Trish Wamsat's AdobeDogs

Collars and harnesses- are very important tools and no one of them is perfect for every dog. 

In a perfect world, every puppy owner would be a dog trainer and have the ability to teach his or her puppy to walk, without pulling, on a regular, old flat collar.  However, most people who come to classes are NOT dog trainers, nor do they have any desire to be.  They just want their dog to walk nicely on a leash, not bark at other dogs and never pull.  They aren’t really interested in the techniques and theories that produce a “well trained” dog, they just want to be able to take their dogs where they want to and not be embarrassed or injured by their unruly “Rover”. 

“Flat” collars

are great for hanging tags on and, rarely, a puppy will learn loose leash walking and never need more than this.  However, in the real world, most puppies learn to pull, pull harder and longer to get what they want.  They learn this because we reward them for pulling by following them to where they wanted to go. 

Because we are kind and don’t want the puppy to hurt himself by pulling on the leash, we tolerate him pulling and pulling, until it’s clear that he’ll choke to death unless we do something.  But the “something” we do is the most enormous cruelty of all.  We reward his hurting himself by giving him what he wanted.  We actually TEACH him that we won’t let him have what he wants unless he shows us, by hurting himself, how badly he wants it!

“Choke chains” or “Training collars”

are still used in many places as control for dogs. Unfortunately, we are such good trainers, most dogs learn the above lesson on this collar as well as the flat collar.  They just do much greater damage to their bodies.  Literally.  These collars have unlimited tightening ability.  UNLIMITED.  They squeeze the neck, bruising flesh and even to the bone in some studies.  Our dogs love us so much, they continue to want to walk with us, even with a cost this high.

“Harnesses”

are collars that fit around the body.  Old style harnesses, where the leash attaches at the top of the dog’s back, allow pulling without the pain and injury.  But they still teach the dog to pull to get where he wants to go.

The new, “front pull” harnesses, like the Easy Walk*

http://www.gentleleader.com/by Gentle Leader*, FINALLY let the dog know that pulling is usually not the answer.  When the dog pulls, the harness pulls his body sideways, throwing him off balance and forcing him to slow down.  When he experiences this repeatedly, he will usually slow down and pay attention to you, allowing both of you to enjoy your walk. 

For some dogs, an Easy Walk* harness is the key to painless, calm and happy walks.  Some dogs, however, are less aware of their bodies and learn to pull past the feeling of “off balance”; they learn to lean in and GO.

“Head Halters”

are collars with an extra loop that goes over the nose, just in front of the eyes.  Fitting these correctly is imperative and some dogs will never accept them.  Head Halters ( I recommend the Gentle Leader*  http://www.gentleleader.com/) give the owner great control of the head,  This is important for dogs that are incorrigible jumpers or aggressive on walks (or in your home, but that’s for another time).  Some dogs display a “flattening of behavior in a head halter that is unacceptable for most dog lovers.  When a head halter works well, it’s a wonderful tool.

“Pinch” or “prong” collars

are horrible-looking.  It’s true.  They look like something out of the dark-ages and most people are very averse to using them.  But in MANY popular breeds of dogs, they can make you love your dog again.

Dogs bred for certain jobs require a very specific quality; physical insensitivity.  Hunting dogs (Labs, Goldens, Springers), protection dogs (Rotts, German Shepherds, Great Pyrenees), Terriers (pit bull types, Jack Russells, Scotties) and some others, would be useless for their original jobs is they were worried about their bodies.

Think about what these dogs are bred to do… without exception, these types of dogs are bred to push through things (brush, ice, tunnels) and not stop if it’s uncomfortable, in fact, most of them are bred to use their feet and teeth to open up more room for them to make it through. 

They are bred not to quit if they cut a pad or scrape their nose.  If they were to quit, they would be taken out of the gene pool.  As a result, Labs use fences and walls as part of their play!  They crash into things so they can ricochet back into play.  Rotts throw their butts into things when they get excited and terriers are almost foolish in their courage.

These breeds share a lack of PHYSICAL sensitivity, as a result, they often need more clear signals than we are used to giving.  Pulling and tugging and shouting are all wasted on many of these dogs.  With a well-fitted pinch collar, peace reigns.  They “get” it.  They finally understand and everybody can relax.  

LEASHES –

I recommend the lightest-weight leash you can safely control your puppy with.  “Safely control” means control when using the correct collar or harness.  The heavier the leash, the more likely we are to inadvertently allow (encourage) pulling.  Also, heavy duty leash clips are HEAVY and prevent accurate communication with your dog.

I prefer leather and very lightweight cotton.  Chain leashes are heavy and will hurt your hands, Nylon-type leashes are often slippery and can burn your hands.  Lightweight leather is strong and somewhat elastic, minimizing any jarring.  Leather lasts a long time and is easy to handle, usually improving with age.

The length and width of the leash is easy to decide, it’s the quality and structure the owner must decide on.  In the end, your dog’s safety is riding on your selection.  I recommend 6 foot leashes are important for training as they give you and the dog room to make mistakes and recover without tightening.  Much of a trainer’s instruction will include the phrase “go to the end of your leash”, this is based on a 6 foot leash.

Some dogs do fine with a ¼ inch thickness in leather, but the handlers hands may have trouble with it.  Some people may opt for a lighter weight, but slightly wider size.  A good quality leash for a 100 pound dog, should not have to be wider than ¾ inch.  Be careful to examine the snap and make sure it’s good quality and not heavier than the leash.  Horse-type and heavy-duty, triple thick leads are popular with people right now.  Maybe they think it looks cool to show that their dog needs something that heavy to be controlled, but I think “cool” is when I see a 90 pound Rott or Lab walking quietly and controlled with a soft. ½ or 3/8 inch leash and a relaxed owner…..