Choice First Recommends: Walking Gear

Choice First Recommends: Walking Gear

There are so many products out there, and so many marketing ploys used to get you to buy all those products, but here are my recommendations when it comes to your dog's lead, collar, harness, and other things you or your dog may want for your walks!

Leads - leads are a great management tool for keeping dogs and others safe!

Standard clip-on leads are safest when walking your dog. Avoid slip leads - particularly for young puppies who haven't yet learned their lead walking yet - and absolutely avoid choke chains! Slip leads can be useful in vet and shelter environments where the safest way to secure a dog is to avoid placing your hands on them. However these types of leads are designed to cause pressure, discomfort and pain and can cause thyroid and trachea damage (the thyroid gland is responsible for a dog's growth and development, mood, and more).

To prevent and limit thyroid and trachea damage, I recommend attaching your lead to a harness rather than a collar (more on that later).

The best leads I've come across are made of biothane - light, water resistant and durable. Super easy to clean by rinsing in water. PVC and webbed polyester leads are also a good option for durability as well as hypoallergenic materials. Leather, cotton and nylon leads can be lighter but tend to be less durable than biothane and polyester. Chain leads are also durable (and can't be chewed through, though it might damage your dog's teeth if they try to!) but can be quite heavy and usually come in limited lengths.

Be careful of leads marketed as 'training leads' or 'no-pull leads' - regardless of the lead you walk your dog on, no lead has the magical power to teach your dog to walk nicely without pulling. Those magical powers come from YOU!

I like to recommend leads at least 1.5 to 2 metres in length for general lead walking, so the dog has freedom to roam a bit if they need to, but of course depending on where you live or the typical environments you walk your dog in, your lead length needs may vary; in which case a 1 metre lead may be more appropriate!

There are a variety of lead clips - carabiners are typically the strongest but you can also get swivel trigger hooks and clips that rotate with the lead.

I'm not a huge fan of really short 'traffic' leads designed to keep your dog super close to your side in busy places as they tend to restrict their natural gait; I'd much rather use a longer lead and be able to gather it in my hands to make it shorter/longer as and when I feel it might be necessary. However, these can be useful for safety in certain environments like busy high streets and road crossings! You can get 'traffic handles' that attach to a lead to give you an easier and safer choice of handle point.

You can also get hands free leads that are designed to secure around your waist to prevent shoulder injuries. These can be a good option for freeing up hands for training practices, safely managing your puppy at home during toilet training, or for trail running. However I don't recommend these for smaller humans with larger dogs due to risk of injury!

Also, flexileads/ retractable leads - I think you can probably guess but I'd avoid these unless you have a dog who's learned their lead walking and understand there are different 'rules' when it comes to a flexi (which can be a bit confusing for the dog when just before they could pull and move forward but now they pull and they can't move forward because the lock's on!). These leads tend to increase the risk of injury to both dog and human and definitely aren't for larger breeds! But they can be used safely with older dogs who tend to just potter along, or those who've had lots of experience and training walking on lead. 

Longlines are also a really useful management tool for so many reasons, including keeping dogs and others safe and allowing for safe distance to teach recall.

Longlines come in a variety of lengths, but anything between 5 and 10 feet is almost always a good choice (depending on your longline needs). Regardless, it's helpful to learn how to 'handle' a longline before using one - there are some useful tutorials on YouTube about how to reel them in and out safely to ensure there's enough slack in the lead, but so your dog won't suddenly run off and yank your arm off at the end of the lead!

 

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Harnesses - a well-fitted harness is an essential part of your walking gear!

Again, there are so many different types of harnesses out there! Look for 'y-front' or 't-front' harnesses that lie lower down the neck than collars but don't put any pressure on sensitive areas around the neck and shoulders. These harnesses usually provide full freedom of movement without restricting the dog's joints. 

Avoid harnesses that lie across the dog's shoulders or sit under their elbows as these can restrict movement and cause discomfort (I like to compare them to bad-fitting bras that cause a lot of irritation throughout the day, for those of us who can relate - or an itchy label!):

Y-front harnesses also tend to have 2 or more clips or fastenings, which helps make putting the harness on more comfortable for the dog so they don't have to step into it or have it placed over their head. Avoid 'step-in' harnesses for this reason. Similarly, having 2 lead attachment points - one on the front/chest and one on the back - are useful for double-ended leads or for simply giving you a choice of lead attachment.

You want to ensure your dog's harness fits properly so it isn't too tight but neither too loose to prevent rubbing and discomfort. There are professionals that offer harness fittings (e.g. for Perfect Fit harnesses) but you can usually tell how it fits your fog if you're able to run 2 fingers underneath where it sits on the dog. 

If your dog is particularly nervous of people or easily spooked, it can be a good idea to attach their ID tag to their harness for when they're out and about, so if they do run off or get lost, people can find your contact details on the ID tag without having to place their hands near the dog's face/neck to get to their collar.

CHECK OUT:

 

 

Collars - a collar is a useful place to attach your dog's ID tag (which is a legal requirement for any dog out in public)!

Let's talk about what to avoid first: prong collars, choke collars, shock collars, e-collars - I'd even avoid Martingale collars (which are marketed as a safe option for dogs with thinner necks, such as sighthounds, as they can't slip out of them as easily). Because, if you're using a safe, well-fitted harness to walk your dog (which I'd recommend) then you don't need to worry about an 'escape-proof' collar, or one that causes pain or discomfort (not to mention irreversible physical damage). And if you teach your dog how to walk on a lead (which you'll need to), you don't need to rely on anything that causes pain, discomfort or emotional or physical damage!

Flat collars with clip or buckle fastenings are the best option for comfortability, given your dog's probably going to be wearing their collar for the majority of their existence! You can use thicker flat collars for dogs with smaller necks or heads, such as sighthounds, as these can also prevent slipping out without causing discomfort. 

Dogs who have learned to walk 'nicely' on lead (and adjust their gait to match our own) will be safe to walk on a lead and collar; however, for dogs who pull or lunge on the lead, walking them on their collar can cause damage to their sensitive neck area. This is why I recommend getting a decent y-or-t-front harness and spending a bit of time conditioning your dog to LOVE wearing it so you can enjoy your walks without unnecessary risk! 

CHECK OUT the brands/companies listed above.*

*Note that I do not earn commission from any of these companies - I just genuinely like their stuff!

 

Muzzles - all the responsible dogs are wearing one!

Don't be scared of muzzles. Muzzled dogs are good dogs doing their bit to keep everyone safe. There are many reasons a dog may need to wear a muzzle - not just to comply with some *silly* government law - muzzles keep dogs safe who might otherwise scavenge for dangerous food, guard resources, or lick their healing wounds! Muzzles also help keep dogs, other animals and people safe from dogs in new environments or dogs who are anxious and fearful. It's really useful to train your dog to happily and comfortably wear a muzzle in case they'll ever need one for the vets, too!

A good muzzle allows your dog to breathe freely, drink water and take treats. It should be light and comfortable with a neck strap for ease of fitting and removal. Fabric muzzles may look more comfortable but these can limit a dog's ability to breathe freely so be aware!

Be sure to positively condition your dog's muzzle through training so they wear it happily and comfortably! You can find free guides online from The Dog's Trust. The Muzzle Movement are also soon to launch a course on muzzle training.

CHECK OUT The Muzzle Movement and the Baskerville Classic and Ultra Muzzle!

 

Other useful items you may want to consider getting:

A Treat Bag - these are really useful for easy access to treats for training and just generally rewarding desired behaviour (because dog's need to get paid at work, too). They're not hard to find and most are suitable, though some a little less durable than others (usually the cheapest ones I'm afraid)!

The Coachi Train & Treat Bag is a good low-cost option and comes with a strap/belt clip making it wearable. 

Treats bags with compartments that can be zipped or magnetically locked are ideal for keeping treats safe and preventing spillages! Check out this Doggone Good Training Poudch and this Barking Bags Treat Bag. If you're willing to spend a bit more, I love the DOG Copenhagen Go Explore Treat Bags and you'll probably find these more hard wearing!

When it comes to wet food, you can easily wash training bags after use; or you can buy silicone pouches that work great, can be clipped to your clothing or popped inside a treat bag, and can be cleaned with a quick wash in the sink. You can find these on Amazon or here!

 

Yellow Dog UK - if you have a dog in training, recovery or rehabilitation, or a dog who's anxious or fearful and might need space from dogs and/or people out and about, I'd recommend checking out Yellow Dog UK.

If you opt to buy a lead sleeve/cover, be sure to get one with a clip or clips so you can secure it to your lead (I find wrapping it over and clipping it to the handle of the lead works best). Have a look at these lead covers from Neon Dog. Obviously there are plenty of options on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy too.

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A note on aversive and punitive dogwear and training equipment:

Prong collars, choke collars, e-collars, shock collars, choke chains, slip leads, head harnesses and 'haltis' are all designed to cause pain and discomfort to a dog to 'punish' bad behaviour. These tools may indeed stop a 'bad' behaviour from happening (e.g. pulling on the lead, barking at another dog, chasing a squirrel, etc.); however the long-term fallout of using these tools and techniques absolutely supersede their 'usefulness'.

These tools can cause physical injury to a dog's neck, airways and nerves:

“Choke and prong collars can easily injure the delicate butterfly-shaped thyroid gland that sits just below the larynx and in front of the trachea. These collars can also injure the salivary glands and salivary lymph nodes on the side of the face underneath both ears”  – Jean Dodds, vet and thyroid expert.

These tools can also cause and exacerbate fear, anxiety and aggressive behaviour. Being in pain when walking can cause distress and trigger negative associations with things in the environment, such as other dogs, people, and YOU! For example, if a dog is zapped by an e-collar or pinched by a prong collar at the same time as being approached by a child, they might associate the child with the pain and negative affect created by the zap or prong. This can then lead to generalised fear toward children which in turn can lead to reactivity and behavioural 'problems'. 

In addition, using punishment to tell a dog what NOT to do isn't an effective (or ethical) method of teaching a dog what you DO want them to do (e.g. walk next to you on a loose lead). Punishment might lead to the short-term suppression of behaviour, but what it doesn't lead to is long-term behavioural change. What's more, aversive methods can really damage dog-human relationships and lead to feelings of anxiety and insecurity or total shutdown in the dog.

All in all, aversive equipment and methods just aren't necessary when it's entirely possible and beneficial (and ethical) to train your dog without the need to rely on causing them pain, injury or discomfort - just look for an accredited, force-free professional if you need guidance!

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