Honest Review: Is the Hurtta Dog Harness Still Worth It After 4 Years?

Is it the best running & active harness for dogs?

Every time you step into a pet store either as a “seasoned” dog owner or a total newbie and just want to get a good harness… you’ll see that every dog harness promises durability, no-pulling and safety.

But as quite seasoned dog parents, we’ve seen that the true test of dog gear isn’t actually how it looks in the store, but how it holds up after 4 years of usage.

So if you’re wondering, which dog harness to get from the store (or order online), we hope that from our Hurtta dog harness review, you can confidently choose one that’ll last you for years… just like ours has. And along the way we’ll also answer some common questions about dog harnesses. Happy reading! ☺️

Is Hurtta a good brand?

If you haven’t heard then Hurtta brand actually originates from Finland and they specialize in high performance outdoor gear. Their different products are specifically designed to protect dogs during different activities (running, hiking etc), but also against rain, cold and even rough trail conditions.

A lot of brands actually focus on making products that the dog owner would like and buy. But Hurtta focuses on dogs and their ergonomics. So they actually test their product prototypes on hundreds of dog breeds to ensure proper weight distribution and also their spine safety.

So if you’re looking for dog gear that would last you for years and is also ergonomic and safe for your dog, then you’ll know in which direction to look at.

Is the Hurtta dog harness durable for daily (active) use?

Without having to say too much, we can already say, yes. Absolutely!

A lot of everyday dog harnesses start showing signs of wear already within 6 months. Okay… maybe even a year. But still, quite quickly you’ll notice that the straps have stretched out, the padding has thinned or even broken in some places and even this bright color is now, well, somewhere in between brown and grey. 😅

We’ve had different harnesses, because we do take our dog out for runs, rollerblading with us, biking etc A LOT. And why we changed the harnesses so many times, was that the quality just didn’t live up to it.

Either the fit just… didn’t fit, the straps stretched out and gave our dog a way to pull them over her head etc. So from our own different harness experience during those ~8,5 years, our Hurtta Y Razzle Dazzle dog harness has really held up:

• the fabric hasn’t stretched out

• the stitching still holds up great… surprisingly

• colors still look nice and quite vibrant

• the reflective bunny detail is still going strong. 😲

How to prevent your dog from slipping out of a harness?

From time to time we’ve been dog sitting some doggos and surprisingly, when the dog has a harness as their main walking/everyday gear, it doesn’t actually fit perfectly onto the dog.

So if you’re choosing a harness for your dog, firstly, take your dog with you to the pet store. This is what we’ve always done and it’s very helpful.

A dog harness shouldn’t only be comfortable for running, hiking etc. It should also act as “a second line of defence” and keep your dog safely with you even during stressful moments (fireworks etc).

Secondly, every dog is different, so try on different harness models. When we tried on our current Hurtta Y harness we also tried a couple of different ones.

And thirdly, if you’ve found the best harness model, also try a couple different sizes. When we got our current harness, we chose the size that had a nice snug fit, that we could also adjust and make fit even if our dog would lose or gain some weight.

The Hurtta Y Razzle Dazzle harness actually sits very nicely around the ribcage and chest area, especially when you’ve chosen the best size for your dog. And well, within those 3-4 years, our dog hasn’t wiggled out of that harness even once.

How to choose a good harness for running with dogs?

If you’re one of these active dog owners that loves running and hiking with your dog, then full shoulder movementis non-negotiable. And a lot of the times a poorly designed or chosen harness can actually cut across your dog’s shoulder joints.

It might not do anything big on first uses, but over time, it can cause shoulder injuries or joint pain. If dog harness won’t sit well on your dog’s body… well injuries might come a lot easier than you might expect.

With one of our earlier harnesses you can see (on the photo) how the harness just… is there.

Didn’t matter how many times we adjusted it, the dog harness just didn’t stay well fitted, not even talking about how the material just teared up quite easily.

That is also one of the reason we’ve used our Hurtta harness for so many years. It has an ergonomic Y shape on dog’s chest area. This is what centers the force across your dog’s chest bone, rather than their shoulders or throat.

So during hikes, biking, runs, and we do a lot of them, our Husky has full freedom of movement and can go forward safely, while fully enjoying the activity.

Is Hurtta dog harness worth the money?

Based on our experience, we would say that at least this specific Hurtta Y Razzle Dazzle dog harness is worth every single penny. After ~4 years of runs, nature hikes, firework festivals and this harness is still going strong.

It’s ergonomic, escape proof and gives us a peace of mind knowing that our dog can enjoy active lifestyle with us. So if you want to buy a good quality harness once, give this Hurtta one a try. ☺️

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