Product Review: Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness

The Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness is a crash-protection harness that has been independently tested and rated by the Center for Pet Safety. This harness received the Center's highest rating, and is now the gold standard for dog car safety. The Sleepypod Clickit harness surpassed all other products tested, not only for strength and integrity, but for head excursion as well.

Photo by Erin Koski

What is head excursion? It's the distance the test dummy's head travels during a crash test. Simply put, the further the head moves, the greater the chance of a head injury. Manufacturers of child safety seats have to prove that their products pass head excursion tests.

There are currently no standards for pet safety products. Let me say that again. There are currently no standards for pet safety products. As horrifically demonstrated by the Center for Pet Safety, the vast majority of car safety harnesses will either fail catastrophically in an accident, or actually cause injury to the dog. Even products that worked as intended often sent the stuffed test dogs bouncing all over the car seat.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Sleepypod Clickit is part of a new generation of crash-protection harnesses. In the crash tests by the Center for Pet Safety, the Sleepypod Clickit Utility harness outperformed every other product tested. It was the only harness that actually kept the dog on the seat, in position, with minimal head excursion.

The original Clickit Utility harness attached to the child seat anchors as well as the seatbelt in the car. These three points helped anchor the test dog and keep it on the seat in the crash test.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Sleepypod Clickit Sport harness is more versatile because it only uses the seatbelt. At the same time, it meets or exceeds all of the standards set by the Center for Pet Safety and performs as well as the Clickit Utility. The Sleepypod Clickit Sport harness is the first CPS Certified crash-protection harness. Check out that link for crash test videos if you like watching stuffed dogs bouncing around in slow motion. (I love crash test videos.)

The harness has two grey-striped loops on the back. The seatbelt is threaded through each of these loops and then buckled. To put on the harness, the dog steps into the leg holes and then two buckles are fastened at the back. In a crash, there is no force placed on these buckles. When buckled into the car, Brisbane can sit up or lay down.

Photo by Erin Koski

There are rings on either side of the top buckle for attaching a leash. Brisbane isn't a huge fan of this harness so far. He mostly refuses to walk in it, and if I try to pull him along the top strap slides up at the back of his neck. I may be able to adjust it to prevent this. We just got our Clickit Sport and I'm still fiddling with it.

Pros: Literally the safest thing I can use in the car. Comfortable for Brisbane, even if he's a bit dramatic. Easy to use, requires no flexibility on the part of the dog. Two feet, two buckles, done. Does not impede movement. Can be used in the front seat of the car.

Cons: Not terribly functional as a walking harness just yet. Threading the belt to buckle him in is kind of awkward. They don't make a Clickit harness small enough for Ru.

Photo by Erin Koski

Bottom Line: This harness is infinitely better than our Ruff Rider Roadie. I feel significantly safer with Brisbane wearing the Sleepypod Clickit harness.