Best Harness for French Bulldogs: A Groomer's Guide
Dog LoveThe best harness for a French Bulldog, from a groomer's chair
A Frenchie is a barrel of a chest on a narrow waist, with a short thick neck and an airway that already works hard. We fit harnesses on flat faced dogs every week in the salon. Here is what actually works on that shape, and the one we trust.
The DogLove Pro No Pull Harness
- Takes the pull off the throat and puts it on the chest
- Breathable padded mesh with open sides for hot days
- Four adjustment points for a wide chest and a small waist
- Neck release, so nothing has to go over a big head
- Front clip, back clip and a padded top handle
- Most adult Frenchies wear S or M
In this guide
Why a French Bulldog is a harder harness fit than most dogs
Big chest, small waist, thick neck, flat face. Most dogs give you one fitting problem. A Frenchie gives you four, and the chart on the back of a packet was written for none of them.
- The airway comes first.French Bulldogs are brachycephalic, which means the muzzle is short but the soft tissue inside it is not. Many Frenchies move air through a narrower space than a long nosed dog, and some live with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, known as BOAS. A collar sits right across the front of the throat, so every lean into the lead lands there. A harness moves that force onto the chest and shoulders, the strongest part of a Frenchie.
- Then the barrel chest.The breed is cobby and deep through the brisket, widest just behind the front legs, then it tucks in hard. Size a harness to the waist and it squeezes the ribs. Size it loosely to the ribs and it slides back into the waist. You measure the widest point and then tune the straps, which is exactly what four adjustment points are for.
- The neck is nearly as wide as the head.On plenty of Frenchies a fixed neck loop is a tight squeeze over the ears, and some dogs hate it. A neck release solves that completely.
- There is no coat to hide behind.A short coat gives the straps nothing to cushion against, so a bad fit shows up as pink skin and bald patches rather than matting.
Choose the harness for the shape and the breathing. The colour comes last.
What to look for in a French Bulldog harness
Five details. Get these right and almost everything else about walking a Frenchie gets easier.
- A chest plate that sits low, clear of the throat.The padded panel belongs across the breastbone, not up under the jaw. Clip the lead on, give it a gentle pull and watch where the panel goes. If it rides up toward the neck, it is the wrong harness or the wrong size.
- Breathable padded mesh with open sides.Frenchies carry heat badly and shed it slowly. A harness that wraps the body in solid fabric holds warmth and damp against the skin, which is the last thing you want in an Adelaide January. Soft mesh with air moving through it is kinder on every warm day.
- Four adjustment points.A wide ribcage and a small waist need to be set separately. With only two points, one of them is always wrong.
- Straps that sit well back from the armpits.The strap behind the front legs belongs well behind the crease, never wedged into it. On a short coat that crease is where rubbing and bald patches start. Our guide to harness rubbing under the arms goes through it properly.
- A front clip, a back clip and a top handle.Frenchies are low, solid and stronger than they look. A front clip turns forward pressure back toward you without touching the throat, the back clip suits easy strolls, and the handle earns itself the first time you lift a stocky dog into the car.
Nothing is cushioning the straps
On a fluffy dog the first sign of a bad harness is matting. On a Frenchie it is a pink patch, thinning hair or a bald stripe behind the elbow. The skin folds hold moisture too, and plenty of the breed has sensitive skin to begin with, so damp webbing sitting on warm skin for hours is a real irritant.
Check the skin, not the coat
When a Frenchie comes in for a short coat wash and dry or a short coat deshed, we run a hand under where the harness sits. Red or bald in those exact spots tells us the fit needs changing, before it ever turns sore.
Sizing a harness for a French Bulldog
Measure, never guess. Two Frenchies at the same weight can be built completely differently, so weight is a poor guide on this breed.
- Wrap a soft tape around the widest part of the chest.Just behind the front legs, snug but not pulled tight. Most adult Frenchies measure between 50 and 65cm, which puts them in S or M. A broad, heavily built boy can reach L.
- Between two sizes? Size up.Take the larger one and bring it in on the adjusters. A harness that is slightly generous and tuned down is kind to skin. One that is slightly tight never stops rubbing.
- Check the fit with two fingers.Two flat fingers should slide under every strap, the chest plate should sit on the breastbone, and the strap behind the legs should sit well clear of the armpits.
| Size | Chest | Typical Frenchie | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 33 to 43cm | Young puppies | $59.95 |
| S | 43 to 56cm | Smaller, finer built adults | $61.95 |
| M Most common | 56 to 69cm | Most adult Frenchies | $64.95 |
| L | 69 to 81cm | Broad, heavily built boys | $69.95 |
| XL | 81 to 107cm | Rare on this breed | $74.95 |
Frenchie puppies broaden fast. Fit the chest they have today and check the straps every couple of weeks. Our harness fit guide has the full step by step.
The two habits that protect a Frenchie's skin
This is most of the battle. Both take less than a minute.
Harness off at home
Gear worn all day rubs the same three spots for hours on a coat with no padding at all. On at the door, off at the door.
A hand under the straps
After every walk, run a hand behind the front legs, across the chest and over the shoulders. After the beach or a wet walk, rinse off salt and sand and dry the folds properly before the harness goes back on.
The harness we use and recommend for French Bulldogs
We compared six harness brands in our Tranmere salon and used the DogLove Pro on our own dogs for two years before we put it on our shelves. It is the only harness we stock.
Flat faced, barrel chested dogs are where cheap harnesses fail first. They ride up into the throat, they cannot be set for a wide chest and a small waist at the same time, and the webbing rubs a short coat bald. The DogLove Pro No Pull Dog Harness fixes all three, and here is how.
Control without the throat
Front clip for dogs that pull, back clip for easy walks, padded handle for kerbs and car boots.
Breathable padded mesh
Open sides let air move across the body, so heat and damp are not trapped against the skin.
Four adjustment points
Set the ribcage and the waist separately. The Frenchie fitting problem, solved in about a minute.
3M reflective trim, 13 colours
Seen on winter mornings and after dark, in everything from Teal and Electric Pink to Navy Blazer, with a matching lead.
Two ways to put it on
- You want your Frenchie off the collar and onto something that leaves the throat alone.
- Your dog is wide at the ribs and tucked in at the waist, which is to say, a Frenchie.
- You walk through an Adelaide summer and want air moving under the straps.
- You lift your dog into the car, up steps or out of trouble at the park.
- It is a walking harness. For the car, use a restraint built and tested for travel.
- Between sizes, go up one and bring it in on the adjusters.
- Little escape artist? Fit it snug and read our guide to stopping a dog backing out of a harness.
We sell the DogLove Pro, so we are not neutral. We stock it because it is the harness we trust on flat faced, barrel chested dogs.
French Bulldog harness questions we hear in the salon
What size harness does a French Bulldog need?
Measure the chest at its widest point, just behind the front legs. Most adult French Bulldogs measure between 50 and 65cm, so S (43 to 56cm) suits a smaller or finer built dog and M (56 to 69cm) suits most adults. A broad, heavily built boy may need L (69 to 81cm). Two flat fingers should slide under every strap, and if your dog is between two sizes, take the larger one.
Is a harness better than a collar for a French Bulldog?
For walking, yes. French Bulldogs are a flat faced breed with a naturally narrow airway, and a collar puts every bit of forward pressure across the front of the throat. A harness moves that load onto the chest and shoulders. Keep the collar for ID tags.
Will a harness help my Frenchie's breathing?
It takes pressure off the throat, which helps, but it is not a treatment. Noisy breathing at rest, heavy snoring, gagging or tiring quickly on a short walk deserve a proper look from your vet. Gear can stop you making breathing harder; it cannot widen an airway.
Does the harness have to go over my French Bulldog's head?
No. You can slip it over the head and buckle the chest and belly, or unclip the neck, wrap it around and clip it shut so nothing passes over the ears. Head shy dogs usually prefer the neck release.
Why does my Frenchie get bald patches under the harness?
Friction with nothing to cushion it. A short coat gives no padding, so a strap sitting in the armpit crease, or a harness left on all day, wears the hair away and reddens the skin. A soft lining, a proper fit and taking the harness off at home clear up almost all of it. If the skin stays sore, see your vet.
Can my French Bulldog wear a harness in summer?
Yes, with care. Choose breathable mesh with open sides, walk early in the morning or in the evening when the path is cool, keep it short, and take the harness off the moment you are home. Frenchies shed heat slowly, so a hot afternoon walk is a much bigger risk than the harness.
Can I use the harness in the car?
Not as a safety restraint. The DogLove Pro is a walking harness, so for car trips use a restraint that is built and tested for travel.
What if I order the wrong size?
Exchange it within 30 days, as long as it is unused and in its packaging. Drop it at our Tranmere salon for free, or post it back at your cost, and we send the new size at no charge.