Best Harness for French Bulldogs: A Groomer's Guide
Dog LoveThe best harness for a French Bulldog, kind to the airway
A Frenchie is a barrel of a chest on a narrow waist, with a short thick neck and an airway that already works hard. Standard, fluffy, mini or heavily wrinkled, the shape is the same and so are the rules. We fit harnesses on flat faced dogs every week in the salon. Here is what actually works on that shape, our ranked top five, 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 M, $64.95
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.
Standard, fluffy, mini or heavily wrinkled: the French Bulldog types, and the other bulldogs
French Bulldog is one breed name on four quite different dogs these days, and the harness advice shifts a little with each. Here is what we see on the table.
The standard Frenchie
Short, fine, close lying coat, 9 to 14kg, barrel chest and a tucked waist. This is the dog the rest of this guide is written for. The coat gives the straps nothing to cushion against, so a bad fit shows up as pink skin and a bald stripe behind the elbow rather than matting.
- What the harness must do: stay clear of the throat, sit well back from the armpits, and let air through on a hot day.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: a low sitting chest plate, open mesh sides and four adjusters that let the ribs and the waist be set separately.
The fluffy Frenchie
A long coated French Bulldog, which comes from two copies of a long hair variant of the FGF5 gene that geneticists call L4. The coat is soft, medium length, heaviest on the ears, chest, neck and tail, and it behaves like a fine fleece under a harness: loose hair catches in it and twists into knots exactly where the straps rub, behind the front legs and under the chest plate. It also hides the skin, so rubbing goes unseen until the hair is already thin. Everything about the airway and the shape is the same as a standard Frenchie.
- What the harness must do: glide over the coat with a smooth lining, and come off at home so the strap lines can be combed.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: smooth padded mesh on the coat side and a harness that stays put, so there is nothing for the long chest hair to felt against. Comb the strap lines after walks as you would on an oodle.
The mini or micro Frenchie
Smaller dogs bred from the smallest in the litter, usually 5 to 8kg, with the same barrel chest and tucked waist on a shorter frame. Not a separate breed. The small ones often carry the most compressed airway of all, so keeping the lead off the throat matters even more, and the chest plate has to be scaled down so it does not ride up under the jaw.
- What the harness must do: fit a small barrel chest properly, in XS or S, without a chest plate so big it reaches the throat.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: the XS fits a 33 to 43cm chest and the S a 43 to 56cm chest, with the same four adjusters and neck release as the bigger sizes.
The heavily wrinkled Frenchie
Some lines are bred for deep rope wrinkles over the nose, the neck and the shoulders, and some of the blue, lilac and other dilute coloured dogs come with a thinner, more fragile coat as well. Deep neck folds hold moisture, and a neck strap that sits in a fold rubs skin that was already damp and sensitive. A thin coat goes bald under webbing faster than a standard coat does.
- What the harness must do: keep the neck strap below the neck folds, out of the damp, with soft padding on every strap that touches skin.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: the neck strap sits low across the chest, not up in the folds, and every strap that touches the dog is lined with soft mesh. Dry the folds before it goes on.
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, so buy for this month's chest and loosen the straps as they fill out. The harness fit guide covers the fitting checks one by one.
French Bulldog harnesses ranked for breathing, heat and skin
Every harness here has been on Frenchies in our Tranmere salon, and we have run a hand under the straps on the dogs that came back. We sell the first one, so read the other four as honest notes from the people who see the bald patches.
- DogLove Pro No Pull Harness. Best overall for every type of Frenchie.A low sitting padded chest plate with a front clip, a back clip, a padded handle, open sides with a breathable mesh lining, a neck release and four adjustment points. It is the only harness here that answers all four Frenchie problems at once: it keeps the lead off the throat, it can be set for a wide ribcage and a small waist at the same time, it lets air move on a hot day, and nothing has to go over a big head. Most adult Frenchies wear M at $64.95, finer built dogs S at $61.95. It is not a car restraint. And on a flat faced dog in January, the time of day matters far more than the padding: walk at dawn.
- Ruffwear Front Range. Best for a broad, heavy Frenchie that pulls hard.Foam padded, four adjustment points and a strong front attachment, and the wide chest panel sits well on a barrel chest. Around $80 to $90 in Australia. On a Frenchie the drawbacks are a fixed neck loop that has to go over a very big head, no handle, and a closed foam chest panel that holds heat against the body, which is the wrong thing on a flat faced dog in an Adelaide summer. Excellent in winter on a strong puller; a warm harness for January.
- Voyager Step In Air. Best for a mini Frenchie or a puppy.The dog steps into it and it closes on the back, so nothing goes over the head, and the sizing runs small enough for a 5kg micro Frenchie. Light and cheap, with mesh that breathes better than most vests. The hook and loop closure wears out, the buckle is small, there is no front clip for a puller, and the mesh panel wraps most of the chest, so it is warmer than it looks. A fair first harness while a puppy's chest is broadening every fortnight.
- Rabbitgoo No Pull Harness. Best budget pick for a Frenchie that walks politely.Front and back clips, a handle and four adjustment points at a low price, and the chest plate sits reasonably on a barrel chest. It goes on over the head, and the webbing behind the front legs is coarser and thinner than ours, so on a short coat it is the harness we most often see bald patches under in the armpit crease. Fine on a calm dog who wears it for short walks only; the wrong harness for all day wear on a Frenchie.
- PetSafe Easy Walk. Best training tool for a determined puller, and nothing else.The martingale loop on the chest tightens as the dog leans and turns them, and on a stubborn Frenchie it works quickly. It is a training harness, not a daily one, on this breed: the girth strap sits close behind the elbows on a coat with no padding, the unpadded front strap runs straight across the chest and shoulders, and there is no back clip and no handle. A few weeks of lead work, then move the dog onto something padded.
| Harness | Barrel chest fit | Airflow | Kind to short coat | Front clip | Over the head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DogLove Pro | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Yes | Optional |
| Ruffwear Front Range | Excellent | Fair | Good | Yes | Yes |
| Voyager Step In Air | Good | Fair | Good | No | No |
| Rabbitgoo No Pull | Good | Good | Fair | Yes | Yes |
| PetSafe Easy Walk | Fair | Excellent | Poor | Yes | No |
Ratings are our own, from fitting these harnesses on French Bulldogs in the salon and checking the skin on the dogs that come back. Prices are approximate and change; check with each maker.
The harness we trust on flat faced, barrel chested dogs
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 no pull 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.
- Use it for walks. For car trips a Frenchie needs a crash tested restraint.
- Barrel chested and between sizes? Go up, then tune the waist.
- Frenchies rarely back out, but if yours does, read this guide.
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.
The two habits that protect a Frenchie's skin
This is most of the battle. Both take less than a minute.
Bare skin gets a break
A short coat gives the straps nothing to cushion against, so a harness worn all day rubs the same three spots raw. Off it comes when you get home.
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. On a fluffy Frenchie, comb the strap lines too, the way you would on an oodle.
French Bulldog harness questions, answered by groomers
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.
Does a fluffy French Bulldog need a different harness?
The same shape of harness, with more attention to the lining. A fluffy Frenchie has a long, soft coat from two copies of a long hair gene variant, and it mats where straps rub, behind the front legs and under the chest plate, like a fine fleece. Choose a smooth padded mesh lining, take the harness off at home, and comb the strap lines after walks.
Does this guide apply to a British Bulldog or a Boston Terrier?
Yes. The throat, the barrel chest and the short coat rules are the same across the flat faced family; only the size changes. A British Bulldog usually measures 75 to 90cm and wears L (69 to 81cm) or XL (81 to 107cm). A Boston Terrier usually wears S. Measure the chest and ignore the breed name.