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New harness time - help, please!

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613 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  aesthetic  
#1 ·
So when we got Pepper, we also got an Easy Walk harness, just as a starter harness. We never planned to use it for very long, but since we assumed he'd grow so fast that we'd only have it for a few weeks, we decided we'd start with that one and upgrade to a more expensive harness when he grew, two weeks later.

Eight weeks later (it turns out when they say, "slow growth" they *really mean it*), he's finally showing signs of outgrowing it - hooray! Time for a better harness!

Since he wears a harness a lot, we're looking for something with soft straps, a front and back hookup, a good fit and able to go in the water with him at least once a week (usually twice). He doesn't actually pull that much (yet) but adolescence hasn't started either, so we're planning for pulling. We actually pull him a whole lot more than he pulls us (he's such a grass eater!) We're split between the Freedom Harness and the Balance harness and I was wondering what you guys think.

If we did get the Balance harness, is there a way to get a split leash that will hook to both the hookups at once? The Freedom comes with that, but since the Balance appears to only be sold by one small online site, it's really hard to get a lot of information. Is the Balance really *that* much better than the Freedom? Is it really only sold on that one Blue 9 website? I see the Freedom mentioned here a ton and the Balance much less, but is that only because the Freedom is so much more widely available?

Please, help, oh wise Forum Elders! Thousands of future beach trips are in your hands!
 

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#2 ·
I really like the Balance Harness. It does have the back and front loop, although I haven't tried the split leash thing so I can't tell you anything there. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do it though. I like that there are so many adjustable points, it makes it so much easier to get the perfect fit as your boy grows. The sizes overlap pretty well (for example, Kaizer's approx. 19" around the neck and has a 29" girth so he could fit into a medium or a large) so you can go with the biggest size your boy can fit into and then adjust it as necessary. You'll probably get more use out of that. As far as how it holds up, my training instructor leaves it on her dog nearly 24/7 and her dog swims almost daily. Besides some slight color fading, it has held up well.

It is only sold on that Blue-9 site as far as I know. It is unfortunate because I really do like them a lot.
 
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