Siberian Huskies love to walk so having the right equipment for them is vital. It is widely agreed within the Husky community that owning a harness is essential for making walkies a breeze. With harnesses becoming increasingly popular thanks to their health benefits, knowing which one to buy can be tricky. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of our personal favourites that kept our Huskies comfortable through the years. Keep reading to find the right Husky harness for you!
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Siberian Huskies love to walk – it’s what they were bred for after all! Whilst Huskies are usually well behaved, their large size makes it difficult to control them if they get excited or startled whilst on their daily walk. This is where a harness comes in. Harnesses give you more control over your dog and deters them from pulling as much as it’s harder to get away.
We’ll admit that when we first got our Huskies, walking them was a little intimidating. A few walks on a standard leash and collar left us wondering what would happen if our Huskies really wanted to get away from us. Since changing to a harness, we’ve noticed not only a big improvement in our Huskies behaviour whilst on a walk but also in our own confidence. We really can’t recommend buying a harness enough!
Not only is owning a harness a confidence boost, but there’s also some added health benefits for both you and your Husky. The most obvious is that a harness distributes the pressure over a larger area of your dog’s chest, rather than focusing solely on pulling the neck. This will keep your Husky feeling comfortable and prevent any strain injuries if they do get a little excited. Making your Husky wear a harness can also alleviate stress on your arms and back as you’re not being pulled by a singular point, meaning you can keep walking for longer!
When choosing the right harness for your Husky, there are a few things you need to look out for. The first is undoubtedly the size. Huskies are a big breed so it can be difficult to find harnesses that are big enough to fit with some wiggle room. The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to fit two fingers under the harness around the neck, waist and chest areas. This will ensure your Husky is comfy enough to walk for long time periods, but also secure enough that they won’t wriggle out.
When looking for a harness there are a few features you should look for to make sure they’re suitable for a Husky. The first thing we look out for is the padding over the chest. Some harnesses are built using flimsy straps that can be damaging to your Huskies coat and dig into their skin. We suggest using a harness that has thick, high-quality padding over the chest to ensure your Husky’s coat stays protected.
The harness needs to be high quality with strong stitching that can withstand any pulling and last for many miles of wear. We also recommend choosing a harness that is both water and frost resistant, so it lasts through all weathers. We all know by now that Huskies don’t care about the weather when it comes to their walk!
Is finding a harness that fits all the criteria sounding like an impossible task? Don’t worry, we’ve compiled our favourites that have kept our Huskies feeling comfy and secure through every season.
Powerharness by JULIUS-K9 – $$
Popular with Husky owners around the world (and for very good reason) is the infamous Powerharness by Julius-k9. This harness has built up a reputation for being made with high-quality fabrics and stitching and for being suitable for pretty much every dog. The harness has reflective strips around the chest area for added visibility and is available in a wide variety of colours and patterns. We’ve had our harnesses last for many years with daily use through all weathers.
In terms of sizing, we’ve personally found that most Huskies fit comfortably into a size 3, although we have known some giant Huskies to need a size 4. We recommend checking their guide and choosing the best option based on your Huskies weight. If you’re ordering through Amazon, you should have no problem returning the harness if the size isn’t quite right. The straps on the harness are easily adjustable to make sure your Husky is fully secured, and the clips are very sturdy. This is one product we can agree with all the hype around!
Easy Walk Dog Harness by PetSafe – $$
If you’re looking for a simplistic harness that ticks all the boxes, the Easy Walk Dog Harness by Petsafe is the best choice. The harness is available in several colours and clips at the front on the chest rather than on the back which is perfect for Huskies that still aren’t used to being walked. The harness even comes with a ‘1-year chew damage replacement’ guarantee where they’ll replace your harness if your Husky happens to get their chops around it.
This harness has good quality straps but they are a little on the thin side. We wouldn’t personally wear it for our longer walks as the straps can get a little twisted and become uncomfortable for your Husky, but we’ve had no problem with using it on our regular daily walks. As for the sizing, we recommend getting either the large or extra-large sizing depending on your Husky’s measurements. The straps are adjustable but as with all harnesses, it’s best to check the manufacturers sizing guidelines.
No-Pull Dog Harness by Bolux – $
Without a doubt, the best value for money harness is the No-Pull Dog Harness by Bolux. You might be thinking the design looks familiar, we think it’s pretty clear that it’s modelled after the Julius-K9 harness! Despite the low price, the harness is good quality and comes in a similar variety of colours and designs as its more expensive counterpart.
There is, of course, a reason for its lower price. The stitching seemed to come loose within a few months of using it and the materials in general feel a little bit cheaper. We think you could probably squeeze up to a year’s worth of use out of this harness before needing to replace it. For the price though, we’re really not complaining! We recommend either the XL or the XXL for your Husky depending on their chest measurements.
Finding the right Husky harness can be a difficult task but our recommendations should have you covered.
Related: Best Husky Dog Hair Clippers