HATE HATE it! I know others like it and I'm really quite happy they like the D&T no-pull. For me, it's the total pits IMO. I am still in love with my original D&T's regular harnesses that Phin uses, but we never use the D&T no-pull.

Here is what I truly HATE about that universal no-pull harness:

1.. It's stiff and the edge is horribly scratchy. The nylon rubs him completely raw. I even padded under the arms and it is just too uncomfortable for him. We do NOT have this problem with our other 2 D&T (Fun and Works) harnesses.

2... it's not properly shaped for MY dane. The parts of the harness that are not adjustable do NOT fit him properly. Phineas requires an XL. The part across the shoulders is not adjustable and it fits him improperly because his shoulders are much more broad then what they have allowed for. I don't think it's developed for a narrow and deep chested dog with broad shoulders. The strap that goes around the chest and to the non-adjustable strap at the shoulder won't fit him properly either - it's WAY too small. I realize Phin is a big dog, but it is sooo wonky, it's impossible to fit properly. Phin has a 39" girth, this harness SHOULD fit him properly. It's the non-adjustable parts that make this impossible to fit on a dane Phin's size.

3... He required the XL for girth but the strap from the D ring in front and that clips down on the chest was HUGE. Even adjusted to the smallest wouldn't fit him. This also lends to my belief they are more designed for husky dogs. They charged me $15 plus shipping to replace this very small 4-5" strap with a clip (which is the strap for a large). It was TOOOOO small. So I can't use the L clip on the front and then XL is so big it makes the no-pull part worthless. Not to mention it rubs the heck out of the inside of his legs.

I think the complete downfall of this harness is that a lot of the harness lacks being able to be adjusted. The span across the shoulders and around the chest is what I think throws the whole thing out of whack. It sits very improperly on him.

Overall, it's of EXCELLENT quality.. very nicely made - except the itchy and scratchy edges. I have nothing but nice things to say about my other 2 harnesses but the D&T No-Pull in my opinion is just not built for a dane of Phin's shape.

With that being said, I bought Phin an Easy Walk harness from Amazon and I use it all of the time with him. It fits, it's more adjustable and flexible and it's comfortable on him. There is nothing on it that can't be adjusted. Here is what we use:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Harness-Black-Silver-X-Large/dp/B000BHT5OY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364227358&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+walk+harness+extra+large"]Amazon.com: Premier Easy Walk Dog Harness, Black/Silver, X-Large: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I'm not trying to talk you out of it because I think D&T have EXCELLENT products and I rave about my other harnesses all the time. But I figured I'd throw in my .02 on what I think of the no-pull. We purchased the No-Pull plus and it was a $70 waste of money for us. It sits in the leash bin and NEVER gets used.

Just my .02.

[bpmamom]

Thank you. I think I'll try the Easy Walk harness for now, and when she's full grown I'll revisit the D&T harnesses. I may or may not go with it.

FWIW, I've tried about everything I can think of to get her to focus when she's excited. I really hope this helps, and I'll be sure to bring more alluring treats along for the walk.

[Tylerthegiant]

Have you tried what mnmouse suggested and keep her under threshold and work towards decreasing her threshold for excitement?

Lucas is the poster boy for over excitement and no harness or halti on the planet could have gotten rid of his behavior (which is pretty darn close to the behavior you described) and believe me I know how hard it is to walk a dog behaving like that and how terrified people are of a dog acting like that (I was the laughing stock of the neighborhood when people weren't recoiling in fear).

The harness will give you greater control (which is always good) but I would be really surprised if it kept her from rearing, pacing (which is what Lucas did as well as doing circles around me), rooing (Lucas had this evil and ear splitting bark/whine) and some of the other behaviors that make your walks unpleasant. Training below threshold is what is going to get you there IMHO.

[Cas]

For cas, the universal no pull works fantastic. Doesn't rub anywhere and he's so comfortable in it, he sometimes falls asleep wearing it.

I've always found their customer service really good, so if it's not right or not for you, they'll replace it. We got a harness that accidentally was too big for Cas. (we got him the xl when he only needed a large) We emailed them right away and they said to just send it back and they'd send a new one. It was quite prompt and they threw in a couple of deaf dog patches to boot!

[kayla baxter]

For cas, the universal no pull works fantastic. Doesn't rub anywhere and he's so comfortable in it, he sometimes falls asleep wearing it.

I've always found their customer service really good, so if it's not right or not for you, they'll replace it. We got a harness that accidentally was too big for Cas. (we got him the xl when he only needed a large) We emailed them right away and they said to just send it back and they'd send a new one. It was quite prompt and they threw in a couple of deaf dog patches to boot!

You're lucky. I went through hell with them. They have free shipping in the US but it's over $30 to Canada, so I ordered the harness and had them ship it to my breeder's place in the states to pick up when we went to get Riddle. They first called to say that the XL was out of stock, but that their shipment was on its way so no problem. There was plenty of time at this point. Got a call on the Thursday before we headed out on our road trip on Friday to say that the shipment came in, but the XL with patches didn't and assured me that the large would fit. Because of the extreme short notice, they said I'd have to get the FedEx shipping for it to make it on time. Okay, $14 is still less than $30+. I asked several times if they were absolutely sure it would make it on time because we would be at our breeder's place early afternoon on Sunday and that was it. Yes, absolutely. Guess what? It didn't. It got there Monday and my breeder paid to ship it to me. I sent an email and nothing. Phoned and left a message and nothing. I let it go eventually because Zephyr ended up being chosen as one of their product models and they sent us a free D&T harness which is awesome. It was a sucky experience, though.

[Angel7292]

. It was a sucky experience, though.

I'm with you on that. When I had to get that one small section of the front of the harness replaced (XL Harness but that one strap was way too long from D clip to chest center), they ASSURED me that the Large replacement clip would fit. I think the problem is that the original section was not an XL but instead the wrong piece to begin with. We discussed measurements and whatnot and it arrived and it's way too small. For this tiny little extension thing it cost me $15 plus shipping. Thanks for the assurance that it would work... it didn't. Sucky is right.

I will add, as I said before, that I had no problem with my first 2 harnesses. It has only been the no-pull that really was the problem. I think the no-pull has issues because of the lack of adjusting.