Every dog in the team is wearing a harness and there are tons of harness types and brands out there! How does the musher pick one? Well there are three key considerations in my book. Fit. Durability. Performance. Firstly we must consider the fit. A properly fitted harness will not constrict a dogs movement in any way. It will be comfortable for the dog both running and standing. This means that there can be no pressure points on the dog when the tug line is taut. Each and every dog is assessed for proper harness fit and the best harness for that particular dog will be used. In KMAs case the decision was easy -- Howling Dog Alaska is the best choice for us hands-down. KMA uses both the distance and the lightweight standard harness depending on which is best for the dog. Secondly we should look at harness durability. These things take a beating every single day. They are exposed to UV rays when its sunny. They are repeatedly drowned in water during summer and fall training and then air dried. They are filled with the abrasive glacial silt from the nearby creeks and rivers so must wash clean easily. They are frozen and thawed repeatedly in severe temperature swings. These things should be made of iron! But that would be a little heavy and more than a little uncomfortable. :) Howling Dog harnesses have closed cell foam padding that doesnt saturate or ice up and they rinse clean easily. They are lightweight and tough as nails. There isnt a better value on the market. Lastly one should look at performance when considering a harness. How does the DOG perform? Even if the harness fits well there may be special considerations for a dog. Some dogs dont run well in X-back type harnesses -- they crab (Ill bet you can figure out what that means and I dont even have to tell you!) because of the way the harness puts pressure on their back. Other dogs will pace (similar to a trot but less desirable) when wearing one type of harness but not another. Finally there may be utility to consider such as daily performance and race performance. Does the musher like dealing with the harness? Are there features that they dislike such as buckles or other hardware? KMA makes a concerted effort to match the perfect harness with each dog and I do mean day in and day out. I have seen Darrin use a harness type one day during fall training and the next day mention that he will be changing to another harness for so-and-so because he thinks they would be more comfortable. The cold hard truth of the matter is that the dogs must be comfortable in order to perform optimally. Keep the dogs happy and you have a happy musher too! And you know what they say about happy mushers......they get more sleep. ;)
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 05:52:57 +0000
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