RUFFWEAR, Load Up, Dog Car Harness with Strength-Rated Hardware, Secure Vehicle Restraint, Universal Seat Belt Attachment, Obsidian Black, XX-Small

Just like everything I've owned from Ruffwear, this is a high quality, well made item. I used the sizing chart and it fit perfectly. The very first thing she did when I buckled her into the front seat was get a leg tangled up in the shoulder strap, but she was quickly able to free herself by chewing through the seatbelt. I strongly encourage you to train your dog to chew through this harness rather than the seatbelt. Take it from experience, you can replace a lot of harnesses for the cost of a seatbelt. So, now I buckle her in the middle of the backseat where there isn't a shoulder harness to get caught up in, and I make sure that when she gets settled in, she doesn't have anything caught up or tangled. I also unclip her whenever I stop and leave her in the car. It's a little bit of a hassle but we seem to be getting a routine worked out. She also gets really excited now when I grab it because she knows it means we are going for a ride. And second only to tennis balls, rides are the BEST. I like that the seatbelt loop is down by her butt. When she sits in the seat, it really seems to hold her down. I decided not to crash my car to really test this harness, but should that ever happen, I'll update my review.

We have a whippet mix we are taking out with us more on road trips. I wanted to find a really good seatbelt harness to keep him from being a projectile if we were in an accident--especially since he rides nearly every day now.We tried Sleepypod's Utility--which not only poorly fit--but had mediocre customer assistance and was difficult to return. They have owners use a figure 8 measuring system for a harness that adjusts on the neck and waist separately. Their harnesses are also poor fits for dogs with big chests and little waists. It is only mentioned on one place on their website that the harness is not appropriate for sighthounds.It was a pleasure to discover Ruffwear developed their own car harness. We're already Ruffwear fans as we've found their other products to be high-quality and reliable. We have a Ruffwear Web Master harness our whippet mix inherited that is about 12 years old now and still holding up well (one of the few harnesses he can't Houdini out of).The Load Up is $20 less expensive than ClickIt Utility, and it was good knowing we could return it easily if it didn't work out for our dog. It has has not been independently tested yet (looking forward to seeing what the results are when it is), but Ruffwear did their own crash tests on it and has videos for it. I've read the harness has been changed since then and find this may be true (the back loop appears shorter), but these changes are probably a good thing.Out of the box, it is very nice--even better than I expected (and I had high expectations to begin with). It is well-padded but very adjustable. The buckles are very solid and easy to unlock. I found it simple to adjust. The ends of the straps neatly velcro so they stay out of the way. It was folded in a neat little travel bag and came with a small booklet.It ended up fitting our hatchet-shaped escape artist fantastically. He's comfortable, but cannot slip out of it at all.It doesn't have side attachments like Clickit Utility--which would have been nice for extra security--but it has a loop in the back that the seatbelt goes through. This gives the dog a little more freedom and makes it easier to attach in the car. My guy is used to not having a lot of mobility since we already used a seatbelt through his web harness so this works very well for him. This probably would not be a good choice--however--for a dog who is an anxious rider who struggles or chews on things. S/he would need training and should probably ride in a crate until s/he learned to calmly ride with a harness--otherwise it could cause a distracting struggle or seatbelts could end up easily being chewed. We have a pom mix who is like that and a pair of wrecked seatbelts to prove it.The loop in the back of the harness is short. It could be used as a short leash on taller dogs for a quick potty break or to help dogs get in and out of the car. I found I could walk with my whippet mix on it (he is tall for a 45 pound dog). For smaller/shorter dogs, you'd want to attach it to a leash. However, this is obviously not meant for extended walks. There's no metal or plastic reinforced loops. That is a bit disappointing given the price. It would have been nice if Ruffwear added a back and/or front attachment so the harness gets more use than just in the car.Another small thing I would like to see Ruffwear change is to offer these harnesses in bright reflective colors--such as neon yellow or orange. Some of the most horrific accidents I have seen dogs in (the kind where they get hit by a car) happened to dark-colored dogs. For this reason, I always like to put my shiny black pup in bright reflective gear when we are traveling. Color may be a small thing, but if it helps a driver see the dog and stop faster I'd be happy to take that extra step while we are traveling as dogs are sometimes known to slip off leash during potty breaks on the road. Also, it can get a little hot in the back of the car. A reflective color would help keep heat off the dog which would be very useful given how thick this harness is and how much coverage it has.Overall, the Load Up appears to be a solid safe and comfortable seltbelt harness--definitely one of the few choices sighthounds have if you wanted to get a good car seatbelt harness instead of using a crate or regular harness. With a few small changes it could be perfect. I look forward to seeing it tested when the Center for Pet Safety runs their next dog car harness study. In the meantime, we hope it keeps our skinny black hound (and us) safe on many adventures.

This is probably the worst product I've purchased in a long time, and it was expensive. That led me to believe it would be great quality, sound design, and very functional and safe. First, the way you put it on your dog is a very poorly designed - I mean, it could not be any less user friendly. I think the intended purpose of a car harness is not embodied in this product and in how it attaches to your car. I've used it twice when I first received it months ago and not since. The manufacturer is clever to state on the packaging that if one opens it, one cannot return it. It makes one wonder if Ruff had been receiving a lot of return requests. In any case, I advise looking around for other options before purchasing this and/or call Ruff to share your expectations and so that they can speak to the pros and cons (many) of the product.

I got this harness to replace another harness by Sleepypod when the Sleepypod harness failed to remain in place and Sleepypod failed to respond to any of my attempts to contact them.I love Ruffwear and have many of their products that have lasted me many years. I researched the crash test results and though they did not make it in in time to be tested by the CPS (Center for Pet Safety), they did perform the same crash test (frontal impact at 30mph) as other harnesses that labeled themselves crash-rated. If you view the crash-test video, you see that the nylon webbing straps slip from their original adjustment points--but even so, the dog remains in the seat. Ruffwear adjusted their design after performing the test and watching the video to prevent this strap slippage.I really like this harness and its lower connection point. It stays in place and my dog is able to lay down comfortably.The only slight issue I noticed was that the rear straps don't really offer enough adjustment. I measured my dog per the directions and find that the front opening is absurdly small when it arrives. You can adjust it, obviously, but the diameter is comical compared to the enormous straps in back, as though you were putting the harness on a brontosaurus (the name exists again, as of April 2015--yay!) or other sauropod with a tiny head and neck and a giant body.While I feel that the rear straps could be a bit more adjustable, the harness does fit well and comfortably overall and keeps my dog secure. This is the comfort and quality I've come to expect from ruffwear, and I'm very pleased. I'm only sorry I wasted my time with Sleepypod, first.

Finally decided to spend the extra money on this harness to keep my dog safe in the car. Other harnesses end up making your dog a missile on a belt in a high speed crash, and after a lesser accident, her safety was all I could dwell on.This harness definitely helps make me feel at ease knowing she is safe.Ita a bit fiddly to adjust the straps when you put it on your dog, and mine is a bit impatient and a wiggler!The only thing that’s important to note, my dog has lipomas (fatty lumps) in her abdomen and the bit of the harness that goes underneath her is fairly rigid and is uncomfortable for her with her lumps. In short journeys, the lumps will be ok. But longer journeys might cause a fair bit of rubbing. So it’s something to consider in dogs with any health issue that might make the abdominal plate uncomfortable/harmful.I know these harnesses are expensive, but they appear to be the best on the market and heavily crash tested with various weights.Definitely follow the advice, if your dog is between sizes get the smaller size! Otherwise the stomach and chest plate will be too big and massively uncomfortable and loose.Also, this is only suitable for traveling and not to be used as a walking harness! Really important!It’s worth the extra money for the peace of mind. She’s my everything. And dogs in crates, footwells, or in the back with a metal partition are terrible ways to travel with your dog! Not safe at all.

Very pleased to have got the XS on special offer as it was a very good saving. My dog mostly travels in a crash tested crate in my husband's car, but I needed something for when he is my smaller car and this fits the bill. I use Ruffwear products and I am very pleased with their quality and so was interested to see a safety tested travel harness from them. It feels very robust and good quality as you would expect from this brand and the XS is a good fit on my Border Terrier. He can sit, stand and lie down in it and it restricts the range of movement so he cant jump around when fixed on the back seat. He does struggle a bit with it when he tries to change the direction he's facing due to the way the seatbelt slots through the loop, but all in all I feel he is safer wearing this than just his regular harness.

I have a Cockapoo and drive a Mini. I always worried that the boot didn’t feel safe and she didn’t like travelling in it either, often trying to climb over the back seats. After spending a lot of time researching the various options out there I settled on buying this ruffwear harness. I’m really pleased with this harness. It may seem expensive but it’s worth it for keeping my pooch safe, I wish I had found it sooner. It’s a little fiddly to get on and off but you sharp get the hang of it. The harness is well fitting and does exactly what it needs to do. It safely attaches to the seatbelt in the car, and she happily and confidently sits on the front or the back seats. It’s secure enough to prevent her from sliding on the leather around corners, but it allows enough movement so that she can sit up and lie down as she pleases.

This is an excellent Car Safety Harness. Properly tested and made by a company who specialises in dog harnesses, we had no hesitation in buying this for our second car. Our main car has dog crates, but occasionally they need to go in the other car, so this comes in handy. Fits well, and is highly adjustable. It can look a bit confusing to size up the first time, but Ruffwear actually provide a youtube instructional which makes it easier. Once you've got it sized up correctly, it's a cinch to put on and take off.This is a must with the new regulations that dogs must be restrained and kept away from the driver.

Bought as crates make my dog traumatised and this harness is a last resort. Having taken the dog on a test drive it seems ok, dog remained relatively calmly on seat and didn't wriggle out of harness but will review again after a longer trip. With regards to it "can be left on dogs for bathroom breaks" there's a fatal design flaw for smaller dogs, my dog couldn't take a bathroom break as it covers his willy. Also the fabric used is a nightmare if your dog sheds as the hair weaves in to the fabric and cannot be removed, would be much better with a close weave fabric.