10 Best Dog Harnesses in Australia of 2022 – Reviews & Top Picks

For many people, one of the most enjoyable parts of owning a dog is taking their pet out for a walk each day. Yet for the owners of many dogs, particularly those with neck problems, puppies, and small dogs, a traditional collar and leash can be a less-than-ideal way to control their pet in public and in some cases, can even be dangerous.

Fortunately, there is another way to walk your dog safely in public, and that is to use a dog harness. Unlike collars, which go around your dog’s neck, a harness fits around their body and connects to a leash via a loop above their shoulders, thus preventing any pressure from being placed on your dog’s neck.

Harnesses have become exceedingly popular in the last decade. There are now hundreds of different types and styles of harnesses available on the market, so it can be difficult to find the right harness for your dog.

To help you out, we’ve put together this list of reviews of the 10 best dog harnesses in Australia in 2020.

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A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2022

The 10 Best Dog Harness in Australia

1. Rabbitgoo No-Pull Dog Harness — Best Overall

This great dog harness from Rabbitgoo is an absolute winner and our favorite all-around dog harness. Available in a range of sizes and colors, this harness will suit almost any dog, is fully adjustable and made from durable nylon webbing, and has a soft cushioned vest for your dog’s comfort.

A particularly useful feature of this product is the large nylon handle on the back of the vest that can be used to control your dog, and we particularly like that the harness has leash attachment loops on both the front and back of the vest. Another important safety feature is that all the nylon strapping has reflective material sewn into it to ensure your dog’s visibility when you are walking after dark.

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2. Rogz Utility Step-in Dog Harness — Best Value

Dog harnesses don’t necessarily need to have all the bells and whistles to do a good job, and this inexpensive step-in model from Rogz is a great example of that. If you are looking for a simple, well-made, and easy-to-fit-and-use harness, you really can’t go wrong with this Rogz Utility Step-in Harness, which is in our opinion, the best dog harness in Australia for the money.

The real beauty of this style of harness is that it is fully adjustable and made of quality nylon strapping that will last for years. It is available in a range of colors and sizes, so you are sure to find one that will fit any dog. On top of that, it won’t break the bank. In fact, you could easily buy two of these harnesses for less than the price of one of the more popular harnesses on the market.

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3. Julius-K9 Powerharness — Premium Choice

If money is no option and you want a strong and sturdy vest-style harness that will last for years to come, the Julius-K9 Powerharness is hard to beat.

Available in an extensive range of colors and sizes, this vest is designed to make fitting and adjusting it easy. It is constructed from strong, durable materials, including thick nylon taping. The vest is fastened by big clips that make it easy to get on and off and has a solid leash metal ring and a large nylon handle on the back of the vest to ensure that your dog remains safely attached to the leash.

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4. Voyager Step-in Air Dog Harness

This step-in-style harness from Voyager is easy to use and fit, comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and has a soft, breathable vest to ensure your dog’s comfort.

While marketed as being suitable for any size of dog, this vest has only a small section of strapping and just one size adjustment point and is suited only to small-sized dogs. This harness will likely twist on your pet’s body if they pull too hard against it, and this may reduce the amount of control that you have over your dog.

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5. Puppia Soft Mesh Dog Harness

This soft mesh dog harness from Puppia is another step-in vest design. It is available in a range of sizes and colors, though we feel that this vest is best suited to smaller, less powerful dogs.

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6. Bolux No Pull Reflective Dog Harness

This no-pull, reflective dog harness by Bolux is available in several different colors and sizes and has been designed to prevent your dog from hurting themselves when they pull on the leash. To be used effectively, the vest needs to be adjusted and fitted to your pet correctly so when they pull against their leash, the pressure is distributed throughout their body, not at one single point.

We particularly like that this vest can be completely adjusted to ensure a snug fit, and we are also impressed by the large, sturdy nylon handle on the back of the vest that you can use to help control your dog.

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7. Company of Animals Halti Harness

This simple step-in harness from Company of Animals is another no-frills strapping-only harness that doesn’t have a soft padded vest. It is, however, totally adjustable, and we particularly like that it has both a front and rear leash attachment point, which means it can be used with a double-ended leash for greater control of large, powerful dogs.

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8. Chai’s Choice Best Outdoor Adventure Dog Harness

The outdoor adventure harness from Chai’s Choice is a well-designed step-in-style harness that includes a small, padded vest across your dog’s chest and back. This feature gives the vest the edge over some of the strapping-only designs because it will be more comfortable for your dogs that have short hair, as the vest will stop the nylon strapping from rubbing against your dog’s skin.

The vest is available in a range of sizes and colors, and we quite like that it has both back and front leash attachment points, as well as a large nylon handle on the back of the vest that can be used to help control your dog. The one downside to this vest is the price, as it is more expensive than many of the vests on this list.

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9. Kurgo Dog Harness

This Kurgo Dog harness has been specifically designed to allow your dog to be strapped into your car safely while driving. It is also suitable for use while walking and is another step-in design with chest padding.

The harness comes in a variety of sizes and has both a front and rear metal leash attachment point. Unlike many harnesses, this vest uses all metal clips to keep your dog safe and secure.

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10. Excellent Elite Spanker Tactical Adjustable Dog Harness

With strong nylon strapping and durable padding, this dog harness from Excellent Elite Spanker is designed to emulate a military work dog harness. The harness is quite well built, but don’t let the name fool you, as this product really isn’t designed for professional working dogs.

We do, however, like that it is fully adjustable and that it has a large metal leash attachment clip on the back. Unfortunately, there is no clip on the front of the vest, but it does have a strong nylon handle on the back that you can use to help control your dog.

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Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Dog Harness

Hopefully, our list of harness reviews has helped you identify the right harness for your dog. But not all harnesses are suitable for all dogs. So, to help you make your final choice, we’ve identified several points that you should consider when choosing a harness for your dog.

Where does the leash connect?

Dog harnesses generally have the leash connection point in one of two places: on the back, above your dog’s shoulders, or at the front, over your dog’s chest.

Front-clip harnesses will provide you with more control over the directions that your dog can move than harnesses with only a back clip. These may be good for dogs that are not well behaved and tend to lunge at other dogs or people, but they can sometimes result in your dog’s feet getting caught up in their leash.

Using a back-clip harness will ensure that your dog’s feet don’t get caught in their leash but will offer you little control over the direction that your dog walks, which can make controlling an unruly dog more difficult.

Recently, some harnesses have started to appear on the market with side-clips, meaning that the connection point to which you clip your dog’s leash is on the side of the harness. This is a feature that we suspect will become more common, as it provides much better control than a back-clip harness and avoids the problem of tripping up your dog that often occurs with a front-clip harness.

Is it going to fit?

There is no point purchasing a harness that doesn’t fit your dog. Just as there are many different sized dogs, there are also many different sized harnesses. You must take the time to accurately measure your dog to ensure that you get a harness that fits snuggly and is comfortable for your dog to wear.

Most harnesses are sized according to the weight of your dog, but this is not always the most accurate way to ensure that you get a harness that fits. A far better way is to use a tape measure to check the circumference of your dog’s neck and chest, as most harnesses will list these sizes in addition to the suggested dog weight.

Do you need padding?

As a dog wearing a harness walks, the harness straps can rub against their skin; this is particularly problematic for dogs with short hair. So, if your dog has short hair, they may benefit from a harness that has a bit of padding, which will be softer on their skin and help avoid any irritation.

Padded harnesses are also often more decorative than those that are unpadded, and this can also add a bit of style or flair to your dog’s look.

Will it go the distance?

If you have a puppy or young adult dog, it is essential to consider how much you expect your pet to grow, as well as how much your harness can be adjusted. There may be little point in purchasing a harness that only fits now if your dog is still growing, as you will likely find that within a month or two, they will no longer fit into it.

The quality of the materials used in the harness is also something to consider. Ideally, you want a harness that will last for several years, and some cheaply made models may seem inexpensive now, but if they fall apart after a few weeks of use, you will have to spend more money to replace them. We recommend that you should buy the best quality harness that you can reasonably afford.

How easy is it to put on?

Not all harnesses fit the same way, and some can be quite fiddly to put on your dog. Thus, it is well worth considering how easy a harness is to put on your dog before you spend any money. Remember, most dogs get quite excited when they know it’s time to go for a walk, so it is highly likely that you will be putting your dog’s harness on them when they are in an excited and distracted state.

Do you want reflective materials?

If you plan on walking your dog at night or early in the morning before sunrise, you might want to purchase a harness that has reflective material on it. The more you can do to remain visible to passing traffic, the safer you and your dog will be while out on your walks.

Have you got the right leash?

If you are buying your first harness after having previously used a collar, you may need to consider the type and length of leash that you use. While harnesses are safer for your dog, you may find that you don’t have as much control over your dog when they are in a harness, and to compensate for this, you may want a shorter leash.

Do you walk more than one dog?

If you have two dogs, you might want to consider buying harnesses with side clips—specifically, one harness with a left-hand side-clip and the other with a right-hand side-clip. That way, if your dogs are of similar size, you can use a single Y-shaped leash to walk your dogs rather than two individual leads.

How much do you want to spend?

With so many different styles and types of harnesses available on the market, it is to be expected that there will also be a considerable range of prices. As with most things, buying a quality dog harness can be a matter of “you get what you pay for,” so we recommend purchasing the best quality harness that you can afford. There are many cheap and flimsy models available, but when you consider the importance of keeping your dog safe and secure and the fact that cheap harnesses likely won’t last long, you may be better off spending a little more now for a harness that will go the distance.

Conclusion

With so many different dog harnesses available on the market, choosing the right one for your pet can be difficult. As you can see in the reviews above, not every harness is suitable for all dogs, and it is important to spend time looking through the options available and applying each of the considerations listed in our buyers guide to the harnesses that you are considering for your pet.

Hopefully, our reviews and buyers guide has made the task of choosing your harness just a little bit easier.

To recap, our top choices for the best dog harness in Australia are:

You might also be interested in checking out the best dog food available down under:

• 10 Best Dog Foods in Australia in 2020

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Featured image credit: Yama Zsuzsanna Márkus, Pixabay