Alaskan Malamutes love to walk, so having the right equipment for them is vital. It is widely agreed within the Malamute community that owning a harness is essential for making walkies a breeze. With harnesses becoming increasingly popular thanks to their health benefits, knowing which one to buy can be tricky.
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of our personal favorites that kept our Malamutes comfortable through the years. Keep reading to find the right Alaskan Malamute harness for you!
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Our Top Pick For The Best Harness For Alaskan Malamutes
Before we dive into the article, here is our top pick.
Keep reading for more recommendations!
Why Should You Use A Harness With Your Malamute?
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Alaskan Malamutes love to walk and exercise – it’s what they were bred for, after all!
While Malamutes are usually well-behaved, their large size makes it difficult to control them if they get excited or startled while on their daily walk.
This is where a harness comes in. Harnesses give you more control over your dog and deter them from pulling as much as it’s harder to get away.
We’ll admit that when we first got our Malamutes, walking them was a little intimidating. A few walks on a standard leash and collar left us wondering what would happen if they really wanted to get away from us.
Since changing to a harness, we’ve noticed not only a significant improvement in our Malamute’s behavior while on a walk but also in our own confidence. We really can’t recommend buying a harness enough!
Not only is owning a harness a confidence boost but there are also some added health benefits for you and your Mal. The most obvious is that a harness distributes the pressure over a larger area of your dog’s chest rather than focusing solely on pulling the neck.
This will keep your Malamute feeling comfortable and prevent strain injuries if they get a little excited.
Making your Malamute wear a harness can also alleviate stress on your arms and back as a singular point is not pulling you, meaning you can keep walking longer!
What Should You Look For In An Alaskan Malamute Harness?
When choosing the right harness for your Malamute, there are a few things you need to look out for. The first is undoubtedly the size. Malamutes are a big breed, so finding harnesses that are big enough to fit with some wiggle room can be challenging.
The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to fit two fingers under the harness around the neck, waist, and chest areas. This will ensure your Malamute is comfy enough to walk for extended periods but also secure enough that it won’t wriggle out.
When looking for a harness, there are a few features you should look for to make sure they’re suitable for a Malamute. The first thing we look out for is the padding over the chest.
Some harnesses are built using flimsy straps that can damage your Malamute’s coat and dig into its skin. We suggest using a harness with thick, high-quality padding over the chest to protect their coat.
The harness must be high quality with strong stitching that can withstand any pulling and last many miles of wear. We also recommend choosing a water- and frost-resistant harness to last through all weather. We all know by now that Malamutes don’t care about the weather when it comes to their walk!
Check out our recommendations for the best Alaskan Malamute leash here!
Our Alaskan Malamute Harness Recommendations
Does finding a harness that fits all the criteria sound like an impossible task?
Don’t worry; we’ve compiled our favorites that have kept our Malamutes feeling comfy and secure through every season.
1. Powerharness By Julius-k9
Popular with Malamute owners worldwide (and for very good reason) is the infamous Powerharness by Julius-k9. This harness has built up a reputation for being made with high-quality fabrics and stitching and for being suitable for almost every dog.
The harness has reflective strips around the chest area for visibility and is available in various colors and patterns. We’ve had our harnesses last for many years with daily use through all weathers.
Regarding sizing, we’ve found that most Malamutes fit comfortably into a size 3, although we have known some giant Malamutes to need a size 4. We recommend checking their guide and choosing the best option based on your Malamute’s weight.
If ordering through Amazon, you should have no problem returning the harness if the size isn’t quite right.
The straps on the harness are easily adjustable to ensure your Malamute is fully secured, and the clips are sturdy. This is one product we can agree with all the hype around!
2. Easy Walk Dog Harness By PetSafe
If you’re looking for a simplistic Alaskan Malamute harness that ticks all the boxes, the Easy Walk Dog Harness by Petsafe is the best choice. The harness is available in several colors and clips at the front on the chest rather than on the back, which is perfect for Malamutes that still aren’t used to being walked.
The harness even comes with a ‘1-year chew damage replacement’ guarantee where they’ll replace your harness if your Malamute happens to get their chops around it.
This harness has good-quality straps, but they are a little on the thin side. We wouldn’t personally wear it for our longer walks as the straps can get slightly twisted and become uncomfortable for your Malamute, but we’ve had no problem using it on our regular daily walks.
As for the sizing, we recommend getting either the large or extra-large sizing depending on your Malamute’s measurements. The straps are adjustable, but as with all harnesses, it’s best to check the manufacturers sizing guidelines.
3. No-Pull Dog Harness By Bolux
Without a doubt, the best value-for-money Alaskan Malamute harness is the No-Pull Dog Harness by Bolux. You might be thinking the design looks familiar; we think it’s pretty clear that it’s modeled after the Julius-K9 harness!
Despite the low price, the harness is good quality and comes in a similar variety of colors and designs as its more expensive counterpart.
There is, of course, a reason for its lower price. The stitching seemed to come loose within a few months of using it, and the materials generally felt a little bit cheaper. We think you could squeeze up to a year’s worth of use out of this harness before replacing it. For the price, though, we’re not complaining!
Depending on their chest measurements, we recommend either the XL or the XXL for your Malamute.
4. No-Pull Pet Harness with Two Leash Clips By Rabitgoo
- Affordable
- Multiple colors available
- Large and X-Large available
- Leash attachments on both front and back
- May fray after extensive use
Another no-pull option, the rabbitgoo Dog harness is another great option.
This one is more affordable and comes in various colors and large sizes, perfect for Malamutes. We’ve found that the Xl size works well, but the large may also fit some well.
It also has a lot of support on the chest, which is great if your Mal has been known to pull every now and then!
In Summary
Finding the best Alaskan Malamute harness can be difficult, but our recommendations should have you covered.
If possible, remember to measure your Mal beforehand so you can get the right size. Large or extra-large sizes are perfect for most brands, but they can vary!
We want to see your Malamutes! Send photos to info@themalamutemom.com for a chance to be featured on our website.
We have a 2+ year old neutered male malamute rescue that had learned to slip his collar easily before we got him. I bought a different collar and it fits snuggly but when nobody is looking at him, he can get his head out and off he runs. I bought a well fitting harness and he gets out of it easily but I have not seen him do it, so no idea how he does it.
Is there some sort of restraining item that heavy neck dogs can’t slip out of?
If it kept him from pulling me, a 200 lb man, with so much power that it’s VERY difficult to control him or stay on my feet even, that would be a plus. He’s a good lovable dog but next to impossible to control outside the yard, and once the collar is off, he can get over the tall fence like it isn’t there .
Hello, thank you for your comment.
Firstly, you’re not alone – Malamutes are a stubborn breed and if they decide they want to get out of their collar they more than likely will. They love to keep us on our toes!
I know many Malamute owners have found great success with the ‘Rabbitgoo Escape Proof Dog Harness’. Rabbitgoo is a very reputable brand and they seem the be the only ones making a harness that is specifically for large dogs that like to wriggle out of their harnesses. It has great reviews and I personally know people who can vouch for it. Having a well-fitted harness is also key for your control over a Malamute – the shape of the harness over their chest is what distributes the pulling force more evenly to make sure you aren’t suddenly pulled from your feet.
I would also advise you to work on some regular training to improve your Malamute’s recall. As I said, Malamutes are stubborn and therefore hard to train but it’s worth putting the effort in if it makes him less likely to run off or try to escape in the first place.
If you have any further questions please do reach out again!
Best wishes,
Caitlin
-The Malamute Mom Team