Rhodesian Ridgeback broke two harnesses

Two broken D-rings in a matter of weeks tells me you've got a dog who's generating real force — and that the harnesses you tried weren't built to handle it. Not all no-pull harnesses are equal: front-clip designs work for most dogs, but strong pullers need something with heavy-duty hardware and proper load distribution. Fit matters enormously too — a loose harness concentrates stress on a single point, which is exactly how D-rings fail. Tell me a bit more: what's your Ridgeback's weight, which harnesses have you already tried, and does he pull constantly or mainly in short explosive bursts?

That's really useful — explosive reactive lunging is actually harder on hardware than steady pulling, because all the force hits one point in a split second rather than being spread over time. The Julius-K9 and Kurgo are decent harnesses for average dogs, but neither is designed for that kind of shock load on the front clip. Before I give you my recommendation, one more question: have you worked with a trainer on the reactivity at all, and are you open to using a front-clip lead attachment, or do you need back-clip as well for general walking?

Right, so the Ruffwear Front Range is what I'd point you to. It's built for working and active dogs, and the front D-ring is a welded aluminium V-ring rather than a stamped metal loop — that's a completely different class of hardware from what's on the Julius-K9 or Kurgo. The webbing is double-layered at every stress point, and the chest and belly straps distribute load much more evenly so the ring itself isn't taking the full shock of a lunge. For a 42kg Ridgeback you'd be in the XL. It's not a budget harness, but it's the one I'd trust not to fail on a dog like yours. The front clip also gives you the steering advantage you need when he locks onto a trigger.

Yes — the Front Range has four adjustment points, including independent chest and belly girth adjustments, which is exactly what you need for a deep-chested breed with a narrower waist. Ridgebacks have a big chest-to-waist drop and a lot of harnesses either gap at the chest or cinch too tight at the belly, but the Front Range handles that shape well. Make sure the front ring sits at the centre of his chest, not up near the throat — too high and you lose the steering effect and put strain on the neck. If you measure his girth and check Ruffwear's size chart before ordering you should land comfortably in XL, but it's worth double-checking as there's some variation even within a breed.

Glad it helps. The short version: your dog isn't unusually destructive, he just needs hardware rated for the forces he produces. The Ruffwear Front Range should hold up properly. One last thing — keep working on that reactivity alongside the equipment if you can. A well-fitted harness will give you control, but reducing the intensity of the lunges over time is what makes walks genuinely enjoyable for both of you. Good luck with him.