Dog Harness Leash Set for Small Dogs & Cats

A collar pulls on the throat. This one sits on the chest.

A small dog or a cat on a collar and lead spends the whole walk with all the pull going through its neck. So the walk gets shorter, then it stops happening, and you end up with an animal that has never learned to walk on a lead at all.

This is a step-in vest harness. The load sits across the chest and shoulders instead of the throat, it closes with two side-release buckles rather than going over the head, and there is a moulded rubber grab handle across the back for the moments when you need the animal in your hand right now — a gate left open, a snake on the track, a car door.

Read the sizing before you buy. This harness is sold in one size only, which the supplier labels XS and describes as suiting small dogs such as a chihuahua, havanese, corgi, pug or terrier, and cats. There is no medium and no large. If your dog is bigger than a corgi, this is the wrong harness and we would rather tell you now.

What It Does

• Moves the pull off the neck: a vest panel across the chest and shoulders instead of a strap around the throat.
• Goes on without a fight: two side-release buckles, so nothing has to go over the head or the ears.
• Gives you a handle: a moulded rubber grip across the back to lift or hold the animal at close quarters.
• Takes a name patch: hook-and-loop panels front and both sides for a morale or identity patch.
• Adjusts around the fit: sliding webbing on the neck and chest straps to tune it to the animal.

Key Features

• Vest-style body: a padded panel over the shoulders with a webbing frame, not a thin strap harness.
• Moulded grab handle: rubber, ribbed, sitting flat along the spine.
• Metal lead ring: a D-ring on the back, under the handle.
• Two quick-release buckles: one each side, so it comes off in a second.
• Breathable mesh underside: open air mesh across the chest and belly panel.
• Hook-and-loop patch panels: front chest plate and both flanks.
• Four colours: black, khaki, camo or red.
• Lead sets available: the "with Leash" options add a bungee lead with a snap hook, a padded traffic handle near the clip and a wrist loop, plus a morale patch.
• Free delivery: Australia and New Zealand, both included.

Limits

This is where most harness listings go quiet, so here it is straight.

• It is NOT a car restraint: it has not been crash tested, it carries no restraint rating, and no standard is claimed for it. Do not clip it to a seatbelt and do not treat it as a safety device in a vehicle. If you want a car restraint, buy something that is sold and certified as one.
• One size only: chest strap 35 to 51 cm (350 to 510 mm), neck girth 24 to 54 cm (240 to 540 mm), back length 15 cm (150 mm), all as stated by the supplier. There is no size option on this listing. Put a tape around your animal first.
• The back length is short: 15 cm (150 mm) covers a small dog or a cat. A long-backed dog will find the panel sits well forward of the hips, which is normal for this style but worth knowing.
• Not escape proof: a cat that has decided to reverse out of a harness can usually manage it. Fit it snug and keep hold of the lead.
• The handle is for close work: lifting a small animal a short distance, holding it beside you at a road. It is not a hoist and it is not a fall-arrest point.
• The pattern is a pattern: the camo colourway and the patches are cosmetic. Nothing here is issued, approved or supplied to any military or service organisation, and we make no such claim.
• Load rating: not specified by supplier. No breaking strain is published for the webbing, the D-ring or the handle.

Q & A

How do I know it will fit?
Measure two things with a soft tape. Girth, right around the deepest part of the chest just behind the front legs — that needs to land between 35 and 51 cm (350 to 510 mm). And the neck, right around where a collar sits — the supplier states 24 to 54 cm (240 to 540 mm). If either measurement is outside those numbers, this harness is not for your animal.

What is the difference between the plain and the "with Leash" options?
The plain options are the harness on its own. The "with Leash" options add a bungee lead — a length of elasticated webbing with a metal snap hook, a short padded handle near the clip for close control and a wrist loop at the far end — along with a morale patch for the hook-and-loop panel.

What patch comes with it?
Not specified by supplier. The supplier's images show more than one design, so we cannot promise which one turns up. The panels are standard hook-and-loop, so any patch of that type will stick to them.

Will it work on a cat?
It is sold for cats as well as small dogs and the supplier photographs it on both. The honest caveat is the one above: no vest harness is escape proof on a cat that wants out of it.

How long is the lead?
Not specified by supplier. It is a bungee style, so the working length changes under load anyway, but no measured length is published and we are not going to invent one.

What is it made of?
The exact fabric composition is not specified by supplier. What is visible: nylon-style webbing straps, plastic side-release buckles, a metal D-ring, a moulded rubber handle and an open air-mesh lining. The supplier describes the lining as a mesh cotton cloth.

How long will it take to arrive?
Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you place the order, and up to three weeks to be safe. Regional and remote addresses take longer again. Delivery is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs