Collars & Leashes

Sorry pet lovers that it has been a few months since I have posted a new entry.

As promised this entry will give you pointers on picking the right collar and leash for your pet.

First up - collars.
There are many types of collars and harnesses on the market for your four-legged family member.

Regular Buckle Collar
This type of collar has a standard metal buckle with a d-ring on it to hold your dog's id information, and rabies tag. This type of collar is a good everyday type of collar and in my experience the easiest to train a dog to walk politely on a leash with.

Martingale Collar
Many people are not aware of this type of collar. This is a good type of collar for escape artist dogs. You know they type. Those that like to slip out of their collar while you are taking them for their morning or afternoon walk. These can also be used for small headed dogs - where the head is smaller than their neck - i.e. Greyhound. With this type of collar, when tension is applied to the leash, the collar will tighten slightly, preventing the dog from escaping the collar. These are not like a choke collar. They do have a stopping point and will stop tightening at a certain point. These can either me made of material only, or material and chain. This is another one that is easy to train a dog to walk politely on a leash.

Standard Harness
This type of harness is just a regular harness. It is not meant to stop a dog from pulling. These are good for dogs that have sensitive neck areas. However - pay attention to where the clip for the leash is. If the clip is in the back between the shoulder blades, be prepared to have no control over your dog. Harnesses are better used on smaller dogs than on larger dogs. That being said, some people choose to walk their dogs using two leashes, or at least a leash coupler - one end attached to the harness, and the other end attached to a regular buckle collar.  Sometimes this type of collar actually makes a dog pull harder on the leash.

No-pull Harness
The specific purpose of this harness is to stop the dog from pulling on a leash. These usually have a leash clip in the front on the dogs upper chest area. In my experience, I am not an advocate for these types of harnesses because you may find it difficult to find the proper fit for your dog, or you may find that they do not work on the pulling.

Head Collar
These types of collars work by going over the dog's nose and fasten behind the ears, with the leash clip under the chin. Many dogs do not like these types of collars because they do not like things that go around their muzzle. This is another collar that is aimed at minimizing the amount the dog pulls on the leash. If used incorrectly they can severely injure your dog.

Prong Collar
These collars inflict pain on your dog when he or she pulls on the leash. They have prongs all the way around the inside of the collar that prod into the dog's neck when they pull on the leash. It does have a built in stopping point like the Martingale. I am not an advocate for this type of collar because of the use of pain to teach a dog to not pull on a leash.

Choke Chains
In my opinion, these should not be used under any circumstances. They do not have a built in stop like the prong or martingale and can cause severe damage to a dog's throat - internally and externally.

Now with all of the options of collars listed - I am an advocate for either the standard buckle collar or the Martingale collar. They are both good for everyday use and should not under any circumstances inflict pain or injury on your pet.

Now on to leashes
Leashes come in a variety of materials and lengths.

Nylon
This is one of the most popular materials used for leashes. This is a sturdy material that can be used with any of the above mentioned collars. Usually you can buy a standard buckle nylon collar and leash to match. Here is one drawback to a nylon leash - if not used properly it can cause a leash burn on your hand if you have a strong dog that pulls when started.

Chain
I do not recommend this type of leash. It is heavy, hard on the hands, if it gets stuck in a dog's mouth can cause dental damage and can even break your hand or finger if it gets wrapped around your hand.

Leather
Leather is a strong, versatile material and is gentler on the hands than nylon. It does have a slight, natural give to it.

Retractable Leashes
Where to start with these. These leashes are just plain dangerous. They are dangerous to dogs and humans. Let me explain. Your dog can be up to say 15 feet away from you and if an emergency arises you have basically no control over your dog, let alone the fact that you cannot quickly get the dog back to a safe distance next to you. Your instinct will be to grab the thin little rope that comes out of the leash and pull causing a nasty rope burn on your hand. It is very for you the handler to become entangled in the leash when it is extended, same could be said for other passerby's.

Other than the retractable leashes - leashes come in 4' or 6' length. If you are within city limits the four foot length is a safe length to keep your dog under close supervision yet allow him to have a little bit of freedom.

So for collars I recommend either a standard buckle or martingale and for leashes I recommend either nylon or leather.

For collar fit - the collar should fit as such. High on the pet's neck, but not loose so as to slide down by the shoulders. They should be snug enough that you should be able to fit two fingers between the dog's neck and his collar. And the collar should not fit over the dog's head. The collar should not restrict breathing or cause the dog to cough. Check collar size frequently on growing puppies. Collar size should also be checked occasionally in adult dogs as well.

For safety - the dog should only where a collar when out in public or on walks. If the dog is indoors the collar should not be on, especially if it is crated or playing with other dogs. You risk the collar becoming caught in the crate and choking the dog and if there are other dogs present, you risk the collar being caught in another dog's mouth during playtime again choking the dog.

I do have a couple of websites that I recommend for collars and leashes. I have owned collars and leashes from both companies and they stand up well to strong dogs and weather, compared to those that you buy at the pet store.

For collars - www.collarmania.com

For leashes - www.ellaslead.com

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