Harnesses for Affenpinscher & Brussels Griffon

Two wire-faced breeds — that's a really specific and important requirement. Both Affenpinschers and Brussels Griffons have that pushed-in muzzle and sensitive facial structure, so any harness that pulls across the chest toward the face, or has a neck strap that rides up, can cause real discomfort. Small dog harnesses have their own fitting challenges too — most gap around the chest or are too stiff for compact, deep-chested builds like these. To get this right: can you tell me roughly how much each dog weighs, and are you mainly walking them together or separately? Also, has either dog had issues with a harness slipping forward or rubbing near their neck before?

That's really helpful — and very common with these two breeds. The riding-up problem usually means the chest strap is either too loose or the harness isn't shaped to sit low enough on the sternum. With a 4kg Affenpinscher and a 5kg Brussels Griffon, you're in a size range where a lot of harnesses are just slightly too big even on their smallest setting. Are either of them particularly wriggly or escape-prone on the lead, or are they generally pretty settled walkers?

Good to know — and that's a sensible thing to plan for even if it hasn't happened yet. Given the face-sensitivity, the slight size difference, the puller versus the plodder, and the need to avoid any forward chest pressure near the face, I'd recommend the Puppia Soft Harness in the mesh version for both of them — different sizes, but the same harness. It fastens at the back, has a wide padded chest panel that sits low on the sternum well away from the face and neck, and is made from a soft breathable mesh that doesn't dig. For the Affenpinscher I'd size XS, for the Brussels Griffon a Small. Puppia's sizing runs snug, which actually works in your favour here — it prevents the riding-up issue without adding bulk. It's widely available on Amazon UK and very affordable, so buying two isn't a stretch. The only caveat: it's not a no-pull harness, so if the Affenpinscher pulls hard you may want to combine it with a double-ended lead clipped to the back and a front ring on a separate walking aid — but for most light pullers it does fine on its own.

Yes on both counts. The Puppia Soft slips over the head like a vest — there's a head loop, but it's wide and sits at the back of the skull rather than anywhere near the muzzle. You adjust it once and it goes on and off in seconds after that. The back-clip design means pulling tension distributes across the chest panel rather than pulling the harness forward toward the face, which is exactly what you want. The fit does require you to measure the chest girth just behind the front legs before ordering — Puppia's XS fits roughly 28–33cm chest, Small fits 33–38cm — so grab a soft tape measure and check both dogs before you buy. That one step will save you a return.

Great — and if either measurement is right on the border between sizes, go up rather than down. A slightly roomier chest panel is easier to adjust than one that's too tight across their little ribcages. Enjoy your walks with the pair of them.