Kong Harness On Dog
KONG Comfort Dog Handle & Traffic Loop
Overview
Harnesses are a great way to safely and securely control your dog, especially when they’re young or haven’t been properly trained to not pull on leash. The distribution of the contact points and pressure ensures they don’t choke as may be caused when pulling on a standard collar, and the full body wrapping keeps the harness from accidentally slipping off, as can also be done with a standard collar.
It’s important to find one in the right size with the right adjustments to properly fit your dog, and like collars, you don’t want any part of it to be too tight or to dig into your dogs skin. The ability to easily and quickly put the harness on and off is also a key necessity. The Kong Comfort Dog Handle & Traffic Loop, (earlier versions were called the Kong On The Go Adjustable Harness), meets all these needs and is our harness of choice for both our dogs.
How to Put the KONG Harness On and Off
Details
When you first get the harness it can be a bit difficult to see just how it’s supposed to be worn on your dog. It looks like there are straps and buckles everywhere, but rest assured with just a couple of tries you’ll quickly see how easy it is to use.
First, you’ll notice that the part which goes around your dog’s neck is always a closed loop. This is a constant you can rely on and will help you orient yourself to the rest of the harness.
Second, the neoprene traffic handle (Comfort handle) is supposed to go along the back of your dog, with the D-Ring closest to their rear.
Third, there are only two buckles which attach the straps that go under your dog’s midsection, behind their front legs. By reaching under and pulling the straps up to the buckles along the back, you can quickly secure the harness.
 Kong Harness Side View Tucker modeling the Kong Harness – Side View |
 Kong Harness Colors Only available at Petsmart in three colors and four sizes |
 Kong Harness Front View Tucker modeling the Kong Harness – Front View |
Specifications
The KONG Harness is well made with strong nylon webbing and a wider and padded neoprene handle which is easy to grab and feels good in your hand. The buckles are the same sort of durable plastic you find on most sporting gear. Some may argue that metal would be stronger, but we like the plastic since it doesn’t get hot in the sun. Yes, if you step on the buckles it is possible you can break or damage them, so it’s necessary to treat all your equipment with care.
Both the collar and chest straps are adjustable so you can make sure it properly fits your dog. You want the harness snug but not tight. If you can easily slip a few fingers between the harness and your dog, you should be all set.
Comparisons
We did try a couple of other harnesses before choosing this model by Kong. Most of the others we rejected because either the chest strap was too wide and bulky, or the adjustment straps just couldn’t get us a proper fit. Our dogs are considered Large at over 60 pounds, but their body shape is really more long and lean with deep chests. We found the Medium sized harness with girth allowances between 20″ and 30″ to be the proper size.
Summary
Kong Comfort Dog Harness & Traffic Loop
Pros:
We give it a 5-Sadie rating due to its simplicity, good design, convenient handle, and good fit.
Cons:
The only con might be the narrow chest strap. This is nice for fit, and it hasn’t been an issue, but the reason so many other harnesses offer the wider chest straps is to help displace the force should your dog pull, or maybe be yanked in an accident or emergency. Narrow straps can dig into your dog, but as we use this only when walking and when supervised, we haven’t found this to be a problem.
Final Thoughts:
It should be noted that this particular harness is NOT actually manufactured by KONG, and instead is made by Petsmart with a licensing deal for using the Kong brand name.
Company: KONG
Product: KONG Comfort Dog Handle & Traffic Loop