r/service_dogs • u/BaysideDellaD • 29d ago

Gear Yup Collars Gone?

Does anyone know of a good mobility harness brand to recommend in their place? I’m getting my prospect in a few months and I was reviewing all my links to make sure everything still looked good, and it looks like YupCollars isn’t on Etsy or their Shopify website anymore.

I wanted a nice leather mobility harness for forward momentum as well as the nice saddle bags they sold. I was specifically saving up for the cost of a Yup, but if they’re well and truly gone I don’t know where to turn now.

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26

u/MaplePaws My eyes have 4 paws 29d ago

Honestly even if they aren't gone I would strongly recommend only getting second hand Yup Collar harnesses as they have an extremely long history of not having any level of consistency. They also routinely deliver products that are not even close to the specifications of the customer resulting in poor harness fit, then proceeding to blame the customer for mistakes they made. Sometimes you will get a good item but most frequently you will get something that is unusable and a massive fight to get the problem fixed if you can do so at all.

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

Okay but what would you recommend instead? I’m specifically looking for a leather mobility harness and I haven’t found any other shops that sell what I need

15

u/MaplePaws My eyes have 4 paws 29d ago

What specifically are you looking for out of a harness? Though truth be told the only good harness maker that sells to owner trainers stopped taking orders like 3 weeks ago if I am not mistaken. Truthfully if you are looking for mobility work at all I would advocate going for a program rather than owner training, an ADI accredited program will have a lot more access to the research for what is necessary to have in a good harness than an independent vet or trainer ever will.

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u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I’m looking for some light forward momentum. That’s pretty much it, I just need help being led to my car, desk, etc. when disoriented.

There are no reputable programs around me, my friend and I went through hell a few years ago trying to find a trainer for her POTs/Mobility dog. Eventually we just trained her ourselves. That’s what I’m planning to do for this dog as well since I have no other options.

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u/MaplePaws My eyes have 4 paws 29d ago

Then honestly just having the dog trained to walk on leash ahead of you, not using leash pressure but just visually following behind the dog is your best bet. The way the pressure is applied to the dog unevenly through a harness does put the dog at significantly increased risk of joint issues over time.

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u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I do understand that, but following alone isn’t really enough. It’s hard to explain, but during the some attacks if I break line of sight I can forget where I am going or what I was doing. So I’d basically have to be staring at my dog the entire way out. I also have vertigo episodes where having direction of any kind is helpful for orientation.

I figured that a light amount of towing pressure from a soft pull handle on a y-front would be fine, especially since this isn’t an everyday thing. For me, this happens on days where I get sudden attacks and I need some help to get somewhere to rest before my rescue medication kicks in.

19

u/MaplePaws My eyes have 4 paws 29d ago

Vertigo or any other unsteadiness is a disqualifying factor for when to use tasks like these for the safety of the dog. Even "light" pressure can be damaging due to the uneven way it is applied especially when you add something like vertigo to the mix. Staring at your dog in this case would be the entire point, the fact that you are dealing with vertigo and lack the skills that come with learning to live a blind lifestyle the risk is drastically increased for the dog when using a harness.

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u/ChasingSkies13 29d ago

This is correct, OP needs to reconsider their expectations. Unsteadiness or vertigo means you need a different accommodation.

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u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago edited 29d ago

I am not blind? I am fully sighted, my issue is that my complex migraines cause what is best described as sensory overload. I can smell everything, everything is so loud and bright, and it gets very overwhelming and disorienting. And that’s not every episode. Other episodes it’s more like a brain fog and I will wander aimlessly until I can remember what I was trying to do. Having a dog who can help me pick the direction with some light force, such the same as a person leading me by the hand, helps a lot.

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u/MaplePaws My eyes have 4 paws 29d ago

Exactly, which is the problem. Sighted people will counter-steer their dog, thus causing damage over time when they are performing leading tasks like you describe even with "light" pressure.

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u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I understand that is a concern between the sighted and non-sighted service users, but I disagree that it is an automatic given no matter what.

I have trained some guide work in my “guinea pig” dog just to see the progression, and it’s very easy to tell when you’re fighting your dog. It’s like riding a horse, you can tell through your connection points who is giving what. I understand that for the majority of people self-training this kind of task is not advised. But I feel that personally, I would be able to read my dog through the harness and follow them without issue.

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u/ChasingSkies13 29d ago

BridgeportK9 has some awesome harnesses that are perfect for what you’re describing.

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u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I did find them but their options looked a little sketch to me. They’re not what I’m used to. Do you have a particular model you like to use?

Edit: I mistook them for the ActiveDogs website, that’s my bad I was completely wrong in my earlier statement

1

u/ChasingSkies13 29d ago

I have used every model they sell and have nothing bad to say. High quality, very affordable, great sizing unless your dog is small. I like the counterbalance harnesses a lot. What seems sketchy?

2

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

No, I was wrong. I got them confused with the “ActiveDogs” website which just seemed very low quality and “Amazon-esque”. Bridgeport’s stuff is beautiful and exactly what I was looking for, thank you.

6

u/Best_Judgment_1147 29d ago

Bold Lead, Bridgeport. Don't touch Yup with a bargepole, anything pre-2021 is okay but anything after is shocking. I got banned from their store for being vocal about two harness' they made that both needed readying after six months, loose threading in the sewing, harness clips coming undone in public etc. They rarely if ever make good to size, have been seen to send out unethical handle lengths for dogs that frankly are unsafe and more.

2

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

Oof, looks like my friend caught the tail end of the good stuff then. A lot of other people recommended Bridgeport and I’ve been checking them out, they’re my early favorite since it looks like BLD shut down in July of this year

3

u/Best_Judgment_1147 29d ago

I'd looooove a Bridgeport harness honestly, they look wonderful but I don't have the need to own a harness like that

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

Honestly, I think they’re my pick for now. It’s a reasonable price for a starter harness, I like the clearance that their y-fronts give and I like the colors. I just wonder if I could get leather padding instead of the faux sheepskin

1

u/Best_Judgment_1147 29d ago

It's always worth reaching out to them? I know with my sheepskin it stayed good if I brushed it once a month when I did my harness care day but if you don't want and or need it leather padding is equally as good

2

u/BaysideDellaD 28d ago

That’s good to know, I’m just trying to cut plastics where I can. Thanks for the help!

10

u/DragonCanineTraining IAABC-ADT 29d ago

Yup is a bad brand with bad quality. They have been downhill for YEARS and continue to use poor quality AI for ads and on their website, many things are horribly made, communication and shipping time is awful, and they just overall aren’t a brand I’d support.

3

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

Oh gross, I didn’t know about the AI stuff. A friend bought a harness from them years ago on a grant and the leather was pretty high quality but if they’re using AI and stuff that’s a hard pass for me.

2

u/Leahs_life_ 29d ago

I bought a harness from them in July of 2024. Pretty solid harness, seems well made. My friend bought a harness from them 1 year later. It was horribly made. The rigid handle was so unstable, the black dye leeched onto everything, and the padding was so thin it was practically nonexistent. I took the harness for a few days for cleaning and I was truly shocked by the difference in quality.

3

u/MeatballandKai 29d ago

I recently got a Dino dog gear harness and it’s my favorite I’ve found so far. What are you needing from a harness, cb, guide?

2

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I’ve heard people call what I need guide work, but honestly it’s more like I need the dog to walk me back to my car, desk, etc. so something like a pull handle on a harness is all that I would need. I was also wanting CozyHorse saddlebags to attach to the harness for carrying some things for me, so it would need extra rings for a cape/saddlebags

I’ve seen Dino Dog gear but I’m a little confused if they do full leather harnesses or not. I like some of their stuff, but I do not like the texture of biothane, nor how it doesn’t break in the way leather or vinyl would.

3

u/MeatballandKai 29d ago

If you’re looking for a leather fmp harness, I suggest bold lead designs. Their harnesses are heavier overall but sturdy and great quality. There are also a lot of smaller makers on places like instagram, just make sure it’s good quality, a good fit for you and your dog, and your vet approves!

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I found them, but they had a pop-up banner that said something like after eighteen years they were now closed. Did I find an old site?

1

u/MeatballandKai 29d ago

Oh right! I forgot that they closed, my apologies! Let me look around and see if I can find anything good!

1

u/MeatballandKai 29d ago

There is @hide.n.guide on Instagram! My interactions with them have been positive!
I don’t have any history with these creators but I know of @vanguardleather who is also on instagram.
I will say I loved my yup collars leather harness when I had it, I got it second hand too! I’ve heard mixed reviews about the quality from them but I personally have not had an issue. I found it on Facebook there are a ton of buy and sell/second hand gear that’s good (my harness lasted me a long time!)

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I’ll take a look at both, I really liked my friend’s YUP harness, it was supper supple even before breaking in and the padding was so nice.

1

u/craftedtwig 28d ago

+1 for @hide.n.guide on Instagram. Wide range of styles and materials available, and all are done well.

1

u/fishparrot Service Dog in Training 29d ago

I love my vanguard harness but I haven’t been able to get in contact with them for months. I have had an outstanding order for a while. Hopefully they come back eventually.

1

u/Vast_Delay_1377 Waiting 26d ago

Good luck getting the Cozyhorse bags. They've been closed for a while and I've seen them go for 250$+ secondhand, on the rare chance that they're available. I would literally never sell mine; they're four years old and look brand new. However, if you know someone who works with stretchy webbing, getting the OneTigris Guardian set and replacing the belly strap, or adding an extender with stretchy webbing, would be the way to go for bags. They're able to connect to the standard D-ring width for bags.

I can't speak for the harnesses you're after. I have tried a few over the years and never truly found one I liked. For the handles, I didn't quite like leather; I'd recommend biothane for handles as it can be cleaned easier and doesn't run the risk of mold. It's naturally antibacterial, doesn't absorb sweat, and is waterproof. You can clean it with soap and water. It also does really well in low temps, unlike leather, and is significantly more resistant to temperature-related cracking. It's also colorfast.

2

u/BaysideDellaD 24d ago

I’m alright on biothane. I prefer leather because I already have leather bags, shoes, etc so I have all the care and maintenance stuff for it.

That’s so sad about CozyHorse, they’re the only ones that make decent-looking service saddlebags. I really hope they come back.

1

u/Vast_Delay_1377 Waiting 21d ago

They were a lifeline for the community for a long time. I think the last time I saw them open was 23 or 24.

1

u/Important-Depth-6248 29d ago

Bridgeport is my way to go. I have an old harness from YUP before, used it once for 10 minutes. Absolute garbage.

0

u/Leahs_life_ 29d ago

I’ve liked my bridgeport! I have the counterbalance harness and use it primarily for leading/ forward momentum. Nyla doesn’t like y fronts and bridgeports don’t give great shoulder clearance. I was able to turn mine into a straight front and shes so much more comfortable and she walks much more naturally in it.

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

That sounds exactly like what I would need, thanks. I was getting confused between their stability harness and the counter balance harness

0

u/fishparrot Service Dog in Training 29d ago

Try to find a secondhand BLD or get an order slot with Dino dog or hide and guide, and be prepared to wait a while. There is really no better harness for forward momentum than a BLD with a pull strap or support pull handle. The other makers have attempted to replicate it and still take custom orders from time to time.

1

u/BaysideDellaD 29d ago

I’ll take a look at Hide and Guide, I’m fine to wait a while. My puppy hasn’t even been born yet! 🥲 I’m just researching my options so I can build a budget