Safety Harness to use with a Service Dog, Autism Dog
Safety Harness to use with a Service Dog, Autism Dog
If you are getting an autism dog for your child with special needs, you will need a proper harness for them to wear during their training session. If you already have an autism dog for your child, perhaps they have learned to unclip their waist belt and it's time they wore something more secure.
The Safety Harness to use with an Autism Dog offers the same features of security, strength and durability as my Child-to-Adult Harness.
In addition, this design has an O-ring at the front of the harness with a front lead that attaches to the dog's collar.
Your child can "independently" walk their new companion by holding the dog's lead provided by the training academy. My front lead on the front of my harness gives the dog room to walk on either side of your child, or out in front. Let me know if you would like the front lead to be 4, 5, or 6 feet long. I have made a number of these harnesses for families who were receiving their autism dog from;
- 4 Paws for Ability, in Ohio, USA (www.4pawsforability.org)
- Righteous Pups, in Golden State, Australia (www.righteouspups.org.au)
- Support Dogs, United Kingdom (www.support-dogs.org.uk)
Safety Harness to use with a Serice Dog, Autism Dog Main Features
This Harness has all the strength and integrity of my Child-to-Adult Harness in addition to the front lead that extends to the service dog:
- top quality construction you can trust
- custom made to fit your child
- 2 chest straps circle the torso
- 500 pound weight capacity metal O-ring front and back of harness
- front lead sewn to front O-ring extends to the dog's harness
- detachable parent lead attaches to back O-ring
- extremely comfortable to wear all day
- expands to fit over growing bodies
- reinforced stitching on all seams
- industrial strength snap hooks for both leads
- parent walking lead can be any length i.e. 18 inches to 15 feet
- order multiple leads of different lengths
- add buckle covers, locking buckles instead of regular buckles and/or crotch straps to increase security
Safety Harness to use with an Autism Dog Costs ($Cdn = $USD)
The Safety Harness to use with a Serivce Dog is difficult to make and my pricing reflects this.
- $95.00 regardless of the person's chest size
- $5.00 (at cost) for snap hook on front lead to dog
- $5.00 (at cost) for snap hook on parent detachable lead
- official receipts provided if required
The Mom pictured here is out shopping with her husband (who took the picture) and their twin 6 year old boys. She had ordered 2 Child-to-Adult Harnesses to use with their boys while they waited to receive their autism service dog. She thought the Safety Harnesses might work with the service dog but if they didn't, she would order my other design.
Many months later the boys received their autism dog. And their Mom was right. My Child-to-Adult Harness, worn backward so the O-ring is in the front, allows the boys to be safely attached to their new companion and the entire family can be out together.
Description and Features of the Safety Harness to use with an Autism Dog
This harness is a 2 chest strap design with an O-ring at the back and an O-ring at the front. The lead for the parent is sewn to the back O-ring, the lead out to the dog is sewn to the front O-ring.
The lead for the parent is detachable.
The harness can be worn "backward" and used as a regular walking harness for the child if the family is going out without the dog.
- the harness has 2 chest straps that circle the torso. The top chest strap sits under the armpits, the bottom chest strap sits approximately 3 inches lower down.
- the 2 chest strap design makes the harness very secure around the person's body and very comfortable to wear
- the chest straps close at the back of the harness with buckles. The buckles can be replaced with locking buckles for increased security.
- the harness is put on and removed in the usual manner; over their head, chest straps under their arms, buckle up at the back
- the shoulder straps are stitched to the chest straps at the front of the harness
- the shoulder straps pass through metal rectangle rings at the back of the harness. This allows the shoulder straps to be adjusted.
- at the back of the harness, the top and bottom support loops and the lead for the parent are attached to a metal O-ring. The O-ring has a smooth, welded seal. The quality of the weld determines the strength of the ring and these rings are rated at 500lb weight capacity.
- a long, non-detachable 5'8" lead at the back of the harness for the parent to hold allows the person a sense of freedom
- you can request a detachable lead if you know your child will be attached to their dog most of the time. A detachable parent lead is an additional $5 (Cdn or US) to cover the cost of the snap hook.
- an O-ring at the front of the harness is attached by 4 straps. The 4 straps are anchored at each of the 4 corners where the shoulder straps meet the chest straps.
- the front lead is sewn to the front O-ring with 2 rows of reinforced stitching. This lead extends to the dog. A snap hook at the end secures the child to the dog's harness.
- re-inforced zig-zag stitching on all seams to ensure strength and durability
- each harness comes with a mesh storage/laundry/stuff sack for easy storage and to keep the harness contained while in the washing machine
- available in black, denim blue, red, army green, purple and pink
How to adjust the Safety Harness
Pictures on my Child-to-Adult Harness page show the chest straps being lengthened on a pink harness with locking carabiners.
Adjusting the fit of your new harness is a simple matter of moving the sliders back and forth to shorten or length the straps.
The same method is used to change the length of the shoulder straps and the chest straps.
You will receive your harness adjusted to the chest measurement that you gave on your order form. And since you measured your child when wearing a light t-shirt, their new harness will be ready to be worn over similar clothing.
This works great in the summer time!
But it's not always summer - at least in Canada...
The extra webbing on the harness that you use to make the harness bigger (e.g. to fit over a sweater or a jacket) is between the two sliders on that strap.
By moving the second slider toward the back of the harness, you "free up" a length of webbing that you then feed through both sliders to make that strap longer.
If you put the harness on your child and there is a 2 inch gap between the buckles at their back, lengthen each chest strap by 1 inch.
You must lengthen the chest straps evenly so the front panel with the O-ring stays centred on their chest.
Lengthen (or shorten) the shoulder straps so the back O-ring sits just below their shoulder blades.
The back O-ring is in the correct position if you can buckle the top chest strap through its support loops and the chest strap passes just under their armpits.
The Safety Harness should be fitted snuggly on your child - snug, not tight!
When fitted properly, the harness will be extremely comfortable to wear and should not be restricting to your child.
Ordering a Safety Harness to use with an Autism Dog
I make each and every harness to fit your particular child/teen/adult. There is some basic information regarding their measurements that I need to ensure the harness fits perfectly now and for years to come. All these questions are on my order form. You will need the person's
- chest measurement when dressed in a light t-shirt
- shoulder to waist measurement
- and if the person is a woman, her chest measurement above her breasts, chest measurement below her breasts and her current bra size
