You need to spend quality time with your dogs to exercise them in the inclement weather. Even if you have a full team of sled dogs or have only 1 dog, you need a proper sled dog harness to walk on snow and extremely cold weather. How to make a dog sled harness? It is a very frequently asked question by dog owners who want to train dogs in cold weather.
Keeping in mind all your needs, we come up with the detailed and step-by-step guide to making the dog sled harness. Also, below you get the guide about why sled harness is different from others. Finally, letâs take a closer look at all the steps and make a durable and comfortable dog sled harness.
How to Make a Dog Sled Harness? Step by Step
Making a dog sled harness is not complicated, but you need some crucial things mentioned below before making it.
Materials that you Need Before Making Sled Dog Harness
You donât need to buy new items to make a dog sledding harness you can also make it by using the recycled items as you need a cheap dog sled harness.
- Nylon Webbing (4.5 meters of 2.54cm)
- Polyester Fleece (0.4 to 0.9 meters)
- Polyester Thread or Woven Fishing Line
- One Steel Ring (0.63 cm)
- Hardwood Dowel (45 cm Long)
- Two Screws, 1-2âł long (0.63 cm)
- Tow Washers (0.63 cm)
- One Needle
- Drill (0.47 cm)
- Nails
You can also use an alternative of nylon webbing, but we especially recommend you buy it because it wonât hurt your dog because it is made of soft materials. Once you collect all of these items mentioned above, you need to make a dog sled harness by following the steps.
Step 1: In the first step, all you have to do is run the nylon webbing through to the steel ring. When you are doing it, make sure that the webbing folds in the middle of the steel ring.
Step 2: Once you run the nylon webbing through the ring, you need to use it to sew the steel ring in the right place.
Step 3: When you are sewing the steel ring, you need to keep in mind that you can provide 8 to 12 inches of space on each side of the steel ring.
Step 4: Now, you need to keep the nails and pierce the ring with them. If you can heat the nails with a flame so this process is straightforward for you.
Step 5: Now, make a hole of 1.2 cm in the middle of each end of the dowl by using the drill.
Step 6: You can use the previously heated nails and screw the washers inside the dowl in this step.
Step 7: Keep in mind that when you apply the dowl, the dowl should be at 1â to 2â from the dog’s hind legs.
Step 8: Inside this step, you need some safety pins to cross the straps under the dog’s front legs.
Step 9: When you cross the straps under the front dogâs neck, you need to work on the dogâs neck. Then, you can snug the straps with neck put have some space for the padding.
Step 10: Now, you need to use two pieces of nylon webbing for the backstrap on the dog, and you can place them on the dogâs hip.
Step 11: Now, take the dowl out of the harness and do your best to secure the bottom of the backstrap properly.Â
Step 12: To get better and more speed performance, you can use some padding for the neck, under the neck, and for the armpits.
Step 13: When you follow all the steps mentioned above, now it is time to attach the tube with the dog harness. To do this perfectly, you need to sew the tube down the middle of the harness.
Step 14: Now sew each edge of the harness to the padding.
Step 15: In the last step, your sled dog harness is ready, and you can use it to get perfect functionality and speed with your dog.
Things you Need to Keep in Mind
Once you follow all the steps mentioned above and get a detailed answer about how to make a dog sled harness, now you need to keep in mind some essential things mentioned below.
- When you put the strap on the dog’s breast, always keep in mind that the breast strap should be breastbone. The purpose for doing this is that the straps should be extended and extend back to the elbow.
- The bottom and the top of the straps must be even.
- The Harness side should not pull up because your dog wonât pull the sled if it is pull up.
- If your sled is heavy and you want that, your dog pulls it, so you need to tighten the neck. Also, you need to make sure that it fits according to the dog’s body, not with the dogâs fur.
- Another important thing that you need to keep in mind that the backstraps are specially made to support the bar.
Difference Between Regular Dog Harness and Sled Dog Harness
When it comes to the difference between a regular dog harness and a sled dog harness, both are used for different purposes.
- Ease of Use Difference: The dogs that pull collars too much, so the regular dog harness will reduce the risk of choking on dogs. On the other hand, when we talk about the sledding dog harness, it will allow you to pull it without hurting them.
- Shape and Materials Difference: Another main difference between the regular dog harness and sledding dog harness is the shape and materials. The standard dog harness is based on measuring the dogâs breed and its beauty and shape. Conversely, the sledding dog harnesses are specially used to train your dog in a cold environment based on the specific purpose.
- Safety and Functionality Difference: If you are looking for a collar that provides you more speed, the sledding dog harness will be best for you. Therefore, if you want more safety and control over your dog, you can choose the regular dog harness. The standard harnesses are manufacture for comfortability, but the sledding dog harness provides full functionality.
Conclusion
We hope you are well aware of making a dog sled harness by following all the steps mentioned above. The above step by step guide proves to be perfect and makes your work easier, and you can do it without any hesitation. Also, above, you get to see the difference between the regular dog harness and sled dog harness.
In the end, we hope that this guide proves to be informative for you, and after following it, you can easily manufacture the dog harness.