To summarize:

 

We liked the original version the best because it fits Farley's deep chest better which makes the overall fit more snug and less likely to slip and twist.

 

Farley is not a huge dog but he does have a huge chest. I think the problem with this harness comes with deep barrel chested dogs like Dobermans and boxers and such. They are otherwise slim dogs that don't weigh a ton and some have small necks but these dogs do not fit into the medium sized harness because of the size of their chest. This bumps them up into a size that's too big for the rest of them, like the neck area.

 

The new version had more give and take on the neck area, allowing us to be able to pull it in a little tighter but with the chest we had the leads let out as far as they went which was still a tad too tight, pulling that area creating a gap in the side area (you'll see on the video). The overall fit was worse on the new version which not only gapped at the sides but also slid downward over his neck towards his head when he would put his nose to the ground (which dogs do 90% of the time. 
So it was always ready to fall off (over his head).


We also agree with JoeCrowe about the velcro strips that hold the excess strap down. In theory it's a great idea but it creates too much bulk. A ladder lock buckle would be ideal.


I think my biggest gripe about this harness was not even in the fit but the fact that there was no front DLoop to attach the lead to on the front chest area, which is fantastic and super helpful when dealing with dogs that pull. I think there should be two: one on the back and one on the chest for us to see which works better for our dogs. And actually some people use a double lead and attach to both front and back gaining even more control of their dog AND this prevents the backing out of the harness, which is possible with the Firewatcher (another downfall).


And lastly I'd run the handle lengthwise down the back instead of across the neck area, all this does when grabbing at it (the way it is now) is lift the harness up, choking the dog.
This could be a brilliant feature but it does not work for us the way ours fits our Doberman (maybe it works with other breeds).


We would like to thank OneTigris very much for allowing us to participate in this test and hope that we have been a help. Please reach out anytime!


Best to you all!
Jennifer and Farley

 

Credit: @thrujenseyes, 1TG