Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of a dog harness with a built-in leash, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey.

I got this dog, a real puller, always straining at the leash. I figured, “Hey, why not combine the harness and the leash? Make things simpler, right?”
So, I started by looking at the regular harnesses we use. They’re pretty good because they don’t choke the dog like a collar can, especially when he’s pulling. My dog has breathing issues sometimes, and I read somewhere that these flat-faced dogs really should use a harness. So, a harness it is. Collars are great for carrying ID tags, I keep that on him all the time, but for walking, it’s always the harness.
- First, I tried just attaching a leash directly to different parts of a regular harness. That was a mess. Either it was too loose, or it pulled the harness all weird on my dog’s body.
- Then, I thought, “What if the leash comes out from the back, like where the spine is?” Tried that. Nope. Still not right.
- I even went through a phase where I was cutting up old harnesses and sewing them back together with bits of leash. My living room looked like a fabric explosion happened.
Finally, I sketched out something that looked like it could work. It’s like, imagine the harness, but instead of a loop for the leash, there’s a retractable leash built into the back. It’s all one piece, so when my dog pulls, the pressure is spread out evenly, and the leash just extends.
I’m still working on making it look nice and getting the retraction just right, but we’ve been using it on our walks, and it’s been pretty great. Way less hassle, and my dog seems comfy. Plus, I feel like I have better control over him, especially when he sees a squirrel and wants to bolt.
Next Steps
I gotta find a better material for the leash part, something that’s strong but also light. And the retracting mechanism needs some fine-tuning. But, overall, I think this dog harness with a built-in leash thing has some real potential. I’ll keep you guys updated on how it goes!
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