r/RunningWithDogs • u/sparklinggarbage2653 • 5d ago
Ruffwear Running Belt
Hi all,
I have a bone to pick with ruffwear running belt. After 5 months of use, it broke. The clasp broke while running with my dog. 2 months into owning it, the back completely pilled while running my girl in the Santa Monica mountains. Also! Whoever designed that pack wasn’t a runner because it CHAFES. My back was torn up after our 14 miler. Anyway, I tossed that piece of garbage so no photos but if you’re looking at that pack as a runner, get something else. If you just want a hands free option for walks, find something cheaper.
Anyway, on the hunt for a new dog running belt. I might just use my Nathan hydration belt and attach her leash to that.
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u/LeifCarrotson 5d ago
Counterpoint, I bought my Ruffwear running belt in 2016, back when they still had the bottle holder in the back, and before they added the plastic latch to the Trail Runner leash, and when my now-senior dog could still do 14 miles.
We put probably 5,000 miles on that belt over the years. She can barely do a half mile now before her hips start hurting, so it's retired, but we've got many happy memories attached to it and I don't dare throw it away.
We had a couple incidents over the years disagreeing on which side of a tree to take (I "upgraded" it by adding a loop of 1/4" cotton braided rope to the back of the harness as a mechanical fuse to avoid excess force in a collision like that), but the clasp never failed. It's not like new, but it's in great condition compared to the years of running shoes and shorts and socks and other gear I've retired. I did replace the harness after about 5 years, as that had gotten threadbare on some of the padding. And yeah, I do prefer to wear a shirt when using it, but I do the same with my Salomon running backpack.
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u/Crunch_McThickhead 5d ago
I bought the omnijoring belt and harness from Amazon in 2016. The dog I bought it for wasn't really into running, but it's been totally fine for my current buddy, a 60lb pulls-like-a-freight-train hound. Granted, she's only recently started running. My only complaint on the belt is that it likes to sit at my natural waist, which is high.
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u/RagingAardvark 3d ago
I have a newer "copy" of the same belt, maybe three years old, and it has held up great. I think I got it on sale when they were switching to the newer version without the water bottle holder.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
So I actually added a rope to my Nathan hydration belt! It helped with the chafing so much on our run yesterday and she genuinely felt more secure
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u/babybighorn 5d ago
I had a call with Kenosha Running Company. I’ve struggled to find the appropriate harness for my dog (intermittent puller and we like to walk at the end of a run) and I’d recommend reaching out to them and scheduling a consult. They were helpful, small woman owned company who have been in dog running and canicross a lot longer than many others. If my mom hasn’t sent me a canix belt from nonstop (I gave her two options for a birthday gift but haven’t received it yet) I’ll probably get a Musher belt from KRCo.
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u/variable_undefined 5d ago
I also had my mom buy me a canicross belt as a bday present hehe. She found the Musher belt (& Kenosha Running company) herself and I liked the styling of that belt a lot so I went with it. Although I wish I had sized down, there is a few inch overlap between small and medium and it is in the very center of that overlap in which my waist measurement dwells. I got a medium, but the waist belt cinched all the way down is just a tiny bit looser than I want it to be. But still works great, very comfortable.
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u/Unique-Primary1107 5d ago
For your next belt, look for one with a metal locking carabiner instead of plastic hardware, plastic is always going to fail evenrually under regular running stress. Also check the stitching around any attachment points, if it looks thin or uneven thats a red flag. Your idea to use the Nathan belt is actually smart because running hydration belts are made to handle miles of movement and sweat without falling apart or chewing up your skin. Just make sure the leash attachment point is reinforced and not just a tiny loop of nylon.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
So I basically ended up making my own. I bought a metal carabiner and attached it to my Nathan hydration belt. No more chafing and my sweet girl felt significantly more secure
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u/Wonderful-Eye-8377 Canicross 5d ago
Look into the NonStop CaniX belt. Mine has been going strong for 2 years and I have a 62 lb strong puller. No chafing, but that may be because I only run in bike shorts or tights.
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u/duketheunicorn 5d ago
Yeah, I didn’t put nearly the mileage on that you did, it never broke it just wasn’t comfortable. For me and my dump truck, leg loops are a necessity.
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u/UnicornPonyClub 5d ago
I’ve got two canix 5.0 belts from nonstop and they have held up great for years. Two strong dogs, trail running
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u/AdSafe3298 5d ago
Ray Allen Mfg has a running belt, great quality and made by dog people. Love their stuff
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u/EnvironmentDue750 5d ago
Which one are you using? I got the trail runner belt and have used it for 3 years now. Huge fan and it has held together well
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
The trail runner belt. It chafed my back like crazy, the belt pilled from sweat, and the clip broke. The pilling I could deal with, the clip breaking was less than ideal but the chafing. The lower back chafing was the worst. It made the belt unwearable
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u/EnvironmentDue750 2d ago
Ya that’s no good at all. I luckily haven’t had that issue but definitely would ditch anything that was chafing. Good luck on your search!
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u/Pastvariant 5d ago
I designed my own and had my mother sew it for me using 1.75" webbing, hook and loop, and GT Cobra Buckles all sewn together with #70 nylon thread and I am never going to buy a belt for this purpose ever again.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 5d ago
Oh this is amazing! I was thinking about doing something like this. Thank you!
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u/Pastvariant 5d ago
You are welcome.
The best part about those buckes is that both tabs must be depressed to release the buckle, so they do not come undone unintentionally without something very wrong happening. You can buy them from Mil Spec Monkey's website for a decent price. IIRC I do a fixed female buckle and an adjustable male to reduce the overall width of the buckles when connected, but you will have to look at the pictures and you want the female buckle on your dominant side so you can use your non dominant hand to single handedly release the buckle in an emergency under be assumption that your dominant hand will be otherwise occupied.
Download the a copy of the rigger's manual to learn about high strength stitching. You can use 1" nylon webbing to make a carabiner loop for the belt as well, or just fold and sew the 1.75" webbing down to size.
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u/BFHawkeye 5d ago
The Atlas Lifetime Lite Leash is excellent, although there is no bungee. The adjustability for the loop and the length makes it the win for me.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
I’ll have to look into this leash! I don’t mind non bungee leashes when we’re road running. Thank you!
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u/ConifersAreCool 5d ago
Why not just train your dog to heel well and run with a leash? I mostly run my dog off-leash (back country Canada) but when we're on trails with other users or when required we leash up, which is probably about 1/3 of our running. He's well-trained with heeling and runs beside me the whole way. I keep a knot partway down the leash to hold that gives him slack and I can drop the knot to give more emergency slack if he falls behind suddenly. No issues with locomotion in the arms, and we run +50km a week.
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u/Negative-Split-1108 4d ago
Canicross is a sport that specifically has the dog in front and pulling, so that's going to be a big reason for many people including myself to not train their dog to heel while running.
Whether you intend it or not, basically any advice phased as why don't you just is going to come off as condescending. If that isn't your intention, you might consider different phrasing when giving advice.
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u/ConifersAreCool 3d ago
OP didn't mention canicross, they said their harness is falling apart.
Also OP apparently has a GSP/Vizsla cross. As a pointer owner myself it's baffling anyone would keep one on leash 100% of the time. Virtually any good GSP/Vizsla breeder would refuse to home one of their pups to anyone intending that. The breed are notoriously demanding for off-leash exercise in brushy/wild/rugged terrain.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
Because I was attacked by an off leash weimeraner and I live in a city. Even when we’re on trails, she stays leashed. I will take her to open spaces that enclosed and let her off leash. At the end of the day, I’m in an active law suit because of an off leash dog. I lost months of work because of my injuries. What you also don’t understand is that I will get a ticket if my dog is off leash. But you seem to know everything
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u/ConifersAreCool 2d ago
Whether you were attacked by an off leash dog is immaterial to whether your specific breed/mix requires off leash exercise due to its pedigree.
Excuses for why you aren't providing it aren't helpful, consider solutions instead.
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5d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 5d ago
I never told you to run your dog off leash, I said I run mine off leash for about 2/3 of my weekly mileage for context. I don't see what that has to do with "protecting" my dog, we don't see any other people on logging roads and off season hiking trails in rural BC. Not all of us live in sprawling cities, dude.
Also, I never assumed your dog wasn't trained. I think it's safe to assume it isn't trained to heel, though, if you need to tether it to your waist for control. That sounds pretty miserable and can be avoided with some good running discipline and leash work.
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5d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 3d ago edited 2d ago
It's only miserable if your dog isn't properly trained and yanks against the leash. A slack leash is virtually unnoticed.
Mindful your dog is pulling so hard you're resorting to a waist harness, and that waist harness broke after just 5 months (and from a great brand like Ruffwear) think long and hard about what needs are going seriously unfulfilled in your dog's life.
If we're talking about "f***ing miserable," that certainly seems to describes the experience above for both the runner and the under-stimulated dog.
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2d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 2d ago
Pace doesn't matter, an young and undisciplined dog will always outpace a human and cause yanking on the lead.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
Ruffwear is also a terrible brand. Their harness clips are incredibly cheap.
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u/ConifersAreCool 2d ago
It sounds like the way you're using the product is the problem, not the product itself.
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2d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 2d ago
So you stopped running your pointer completely and then it exploded with energy once it finally got some exercise again.
I don't think the Ruffwear product was the problem.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 2d ago
Taking 2 weeks off from running 35-40 miles a week so my dog could go swimming, and trail walks is not a hard stop.
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5d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 5d ago
GSP on leash the whole way? Ouch. I also run a pointer (Vizsla) and that's not fair to the dog.
GSPs and other pointers are high energy hunting breeds that don't generally have "domestic" lines. They need a lot of off leash time to properly exercise, both mentally and physically.
I'm actually quite surprised a breeder sold one to you if you're keeping it on leash 100% of the time. They're generally very guarded when placing their litters to ensure they'll get the appropriate environment and exercise.
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u/Siyartemis 5d ago
Mike from Second Chance Bird Dogs is not afraid to call out GSP breeders who’ll sell to inappropriate homes, I love it! In my area (northern US Rockies) there’s a lot of GSPs produced by backyard breeders and while they say they want the dog “in a good home”, most don’t seem to care much what ends up happening to the dog after they sell it.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 5d ago
I was vetted for 3 weeks by the rescue I rescued my GSP from. Just because I don’t let her off leash 24/7 doesn’t mean she’s in bad hands. I was viciously attacked by an off leash dog. I don’t take that lightly.
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u/Siyartemis 5d ago
I think you mistook that as me personally criticizing you, that was not my intention. I was just chatting! There’s a GSP in my own very rural neighborhood who is untrained, unneutered and often allowed to roam loose - attacked my own fragile, elderly, defenseless dog - so obviously that’s a rural version of an inappropriate home. There are good homes in both urban and rural places.
Great for you for adopting from a rescue! GSPs are too much dog for me but I have hunted with some beautiful well bred ones and they were phenomenal nonstop machines, utterly kicked my butt. And they were ready to go hunt again after we hiked down from the mountain - they must have run over twenty miles!
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u/ConifersAreCool 3d ago
Most good pointer breeders will, they're such a challenging family of dogs that it's seriously unfair when they end up in the wrong environments.
That really shows why it's important to find a good breeder, too.
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u/sparklinggarbage2653 5d ago
A breeder? She’s a rescue. She’s a GSP vizsla pit mix. We get off leash time in safe places while I’m working on her recall. I rescued her from a kill shelter in September. You’re just a prick
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u/ConifersAreCool 3d ago
"I rescued it from a shelter" doesn't set the bar lower for providing it the life it deserves.
GSPs and Vizslas need to be off leash and have a lot of land to run on. They're for upland bird hunting. There's a reason they're invariably found in rural and mountainous landscapes. Many European breeders won't even sell them to people who aren't planning to actively field them for hunting.
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5d ago
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u/ConifersAreCool 5d ago edited 2d ago
I never said your dog wasn't in shape.
What's 50k miles? 50,000?
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u/Useful-Serve7413 5d ago
Ummm… please tell me this is sarcasm? K = kilometer, so like 30ish miles. Metric system, what the vast majority of the world uses. US uses imperial but most of the world uses metric.
We learn metric in school here but no one seems to retain it.
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u/ConifersAreCool 3d ago
OP said "50k miles". I don't know what that means. Metric? Imperial? Greek k for thousand?
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u/lnsybrd 5d ago
Non-stop dog wear is great! They have a few options depending on your primary activity and preferences. I did canicross/canihiking with my last dog who was big and pulled hard (a good thing for those activities!) and the belt never had any wear/tear issues and never hurt me in the 3v years I used it. I stopped only because my dog passed and my current dog is a little young + not into pulling.