The parts of the kit that take the strain. Rope leads spliced by hand rather than stitched, harnesses padded where the straps cross, and sets matched to the collars on the neckwear page.
Three lengths. The splice is tucked four times and whipped with waxed thread — it is the strongest part of the lead, not the weakest.
Y-front, so nothing crosses the shoulder joint. Four adjustment points, padded at the sternum, with a ring front and back.
Start with every strap let out. Put the neck opening over the head, clip the belly strap, then tighten from the chest first and the girth second. The join at the sternum should sit on the breastbone, not up in the throat, and you should be able to slide a flat hand under the girth without forcing it.
If the front strap rides up when the dog pulls, the neck opening is too loose rather than too tight — a common misreading that leads people to buy a size down and end up with something that restricts the shoulder.
The leads use a 10 mm three-strand cotton-core rope. A stitched loop relies on thread; a splice relies on the rope's own friction, which is why the load rating of a properly tucked splice is close to that of the unbroken rope. Each one is tucked four times, tapered, then whipped with waxed thread so it cannot creep.
Cotton rope goes soft with use and does not burn a palm the way some synthetics do. It will also hold mud, so it is worth putting through a 30° wash once a month.