How to Make a Dog Harness out of Household Items

Some dogs are just meant to pull. If your four-legged friend falls into this category, a conventional collar may not be a good idea for daily walks. Instead, consider sewing your dog a custom made dog harness. Believe it or not, you can make a dog harness from items around your house, resulting in a grand total spent of $0.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Denim (old pair of jeans)
  • Scissors
  • Iron
  • Sewing machine
  • Button
  • Metal ring (cheap jewelry or key ring will work)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your dog from the top of its shoulders all the way around its neck. This is the first harness loop. Next, measure the distance from the top of the shoulders to the mid-back. This is for the back piece. Finally, measure round the center of its body at the mid-back point.

    • 2

      Make a paper pattern of the strap pieces. Each piece should have 1 inch added to the length. The width is determined by the size of the dog. If your dog is small, the width should be 1 1/2 inches, for a medium dog, 2 1/2 inches and for a large dog, 3 inches.

    • 3

      Trace the pattern pieces onto your denim and cut out the straps.

    • 4

      Place the straps wrong side up onto an iron-safe surface and fold and press the edges in 1/8 inch. Fold the straps width-wise so that each strap is now half of the original width. Press the lines again.

    • 5

      Sew the strap pieces closed so that all the ends are sewn inside.

    • 6

      Sew the head strap piece's ends together, overlapping by 1/2 inch. Form a square and then an "X" inside the square with a straight stitch on the sewing machine. This will ensure an optimal hold.

    • 7

      String the metal ring onto one end of the back strap and turn the strap over to form a loop where the ring will sit. Fold the loop so that 1/2 inch of the strap is folded onto itself. Repeat the square and "X" sewing design onto the ring loop.

    • 8

      Sew the back piece and the head loop together using the same firm hold stitch. The end with the ring should be toward the head piece for even disbursement of force when your dog walks.

    • 9

      Sew a button hole 1/2 inch into one end of the mid-back loop. Sew the button onto the other end. Use a mid to large sturdy button to avoid it opening while walking your dog.

    • 10

      Position the mid-back loop so that the button hole is along either side of the dog for easy fastening, and attach the mid-back loop to the end of the back strap.