I have a 13 week old dalmatian who is being investigated for neurological problems at the moment ().  I am not allowed to use a collar and lead as we have to protect his neck and have been advised to use a harness.  He is obviously - if he gets through this - going to be a big, strong boy and I wondered if anyone could recommend a good harness that will give me some control as well as being comfy for him?  I have never used a harness on any of my dogs before and have always thought that they gave the dog lots of opportunity to pull.

I would love advice on a good harness to use please if anyone has any ideas.  Thanks! :)

Many different options but I like the Perfect Fit harnesses from Dog Games - although not the cheapest by any means. They're fleece lined so don't rub on the dog, and come in 3 separate pieces so you can buy larger pieces as the dog grows without needing to replace the whole thing (or if one of the pieces is chewed). They also have the option of an additional front D ring so you can use a double ended lead.

Speak to the people at Xtradog, the owner is a Tellington Touch practitioner and I've bought all my harnesses from him.

Another vote here for Perfect Fit Harness. As previously stated they come in 3 different bits so you do get a perfect fit! Very helpful people to deal with. As they have a D ring you have good control over your dog. Our local training class only allows dogs to be fitted with a harness.

This is what we use for our Dallie, ( not necessarily from this company, but the brand Fergplast can be bought many places - look for best price)  It works well for our nut case Dallie, does not rub and washes well

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Ergocomfort-Padded-Harness-Medium/dp/B0036OD4Z0

Thank you all :)

I have and like the Xtradog harness I have. It's got a ring on the front as well as the back which I found good with pulling when she was young.

Thanks.  Now I have to wait and see if he comes home :(  He is in the Cambridge vet hospital at the moment, MRI today.

I agree with you and believe that a harness either encourages a dog to walk in front or even worse, to to pull. I don't think I have ever seen a harnessed dog walking properly at heel!
Have you considered a "Halti" (a genuine Halti not some other make ). You will probably find a resistance and dislike of this being on your chaps head in the begining but as with a collar they learn to accept it.
Used properly and certainly not tight  a halti can be a very gentle item to use, even the most determined dog should learn to respect one. The reward is a nice loose lead and a dog happy to walk with you and not in front or pulling.
(If a horse or cow can learn to walk and be controlled with a halter/headcollar then so can our dogs) 

Just a suggestion to Jan!

Thumbs up here for Halti. Tried harnesses, they worked for a short time then they learned to lean into them and pull.

If you have to protect your dog's neck, I would definitely not recommend a Halti!  Any time the lead tightens, his neck is going to have pressure put on it. 

Besides which, head collars are aversive and if a dog is dealing with neurological problems (suspected), why stick something which tightens around his muzzle on him, every time he pulls?!

For harnesses, the Perfect Fit is great, but also check out the Ruffwear Front Range harness and the Freedom harness (which you can get from goodfordogs.co.uk under Products).  You need a *front-attaching* harness, preferably with a double-ended lead clipped to both front and back, for best effect.

A headcollar (of any variety) is absolutely NOT suitable when dealing with a suspected neck/neurological issue.  No way.  One bit of pressure could do a lot of damage, even if he walks nicely on it - he's only got to be bumped into once, or startled once.

Harness all the way, and I second the suggestions given above - and training, training, and more training!  The best thing you can do for him is train him not to pull in the first place, then the harness is a backup in case he does, to protect his neck.

Point taken, guilty of not having read the OP again. I have found I don't have to put any pressure on it at all for it to have the desired effect. I take it off as soon as we get where we are going. Once they've had their off lead run, they walk home beautifully without it on.

I hope he's ok!

I have these - the 'handle' is particularly useful! I do like the look of the perfect fit harness, mind!

I was always against harnesses until I tried a two point attachments now I am sold.brooke walks to heel and the extra chest attachment makes sure that if she pulls I can gently get her back to where she should be. She is one who wouldn't accept any  type of headcollars just went flat and refused to move. Personally I don't like halti anyway as every dog I have tried one on they rub the eyes.

Facebook Replies:

Jo Cartwright says:  So sorry to read about your boy. Have a look at Makuti harnesses, they are very gentle and have two anchor points, around the chest and across the shoulders. I hope that everything turns out well for you both.

Lisa Stewart Phillips says: Dog Games Perfect Fit this also has two attachment points and is fleece lined so doesn't rub. If you have been advised to be careful with his neck a head harness can still put pressure on that area. Walking harnesses are completely different to pulling harnesses. Harnesses don't teach them how to pull, pulling and not working on loose lead walking does.

Louise Hay says: We have dog games for my pug, they are very well made and fit extremely well. Also look really good to boot

The reason a halti rubs your dogs eyes is because it is not fitted correctly. It should not be tight behind the head, this is what pulls the halti up too far and cuts tight beneath the eye (very uncomfortable !! ) the Halti automatically slips down the neck and if used correctly the head will turn inwards towards the leader, therefore preventing any power to pull!
A correctly fitted halti should be loose and comfortable all over, if you are not sure/confident you should use the little connecting loop to the collar for extra saftey.

I must admit to not having read the first post by "jan" thoroughly though.

Try a Julius K9 harness good price at zooplus

Sorry disagree wait ok I've had dogs amd different hradcollars  for years.so plenty of experince some makes do not suit some dogs and in our case I find haltis arnt good.i now use a martingale fleece lined figure of 8 in one of mine which fits perfectally having tried numerous different makes . The halti is probably my least liked and I am very sure amd confident about it