Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Black S 35-45cm – Secure Adjustable Safety Harness

Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Harness – Black, Small (35–45cm)

The small Viva fits a chest girth of 35–45cm, and that measurement is the whole decision. Take a tape around the deepest part of the ribcage, just behind the front legs, and pull it snug rather than tight. Neck size and breed labels are no help here — two dogs of the same weight can be 8cm apart through the chest, and it is the chest figure the buckles work against.

Anywhere inside that band the harness adjusts to fit, so a 35cm dog and a 45cm dog end up in the same shell with the straps taken in or let out. Ancol build it from poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh where it lies against the coat, and fit a reflective band. They list it in their travel range as well as their walking harnesses.

Performance & Benefits

• Fits a 35–45cm chest girth, the smallest of Ancol's four sizes in this harness.
• Durable poly-weave webbing throughout, with soft air-mesh fabric for breathability against the coat.
• Fully adjustable for a secure and comfortable fit, so one harness covers the whole 10cm band.
• Ancol say the design distributes pressure evenly, for improved control and support.
• Reflective band for increased visibility in low light.
• Listed by Ancol in their travel range as well as their walking harnesses.

Suitable For

• Small dogs measuring 35–45cm around the chest, just behind the front legs.
• Terriers, small spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers and similar builds — measure rather than guess from the breed.
• Everyday walking, and for car journeys used with a separate vehicle tether.
• Owners who would rather spread lead pressure across the chest than load a small dog's throat.
• A dog measuring 45cm or a shade over is better served by the Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Black M 45-65cm, which starts where this one ends and leaves adjustment in hand.

How to Use

• Measure the girth around the deepest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, and check the figure falls inside 35–45cm.
• Open the buckles, set the chest panel across the breastbone, and fasten the girth strap.
• Adjust until you can slide two fingers flat under the webbing at the girth, and no more.
• Clip the lead to the harness's attachment point rather than to the collar.
• For car use, clip a separate vehicle tether — Ancol's own ISOfix Seatbelt, item 741600 — to the harness. No tether is supplied with it.
• Ancol publish no washing instructions or wash temperature for this harness; sponge or rinse in cool water and air dry away from direct heat.

Specification

• Size S, chest girth 35–45cm. Colour black. Ancol item code 182010.
• Durable poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric.
• One reflective band — Ancol describe a single band, not multiple strips.
• Also made in M (45–65cm), L (60–85cm) and XL (80–120cm), and in black, blue, lime, pink, purple and red.
• Ancol publish no webbing composition percentages, no fabric or harness weight, no metal specification for the lead attachment, no wash temperature and no maximum dog weight, so none is stated here.
• Some retail listings for this harness describe a padded chest section and two lead clips. Ancol publish neither, so neither is claimed here.

Care & Caution

• Ancol sell this as an exercise and travel harness and list it in their travel range, but they publish no crash test, no safety standard and no vehicle-restraint rating for it. Do not assume crash protection.
• Ancol describe no dedicated seatbelt loop on the harness, and no vehicle tether is included. A tether such as Ancol's ISOfix Seatbelt is a separate purchase.
• Ancol's own instruction for that tether is that it must be attached to a suitable harness and never to a dog's collar, and that it does not replace a crash-tested harness.
• Used with a seatbelt or tether, a harness restrains a dog and stops it moving about the car. That is a restraint, not certified crash protection, and Ancol do not claim otherwise.
• A correct fit must not allow the dog to back out of it. Check the girth strap and the neck opening before every outing — two fingers flat under the webbing, no more.
• Inspect webbing, stitching and buckles before each journey, and replace the harness if you find fraying, a cracked buckle or a distorted ring.
• Not a tie-out or tethering point, and not something to leave on an unsupervised dog that chews.