Product Review: The Balance Harness

The Balance Harness is a Roman-style harness designed for maximum adjustability on any dog. It is unique because every strap is adjustable, including the one on the back that goes between the dog's shoulder blades. The Balance Harness features a normal back attachment ring, and also a front attachment ring for use as a no-pull harness. There are two buckles at the girth section so the dog does not have to step through any part of the harness, and an optional neck buckle can be added for dogs that don't like having things pulled over their heads. The Balance Harness comes in black with 19 different color choices for the back strap. There are seven different sizes to fit dogs with chests 12.5-43.5" around. The Balance Harness is available from CleanRun.com and ClickerTraining.com during the current change in manufacturers.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is basically the harness to end all harnesses. It has been carefully designed to solve every problem anyone has ever had. Hard to fit dog? No problem. Sensitive skin prone to friction sores? No problem. Dog hates to be handled? No problem.

The thing that makes the Balance Harness absolutely unique is the adjustable back strap. I have never seen or heard of another harness with this feature. Most of the time I am just stuck with whatever length the manufacturer decided to make that strap, and if I'm lucky everything else will adjust to the right size. This makes sizing difficult, my dog Brisbane usually needs a longer back strap.

Photo by Erin Koski

I do think the front ring is somewhat superfluous, as a simple O-ring would be sufficient for leash attachment. Some people need a specific "leash goes here" invitation though. The Balance Harness makes a very nice non-restrictive no-pull harness with the leash attached in the front. When properly adjusted it gives the shoulders total freedom of movement. This makes it ideal for canine athletes.

The Balance Harness has two buckles at the girth strap, allowing it to be buckled around the dog without having to lift a leg through an opening. The Premier Sure-Fit and Red Dingo harnesses both have this feature as well. These options are all awesome for dogs that don't like having their feet handled, or have limited balance and flexibility.

What about dogs that don't like having things pulled over their heads?

Photo by Erin Koski

A properly-fitted harness should sit pretty close to the dog's neck. You want it far enough down to hit the breastbone and not the windpipe, but not far enough down to interfere with the shoulders. On Briz I often have to make the choice between high enough but too tight to slip on and off, and too low but easy to get on and off. He hates having harnesses pulled over his head, and I hate having to adjust them once they're on.

The Balance Harness neatly solves this issue by offering an optional buckle in the neck strap. The only other harness with a neck buckle that I am aware of is the Alcott Adventure harness, which does not have adjustable back or center straps.

Pros: Unparelleled adjustability for weird-shaped dogs. No-pull front ring. Lightweight and comfortable. Three different buckles mean I can put it on a terrified, frozen, or comatose dog without any cooperation required. Tons and tons of color options including three different shades of pink. Contrasting back strap makes it easy to figure out which part goes where. Endorsed by Dr. Christine Zink.

Cons: Color options only apply to the back strap, the rest of the harness only comes in black unless you custom order it in a different color. The buckle neck harness only comes in six colors. The buckles are surprisingly flimsy compared to the rest of the construction. Like, dollar store collar quality.

Bottom Line: Best. Harness. Ever.