A Better Way to Adjust the Easy Walk Harness

The PetSafe Easy Walk harness works well for a lot of people, but it can be difficult to fit on the dog properly. The instructions included with this harness don't work very well for most dogs. Sure, they look plausible when you read them:














Just make the straps that go around the bottom and top tight enough that they remain in a straight vertical line even when the front strap is pulled forward. Then adjust the front strap so that it is tight enough to stay horizontal, 90 degrees from the other two straps, but not so tight that it pulls them forward. The connector rings and front strap should sit precisely at the level of the dog's breastbone. Easy, right?

The Mythical T-Shape
It sounds easy until you actually try to put an Easy Walk harness on a dog. Then physics comes into play and you begin to realize that dogs aren't shaped like that. I have yet to find a dog on which I could fit an Easy Walk harness as directed. No matter how incredibly dog-suffocatingly tight I make those top and bottom straps, they will not remain vertical. Nope. Not happening. Also, the straps attach to each other via a ring on either side. This allows the straps to rotate freely out of position at the slightest pressure.

If your harness fits like this and any of the straps are at their maximum
length, you probably need a bigger harness.
Photo by Erin Koski

The front strap on the Premier PetSafe EasyWalk harness includes a martingale loop that allows it to tighten. This feature also makes it very heavy. Unless your dog has an extremely prominent breastbone on which to hang that strap, it is going to sag. Heavy leash clips exacerbate this issue, and once again those handy side rings allow it to rotate very easily. There is no keeping the front strap horizontal.

So what can you do? If you try to keep the front strap tight enough to stay up, it pulls the top and bottom straps out of vertical and into the NO Y-shape. If you try to keep the top and bottom straps vertical, the front strap sags. There is no happy medium. Even worse, the mythical T-shape requires that the top and bottom straps sit in your dog's armpits, and fit very tightly. Chafed underarms galore.

The SENSE-ible Solution
The fitting instructions for the SENSE-ation harness are a bit different, but they work extremely well for the EasyWalk. For a better, more comfortable, less droopy fit, loosen that bottom strap and tighten up the top one a bit. The connector rings should now sit higher than the dog's breastbone.

A size bigger, this M/L can be adjusted for a better fit.
Photo by Erin Koski

With the front strap now attached a bit higher, it should sag right into its ideal position. When light pressure is applied, the Easy Walk harness may even take on the mythical T-shape. Since the front is no longer being held in place purely by tension, the bottom strap can be loosened enough to allow some freedom of movement. This also keeps it out of the dog's armpits and reduces chafing.

How to Fit an Easy Walk Harness Comfortably
1. Find the point of the dog's breastbone at the front of their chest, just below their neck.
2. Adjust the top shoulder strap so that the connector rings on either side sit an inch or two above this point.
3. Adjust the bottom belly strap so that it is snug, but loose enough to allow the dog to sit comfortably without getting jabbed in the armpits.
4. Adjust the front chest strap so it is snug enough to sit against the dog's body, but not so tight as the affect the position of the other two straps. It should droop slightly and sit just at the dog's breastbone.
5. If the front chest straps hangs lower than the breastbone or the leash clasp hits the dog's legs, tighten the top shoulder strap more. If the bottom belly strap is chafing under the front legs, loosen the front chest strap and tighten the top shoulder strap.

Keep in mind that Easy Walk harnesses tend to loosen up over time, and need to be tightened and adjusted often. Have you used this harness? How well did it work for you?

Product Review: The Benebone Bacon Flavored Wishbone Chew

Benebones are non-edible nylon chew toys infused with flavor. This bacon-flavored bone is made from nylon and bacon. Actual bacon. No, I have no idea how they did that. Benebones come in two additional flavors, chicken and peanut butter. The larger size is suitable for dogs under 70 pounds, the smaller size is for dogs under 30 pounds.

Photo by Erin Koski

I'm pretty sure this bacon-flavored Benebone arrived in one of our BarkBoxes, but I can't remember which one. It's been around for a while, and everyone but Ru has ignored it. Sisci adopted it soon after she arrived though, and now it gets toted all over the house and gnawed lovingly.

This is a pretty unique chew toy. I'm not really sure how they managed to infuse the nylon with real actual bacon. It certainly doesn't smell like anything. The shape is also unusual, our Nylabone wishbones are all flat, but the Benebone has a nice curve to it.

The biggest issue I see with this bone is that it is only for dogs under 70 pounds. That excludes a lot of labs, golden retrievers, and other very common breeds.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Non-toxic. Somehow made with actual bacon. Holds up well to light and moderate chewing. More enjoyable than a Nylabone.

Cons: Not for most large dogs or serious power chewers.

Bottom Line: I should probably buy a little one for Ru. He likes chewing this sort of this, but the Benebone is a bit big.

Food Friday: Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken with Lamb

Way back when I first became interested in dog food, around 15 year ago, Solid Gold was just about the best food on the market. It was hard to find, nobody in my area sold it, but I was told by multiple sources that this was the stuff to feed if you could get your hands on it. The dog food landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade and a half, and Solid Gold no longer fills me with awe at the sight of its shiny metallic packaging. It still occupies a special spot in my heart though, and is definitely a food I would use if I could.

Why can't I feed Solid Gold on a regular basis? It's because they insist on cramming poultry and/or eggs into nearly every damned recipe. Admittedly I'm a bit angsty because Brisbane is allergic to chicken, turkey, duck, and eggs. There aren't a ton of dogs with egg allergies, so obviously food companies should go ahead and include them in every single product they make, right?

Anyway...where was I? Oh yes, Hund-N-Flocken. The dry kibble version of this food was Solid Gold's original flagship product. It first hit the market in 1974, two years before the founder of the company won Best of Breed with her gorgeous Great Dane. Their SeaMeal, a vitamin supplement I've used in the past, has been around since 1982. I had no idea.

I truly appreciate this company. Apparently the original founder is still around and working. Since I first heard about them, their food has become infinitely easier to find in my local stores.

Solid Gold has been making grain-free dog food since 2006. Their only recall was a voluntary one in 2012. However, they do not own their own facility. Solid Gold uses a co packer, their products are mostly manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. To me, this makes them a bit more of a marketing company and a little less trustworthy than those with dedicated facilities.

Some Solid Gold foods merit five out of five stars on the Dog Food Advisor website. This one only rates three out of five stars, probably due to its equal percentages of protein and fat. Sisci liked this food, Ru was unimpressed, and Brisbane loved it because he loves all food all the time.

If Brisbane could eat it, Solid Gold's foods would probably a part of our regular food rotation. They've done a pretty decent job of keeping up with the changing pet food market. Their devotion to eggs as the most perfect protein, worthy of inclusion in all but one or two formulas, reminds me a lot  of Fromm. Solid Gold's rank in my mental list of quality dog foods has been gradually falling for a decade now, as brands like Acana and Orijen surpass them in sheer quality. I still think they make good food, but no longer believe they make the very best things I can feed my dogs.

When did you first hear about Solid Gold dog food?