Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Red M 45-65cm

Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Harness – Red, Medium (45–65cm)

Sized 45–65cm around the chest, this is the medium in red. Ancol call the range an exercise and travel harness and list it in both their walking harnesses and their travel section, so it is worth being clear about what those two jobs mean. A walking harness has to spread lead pressure and stay on a dog that twists; a travel restraint has to stop a loose dog moving around a moving vehicle. This is built for the first and sold as suitable for the second.

What it is not is a crash-tested restraint. Ancol publish no crash test, no standard and no rating for it, and their own seatbelt accessory carries a note that it does not replace a crash-tested harness. Used with a tether it will keep a dog off the front seats and out of the footwells, which is worth having; treat it as that rather than as protection in an impact.

Performance & Benefits

• Fits a 45–65cm chest girth, with 20cm of adjustment across the range.
• Durable poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric, which Ancol note is for comfort during travel as well as exercise.
• Fully adjustable for a secure and comfortable fit at the neck and the girth.
• Ancol say the design distributes pressure evenly for improved control and support.
• Reflective band for increased visibility in low light.
• Listed by Ancol under travel as well as under walking harnesses.

Suitable For

• Dogs measuring 45–65cm around the chest, just behind the front legs.
• Everyday walking as the primary job.
• Keeping a dog in one place on the back seat, used with a separate vehicle tether.
• Owners who want one harness for the walk and the drive rather than two.
• Not the choice for anyone who specifically needs a crash-tested car restraint — Ancol make no such claim for this harness, and no product we stock in this range does.

How to Use

• Measure the deepest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, and check the figure sits within 45–65cm.
• Fasten the girth strap close behind the elbows and set the neck opening down until there is no slack to duck through.
• Two fingers flat under the webbing is the target at both adjustment points.
• On the walk, clip the lead to the harness rather than the collar.
• In the car, run a separate tether — Ancol's ISOfix Seatbelt, item 741600, is the one they make — from the harness to the vehicle. It is bought separately, and Ancol say never to attach it to a collar.
• Ancol publish no wash temperature; rinse in cool water and air dry, then reset the adjustment.

Specification

• Size M, chest girth 45–65cm. Colour red. Ancol item code 182120.
• Poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric.
• One reflective band, as Ancol describe it.
• Also made in S (35–45cm), L (60–85cm) and XL (80–120cm), in black, blue, lime, pink, purple and red.
• Ancol publish no crash-test result, safety standard, webbing composition, harness weight, hardware metal, wash temperature or maximum dog weight for this harness, so none is stated here.
• Some retail listings describe a padded chest section and two lead clips. Ancol publish neither, so neither is claimed here.

Care & Caution

• Ancol name this an exercise and travel harness, 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 tether is included. The vehicle tether is always a separate purchase.
• Ancol's own instruction for their ISOfix Seatbelt is that it must be attached to a suitable harness and never to a dog's collar, and their own note states plainly that it does not replace a crash-tested harness.
• A harness on a seatbelt or tether is a restraint: it stops the dog moving about the cabin and distracting the driver. It is not certified crash protection unless a manufacturer says so, and Ancol do not.
• A correctly fitted harness must not allow the dog to back out of it. In a car that matters more, not less — recheck the girth and neck before you set off.
• Keep any tether short enough that the dog cannot reach a window or the front seats, and long enough that it can lie down.
• Inspect webbing, stitching and buckles before each journey and replace the harness if anything is frayed or cracked.