What Is An Escape Proof Dog Harness?

You may also see these called a 3 point dog harness, 3 strap dog harness, Houdini dog harness, non slip dog harness, anti escape dog harness, no escape dog harness or an anti slip dog harness.

Walking your dog can be the most enjoyable and peaceful part of the day for many of us, but if you’re dog has ever escaped from its harness, then you know it can also be an incredibly stressful experience. If you’re reading this, then you probably either already know what that feels like, or you’re trying to make sure that you never find out.

Some breeds, like sighthounds, are especially prone to escaping from their harness which is why we created our own escape Proof dog harness, but any breed is more than capable of escaping if they really want to. Some dogs do really seem to have the knack for it!

So what is a no escape dog harness? It does exactly what it says on the tin. It is simply a harness designed to stop your dog from escaping, usually by having a third strap that tucks behind the belly.

Why can some dogs escape from traditional harnesses?

Whilst traditional harnesses will be fine for most dogs and most breeds (we don’t recommend them for sighthounds just because they aren’t designed for their body shape, which makes them prone to escaping), some dogs are just born to be escape artists.

Traditional harnesses have just the one strap around the back which goes around the chest. This leaves a lot of room for the harness to move around. This is because the harness goes around the widest point of the chest, so it’s easy for it to slip to the area behind or in front of it as these areas are smaller.

This can be especially problematic when it sips forwards towards the front legs as now there is a big gap around the harness that a determined dog can wiggle their head back through, or pull back out of, and all of a sudden, your dog is free.

To make this issue worse, it normally happens at exactly the wrong time. There’s normally a reason your dog does this, like seeing a squirrel it wants to chase, so once they’re free, they’re likely to bolt.

3 point dog harness

The most common style of escape proof harness is a 3 point dog harness like the one shown in the image below, which is also called a 3 strap dog harness.

Here you’ll see it has an extra third strap compared to traditional harnesses, which tucks behind the belly. The belly is usually slimmer than the chest, so this makes it almost impossible for the harness to slip forwards, which means that your dog can’t slip out.

This is the design we use for our escape proof harness as it is very comfortable for the dog and offers complete security so you can enjoy your walks, confident that you won’t have to chase your dog down if it gets free.

Escape proof harness for sighthounds

Whilst our escape proof harness is great for all breeds, it is inspired by sighthounds, the Houdini’s of the dog world. I learnt this first hand from my rescue lurcher, Blondie, who used to always slip her harness, and as it turns out, she’s not the only one.

Due to a sighthound’s unique body shape, they are especially prone to escaping from traditional harnesses. This is because they have big broad chests, so when the harness slips forwards, the gap it creates is even larger. They also have very slim heads which makes it easier for them to back out of the harness, whereas for other breeds, their larger heads acts as almost a barrier, preventing the harness from slipping off.

Sighthounds also have an incredibly high prey drive and are prone to be spooked, two of the main reasons a dog might actively try to slip their harness.

A combination of these factors is why we always recommend an escape proof harness for sighthounds like ours, which is also padded for their comfort.

Want to know more? Check out our no escape dog harness here.

 

You might also like these articles about whippet harnesses, greyhound harnesses, lurcher harnesses, italian greyhound harnesses and sighthound harnesses.