How to Get the Right Fit & Size for an Adjustable Harness on a Dog

Most areas require a dog to have a collar, but if you walk your dog around the block, you may find that a collar isn't secure enough. If your dog is energetic and likes to wrestle away from your collar, than another option is to get an adjustable harness. These go around the ribs and neck of the dog and secure your dog fully. Before you buy a harness, however, you need to find the correct size and fit for your dog.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sit down and place your dog in front of you. Measure around his ribcage, just behind his front legs using the tape measure. In this example, say the number is 14 inches.

    • 2

      Take the number you found in Step 1 and multiply it by 1.05 to add extra comfort for your animal. For the example, this would be: 14 x 1.05 = 14.7 inches.

    • 3

      Find a pet harness where your final number is either between the specifications listed for the harness or slightly larger than the number. For example, an 8-12 inch harness would not fit the dog in the example, but a 12-16 would.