Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Red XL 80-120cm

Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Harness – Red, XL (80–120cm)

Eighty to a hundred and twenty centimetres is a forty-centimetre span, which is a remarkable amount of adjustment to build into one harness — wider than the other three sizes put together at either end. It has to be, because the dogs at the top of it are not simply bigger versions of the dogs at the bottom. A lean Deerhound and a broad Mastiff can share a girth figure and need the webbing set quite differently around the shoulders.

The practical upshot is that the XL will very probably fit, and that you should expect to spend a few minutes on it rather than pulling it out of the bag and clipping on. Set both adjustment points, walk the dog, then set them again. In red, on Ancol's poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh where it lies against the coat.

Performance & Benefits

• Fits an 80–120cm chest girth — 40cm of adjustment, the widest span Ancol offer in this harness.
• Fully adjustable at the neck and the girth, which is what makes that span usable rather than nominal.
• Durable poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric for breathability.
• Ancol say the design distributes pressure evenly for improved control and support.
• Reflective band for increased visibility in low light.

Suitable For

• Dogs measuring 80–120cm around the chest, just behind the front legs.
• Giant and deep-chested breeds, from lean Deerhounds and Wolfhounds to broad Mastiffs and Newfoundlands.
• Everyday walking, and car journeys used with a separate vehicle tether.
• Owners prepared to set both adjustment points properly rather than fit it out of the bag.
• Below 80cm around the chest, the Ancol Viva Exercise & Travel Dog Harness Red L 60-85cm is the better fit, with less surplus webbing to take up.

How to Use

• Measure the deepest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, and check the figure falls within 80–120cm.
• Set the girth strap first, close behind the elbows, then bring the neck opening down to match.
• Two fingers flat under the webbing at both points, and no more.
• Walk the dog a short distance and reset anything that has shifted — a wide-span harness moves most on its first outing.
• For car use, attach a separate tether such as Ancol's ISOfix Seatbelt, item 741600, to the harness. It is not supplied here.
• Ancol publish no wash temperature; rinse in cool water and air dry away from direct heat.

Specification

• Size XL, chest girth 80–120cm. Colour red. Ancol item code 182320.
• Poly-weave webbing with soft air-mesh fabric.
• One reflective band, as Ancol describe it.
• Also made in S (35–45cm), M (45–65cm) and L (60–85cm), in black, blue, lime, pink, purple and red.
• Ancol publish no webbing composition, breaking strain, harness weight, hardware metal, wash temperature or maximum dog weight, 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

• A wide adjustment span means a lot of surplus webbing on a dog at the lower end. Thread it through the keepers so it cannot be chewed or caught.
• A correctly fitted harness must not allow the dog to back out of it. On this size, check again after the first few walks, when the settings have bedded in.
• Ancol sell this as an exercise and travel harness and list it under travel, but 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. A vehicle tether is a separate purchase.
• Ancol's own instruction for their ISOfix Seatbelt is that it must be attached to a suitable harness, never to a collar, and that it does not replace a crash-tested harness.
• Used with a seatbelt, a harness restrains the dog rather than protecting it in a collision. Ancol publish no maximum dog weight, and claim restraint rather than protection.
• Inspect webbing, stitching and buckles regularly and replace the harness if you find fraying, a cracked buckle or a distorted ring.