Patent Document

This is a nationalization of PCT/GB04/004495 filed Oct. 22, 2004 and published in English. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a harness for animals, especially quadruped animals, and finds particular application in harnesses for dogs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventionally a dog is led by a leading strap, or lead, attached to a collar around the neck of the dog. A lead and collar is to an extent effective to restrain a dog, although it can be uncomfortable for a dog which pulls against the lead, but this arrangement cannot be used to guide the dog to turn to the left or right; it can only be used to pull the dog to the left or right. Harnesses which pass around the body of the dog and to which a lead is attached to the middle of the harness strap across the back of the dog are also known. Such a harness is effective to restrain a dog but again can only be used to pull a dog to the left or right; not to guide it. 
     A dog halter mounted around the nose and neck of the dog is also known. A neck loop is attached to a nose loop by cheek straps running between the neck and nose loops and a chin strap running between the neck loop and a cinch around the nose loop under the jaw of the dog. A lead is attached to the loop which passes through the cinch. Such a halter is sold under the registered trade mark HALTI®. This halter allows a dog to be restrained without discomfort to the dog and to be guided to the left or right, as the dog&#39;s head can be turned to the left or right by pulling on the lead. 
     It has been desired to provide a harness which can restrain a dog without discomfort and which can be used to guide the dog to the left or right, rather than simply pulling it. Harnesses may be preferable to halters for some dogs and other animals since the force exerted on the dog by the halter is spread over a wider and stronger part of the body of the dog. A dog harness provided by Soft Touch Concepts of Fremont, Calif., USA has an attachment point for a lead which is fixed on a strap which lies across the chest of the dog. However, when the lead is pulled to the left or right to turn the dog, the harness has a tendency to rotate around the dog which reduces its effectiveness and may be uncomfortable for the dog. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention there is provided a harness for a quadruped animal including a chest strap which in use of the harness lies across the chest of the animal in front of the forelegs, the harness including an attachment for a leading strap, the attachment being slidably mounted on the chest strap for movement therealong. Preferably, each end of the chest strap is attached to a trunk loop which in use of the harness passes around the trunk of the animal behind the forelegs. The trunk loop preferably comprises a back strap which in use of the harness lies across the back of the animal affixed to a lower strap which in use of the harness passes under the animal behind the forelegs. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a second attachment for a leading strap is provided on the back strap. 
     Particularly preferably, the harness includes a stabilizing link, one end of which is mounted on the chest strap and the other end of which is adapted to be attached in use of the harness to a collar around the neck of the animal. More preferably, the stabilizing link is slidably mounted on the chest strap for movement therealong, and yet more preferably the attachment for a leading strap and the stabilizing link are connected so as to move together along the chest strap. 
     The straps of the harness may be of a webbing material or any other material appropriate for use in animal harness, and may be lined with neoprene or other soft material. Preferably, the material for the chest strap is chosen so that the attachment for the leading strap cannot move along it so easily that the harness is ineffective to guide the animal (in the manner described below in the description of a preferred embodiment). Synthetic webbing such as a polyester webbing has been found to be a suitable material for the chest strap. 
     Also according to the invention there is provided a method of controlling a dog or other quadruped animal comprising placing a harness according to the invention on the animal and attaching a leading strap to the or each attachment for a leading strap. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be further described with reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a harness according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation of the harness of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows the harness of  FIGS. 1 and 2  on a dog; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a harness according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the harness of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  shows the harness of  FIGS. 4 and 5  on a dog. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The harness  10  of the first preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  of the drawings is for a dog. It comprises a chest strap  12  each end of which is attached to a trunk loop  14  by one of two pivot rings  16  in the trunk loop. The trunk loop  14  comprises a back strap  18  attached at each end to an end of a lower strap  20  by the pivot rings  16 . The lower strap  20  includes a clasp  22  by which the trunk loop  14  can be opened. 
     A loop  24  of the chest strap  12  passes through a cinch ring  26  and is prevented from passing back through the cinch ring by a lead ring  28  to which a lead  30  can be attached; the portion of the chest strap forming the loop  24  passes through the lead ring  28 . The lead ring  28  is of a diameter to prevent the cinch ring  26  from coming off the chest strap  12 . 
     A stabilizing link consists of a stabilizing strap  32  attached to the cinch ring  26  and an openable spring clip  34  on the free end of the stabilizing strap  32 . The stabilizing strap  32  is of such a length that when it is in place on a dog, the clip  34  can be attached to a ring  36  which is slidable on the collar  38  of a dog  40 , as can be seen in  FIG. 3 , so that in use the chest strap  12  is retained in the correct position across the chest of the dog  40 . 
     The chest  12 , back  18  and lower  20  straps of the harness are provided with length adjusters  44  so that the harness can accommodate a range of sizes of dogs; the stabilizing strap  32  can also be provided with an adjuster. 
     In use, as can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the harness  10  is placed on a dog  40  so that the chest strap  12  passes across the chest of the dog in front of its forelegs  42 , the back strap  18  passes over the back of the dog in the region of its forelegs  42  and the lower strap  20  passes under the dog immediately behind its forelegs  42 . The clasp  22  in the lower strap  20  is opened to allow the harness to be placed around the dog  40  and closed when the harness is in position on the dog. 
     The clip  34  on the end of the stabilizing strap  32  is attached to a ring  36  slidable on a collar  38  around the neck of the dog. The stabilizing link  32 ,  34  helps to maintain the chest strap  12  in the correct position across the chest of the dog. A lead  30  is attached to the lead ring  28  on the chest strap  12 . 
     When a dog wearing the harness  10  is being walked, the lead  30  can be held to either the left or right side of the dog. In normal forward walking, the cinch ring  26  and the lead ring  28  will lie midway across the chest of the dog. If the dog pulls against the lead, it is readily restrained; the stabilizing link  32  and clip  34  prevent the chest strap  12  from slipping back on the chest of the dog in this situation. It has been found that a dog wearing a harness according to the invention is less likely to pull against the lead than if it is being led otherwise. 
     To turn the dog in the direction of the side of the dog to which the lead passes, the lead is pulled gently in that direction. This causes the back strap  18  to apply gentle pressure to the dog in the region of its opposite shoulder and the dog is encouraged to turn toward the lead. At the same time, slippage of the harness  10  around the body of the dog is avoided by the lead ring  26  and the cinch ring  24 , and so the stabilizing link  32  and clip  34 , sliding along the chest strap  12  of the harness in the direction in which the lead is being pulled. The arrangement of the cinch ring  24  and the lead ring  26  means that the rings do not slide entirely freely on the chest strap  12 , but slide sufficiently to avoid slippage of the harness while gentle pressure is applied to the opposite shoulder of the dog by the back strap  18 . The chest strap  12  is restrained against backward movement on the dog&#39;s chest by the stabilizing link  32 ,  34 . 
     To turn the dog in the other direction, the lead can be brought across in front of the dog so that it passes to the other side of the dog; the turning process is then as described above. Alternatively, the lead can remain on the same side of the dog, that is the side opposite to which the dog is to turn. The lead is gently pulled against the neck of the dog to urge it to turn away from the lead. 
     If a dog wearing a harness  10  is reluctant to walk forward, it can be encouraged to do so by gentle pulling of the lead. 
     The pivot rings  16  in the trunk loop  14  to which the chest  12 , back  18  and lower  20  straps are attached allow the straps to move relative to each other without distortion. The harness can flex as the dog moves while the straps remain substantially flat on the dog&#39;s body. 
     The harness of the second preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6  of the drawings is also for a dog. This harness of this embodiment comprises a chest strap  62  each end of which is attached to a trunk loop  64 . The ends of the chest strap  62  pass through loops  66  in the trunk loop  64  and are attached to adjusters  100  on the chest strap to secure the chest strap to the trunk loop. The trunk loop  64  comprises a back strap  68  continuous with a lower strap  70 . The lower strap  70  includes a clasp  72  by which the trunk loop  64  can be opened. 
     A loop  74  of the chest strap  62  passes through a cinch ring  76  and is prevented from passing back through the cinch ring by a first lead ring  78  to which a lead  80  can be attached; the portion of the chest strap forming the loop  74  passes through the first lead ring  78 . The first lead ring  78  is of a diameter to prevent the cinch ring  76  from coming off the chest strap  62 . 
     In this embodiment the stabilizing link consists of an openable spring clip  84  attached to the cinch ring  76 . The spring clip  84  is of such a length that when in place on a dog, it can be attached to a ring  86  which is slidable on the collar  88  of a dog  90 , as can be seen in  FIG. 3 , so that in use the chest strap  62  is in the correct position across the chest of the dog  90 . 
     In addition to the length adjusters  100  provided on the chest  62  strap the back strap  68  is provided with length adjusters  102  and the lower strap  70  is provided with a length adjuster  104  so that the harness can accommodate a range of sizes of dogs. The free end of the trunk loop  64  which emerges from the adjuster  104  in the lower strap  70  is retained by a retaining loop  106  on the lower strap  70 . 
     The back strap  68  is provided with a second lead ring  108 , generally in the middle of the back strap  68 ; ends of the material of the trunk loop  64  are attached to the second lead ring  108  to close the loop. 
     In use, as can be seen in  FIG. 6 , the harness  60  is placed on a dog  90  so that the chest strap  62  passes across the chest of the dog in front of its forelegs  92 , the back strap  68  passes over the back of the dog in the region of its forelegs  92  and the lower strap  70  passes under the dog immediately behind its forelegs  92 . The clasp  72  in the lower strap  70  is opened to allow the harness to be placed around the dog  90  and closed when the harness is in position on the dog. 
     The stabilizing link clip  84  is attached to a ring  86  slidable on a collar  88  around the neck of the dog. The stabilizing link clip  84  helps to maintain the chest strap  62  in the correct position across the chest of the dog. A lead  80  is attached to the first lead ring  78  on the chest strap  62  and to the second lead ring  108  on the back strap  68 . The harness of this embodiment is particularly well suited to use with a single lead  80  having a clip for attachment to a lead ring at each end. The harness of this embodiment is used to control a dog in much the same way as the harness of the first preferred embodiment. When a dog wearing the harness  60  is being walked, the lead  80  can be held so that the end portion attached to the first lead ring  78  on the chest strap  62  is to either the left or right side of the dog. In normal forward walking, the cinch ring  76  and the first lead ring  78  will lie midway across the chest of the dog. If the dog pulls against the lead, it is readily restrained; the stabilizing link clip  84  prevents the chest strap  62  from slipping back on the chest of the dog in this situation. 
     To turn the dog in the direction of the side of the dog to which the lead passes, the lead is pulled gently in that direction. This causes the back strap  78  to apply gentle pressure to the dog in the region of its opposite shoulder and the dog is encouraged to turn toward the lead. At the same time, the lead  80  is held relatively close to the end attached to the second lead ring  108  on the back strap  68  so that the dog pivots about that end of the lead as it turns. Slippage of the harness  60  around the body of the dog is avoided by the lead ring  76  and the cinch ring  74 , and so the stabilizing link clip  84 , sliding along the chest strap  62  of the harness in the direction in which the lead is being pulled, and by the action of the lead  80  on the second lead ring  108  and so on the back strap  68 . The arrangement of the cinch ring  74  and the first lead ring  76  means that the rings do not slide entirely freely on the chest strap  62 , but slide sufficiently to avoid slippage of the harness while gentle pressure is applied to the opposite shoulder of the dog by the back portion  78  of the trunk loop  64 . The chest strap  62  is restrained against backward movement on the dog&#39;s chest by the stabilizing link clip  84 . 
     To turn the dog in the other direction, the lead can be brought across in front of the dog so that it passes to the other side of the dog; the turning process is then as described above. Alternatively, the lead can remain on the same side of the dog, that is the side opposite to which the dog is to turn. The lead is gently pulled against the neck of the dog to urge it to turn away from the lead. Again, the dog pivots about the end of the lead  80  attached to the second lead ring  108  on the back strap  68  as it turns. 
     If a dog wearing a harness  60  is reluctant to walk forward, it can be encouraged to do so by gentle pulling of the lead. 
     The straps of the harnesses  10 ,  60  are of a webbing material, and some or all of them may be lined with neoprene. The width and thickness of the straps will depend upon the size and strength of the dog for which the harness is intended. Typically, the width of the straps is from 1 cm to 3 cm and the thickness of the straps is about 1 mm. 
     The leads  30 ,  80 , the collars  38 ,  88 , the rings  36 ,  86  on the collars  38 ,  88 , and the dogs  40 ,  90  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6  form no part of the present invention. 
     The present invention thus provides a harness for dogs and quadruped animals which allows an animal to be readily and effectively controlled by means of a lead without inflicting discomfort on the animal.

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