Homemade Dog Halters or Harnesses

Dog halters and harnesses are a humane alternative to the choke collar. ̶0;No more coughing, wheezing or neck injuries,̶1; promises retailer SuburbanDogHouse. These devices wrap around the base of the dog̵7;s neck and the chest, allowing you to restrain it from a pull between the shoulder blades instead of a yank to a chain around the neck. Halters and harnesses are surprisingly simple to make. They require only some nylon webbing (or leather straps for a richer look) and simple hardware, all of which you can find at a craft or sewing supply store.

  1. Patterns

    • There are no commercially available patterns for halters and harnesses, but some dog enthusiasts and entrepreneurs offer their own at no cost.

      The owners of Make-and-Build-Dog-Stuff offer an excellent pattern, which they estimate takes three hours to craft.

      The green-living enthusiasts at Uberpest offer several harness designs, including walking and sledding harnesses.

      Alternatively, you may disassemble a worn-out or cheap harness or halter, and use it as a pattern (and reuse its hardware).

      You must adapt the pattern to your dog, by taking measurements around its neck and chest.

    Supplies

    • Nylon webbing is your best bet for dog harnesses and halters. Its texture allows slider rings to ̶0;bite̶1; and hold securely. You may craft your restraints out of leather, but you will need buckles as opposed to sliders.

      Uberpest advises purchasing about two yards of one-inch nylon webbing, and four feet of 1 1/2-inch nylon webbing; polyester fleece to soften under-the-leg restraints; two 1 1/2-inch D-rings, two one-inch slide release buckles; and a two one-inch nylon or steel triglide sliders.

    Cost Benefit

    • SuburbanDogHouse sells its harnesses beginning at $20 for the smallest, to $56 for the largest (January 2010 prices). If, as the experts at Uberpest estimate, it takes about three hours to build a harness or halter, and you will spend about $22 for the materials, based on 2010 prices at a Michael̵7;s Arts and Crafts store, then you may simply wish to purchase a harness or halter.