Walking Equipment for Your Dog

What Kind of Leash?

Pick a leash that you feel comfortable using. Some people prefer the feel of leather leashes, while others find different materials easier on the hands. Keep in mind that a type of leash that's appropriate in one situation might not be appropriate in others. For example, you might walk your dog in the park on a Flexi retractable leash every day so that he can roam and get lots of exercise. However, you'll probably want to switch to a leather or fabric leash when in other situations where you need to keep your dog closer to you and away from others, such as when walking in crowded places, at the vet's office or in pet stores.

Type of Leash	Pros	Cons
Four- to six-foot leather or fabric	Great choice for regular walks and training time	Limits the distance your dog can roam
Chain	Good choice if your dog likes to chew or tug on leather or fabric leashes	Inappropriate for training your dog not to pull on leash Can be cumbersome and difficult to handle
Retractable leash (Flexi, WalkAbout)	Appropriate for walks in the park or in other open areas where your dog can explore further away from you	Inappropriate for training your dog not to pull on-leash Can be cumbersome and difficult to handle Can get wound around objects and people's fingers and bodies, causing injury. It's unsafe for use on trails with runners and cyclists who often can't see the line and get entangled or injured Unsafe during play because it can wrap around a dog's body parts and cause injury
Long line (ranging from 10 to 30 feet in length)	Useful when teaching dogs to come when called Appropriate for walks in the park or in other open areas where your dog can explore further away from you	Inappropriate for training your dog not to pull on-leash Can get tangled or wound around objects and people's legs Unsafe during play because it can wrap around a dog's body parts and cause injury

Collars, Halters and Harnesses

Consider the pros and cons of each kind of walking device before deciding on what's appropriate for you and your dog.

Equipment	Pros	Cons
Flat buckle or snap collar	Humane You can attach your dog's identification, license and/or rabies tags Can be worn all the time	Some dogs can slip their heads out and escape Without specific training techniques, will not reduce pulling
Martingale or greyhound collar	Humane Good choice if your dog has or could develop a habit of slipping out of her collar	Without specific training techniques, will not reduce pulling
Head halter or headcollar (Gentle Leader Headcollar, Snoot Loop, Halti Headcollar)	Humane Effective in reducing or eliminating pulling on-leash for most dogs After initial acclimation to the head halter, no additional walking training is required	You will need to help your dog acclimate to a head halter before using one.
Head Halter	Some dogs, despite acclimation, seem to dislike the feel of head halters and will try to rub or paw them off, or will seem stressed or depressed Some guardians object to the way head halters look (some people assume they are muzzles because they're worn around a dog's snout	Must be fitted properly If fitted improperly or if a dog's skin is sensitive, can cause irritation or loss of fur on the bridge of the snout
Front-clip harness (SENSE-ation Harness, SENSE-ible Harness, Easy Walk Harness)	Humane Effective in reducing pulling on-leash for many dogs Can be used immediately, without acclimation period	Some dogs can still pull on-leash when wearing these harnesses Not as effective as head halters in reducing pulling Must be fitted properly, which can sometimes prove difficult, depending on a dog's body size and shape
S-p-o-r-n-s Training Halter	May work on dogs who don't respond well to front clip harnesses and head halters	Puts pressure on dog's front legs and may irritate skin
Regular harness	Humane Good choice if your dog has certain medical problems, such as tracheal damage or megaesophagus Appropriate for some small dogs	Can actually increase pulling (harnesses of similar design are used with sled dogs to encourage pulling)
Choke chain	May be effective for some dogs if used under the supervision of a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT)	Ineffective without specific training techniques Can cause coughing, tracheal damage and pain Can cause or exacerbate serious behavior problems, such as fear and aggression
Prong collar	May be effective for some dogs if used under the supervision of a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT)	Can easily cause pain Often fitted too loosely or too tightly, which makes it ineffective Can cause or exacerbate serious behavior problems, such as fear and aggression Some people object to the way the prong collar looks

How Do I Choose?

What's right for one dog might not be right for another. Some dogs happily wear head halters, for example, but other dogs find them uncomfortable. Some dogs pull much less when wearing front-clip harnesses, while other, less sensitive dogs pull less only when wearing head halters.

In general, good questions to ask yourself are:

Is the equipment I've chosen effective in reducing pulling? Or does the equipment at least make it easier for me to handle my dog?
Does the equipment cause my dog distress or significant discomfort?
Do I feel comfortable and confident handling the equipment?

How Do I Introduce My Dog to New Equipment?

Some kinds of walking equipment, such as front-clip harnesses and buckle collars, don't require any training before use. However, if you need to use some other kind of equipment to effectively reduce your dog's pulling, like a head halter, you'll need to help your dog get used to it before you can use it during her regular walks.

Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul- chicken, pork, half a cow... they must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!

Anne Tyler

Credits:
Paper and canvas prints of "Growing Up Chinese Shar-Pei" by Barbara Keith are available online.

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