# New Harness



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

We just bought Jax a new Puppia Harness. I picked this brand because I had seen that many people on this forum had been talking about it.

The harness fits over his head perfectly. Honestly I would not want it any smaller or it would be hard to get over his head. Although once it is on his neck it is rather loose. I can fit my fingers inside the harness around his neck with no problem.

My problem is he is having problems on his leash walking on the harness. Actually it is when he goes to do his business that he is having his problems. He always lifts one of his front legs before he does his business and stands on 3 legs and looks around. In the harness when he goes to squat he falls over after doing this. 

Is this because he is just not used to the harness and something that will fix itself over time? I usually let him run around without anything on in the house but today I left the harness on in the house so he could get used to it and he did not have any problems in the house but when he went outside again he fell over again when doing his business.

I really want him to use a harness instead of a collar but he has such a small neck that I am afraid that it is going to be hard to find one that fits if this one doesn't work. We have tried the old style harnesses that look similar to a collar but he had problems with the neck in those too. 

A XS collar on him is still lose and the Puppia harness is XS as well. 

I am hoping that this Puppia harness is something that he just has to get used to walking on but I thought I would seek everyone's knowledgeable opinions. 

Thanks so much!


----------



## mellawson (Nov 8, 2011)

I don't know about Puppia but I have had a hard time fitting Penny with any harness if it fits around her chest its loose on her neck and vice versa. I tried just a regular adjustable harness and it kinda bunched up and slid funny under her arm. I'm guessing she is in between sizes so I'm just gonna wait it out before I go on a mad hunt. Maybe I will get lucky and she will grow into a small.


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

I think that is the problem we are having with Jax. We even have problems finding clothes that fit him. XSmall clothes fit him but around the neck and sometimes in the length they are too big. He has such a tiny neck that everything seems too big even in XSmall. I think he is going to have to grow quite a bit to fit into Small clothes but the breeder said that he would not get much bigger than he is right now. 

Here is a picture of the harness on him. You can see a little bit that the neck looks a little bit big but when it slides over his head it seems to fit perfectly until it gets around his neck. Perhaps he will grow into it a little bit soon.

I had a hard time with the regular harnesses bunching up as well. I really don't want to use just a collar on him because I have heard horror stories about Chihuahua's and collars and their tiny fragile esophagus.


----------



## glittergirl (Aug 11, 2011)

OMG he is SO cute!!


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Thanks! I think he is the talk of our apartment complex. Whenever we take him out people are always coming around to see him. I try not to cringe when a swarm of kids are around him. I about had a heart attack tonight when a little girl picked him up before I could get close enough she almost dropped him. (I try to stay a little ways away from him when he is doing his business because the least little noise and he gets distracted.) I am used to having big dogs that can protect their selves like golden retrievers. I must say though even though the clothes and collars are much harder for this size of dog they are much more lovable. The only time that I could hold Shad (my golden retriever that passed away 10 years ago) was if I got onto the floor and then he would tackle me. I love being able to cuddle with Jax all the time.


----------



## mellawson (Nov 8, 2011)

OH how cute! Yeah he probably just needs to fill it out a bit a little more. I would just try and let him get used to it. Penny had a hard time dealing with the grass at first (she had only used pee pads before she came to us) she would stop and start 2 or 3 times before she felt like the grass was far enough away from her butt..lol.


----------



## glittergirl (Aug 11, 2011)

intent2smile said:


> Thanks! I think he is the talk of our apartment complex. Whenever we take him out people are always coming around to see him. I try not to cringe when a swarm of kids are around him. I about had a heart attack tonight when a little girl picked him up before I could get close enough she almost dropped him. (I try to stay a little ways away from him when he is doing his business because the least little noise and he gets distracted.) I am used to having big dogs that can protect their selves like golden retrievers. I must say though even though the clothes and collars are much harder for this size of dog they are much more lovable. The only time that I could hold Shad (my golden retriever that passed away 10 years ago) was if I got onto the floor and then he would tackle me. I love being able to cuddle with Jax all the time.


Yeah you have to be careful around the little kiddies.
I am only used to having big dogs too, German Shepards actually, my last one passed away in May this year,so sorry about Shad....it is nice being able cuddle isn't it, I love it too


----------



## mellawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Your Jaxx is about the same color as my Penny!


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your last German Shepard glittergirl.

Awww Penny is very cute!

I think we fell in love with Jax because of his color and because he has that face that almost always looks sad. Even when he is super hyper he has that face that looks like he is about ready to cry. I fell in love with it.


----------



## glittergirl (Aug 11, 2011)

intent2smile said:


> Sorry to hear about your last German Shepard glittergirl.
> 
> Awww Penny is very cute!
> 
> I think we fell in love with Jax because of his color and because he has that face that almost always looks sad. Even when he is super hyper he has that face that looks like he is about ready to cry. I fell in love with it.


Thanks hun, it was awful but he lived to 12 which is a great age for a German Shep I try and take comfort in that.


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

glittergirl said:


> Thanks hun, it was awful but he lived to 12 which is a great age for a German Shep I try and take comfort in that.


I know exactly what you mean. Shad was 14 when he passed away which the vet said was really good for a golden retriever. We had him since he was two years old. When we got him the previous owners were going to put him down because he bit their toddler. The child was beating Shad with its toys and the family just sat and watched thinking it was cute. I guess they had let the child do it over and over again and never correct him. Shad finally had enough of being beaten with a Tonka truck and did the only thing that he knew to keep the child from hitting him and struck back. We were led to believe that he had to be kept away from children at all costs and since I was in high school at the time my parents and I were a perfect fit. Eventually my siblings that were grown and married had children and Shad loved them. They were taught how to treat him though. He would play with them and never even growled at them let alone tried to bite one of them. Occasionally if one of them was sitting on my lap he would come over and put his nose in and try to come between me and them like he was saying that I was his and they could not sit there but that was the worst he ever did to any child in our home. Having Shad really showed me that it is not the dogs fault sometimes if something like that happens. He used to sit at the window every night and wait for me to come home from work when I worked late nights. After I got married and moved away my mom told me he still would sit at the window and wait for me to come home every night. I think when a pet passes away we just have to treasure the time that we had with them and cherish the gifts that they gave to us every day.


----------



## glittergirl (Aug 11, 2011)

That's so sad but I am glad you came along and rescued him from that family.I read your story with tears in my eyes....I so wish people would treat all animals with a bit more respect and love and not treat them like they are a plush toy........


----------



## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

I personally felt that the Puppia harnesses were sized strangely.  I tried them on Teddy and could never get them to fit correctly. I use the iPuppyOne harnesses instead and love them. (They make one that is adjustable in with two sliders around the neck area and one separate adjustable slider around the girth. This might give you a more customized fit.) I got my last iPuppyOne harness off of Ebay.










Teddy is wearing the XS size and he weighs 5 lbs.


----------



## glittergirl (Aug 11, 2011)

Kaila said:


> I personally felt that the Puppia harnesses were sized strangely.  I tried them on Teddy and could never get them to fit correctly. I use the iPuppyOne harnesses instead and love them. (They make one that is adjustable in with two sliders around the neck area and one separate adjustable slider around the girth. This might give you a more customized fit.) I got my last iPuppyOne harness off of Ebay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


gorgeous boy!!!


----------



## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

glittergirl said:


> gorgeous boy!!!


He says thank you very much!


----------



## RavenclawPrefect (Oct 19, 2011)

Spacely is just under 7 lbs and wears an XS ipuppyone harness. It fits him perfectly. He gets so excited when he sees it since he knows that means he is going out for a walk.


----------



## Benny (Oct 26, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your problems with a harness! I use harnesses with my Chi's for exactly the same reasons you have said - kinder for their neck. Mine have been fine with their harnesses - they wear the soft mesh ones but not Puppia - we tried the ones from Canine & Co - only a fraction of the cost. They are on the smaller size so not too chunky for my little ones. They sell all kinds of dog gear - price is always right and the service is exceptional in my opinion! (they generally contact me to check sizes before sending my order out to make sure i'm ok with them as different brands have different sizes). Here is a link in case you want to take a look Dog Clothes/Harness Online Store

Good luck!


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Teddy is adorable!

I think the problem is Jaxx is just over 3 pounds and they say he won't get over 4.5. The Vet says since he is 6 months that he is probably as big as he is going to get but will probably gain a pound to a pound and a half in the next year. Which makes me wonder if this is always going to be a problem to get items to fit him. I really don't want to go back to a regular collar and he is used to the harness being a little big, and it is not like he can get it off but if he has to be in it for an extended period he usually rolls around and makes it all crooked so that one of his legs is in the neck area. 
We usually do not have him in it for long except for walks and he goes naked in the house but I would like to find a harness that actually fits him.
Even the ones that I have found that are adjustable still seem to be too big. I think because most of them are for 4 pounds and up. 
I even took him to Petsmart and tried on every harness they had. 
Most of the harnesses that I have looked at the neck is for 8 inches or larger. 
I think he is too small for most of the them and then the others he is in between. 
I do not want to switch back to a collar so I keep hoping that he gets a little meat on his bones or neck.


----------



## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I am too lazy to go back and look and see if I already told you about Park Avenue harness.
None of mine can wear puppia. 1 wears XS ipuppyone which has an adjustable neck as well as chest really well. 1 can still walk out of it and on 1 it is still really big. 
Park Avenue are made to measurement and mine fit perfectly. 
My 11 month old weighs what your baby weighs (right at 3 pounds) and my other two are 14 and almost 15 months and are 3.5 pounds so I know that these will fit your baby.
Here is a link:
Designer dog harness, small dog harness, dog walking harness. -
Ordering can be confusing so let me know if you choose to and I can help (others here can, too-they are the ones who helped me!).


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

jesuschick said:


> I am too lazy to go back and look and see if I already told you about Park Avenue harness.
> None of mine can wear puppia. 1 wears XS ipuppyone which has an adjustable neck as well as chest really well. 1 can still walk out of it and on 1 it is still really big.
> Park Avenue are made to measurement and mine fit perfectly.
> My 11 month old weighs what your baby weighs (right at 3 pounds) and my other two are 14 and almost 15 months and are 3.5 pounds so I know that these will fit your baby.
> ...


That is funny! I just was researching different harnesses and trying to actually find one that would fit Jaxx and found this site about 30 minutes ago. I was just wishing that I had heard of someone that had actually used them. Thanks so much. I will have to order Jaxx one! I had read the people on their website that said they were great but sometimes I prefer to hear from someone that is not just listed on a seller's website. I had even been thinking about finding a person here locally that sewed to make him one but this is so much easier!
Thanks so much!


----------



## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

You will definitely want to pay extra for the fully adjustable. That way, you can adjust neck and chest with whatever fastener you choose, buckle, snap or velcro. My older girls have their original ones, and all I have had to do is adjust them and they fit great every time. 

LOTS of folks here use them and now that we have had them for a year, they are what I will order over and over again. Yes, if you sewed, I would guess that they would be very simple to make. I don't have talent so I pay people who do! haha!


----------



## Chachis Mom (Dec 23, 2011)

I like the puppia harnesses too. Was thinking about getting this one. Has anyone tried this style?
Puppia Soft Dog Harness Vest - PetSupplies.com

ps...jax is so cute in his harness!


----------



## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

Benny said:


> Sorry to hear about your problems with a harness! I use harnesses with my Chi's for exactly the same reasons you have said - kinder for their neck. Mine have been fine with their harnesses - they wear the soft mesh ones but not Puppia - we tried the ones from Canine & Co - only a fraction of the cost. They are on the smaller size so not too chunky for my little ones. They sell all kinds of dog gear - price is always right and the service is exceptional in my opinion! (they generally contact me to check sizes before sending my order out to make sure i'm ok with them as different brands have different sizes). Here is a link in case you want to take a look Dog Clothes/Harness Online Store
> 
> Good luck!


The things on this site look so good...


----------

