The caribou fur makes this harness the most gentle harness you can put on your dog pulling a sled, or you on skis. The unique design of the Chukchi harness developed by Native Chukchi musher hunting for walus and carrying large loads back to their community as well as traveling over very long distances at high speed is what makes that this harness rest above the shoulder or front leg extension on your dog -- BUT its the caribou fur lining of the chest strap that makes this such an incredible harness for long-distance racing AND so gentle on any dog pulling a line. Caribou fur is made up of hollow hairs (they have air inside of them) and there is a lot of air between the individual hairs; This is what makes it an excellent insulator of body heat... And, it makes it an excellent cushion between the strap and the body of your dog, protecting your dog from pressure itself as well as from the heat that is created by pressure. In this way the underlining muscles do not 'get heated' in the same way as they do by other harnesses. When you remove a fur lined Chukchi harness, you will not feel the same heat on the dog's body under the harness, as you do with harnesses that have foam, fleece or other synthetic materials as lining.
Caribou fur against dog fur also does not create the same friction as that of a synthetic material against dog fur; thus the risk of rubbing is eliminated. Besides that, the design itself has the harness not at all sitting under the armpit of the dog which is why there is NO dreaded armpit rub with a Chukchi harness.
The GENTLE Chukchi harness is optimal in dry and cold conditions. For muddy or very wet conditions like that you are more likely to encounter outside of "snow season" I suggest you only use the MUD version of the Chukchi harness. The caribou fur can get wet and will dry out but it will damage the fur to be submerged in (especially muddy) water a lot.
You can easily remove the fur lining and replace it with foam lining for the muddy part of the season - and vice versa - if you do not want to purchase and have two different harness styles. I have done this for many years myself.
The harness strapping will last for a very long time but expect that you will need to change the lining every 3-4000 miles (4000 - 5000 km). I have had harnesses last more than 10 years, but I in general change my caribou fur lining once a year.
NOTICE the caribou fur is handsewn onto the harness; this ensures 'no hard stitch' BUT is time consuming, and both the cost of the softest caribou fur quality I have found AND the time it takes to handsew this onto the strap IS what makes this harness cost what it cost.
GENTLE Chukchi harness
PRODUCT INFO
The Chukchi harness eliminates arm put rubs and ensures there is NO pressure applied from the harness onto the lower back and hips of your dog when pulling a sled—or you on skis. The unique design allows full extension of your dog’s forearm and free range of motion for the shoulder because the harness rests above the shoulder blade and onto the upper part of your dog’s back.
A Chukchi harness has soft structure in comparison to the much stiffer X-back or H-back harness. This allows the dog to reposition itself while running, moving the pressure of its pull as it pleases: as a result the harness is very successfully used to address dogs crapping, tendencies to run sideways or dogs ‘only wanting to run on one side of the main line’. Optimal for ultra long-distance races such as the Iditarod and Finnmark løpet this design also results in dogs learning to ‘relax’ in the harness, instead of charging hard to drive speed.
The entire harness is constructed with the one aim that it is gentle on and comfortable for the dog - that there is absolutely no chaffing from this harness. The material is soft, there are no hard edges, and all sewing is done so that the stitch and seams are on the side facing away from the dog. This makes for a less “pretty” final product to your eye - but an optimal harness for your dog.
It is for this same reason that the harness is secured with a button. I have tested so many other solutions, but we found that nothing held up as well or offered the same comfort for the dog — buckles do chafe the dog, do not lie flat against their body and create an uncomfortable bump for the dog when it lays on its side.
The total length of the harness is the same, regardless of size and matches that of for example Non-stop X-back harnesses so that you can easily mix the type of harness you use in your dog team.
To hook into the tug line on your setup the harness is outfitted with a plastic ball that will not create any friction or wear on the coat of your dog, and that is easily released from and hooked into a loop regardless of the conditions: mud, water, icy slush or extreme cold temperature. Reflective material at the end of the ball as well as on the flourescent back-strap makes it easy for you to see in the dark at night (both with and without a headlamp) as well as in low-light conditions, if the tugline is under your dog’s leg. Reflective strap also ensures your dog’s security to be seen by others when running down the trail.
SIZING
The following guide line is based on the neck + chest. Check out the Size & Fit page for comparison sizing to X-back harness as well as for pictures of how to measure!
SMALL (blue ball + thread on button)
Neck: 14 - 19 inch/ 35 - 50 cm
Chest: up to 29 inch / up to 75 cmMEDIUM (green ball + thread on button)
Neck: 19.5 - 22 inch/ 50 - 55 cm
Chest: +29 inch / + 75 cmLARGE (red ball + thread on button)
Neck: 22 - 23.5 inch / 55 - 60 cm
Chest: + 29 inch / + 75 cmX-LARGE (black ball + thread on button)
Neck: +23 inch/ +60 cm
Chest: +32 inch / +80 cm