There are many different materials that can be used for the blind dog hoop and the harness.
Alternative for hoop:
Plastic oval electrical conduit (has to be gently heated to make a bend, I use an electric paint stripper gun),
Copper piping (requires special springs to stop tube collapsing while bending,
Any other lightweight, bendable material that will hold its shape.
Alternative for harness,
I made one from polypropylene webbing, machined it together, and had to use cup washers under rivets.
Some people have had trouble getting leather harnesses, so nylon is ok, as long as the weave is tight, and washers are behind the rivet heads to stop the rivet going through the material.
But I would recommend leather, it will last longer, and with wear will become soft. The only thing that may not be clear, is the end of the aluminium is rounded off to a “ice Popsicle” shape, and the hole is 8mm (1/3 inch) from the end. Then if dog wearing harness bends, that rounded end pushes into harness, not dog. That aluminium needs to be about 50 inches, by 1 inch, by 1/10 inch, for a Labrador. Also some people have used carpet-joining strips for the hoop, the type without grips, which is screwed to the floor. Make sure if you use this that the part that would have gone uppermost if it was used for carpets, is on the outside of the hoop. Sorry for metric sizes, 25 millimetre is 1 inch. The rivets are 3/16 inch, 1/8 to 1/4 reach (about 1 dollar for 15). To save buying a pop rivet gun, car mechanics carry these (especially body repairs), but I would recommend buying one because they are cheap, and repairs will be necessary, if your dog gets excited like my Pepe.
Reprinted with Permission from the Author:
Dennis Hacker, D.V.M., DIPLOMATE, A.C.V.O. (Veterinary Ophthalmologist)
10324 San Pablo Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-559-1755
510-559-1757 Fax
e-mail: drhacker@animal-eye-specialists.com