Best Harness for Spoodles: A Groomer's Guide
Dog LoveThe best harness for a Spoodle, kind to spaniel ears
A Spoodle is half spaniel, and the spaniel half is the half that matters for a harness: ears that hang into everything, feathering across the chest and down the legs, a nose that drags the whole dog sideways after a scent, and a talent for wriggling backwards out of anything loose. Add a coat that can be silky, fleecy or curly and you have one of the trickiest small dogs we fit. Here is how we do it.
The DogLove Pro No Pull Harness
- Neck release, so nothing drags over spaniel ears
- Smooth padded mesh that glides over chest feathering
- Open sides, so a curly coat and damp ear hair can dry
- Front clip that turns a nose led lunge back toward you
- Four adjustment points that keep a wriggler in
- Most Spoodles wear S, $61.95
In this guide
What a Spoodle is, and why the spaniel half decides the harness
A Spoodle, called a Cockapoo in most other countries, is a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Toy or Miniature Poodle. The Poodle sets the size and the curl. The spaniel sets almost everything a harness has to deal with.
- Toy or mini.A toy Spoodle has a Toy Poodle parent and usually finishes between 4 and 7kg. A mini Spoodle has a Miniature Poodle parent and lands from 7 to 12kg, sometimes a little more from a big Cocker mum. The two share a name and sit a size apart on the chart, so the tape measure decides, not the breed name.
- English or American Cocker.Most Australian Spoodles come from an English Cocker Spaniel, which gives a longer muzzle, a flatter skull and a moderate coat. A Spoodle from an American Cocker carries a domed head, a shorter face and much heavier feathering on the chest, legs and belly, and that extra feathering sits exactly where straps go. If your Spoodle has a full skirt under the belly, assume American and expect more coat under the harness.
- The ears.Cocker Spaniels have long, heavy, hanging ears, and they are one of the breeds most prone to ear infections because that ear shape traps hair, wax and moisture. A Spoodle inherits the ears and usually a thick coat of hair on them. Any harness that goes on over the head drags across those ears several times a day, and a neck strap set too high rubs the ear hair into knots behind the jaw. The harness has to stay out of the ears' way.
- Nose first, everything else second.Spaniels were bred to quarter through cover after birds, and a Spoodle on a lead still lunges sideways after a scent with no warning. On a collar that is a jerk to the throat every few minutes. A front clip on the chest absorbs the lunge and turns the dog back without anything touching the neck.
- The backwards wriggle.Spaniels are soft bodied and flexible, and a frightened Spoodle will drop its head, plant its feet and slide straight back out of a loose harness. A Spoodle harness needs enough adjustment to be fitted properly snug behind the front legs, not just at the neck.
Keep the harness away from the ears, keep the lead off the neck, and keep the belly strap snug. That is the whole Spoodle brief.
Silky, fleece or curly: how each Spoodle coat behaves under a harness
A Spoodle coat can land anywhere between a spaniel and a Poodle, and under the wrong harness each one breaks down somewhere different.
The silky Spoodle
The spaniel coat: a flat, glossy body coat with long, fine feathering on the ears, chest, belly and legs. It sheds a little, so the body coat rarely mats, but the feathering does, and feathering is the softest, finest hair on the dog. A chest strap running across silky chest feathering wears it thin and ragged, and feathering under the belly strap tangles into long, stringy knots that are painful to remove. This coat also collects grass seeds in the feathering, where a harness panel can hide them.
- What the harness must do: spread the pressure over a wide, smooth panel rather than a narrow strap, and sit still over the feathering.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: the padded chest plate is wide and smooth on the coat side, so it rests on the feathering instead of sawing through it, and four adjusters stop it sliding.
The fleece Spoodle
Soft, wavy, a little silky, and the coat most first cross Spoodles carry. Fleece does not drop its loose hair, so wherever a strap presses, that hair weaves into the wave and twists into a knot against the skin. On a fleece Spoodle the mats we clip out are nearly always behind the front legs, across the breastbone and, because of the ears, behind the jaw where a high neck strap rubs the ear hair.
- What the harness must do: glide over the coat with a smooth lining, sit low on the neck, and come on without dragging over the head.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: smooth padded mesh on the coat side, a neck strap that sits low on the chest rather than up behind the ears, and a neck release so nothing passes over the ears at all.
The curly Spoodle
Tight Poodle curls, usually from a Spoodle bred back to a Poodle. The lowest shedding coat and the one that holds water longest. Spoodles love water almost as much as their spaniel parents, and after a creek or a beach a curly chest under a vest style harness stays damp for hours, and damp curls under a strap felt within a day or two. Curly ear hair holds moisture against the ear canal too, which is the last thing a spaniel ear needs.
- What the harness must do: let air through. Open sides matter more on a curly Spoodle than on any other coat.
- Why the DogLove Pro suits it: the sides are open and the padding is breathable mesh, so the chest dries on the walk home instead of steaming until bedtime.
Look at the ears and the brush
Long, straight, silky ear hair with a flat body coat means silky. Wavy body hair that lifts slowly when you press it means fleece. Tight ringlets that spring back mean curly. If the brush fills with hair, lean toward silky. Our Spoodle grooming guide covers all three coats and the puppy coat change, and fleece or curly shows the difference in photos.
The Spoodle harness checklist, ears first
Five things, ranked for a small dog with big ears, fine feathering and a sudden sideways lunge.
- A neck release.This is the first thing we look for on a Spoodle. If the harness has to go over the head, it drags across heavy ears and long ear hair every single time, and plenty of Spoodles start ducking away from it within a week. A neck that unclips lets you wrap the harness around and clip it shut with nothing near the ears.
- A low neck strap.On a Spoodle, the neck strap should sit across the lower chest, well below the ears and the jaw. A strap that sits high rubs the ear hair into knots behind the jaw and presses on the throat during a lunge. Clip the lead on, let them pull sideways, and watch where the strap goes.
- A smooth, padded chest plate.Wide enough to rest on chest feathering and smooth enough not to wear it. Narrow webbing across a silky or fleece chest leaves a thin, broken stripe in the feathering within a month.
- Open sides with a mesh lining.So a curly coat and a wet chest can dry, and so you can see grass seeds caught in the feathering instead of finding them a week later. Our guide to harness rubbing under the arms shows what happens when fabric sits on a damp armpit for too long.
- Four adjustment points and a front clip.Four points let you fit the belly strap properly snug behind the front legs, which is what stops the backwards wriggle, while still keeping it clear of the armpit crease. A front clip turns the sideways lunge back toward you without the neck being involved.
Sizing a harness for a toy or mini Spoodle
Measure, never guess. The feathering makes a Spoodle look a size bigger than it is.
- Flatten the feathering and find the widest point.Just behind the front legs, snug, with the tape pushed through the feathering to the body. A measurement taken over a full Spoodle skirt reads several centimetres too big.
- Read the number against the chart.Most toy Spoodles measure 38 to 46cm. Most minis measure 44 to 56cm. A big mini from a heavy Cocker mum can reach 60cm.
- On a line? Go up.Choose the larger size, pull in the four adjusters, then make sure the belly strap is snug enough that two fingers fit flat underneath and no more. Snug behind the legs is what keeps a wriggler in.
| Size | Chest | Typical Spoodle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 33 to 43cm | Toy Spoodles and mini puppies | $59.95 |
| S Most common | 43 to 56cm | Big toys and most minis | $61.95 |
| M | 56 to 69cm | Large minis from a heavy Cocker parent | $64.95 |
| L | 69 to 81cm | Not a Spoodle size | $69.95 |
| XL | 81 to 107cm | Not a Spoodle size | $74.95 |
Spoodle puppies go through a coat change between six and twelve months, when the soft puppy coat is replaced by the adult coat and mats more than it ever will again. Fit the chest they have today, check the straps fortnightly, and comb the strap lines through the coat change. See the harness fit guide for the full fitting check.
Five Spoodle harnesses compared on ears, feathering and fit
Every harness here has been on Spoodles in our Tranmere salon, and we have groomed the ears and the feathering that came back. The first is the one we sell; the notes on the other four are as honest as we can make them.
- DogLove Pro No Pull Harness. Best overall for every Spoodle coat.A neck release, a low sitting neck strap, a wide smooth chest plate, open sides with a breathable mesh lining, a front clip, a back clip, a padded handle and four adjustment points. It is the only harness here that keeps clear of the ears, rests on the feathering instead of wearing it, and still fits snug enough behind the legs to hold a wriggler. Most Spoodles wear S at $61.95. Two honest drawbacks: it is not a car restraint, and padding is warmer than bare straps on a hot day, so summer walks belong in the early morning.
- Voyager Step In Air. Best for a Spoodle that hates anything near its ears.The dog steps into it and it closes on the back, so nothing ever goes over the head, which on an ear shy Spoodle is a real advantage. Light and inexpensive, with a fairly airy mesh. Against it: the velcro tires, the buckle is fiddly, nothing up front for the sideways lunge, and the mesh panel wraps most of the chest, so a curly coat stays damp under it. A sensible harness for a calm toy Spoodle or a puppy; most owners move on by the first birthday.
- Black Dog Wear Balance Harness. Best airflow for a curly Spoodle.Australian made, strap only, with front and back rings and almost nothing on the coat, so a curly chest gets maximum air. Around $33. It goes on over the head, which is the problem on this breed, and the unpadded straps wear silky chest feathering thin and print lines into fleece on long walks. A good harness for a curly mini Spoodle who does not mind the ears being brushed past.
- Puppia Soft Harness. Best for a gentle toy Spoodle on short walks.A soft, light mesh vest that a 5kg Spoodle barely notices. It goes on over the head, the vest covers the whole chest and holds moisture on a curly coat, and the single back ring gives you nothing when a Spoodle lunges after a bird. We see a lot of felted Spoodle chests under this one. Puppia sizing is on the small side, so go up one.
- Rabbitgoo No Pull Harness. Best budget pick for a strong mini Spoodle.Cheap, with two clips, a handle and four adjusters, so it is often the first no pull harness people try. It goes on over the head, the webbing is coarser than ours and the padding thinner, so it grinds fleece into knots at the strap lines and wears silky feathering faster than a smooth lining. Fair on a short clipped mini who pulls; hard to keep mat free on a full coat.
| Harness | Silky | Fleece | Curly | Front clip | Over the head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DogLove Pro | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Yes | Optional |
| Voyager Step In Air | Good | Fair | Fair | No | No |
| Black Dog Balance | Fair | Good | Excellent | Yes | Yes |
| Puppia Soft | Good | Good | Poor | No | Yes |
| Rabbitgoo No Pull | Fair | Fair | Fair | Yes | Yes |
Ratings are our own, from fitting these harnesses on Spoodles in the salon and seeing the coats that come back. Confirm current prices and sizes with each brand.
Why we fit the DogLove Pro on Spoodles
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.
A Spoodle is a small dog with big ears, fine feathering and a sudden lunge. The DogLove Pro No Pull Dog Harness answers each of those, and here is how.
Neck release, low neck strap
Unclip, wrap, clip. Nothing drags over the ears, and the strap sits across the lower chest, well below the jaw and the ear hair.
Smooth padded mesh, open sides
Rests on chest feathering instead of wearing it, and lets a curly coat dry after the creek.
Front clip, back clip, top handle
Front clip for the sideways lunge after a bird, back clip for calm walks, and a handle for kerbs and the moment a magpie swoops.
Four adjustment points, 3M reflective trim, 13 colours
Snug behind the legs so a wriggler stays in, re tuned in a minute after every groom, seen on dark mornings, and in colours from Teal to Electric Pink to Navy Blazer, with a matching lead.
Two ways to put it on
- Your Spoodle ducks away from anything coming toward the ears.
- They lunge sideways after birds, scents and other dogs.
- You want the chest feathering and the fleece to stay long between grooms.
- They have slipped out of a harness before.
- Walking only. In the car, a Spoodle needs a properly tested restraint.
- On a line between two sizes, choose the bigger one and snug the belly strap.
- Wriggler? Our backing out guide shows where the belly strap should sit.
We sell the DogLove Pro, so we are not neutral. We stock it because it is the harness we trust on every Spoodle coat and every pair of spaniel ears that comes through our door.
Three habits that save Spoodle ears and feathering
The harness does most of the work. These finish the job, and the third one is pure spaniel.
Give the feathering a rest
Every hour in a harness is an hour of straps sitting on chest feathering and the skirt. Take it off when the walk ends so the coat can lift and breathe.
Comb the strap lines and the skirt after walks
Behind the front legs, across the chest, under the belly where the skirt meets the strap. Mist with a conditioning spray first so the comb slides through feathering rather than tearing it. Our guide on getting mats out of dog hair covers what to do when you find one.
Check the ears and the feathering for grass seeds
Every walk through long grass in spring and summer. Run your fingers through the ear hair, the chest feathering, between the toes and under the armpits where the harness sat. A seed caught in feathering today is under the skin next week, and plenty of the Spoodles we see in grass seed season have one hiding under where a harness panel was.
Spoodle owners ask us these every week
What size harness does a Spoodle need?
Wrap a tape around the deepest part of the ribcage, under the feathering. Most toy Spoodles measure 38 to 46cm, which is XS (33 to 43cm) or S (43 to 56cm). Most mini Spoodles measure 44 to 56cm, which is S, and a big mini from a heavy Cocker parent can need M (56 to 69cm). Between sizes, go larger and snug it down.
Should a Spoodle wear a harness or a collar?
Harness, every time. Spoodles lunge sideways after scents and birds without warning, and on a collar every lunge is a jerk to the throat of a small dog. A harness with a front clip absorbs the lunge at the chest and turns them back toward you. Keep the collar for ID tags.
My Spoodle hates the harness going over its head. What do I do?
Stop putting it over the head. Spaniel ears are heavy and sensitive, and a harness dragged across them several times a day is a fair thing to object to. Choose a harness with a neck release, unclip it, wrap it around the neck and clip it shut, so nothing ever passes over the ears.
Can a harness cause ear problems on a Spoodle?
Not directly, but it can add to them. A neck strap set too high rubs the ear hair into knots behind the jaw, and a harness dragged over the head every day irritates ears that are already prone to trouble. Keep the neck strap low on the chest, use a neck release, and dry the ear hair after swims. Anything smelly, sore or itchy is a vet visit.
Which harness is best for a curly Spoodle?
One with open sides. Curls hold water for hours after a swim, and damp curls under a strap felt within a day or two. Pick open sided mesh over a full chest vest, set the girth strap behind the armpit, and towel the ear hair and chest dry after water.
Why does the chest feathering on my Spoodle look thin and ragged?
Almost always a narrow strap or coarse webbing sawing across it on every walk. Feathering is the finest hair on the dog. A wide, smooth padded chest plate rests on it instead of wearing it, and a harness that is adjusted so it stays still finishes the job.
My Spoodle backs out of its harness. How do I stop it?
Fit the belly strap properly snug, two flat fingers underneath and no more, and make sure it sits behind the front legs rather than in the armpit crease. A loose belly strap is nearly always the reason a Spoodle gets out. Our guide to stopping a dog backing out of a harness walks through it.