I was reading a review of Hurtta harnesses by ZoePhee, and they looked so lovely that I decided I'd finally have a go at buying that new harness I so desperately needed. And since I've never had a go at this whole reviewing thing, I thought I'd review them once they arrived.
And do you know what? It's hard.
I bought my Hurtta Outdoors Padded Y Harness and Hurtta Outdoors Reflective Leash on Friday afternoon, and by ten o'clock this morning they were here. And there was free postage - thanks, Active Hound!
I measured the largest (Teddy) and smallest (Jess) dogs and picked the size I thought would be most likely to fit both. As for colour, as pretty as the pink ones are, I wanted something that would suit all genders. Black (Raven for the harness, Granite for the lead) it was.
Teddy was the first to try the new harness.
LIKE: The stripes are very snazzy (and as a bonus, they're reflective as well). I like how sturdy both the lead and harness felt. I believe they'd stand a lot of abuse. The black rings and cleak are a nice touch. It's also fantastic that the bit that goes around the tummy is very adjustable - useful for me. The Y-shape means Teddy doesn't cough when the lead is attached.
DISLIKE: The aforementioned bit that goes around the tummy comes away from the harness completely. Um... why? I can't think of any practical reason for this. Another thing is that I couldn't for the life of me work out which way up the harness was supposed to go. As a result, the harness is... ahem... upside down in all of the photos. Oops.
Teddy did look very handsome with his new harness on. He jumped onto a wall as soon as I asked him to. (I seem to be reviewing the dog.)
Teddy kept the harness on as we left the field. He didn't step out of it. It fits him perfectly.
Jess can't be left out of things for long.
Jess is ao adorable. Such a sweet wee girl.
Oh. Reviewing the dogs again...
The Hurtta logo is on the harness in a few places.
Here is Jess wearing the harness and sniffing something very interesting next to the lead.
Understandably, the harness is a little looser on Jess, but she didn't step out of it. I wonder if it would fit better if it was on the right way up.
Another Hurrta logo.
The top/front/bottom/back of the harness. When Teddy was wearing it you couldn't see a thing, only fluff.
Jess is a brilliant model.
RATINGS TIME
Hurtta Outdoors Padded Y Harness
★ ★ ★ ★ ¾
GOOD: Well made, looks brilliant, comfortable for my dogs, doesn't make me feel bad for spending £20 on it.
BAD: The bit around the tummy comes off.
Hurtta Outdoors Reflective Leash
★ ★ ★
GOOD: Strong, comfortable to hold, matches the harness well.
BAD: It's a bit overpriced at £17 for what it is, which is a lead. I would have spent £10-15 on this and not batted an eye.
IN SUMMARY
I would buy another one of these harnesses in a heartbeat, and the same would go for the lead if it was £5 cheaper. I'm looking forward to getting a long life out of these things.
(And there you have it, my first product review. Hopefully it makes sense to someone!)
I'm glad you mostly like the harness! It looks like you got the updated Y. I really wanted to review that one but it's not available in the US yet. Does it fit better when it's not upside down? Also, I was wondering what you meant by the belly strap coming away from the harness completely? Are you talking about the girth strap or the chest piece?
ReplyDeleteIt's the girth strap that comes off. It just slips through the loop that holds it in place on the top/bottom. So you can think you have the harness on properly, and find that the girth is only attached at the top or bottom and you have to unclip the girth and thread it through. (You know, this would be so much easier with a diagram.)
DeleteI haven't tried it on the right way with the dogs yet - I only found out the harness was upside down when I looked at your review! Again, oops!
Oh! That makes sense! So the girth strap slips out of the loop it's supposed to be in! Got it! Interesting! The classic y doesn't do that. Hmmm.. I wonder why they changed it.
DeleteI forgot to mention, that black looks stunning on the dogs! :D
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem with Nola's Y! The belly straps comes out of its loop all the time, and it's so frustrating. I also don't like how the neck isn't adjustable (here, anyway); Nola's head and neck are super skinny, so it's not super secure. Great review!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that you have the same problem! An adjustable neck would have been very useful for me so it fit Jess better, but I think I'll get away with it.
DeleteThank you! :)
Thank you for the review. Cocoa needs a new one. The one she has the latch comes undone and we can't have that happen!! She is so strong and needs one that will hold up to her strength!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome for the review! :)
DeleteThis harness is certainly strong.
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ReplyDeleteSo I spoke to my Hurtta rep, who happened to read this and he emailed the company in Finland and spoke to their chief designer asking why the harness slips out of the strap. It's for any dogs who have arthritis or other leg problems. It's so that they don't have to lift their leg to get dressed. That's why they changed the design. To help older dogs out.
ReplyDeleteOh, I see. Interesting. But surely the ratio of dogs who are old and/or arthritic to the dogs who can lift their legs is so vast, it would have been a better idea for all if there was a separate harness for the arthritic dogs. Something like that would have kept everyone happy.
DeleteCan't have everything, I suppose. Thanks for chasing that up! :)