About Truelove
Truelove has good quality products at a reasonable price and also fantastic customer service! They only sell a few types of harnesses, leashes, collars, and shoes but those come in different sizes and colors and they continuously work on adding new products to their portfolio.
About the Harness
The TLH1911 harness has a unique design: the wide chest and shoulder part is for distributing the weight evenly while the thin, breathable mesh material is for additional comfort.
When I said the material of the harness is thin, I really meant it. I actually expected it to start tearing and breaking after a few weeks but it proved to be much stronger than it looks. I could literally fold this harness and put it in my purse - it’s lightweight and you can even see through it. There is no additional padding built in but the material is soft and distributes the weight well enough.
There is only one buckle on the right side of the chest strap which means you have to pull it over the head and then lift the left front leg to put the harness on. There is actually a workaround if you really don’t want to lift the leg: on the photos below, you can see that the buckle goes through the loop on the top strap so you can pull it out, put it around the dog then back through the loop.
The buckle is on the weaker and smaller side but I haven’t had issues with the quality so far. I was also worried that the sewing that holds the chest strap to the mesh will get loose but it is apparently stronger than it looks: Mia is sometimes pulling on leash and all the sewing held up perfectly so far.
Truelove Mesh Harness Review
Mia needed the biggest size (XL) so it’s safe to say that smaller breeds are the target group of this harness. On the photos (like on the one below) it seems Mia could have a little bigger size around the neck but it’s hard to tell because on a fluffier dog this harness will not push the hair down.
One of the tricky things with this harness is that you cannot adjust the neck part. It is available in 5 sizes but it’s hard to tell where the wide neck part will be positioned on the dog and you can end up with the neck part going across the shoulders restricting the movement when your dog pulls.
The wide neck and chest part made me think that this harness will be hard to keep clean but it dries incredibly fast and the dirt just falls off from it. If it would get too muddy, you can just rinse it - since you are only supposed to hand wash it in cold water, you don’t really have other options.
I imagine that it would pick up a wet dog & marsh smell after a while which can be hard to get rid off if you cannot put it in the washing machine but it wasn’t an issue over the six(ish) weeks I used it.
The part which goes between the legs is designed nicely - they narrowed it to leave enough room for the legs to move without rubbing them.
I think the position of the harness is okay on Mia but if I would be able to adjust the part between the legs, I would leave it a little longer to position the chest strap farther behind the front legs. If you have a dog with a deep chest, the straps might be too close to the armpits.
My only real issue with this harness is the placement of the leash attachment ring as I mentioned it in other reviews before.
This time, I took a photo with a leash pulling it to show what I mean. When the dog pulls, the leash will rotate the harness - pulls the front up to the neck. You also see how the chest strap cuts in the armpit when the harness turns and pulls them forward instead of pulling the whole harness back and using the chest strap as well to distribute the weight on the chest. Hope my explanation makes same sense.
I guess having the ring on the middle works better for smaller dogs since the angle of the leash is different and you are pulling the dog more “up” than “back”.
Functionality Review
No-pull: It does not have a no-pull ring.
Running/biking (as an occasional hobby, buy specific equipment if you want to get into it seriously): I would suggest against it based on the photo above. I don’t think it distributes the weight well when the dog pulls and probably the sewing was not made for pulling sports either.
Hiking: I like the visibility and it dries fast but it’s definitely not a strong hiking harness. It does not have a handle but you can grab the top part as a workaround. Think about it as a visibility vest that can be used as a harness as well.
City walk: Perfect, it has nice colors, it’s visible, lightweight and fast to dry between walks.
Easy to put on/adjust: It’s not easy to put on: you have to lift one leg up or put the buckle through the loop on the back. Only the chest strap is adjustable but the harness comes in 5 sizes.
Visibility: it has bright colors but does not have reflective parts.
Summary
It’s a great mesh harness, visible and I would definitely use it for off-leash walks or for dogs who don’t pull much on a leash. The quality is much better than I expected but it still doesn’t look strong enough for a heavier dog to pull. I think this is a perfect design for smaller dogs.
As always, be sure the harness is a good fit for YOUR dog. If you need help deciding, read our article on harness fitting.
Where to buy
You can find this harness on Amazon. It is available in 8 colors and 5 sizes. For your reference, Mia needed the biggest size (XL).
Disclaimer: this review contains an Amazon affiliate link, which supports Dog Gear Review if you purchase the product after clicking on it without costing you anything extra. Using affiliate links will never compromise us writing unbiased, honest reviews!
Mia’s measurements
Many of you asked Mia’s measurements to better understand the different products’ fit. Your best chance of finding a good fitting gear is always to measure (and remeasure) your dog. Even we grab the measuring tape before getting a new product - even though we tested a lot of them, and have a good feeling of her size by now.
I share her measurements below, but don’t go ahead and order the same size just because your dog is similar to Mia ;)
Shoulder height: 19.5 inches (50 cm)
Weight: 37-44 pounds (17-20 kg)
Widest chest circumference (where the most harness would have the chest strap): 25-26 inches (63-65 cm)
Neck circumference for collars: 15-16 inches (38-40 cm)
Back lengths: 22 inches (56 cm)
