Our dog Markus was rescued at the age of 3 (roughly - we're not too sure about his actual age) and by the time we got him, he had already developed some habits. Having lived a life on the street, Markus is a hunter by nature and he is hypersensitive to the rustling of animals in the bushes. With a hunter's instinct, Markus lunges into the shrubs faster than we can react and hold him back. In those moments, a good solid harness that's strong enough to withstand his pulling is a necessity for us.

The other part about Markus is that he is a very curious dog. Another developed habit of his is that he is a wild explorer. Discovering new smells is more of a treat to him than even the high-level treats that we bring with us on our walks. Markus' need for exploration sometimes gets the better of him and he can be a bit of an escape artist. In fact, Markus' rescue shelter told us that on the day he was set to leave and go to his furever home, he had managed to escape from the shelter workers, but didn't make it very far before he was caught where we eventually adopted him.

As his owners, we've taken every precaution to make sure Markus doesn't attempt a daring escape and yet it's happened! About two years ago, we purchased the Front Range Harness by Ruffwear and it's been our absolute favourite harness so far. However on a recent walk in the woods, Markus managed to pull backwards on the harness, which allowed him to slip out in one sweeping motion even though the straps were tight against his body. We had to chase Markus in the woods and although he didn't get very far, it was enough to get us thinking that he's figured out how to escape from this harness now, so it might be worth looking for one that's a little more secure.

Luckily Ruffwear recently released another harness - one that looks and functions the same as the Front Range, but with an extra pair of straps toward the midpoint of the body. We've been using this harness for a few months now, having gone through the rigours of traveling and hiking. This week, we wanted to share our experience using the Ruffwear Flagline Dog Harness with Handle with you.

The Ruffwear Flagline Dog Harness with Handle

The Flagline is quite similar to the Front Range, but with an extra set of straps in the back that makes it almost impossible for a dog to slip out of. Much like the Front Range, this harness is well padded along the inside, which is something that was important for us. Some of the harnesses we've used in the past didn't have padding and ended up rubbing against Markus' body causing him to bald in certain spots like around the armpit area. Since using the Front Range and now the Flagline, his fur has grown back fully and we have yet to notice anymore balding.

The harness is fitted with two different loops - a metal loop on the back of the harness and a padded fabric loop on the front. The back loop is especially high quality and there are no concerns about the dog pulling hard enough for the loop to break. The front loop seems a bit less secure, although we suppose that in theory a dog with a leash attached to the front clip is less likely to pull as aggressively. 

The harness comes with 6 different adjustable areas: two in the front of the harness and the other 4 for each of the straps. This makes it so that you can adjust and find the perfect fit for your dog (more about selecting the right size below). Generally, it is advised that the harness should be tight enough so that you can fit two fingers in between the straps and the dog. Anymore and it's too tight. Any less and it's too loose, which could make it easy for the dog to escape.

With an extra set of straps, this harness is longer than the usual ones. This additional section creates more room on the harness and Ruffwear used the space to add a convenient handle. We have to admit that we didn't think that the handle would be all that useful at first, but having done some hikes with it, we can say that the handle has been useful for carrying the dog in situations like when a rock is difficult to scale. The handle is located in a great spot where the weight is well distributed and you can actually pick your dog up conveniently almost like you would a suitcase.

The one thing that we miss on this particular harness is that it no longer has the ID slot. The Front Range harness used to have a little velcro pocket where you can put a dog tag or an ID for the dog. This was extremely convenient and held the tags (or some people like to put trackers) in without it creating a sound. Unfortunately, the Flagline no longer has this and to work around it, we now have to attach his tags with a keychain to one of the straps, which comes with the jingling sound. 

Another thing to note is that you have to be careful when clipping the middle two straps. The back two straps have padding between the clip and the dog, so you're not as likely to accidentally pinch your dog when snapping in. The middle two straps don't have that same padding so the clip is right against the dog's fur or skin. Just be careful when snapping these clips together so you don't accidentally pinch the dog because that hurts!

The Ruffwear Flagline Dog Harness with Handle comes at a hefty price, but for the security and comfort for our dog, it's one that's worth the price for us. Considering how often we go on hikes, this harness has a lot of useful features - including the handle - and makes it a worthwhile purchase.

How to pick the right size for your dog

When picking the right size, it's worth mentioning that there are 6 adjustable straps that create quite a bit of give. You should be able to find a good width when it comes to finding a good comfort level for your dog. The one thing that we want to bring your attention to is the length of the harness. 

We originally went with a medium size (for a 40lbs dog), but we found that because the harness was so long, the back straps of the harness would actually bump up against Markus private area whenever he sat down and it was clearly uncomfortable. We ended up going one size down so that the back straps were closer toward the midpoint of his body and loosened the straps so that it was comfortable for him.

Each of these harnesses have a little bit of give and in terms of the girth or width of your dog, you might be able to fit two different sizes. We would recommend bringing your dog into the pet shop to try it on, but to also get your dog to sit or go down and watch how the harness rides up or down as they do their commands. If you don't have the luxury of trying the harness on, we would recommend measuring the length of your dog and making that the back straps have a bit of room especially if you have a male dog.

Our recommendation for reactive dogs

We absolutely love this harness and we would recommend you to get it! Even though it comes at a higher cost, the comfort that you get for your dog and the strength of the harness and the loops makes it a worthwhile purchase.

Like so many of you, my wife and I are meticulous shoppers. Whether it be online or in-person, we tend to put a lot of research into the things we purchase so that we know we're putting our hard-earned money on the proper products. There are so many options for even basic items like leashes and collars that it's easy to get lost in what we're buying. We write reviews as we purchase and use these items ourselves. As you do your research for products you're planning to buy, our goal is to add another layer to that research.

We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!