In this post you will learn how to put on a dog harness for your dachshund or any other breed you might have. This post is mostly meant for small dogs and medium sized dogs as larger dogs sometimes are simply not our specialty.

So you just bought a dog harness for your dachshund and she isn't in the mood for wearing it?

If you're lucky you have a dachshund that has no problem with you putting a dog harness on her with no fuss. You can put it on in a few seconds and go on your walk. Calm dogs are way easier to put a harness on.

Life is good.

If you're not lucky, your dachshund is giving you a lot of attitude and not wanting to wear the damn harness at all, right?

No worries though. It's not that hard to get a dachshund used to wearing a dog harness.

Follow a few easy steps and it won't be long before the sight of that harness will fill your little buddy with happiness.

Here's some step by step instructions to measuring and fitting your dachshund's harness

How to Measure for a Harness Correctly

Measuring your dachshund for a dog harness is the most important step in the whole process. A lot of pet parents rush through this step and the result is they end up with a dog harness that doesn't fit the dog properly.

We tell folks to measure twice to be safe and make sure to double check the sizing chart to make sure you are getting the right size. Make sure you measure everything you are supposed to according to the directions too.

If the dog's harness goes over your dog's head make sure you measure your dog's neck.

Since there's different types of dog harnesses you won't measure for each one in the same way. Here's some tips for measuring different types of dog harnesses.

No-Pull Dog Harness:

Some no-pull harnesses have a strap that will go over your dog's chest. To measure for this you may need to measure across the width of your dog's chest starting a little bit behind the front legs.

The next measurement you need to take is the dog's girth.

Many types of dog harness fit around the widest part of the chest, so no matter what type of harness you are getting you will probably have to measure here.

To measure your dachshund's chest girth just place a soft tape measure like a sewing tape measure around the chest, just behind the front legs where the chest or ribs are the widest.

For a no pull harness these 2 measurements should be enough.

Now you will just check the manufacturers size chart to find the best size for your dachshund.

Standard Dog Harness

A standard dog harness is measured pretty much like a no-pull harness. For most types of standard dog harness you will just need to measure around the chest girth (the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs.

Some standard dog harnesses or overhead harnesses are measured the same as a regular harness too. If your dog harness has a hole that your dog's head goes through then you'll need to measure your dachshund's neck too.

Step in harness

A step in dog harness will also measure about the same as the other types of dog harness. Just measure the widest part of the dog's chest using a soft sewing type tape measure and measure where your dog is the widest in the chest.

Just about any type of harness you buy online will have the same directions for measuring. As long as you measure the chest girth you will be halfway done for most any harness. If the harness has a chest strap then you may need to measure separate for that.

Front clip harness

When you are measuring for front clip harnesses be extra sure to measure the front of the dog's shoulder blades properly to make sure you have the right fit.

Since the d ring is a front clip type of harness the pressure will be on the front part of your dog and not on his back.

If the harness isn't fitted right it could be too loose or too tight and cause pain or your dog might be able to wiggle out of it.

How Should You Adjust It?

When your dog wears a dog harness should fit like you would want your personal human clothes to fit. It needs to be tight enough to stay on so she can't wiggle out of it, but not too tight that it's not comfortable.

Every type of harness is different and every manufacturer will have different tips and tricks to fit the harness for the best results.

A rule of thumb that any pet parent can follow is to use the two fingers rule. When the harness is fitted right you should be able to put two fingers underneath the harness in between the skin.

If you can get two fingers under the harness that means the harness fits right and it's not too tight or too loose.

Allow your dog to sniff the harness to get used to it first

The reason dogs sniff everything is to learn more about the world they live in. It helps them learn more about objects that are new to them.

So if you are trying to put on a dog harness and your dachshund isn't in the mood then letting her sniff the harness might help.

Sniffing the harness will help get your dachshund more used to it and not so afraid of it. It's about your dachshund having a positive and relaxed experience with the harness.

Once he/she associates the harness with a good experience then you can try to put it on again and you should have better luck.

If you try to force the harness over your dog's head and she doesn't want to wear it that's gonna make things worse.

How should a harness fit on a dachshund?

A well fitted harness for a dachshund should fit snug and secure, but not tight. Dachshunds have long bodies so a lot of harnesses fit them different than other breeds.

For safety reasons you just want to make sure your dachshund isn't going to get out of the harness straps and run down the road into traffic and you should be good.

Where Should You Place the Straps?

If there's a front strap on the harness it should go across the dog's shoulders and not be too tight. Some harnesses have a front strap for extra security or control.

Most of the time the other straps on whatever harness you buy are going are going to fit around the chest area behind the front legs.

Try the harness on without leaving the house

When folks buy our fast fitting dachshund harness, we always tell them that this is the most important thing you can do.

Always always always try the harness out indoors or in a fenced in area before going out into the world. Some harnesses might seem secure but the second your dachshund sees another animal or person or car she might decide to run.

If the harness isn't fitted right your furry friend might wiggle out and get hurt.

Don't leave the house until you get the fit right

It's frustrating when you just want to go out for a quick walk with using a dog harness and you have to spend a bunch of time messing with it.

But if it doesn't fit right you will be sorry. So it's best to spend the time up front getting the harness fitted right and then you won't have to do it again.

When you have it fitted and tested out in a safe area you are finally ready to go out for a walk with your dog.