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How to Measure and Fit a Dog Harness

Jade and Teddy showing how to measure and adjust a Trail & Glow harness. 1 minute 13 seconds.

The short answer

Measure your dog’s neck, then the widest part of the chest just behind the front legs, and check both against the size chart. To fit it, adjust the chest strap and the neck strap using the sliders and buckles. Nothing goes over your dog’s head.

How to measure

  1. Neck. Gently measure around your dog’s neck, where the harness will actually sit.
  2. Chest. Measure around the thickest part of the chest, just behind the front legs.
  3. Check both. Choose the size where both measurements fall inside the range. If your dog is between sizes, size up.

The full range and every measurement is on the harness size chart.

How to tighten the harness

  1. Chest strap. Pull the bottom strap between the buckle and the adjusting slider.
  2. Even it out. Pull the adjusting slider towards the harness, then pull on the buckle to even the strap out.
  3. Tighten further. Feed the required amount of upper strap through the slider and pull.
  4. Tidy the excess. Tuck it neatly into the harness opening.
  5. Neck strap. The neck strap joins both sides of the harness. Feed the upper strap through the adjusting slider and out the other side. It adjusts exactly the same way as the chest strap.

How to loosen it

  1. Feed it back. Feed as much of the upper strap as needed through the slider and out the other side.
  2. Even it out. Pull the buckle to even the strap out.
  3. Loosen further. Holding the bottom strap, pull the slider towards the buckle.
  4. To lengthen. Reverse the direction you feed the upper strap through, then pull the harness to even the strap out.

Putting it on

Once it is adjusted, wrap it around your dog and fasten the three buckles. The neck clip has a lock feature, so it cannot be knocked open on a walk. Because the neck strap opens, the harness never has to be pulled over the head.

Two fingers should slide under every strap without forcing. Re-check the fit as your dog grows or their coat changes.

Transcript

How to measure and fit a dog harness. No need to go over your dog’s head. Gently measure your pup’s neck, then measure around the thickest part of the chest. Now we’ll show you how to adjust the harness, to ensure your pup is snug and secure. To tighten the chest strap, pull on the bottom strap between the buckle and the adjusting slider. Pull the adjusting slider towards the harness, then pull on the buckle to even the strap out. To tighten further, feed the required amount of upper strap through the slider and pull. Tuck the excess neatly into the harness opening. To loosen the harness, feed as much of the upper strap as needed through the slider and out the other side. Pull the buckle to even out the strap. To loosen further, holding the bottom strap, pull the slider towards the buckle. To tighten the neck strap that attaches both sides of the harness together, feed the upper strap through the adjusting slider and out the other side. To lengthen, reverse the direction you feed the upper strap through and pull the harness to even the strap out. The neck strap with the buckle adjusts exactly the same way as the chest strap, and it can easily be lengthened or shortened as required. All you need to do is wrap it around your pup and fasten the three buckles, using the lock feature on the neck clip. Thanks Jade and Teddy for showing us how to correctly measure your dog and adjust our Bailey & Coco Trail & Glow harnesses.

Next steps

Check your measurements against the harness size chart, or read the full dog harness buying guide.

Shop dog harnesses

Customer Reviews

Overall rating: 4.9 / 5 from 4008 reviews.

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Adjustable Collar - Colour Drops - Spring Dreams

I have two miniature Schnauzer's. Since wearing their new harnesses people have commented on how pretty they and the harnesses are. Hopefully your new extra long leads will be available in the same pattern soon too. Lovely quality and easy to put on.

Trail & Glow Adjustable Collar - Colour Drops - Spring Dreams

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Forest Tweed

I’m genuinely impressed with these dog harnesses. The quality is excellent, and they look really stylish without compromising on comfort or practicality. The fit is spot on—easy to adjust and secure, with no rubbing or slipping, even on longer walks. My dogs seem comfortable and happy wearing it, which says everything. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a harness that combines great looks with a perfect fit.

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Forest Tweed

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Dog Harness - COLOUR DROPS® - Love that for you

We bought this for our 1 year old golden after she kept being called a good boy on walks wearing a boring harness. Now there’s no mistaking she’s a gorgeous girl! We bought the matching lead and the matching bow. I find putting on the harness really easy and love the safety features on it. It’s great quality, we’ve been using it for about a month now. Definitely will be purchasing more in the future for our other dog.

Trail & Glow Dog Harness - COLOUR DROPS® - Love that for you

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

I recently bought the Sage Green Large Dog Harness from Bailey & Coco for my Labrador, and we absolutely love it! The harness is beautifully made, feels really sturdy, and is easy to adjust for a perfect fit. She seems very comfortable wearing it, whether we’re out on walks or just relaxing at home. The sage green colour is gorgeous and suits her perfectly. We’ve had lots of compliments on it already! The design is practical while still looking stylish, and the quality is excellent. Most importantly, she looks incredibly pretty in it (especially when she does her adorable head tilt for treats!). I’m so pleased with this purchase and would definitely recommend Bailey & Coco to anyone looking for a high-quality harness for their dog.

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

Customer photo review of Poo Bag Holder - Bubblegum Pink Tweed

The Bubble Gum pink looks amazing on Daisy. It fits her so well and the lead is lovely to hold. Really happy with the whole set I brought. Would love a Sailor Bow to match if you can make one? Thank you Michelle & Daisy

Poo Bag Holder - Bubblegum Pink Tweed

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Was trying to find a more padded & supportive harness for my Cooper. Then found this website & on reading the reviews chose to order the harness, collar & dickie bow tie. We followed the sizing guidelines & ordered a small as recommended. We had to do a bit of adjusting to get the straps just right but how handsome does he look? Fits really well & he is now holiday ready for his jollies to the Lake District. Looks really smart.

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Customer photo review of Dog Lead 5ft - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

My beloved Frenchie Oscar is very stubborn and getting him to wear harness is more like wrestling than happy walking. Then came his new harness which he loves and is so easy to put on. It looks great and great quality. The catch on the lead has a lock and is great. Thank you so much I have a happy frenchie who now loves his walks.

Dog Lead 5ft - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Oxford Tweed

Love this harness and the fact it doesn’t need to go over my pups head can just clip around his neck. The only reason I took off a star is for my long bodied dog it’s quite short!

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Oxford Tweed

Customer photo review of Black Strap for Dog Walking Bag

I am able to fit 2 puppy pads, a flannel for his slobber, his travel bowl and water, treats, poo bags as well as lip balm and hand sanitiser for me

Black Strap for Dog Walking Bag

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

Really beautiful Sage Tweed Trail and Glow harness. Quality tweed fabric, a great fit, as the straps can all be altered to fit your dog perfectly and a lovely versatile colour which my doggy can wear from Spring to Autumn. This harness is well made, durable and looks really smart. Great, classic style!

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow® Dog Harness - Mulberry Tweed

This is our second Bailey and Coco harness and matching lead …. the extra small fits our 10 month old Cavapoo perfectly! I just love the colours and the three clip design is perfect for us!

Trail & Glow® Dog Harness - Mulberry Tweed

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow® Dog Harness - Mulberry Tweed

Second purchase and harness bought from Bailey & Coco for our second dog (and it won’t be the last!) We bought the first harness for our first dog over a year ago, and haven’t touched another harness since! The quality, style, security and fit are second to none. We’re yet to find better than Bailey & coco! Went without saying that when we got our rescue dog a few weeks ago, that we ordered another. We also love the personalised collar chip - everything is always the best quality and lasts for a long long time. This one is the mulberry tweed and we absolutely love it. Thank you!

Trail & Glow® Dog Harness - Mulberry Tweed

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Lovely harness, Rocky loves it. I bought it as his last harness was too big and he kept getting out of it and i bought this hoping he wouldn’t be able to get out of it however he has been able to a couple of times (naughty boy) but since tighting it as much as it can hopefully he can’t do it anymore.

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

Absolutely love this collection! The colour, the fit and the vibe is just perfect. So many comments from people when out and about about how handsome Attie looks in this and its all thanks to this gorgeous collection!

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Sage Tweed

Customer photo review of Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Wanna-Bee

I ordered the wrong size to begin with. But it wasn’t a problem Bailey and Coco soon had the right one out to me. My beautiful boy looks stunning in his yellow bumblebee harness. It makes him easy to spot when running around the woods. Sturdy construction and lovely fabrics are what keeps me coming back to Bailey and Coco.

Dog Harness - Colour Drops - Wanna-Bee

Customer photo review of Bow Tie - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

High quality product, I have brought the full set, harness, lead, collar, and my cockapoo looks amazing. We highly recommend.

Bow Tie - Colour Drops - Heritage Plaid

Customer photo review of Oxford Tweed Bow Tie

Who doesn’t love a bow tie! Lovely quality and easy to add to collar or harness

Oxford Tweed Bow Tie

Customer video review of Bubblegum Pink Tweed Dog Harness - No Pull & Reflective | Trail & Glow®

Maisy struggles with an over the head harness. Found the perfect solution, no more struggling and she is happy for her harness to go on. Nicely padded and suitable for an active cocker spaniel puppy. I washed the harness by hand and it’s back to its new condition.

Bubblegum Pink Tweed Dog Harness - No Pull & Reflective | Trail & Glow®

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Forest Tweed

We waited for a few weeks before leaving a review, as we wanted to be 100% sure about what we thought. Dylan is a 1 year old 52kg Bernese Mountain Dog, who decided he did not like his overhead harness. We reached out to a few companies to ask about their options and felt we were provided a good amount of information and took the plunge. This harness has been PERFECT. So easy to get on and off! He no longer hides in the corner, and the sizing is exactly as described. We have a car ramp, and the handle makes it so easy to guide Dylan in and out the car. It's very strong and sturdy and one of our favourite features! After a few weeks of use there is no damage to any of the seams or any signs of wear or tear. Really easy to clean and use, and we genuinely love the product!

Trail & Glow Tweed Dog Harness - Forest Tweed

Customer video review of Front Clip Dog Harness - Spring Dreams

Love this harness. The print just pops! My pooch hates anything going over her head so ideal this has the 3 point buckles. Have had many compliments while out her walkies.

Front Clip Dog Harness - Spring Dreams

Customer photo review of Trail & Glow Dog Harness - COLOUR DROPS® - Olive it Hot

Love Rosa's New Harness it ticks all the boxes, Safety,comfort,price and Style..Rosa is a 13 months mini Dachshund I wanted a new harness as we are away on holiday which involves quite a bit of walking..it's fab and I'm 100% happy with it.

Trail & Glow Dog Harness - COLOUR DROPS® - Olive it Hot

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