This is a specific conversation about Dog harnesses — finding the right fit — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A recurring hot spot behind the shoulder blade is a real red flag — it almost always means the harness is sitting directly on that area and creating friction with every step. Harness fit is everything here: the wrong style or an ill-fitting one will keep that skin irritated no matter how well you treat the wound itself. The right type — back-clip, front-clip, or dual-clip — depends on what you need from it, but for a medical reason like this, where the harness lands on the body matters most. To point you in the right direction: what's your Shiba's chest girth and weight, and is this purely for daily walks or do you also need some control over pulling?
He's about 11kg, chest is around 58cm. It's mainly daily walks — he's not a big puller, just a typical Shiba who likes to set his own pace. The vet just said to try something that doesn't put pressure directly on the shoulder blade area.
inparticular.ai
That makes complete sense. The issue with most standard back-clip harnesses is that the top strap runs right across the shoulder blade — fine for a lot of dogs, but for a Shiba who's already inflamed there, it's going to keep rubbing. What you need is a harness where that strap either sits well forward of the shoulder or is designed to float rather than press down. Before I recommend something specific: has the hot spot been fully cleared by the vet, or are you still in the middle of treating it? That affects how quickly you can put anything back on him.
It's mostly healed — the vet said it's fine to start using a harness again as long as it's a different design. We've been using a lead attached to his collar in the meantime.
inparticular.ai
Good — that's the right move while it healed. For a Shiba at 11kg with a 58cm chest, and given the specific issue your vet flagged, I'd go with the Ruffwear Front Range Harness. It's one of the few harnesses genuinely designed so the chest strap sits low on the sternum and the back attachment point is positioned towards the middle of the back — not over the shoulder blade. The padding is wide and distributes contact across the chest rather than concentrating pressure on any single point. It's also well-made enough to last, which matters because you don't want to be trialling cheap harnesses back-to-back on skin that's been irritated. Your Shiba should fit the Medium at that chest measurement, but measure him again when it arrives and use the sliders before your first walk — Ruffwear's sizing runs true but fit still needs checking on the dog.
That sounds exactly like what the vet was describing. Is the Front Range easy to put on? Shibas can be a bit dramatic about harness time.
inparticular.ai
Ha — yes, Shiba drama at harness time is a well-documented phenomenon. The Front Range is a step-in style, so you clip it around the chest rather than pulling it over the head, which most dogs tolerate better. Two aluminium buckles on each side, and once it's adjusted you can pretty much clip and go without re-fiddling every time. The one thing I'd say: take a few days to just put it on him indoors without going anywhere, let him wear it for ten minutes, take it off. It gets them used to the sensation without the hot spot area being under load on a walk. After that, check the contact points after the first couple of walks just to make sure nothing is sitting where it shouldn't.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll go with the Front Range Medium.
inparticular.ai
Good choice — it's a solid harness for exactly this situation. Keep an eye on that shoulder area for the first week or two and if you see any redness returning, it's worth checking whether the back strap has migrated upward during walks, which can happen if the fit isn't quite snug enough. A properly fitted Front Range shouldn't touch that spot at all. Hope he stays comfortable.
