LOOBANI Dog Lift Harness Review: Months of Stairs, Tailgates and Boat Ladders

Murphy is a 12 year old yellow Lab, about 78 pounds, and for the last two years his hips and elbows have been getting stiffer. Getting up from the hardwood floor takes him a minute, and some mornings he stands with his nose to the floor before he commits. The stairs to our bedrooms have become something he studies before he tries. The truck tailgate, which he has hopped into his whole life, now needs a plan, and the ladder on our pontoon boat has been the hardest thing of all. I bought the LOOBANI Dog Lift Harness for Large Dogs because I needed a second pair of hands for exactly those moments. After months of daily use I can tell you where it helps, where it does not, and what I wish I had known before I ordered it.

How I've Used It

I have used this harness almost every day since it arrived in early June, and I keep it in the truck so it is always near the tailgate and the boat. Murphy wears it for short trips only: out the front door to the grass, down the porch steps, across the driveway to the truck, and from the dock to the boat ladder. I have never left it on him loose in the house, because a harness with handles is something he could catch on a cabinet pull or a stair rail. When we are done I take it off and hang it on the hook by the back door so it can air out.

The way I use it is simple. I slip it over his head, get his front legs through the openings, and then fasten the belly strap so the padded panels sit along his sides. The two handles sit right over his hips, which is the part of him that needs the most help. When he starts to sag on the stairs, I lift up on the rear handle and take maybe a third of his weight. It is not a full lift. It is support, and that is all he needs. I check the strap every time because a loose harness shifts sideways and makes him walk funny. Snug but not tight is the way I would describe it.

The boat ladder is where I was most skeptical and where it has helped the most. Murphy has swum off the pontoon his whole life, but climbing the ladder at the back of the boat has gotten hard for him. The rungs are far apart and slick, and his back legs do not push the way they used to. With the harness on, I can stand on the swim platform, hold the rear handle, and steady his back end while he pulls himself up with his front legs. He still does the work. I just keep him from slipping backward. That one use alone was worth the purchase.

One thing I did not expect is how much Murphy associates the harness with good things. He used to slink away when he saw me coming with the towel, because the towel meant he was about to struggle. Now he stands still when I lift the LOOBANI over his head, because the harness means we are going somewhere, usually the lake. The first time I saw him wag his tail while I buckled the belly strap, I knew we had found something that worked for both of us.

How the LOOBANI Harness Actually Works

The LOOBANI design is straightforward: two padded panels that run along the dog's sides, a belly strap that fastens underneath, and two handles positioned over the rear end. The front opening goes around the chest, and the back of the harness sits over the hips rather than the belly. That position is the whole point. When you lift the rear handle, the padding distributes pressure across a wide area instead of digging into one spot. I can feel the difference in my hand. With a towel or a folded blanket, the pressure is all in one line and Murphy shifts away from it. With the LOOBANI, he stands still and lets me help.

I have tried other ways of helping Murphy, and they all had the same problem. A towel under his belly works in a pinch but bunches up and does not give me a real grip. A sling style carrier is meant for carrying a dog's full weight, which Murphy does not need and does not like. The LOOBANI is different because it is built for partial support. I can walk beside him with my hand on the rear handle, and the moment he needs help, it is already there. I do not have to bend over and grab a handful of loose skin, which he hates and which does not actually support anything.

The brand makes a point of sizing for large dogs, and I believe it. Murphy is a big Lab with a deep chest, and the harness fits him without the panels riding up. The padding is thick enough that he does not seem to mind wearing it, which matters because a dog that hates the harness will not let you use it. The fabric has held up through a summer of lake water, dog hair and the occasional muddy driveway. I rinse it with the hose and let it dry in the shade, and it still looks the way it did the day it arrived.

I also want to be honest about the limits. The LOOBANI does not lift a dog the way a sling does, and it will not help a dog whose front legs are weak too. Murphy still has good strength in his front end, so the harness only has to manage the back. If your dog is wobbly all over, talk to your vet about a cart or a full sling. For our situation, partial support is the right amount, and the harness gives me exactly that.

Stairs, Tailgates and the Boat Ladder

The staircase at our house is the test I judge everything by. Murphy used to take the stairs two or three times a day. Now he stands at the bottom, looks up, and sometimes just sits. With the LOOBANI on, I walk up beside him with my hand on the rear handle. He takes each step himself, and I lift just enough to keep his back end from sagging. He has gone from hesitating at the bottom to walking straight up, because he knows I have his back end. The first time he did it without pausing, I actually said out loud, 'Well, would you look at that.'

The truck tailgate is a different kind of problem. Murphy can get his front paws up on the tailgate, but his back legs do not have the push they used to. I lift the rear handle while he scrambles with his front legs, and he is in the truck bed in one motion. Coming down, I lower him with the same handle so he does not land hard. It has saved his joints and my back. I keep the harness in the cab, on the floor behind the passenger seat, so it is always there when we head to the lake.

The boat ladder is the one I worried about most, because water and hardware are involved. Murphy swims to the back of the pontoon, and I reach down from the swim platform. With the harness on, I hold the rear handle with one hand and guide his front paws onto the ladder with the other. He climbs, I steady, and we have not had a single scary moment all summer. One afternoon in July, Ray was at the wheel and the water was choppier than I would have liked. Murphy came to the ladder tired, and the harness let me take enough of his weight that he did not slip. I do not think I would have attempted the ladder at all this year without the harness.

We have two sets of stairs in the house, the four steps from the mudroom and the full flight to the bedrooms. The mudroom steps are the ones Murphy uses most, and they are narrow enough that I have to walk behind him instead of beside him. The LOOBANI handle makes that work, because I can reach around his hip without bending over. On the big staircase I walk beside him on the wall side, and the handle is right there. Same harness, two different grips, both easy.

He has gone from hesitating at the bottom of the stairs to walking straight up, because he knows I have his back end.

What I Wish I Had Known Before Buying

The first thing I wish I had known is that the harness is not a carrying device. If you are picturing a sling that holds a dog's full weight while you carry them, this is not that. The LOOBANI is for support and steadying. It takes the edge off, which is exactly what Murphy needs, but a dog that cannot walk at all needs a different tool. I would say it handles maybe a third of his weight when I lift, not the whole thing, and that is the honest number.

The second thing is that it takes a little practice to put on smoothly. The first few times I fumbled with the belly strap while Murphy stood there being patient. After a week I could do it one handed. I also learned to check the fit every time, because the panels can shift if the strap is not snug enough. The instructions that came with it showed the strap positioning better than I expected, and the online listing has a video that is worth watching before your first try.

The third thing is the one nobody warns you about: the harness gives me confidence too. I used to dread the moments when Murphy needed to get up or down. I would stand behind him, trying to figure out where to put my hands, and he would wait for me to decide. Now I have a plan. I reach for the handle, he feels the support, and we both stop holding our breath. That peace of mind has been as valuable as the physical help. It has also changed how I plan our days. I do not avoid the stairs or the boat anymore, because I know I have a way to help him.

One more thing: the harness is not a replacement for a visit to the vet. Murphy's stiffness is age related, but if your dog is suddenly struggling to stand or seems to be in real pain, do not reach for a harness first. Call your vet. We did, and our vet is the one who suggested we look at a rear support harness in the first place. The tool helps, but the vet is the one who decides what is actually going on.

Who This Is For

This harness is for anyone with a large dog who is slowing down but still mobile. If your dog can walk, climb a little, and get up with help, the LOOBANI gives you the grip you need to keep them active longer. It is for the dog who hesitates at the bottom of the stairs, the dog who needs a boost into the truck, and the dog who still wants to swim but cannot climb the ladder alone. If that sounds like your dog, this harness is worth trying.

It is also for the person doing the lifting. I am 63 years old and Murphy weighs 78 pounds. I cannot carry him, and I should not try. The harness lets me help him without hurting myself, because the lifting is spread across the padded panels and I am only taking part of his weight. That matters more as we both get older. My lower back has thanked me every single time we have used it, and that is not a small thing.

Who Should Skip It

If your dog cannot bear weight on their back legs at all, this harness is not the right tool. For a dog that needs full support, you want a rear support sling or a mobility cart, and you should talk to your vet about what fits your dog's situation. The LOOBANI is for dogs who still have strength in their front end and just need their back end steadied. It will not carry a dog, and pretending otherwise is how people get hurt.

I would also skip it if your dog hates wearing anything. Murphy tolerates the harness because he has worn coats and life jackets his whole life, but a dog that fights every piece of gear will make this hard to use. And if your dog is small enough to carry, you probably do not need a lift harness at all. Talk to your vet about whether support is the right answer for your dog, especially if their stiffness came on suddenly or seems to be getting worse fast.

The Bottom Line

After months of daily use, the LOOBANI Dog Lift Harness has earned a permanent spot in our truck. It has made the stairs, the tailgate and the boat ladder manageable for Murphy, and it has made me feel like I can actually help him instead of just worrying. It is not a cure for his stiff hips and it will not give him back his five year old legs, but it is the difference between a dog who stays home and a dog who still comes to the lake with us. For a big senior dog who still has some get up and go, that is a big deal.