Product Review: Howling Dog Alaska Tough Skin Harness

Howling Dog Alaska's Tough Skin Harness is an awesome piece of gear for dog-powered sports. This mushing harness conforms to the dog's body and distributes pressure to make pulling comfortable. It is made from super light, breathable mesh fabric This is a tougher version of the company's Second Skin Harness, these are commonly used by both recreational and professional mushers. It comes in two colors and five sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

Want your dog to pull you on your bike/skateboard/hovercraft? A regular walking harness just won't do, you need something specifically designed to make pulling comfortable and effective.

Traditional mushing harnesses are designed to attach to a sled at a point near the ground, so they curve back over the dog's hips. The Tough Skin harness is intended for attachment points at the same level or higher than the dog's back, making it ideal for skijoring, biking, scootering, canicross, and all sorts of other dog-powered sports.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pulling is a great way to build more exercise for your dog into an ordinary walk. I've taught my dogs to walk nicely on a loose leash when wearing neck collars, but they are allowed to pull in a harness. Hitched to a nice supportive belt, a dog can pull all they like without hurting anyone's arm or shoulder. I much prefer this to using weighted backpacks to make my dogs work harder. Pulling in a proper harness builds muscle and is much easier on the joints than carrying extra weight.

Pros: Tough and durable. Very visible. Comfortable for pulling. Harder to back out of than a traditional mushing harness.

Cons: They don't really make these for small dogs.

Bottom Line: This is an awesome mushing harness! It's a very different style than Brisbane's Alpine Outfitters mushing harness. I can't decide which I like better.

Product Review: Howling Dog Alaska Trekking Belt

Howling Dog Alaska's Trekking Belt is a nice hands-free way to let your dog pull like a sled dog without sacrificing your arms or shoulders. It spreads out the force of your pulling dogs while providing nice back support. It has a pocket and bottle holder, and a nice big ring for any sort of leash attachment. Comes in one size and one color.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pulling is a lot of work, and one way to help tire out a dog with seemingly boundless energy. While loose leash walking is an essential skill to have, there's a good reason to let your dog pull in certain circumstances.

I've taught my dogs to walk nicely when they are wearing neck collars. However, I do allow them to pull when they are wearing back-clipping body harnesses. I started out teaching Brisbane to never pull on the leash at all, and this turned out to be a mistake as I'd like him to be comfortable enough with leash tension to handle being on a retractable leash.

Sisci knows she is allowed to pull when wearing a harness, so she doesn't mind the tension from the Flexi leash. However, walking her on a harness can be tiring after a while. When I wear the Trekking Belt, I can hook her up with an elastic line and she can pull her heart out for the entire walk. This helps build muscle and also wears her out without putting extra stress on her joints. A lot of people put weighted packs on their dogs to help tire them on walks, but this is lower impact and better for doggy body building.

Pros: Distributes force well. Very supportive and nice on the lower back. Goes with everything.

Cons: It tends to ride up a bit on long walks.

Bottom Line: This is an affordable, durable, comfortable mushers belt.