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All reviews are based on real-life experience of using equipment on my own dog, or working with dogs that have used this equipment.
All advice and recommendations are my honest opinions and are not affected by other parties or sponsorships.
Collars
Collars are a matter of taste, however here are some general tips:
- Choose a collar with a secure buckle for stronger dogs.
- Choose a material that stays wide across the neck when the dog pulls, nothing too round or elastic feeling, that may narrow and choke your dog.
- Choose a relatively thick collar, ideally half the width of your dog's paw or thicker, to spread the pressure of the lead across their neck.
- Choose a material that stays light and comfortable when wet, or get two collars, so you can have one drying while your dog wears a dry one, so your dog isn’t sitting about for hours with a damp neck.
A couple of collar suggestions:
Biothane collar
Purchase with Collared Creature
Biothane is a tough, light, waterproof material perfect for if your pup likes going out in all weathers or going swimming. Haku's current collar is from Collared Creatures, who offer a buckle collar.
Large synthetic collar
Here is another example of a good supportive collar for medium or larger dogs.
Head Collars
If you have a very strong dog and you are struggling physically, a head collar takes all the strength out of your dog by turning their head when they pull, in the same way a horse's harness pulls. Dogs can fidn them unpleasant, so initially short practice sessions and lots of treats are recommended, otherwise you end up with a dog constantly trying to roll or rub the harness off their face, or having a sulk.
Gentle leader
This head collar is easy to put on and remove (once you've practiced a bit!), which makes it useful if you only need to pop it on for certain sections of the walk.
It is easily adjustable to fit lots of different dog’s muzzles.
It is also easier for the dog to remove themselves too, so ensure you have done some training at home so your dog doesn't keep trying to take it off.
It comes in three sizes and is quite widely adjustable.
Halti head collar
This head collar boasts being the most secure on the market, and has a padded area around the nose to stop your dog's muzzle getting sore if they are still pulling.
While being more difficult for your dog to remove, this device is a bit trickier to fit, put on, or remove from your dog's head, so can be more askward if your dog is very fidgety or if you would like to remove then put it back on for different parts of the walk.
The Halti is a more tailored fit and comes in quite specific sizes to control escaping, so measure carefully before purchasing.
Harnesses
Harness Types
If your dog doesn’t pull, find a harness with light material that fits your dog best. As dogs are all different shapes, you may need to shop around to find something that best suits your own dog. I have a few recommendations below, but they are by no means the only good harnesses, and they may not suit your dog.
Perfect fit harness
Book a fitting with Claire at Educating Paws
A great higher-budget harness, these harnesses are fitted personally by a stockist and so are adaptable to most dog breed body shapes.
There are rings both on the front and the back of the harness which is ideal for managing pullers, side clips so it doesn't have to be put on over your dog's head, and the material is very light, strong and comfortable.
A local trainer fits these personally, and if you are keen, I recommend contacting her for a fitting.
Front and back ring type
If you are on a budget, I suggest at minimum looking for a harness that has two side clips in case your dog doesn’t enjoy having the harness put over their head, and I always recommend having a clip on both the front and back of the harness for better control.
The link here is an example of an affordable harness Haku uses with two side clips and a back and front ring:
No-pull front-lead harness
For persistent pullers, I have met quite a few dogs now wearing this style harness to great effect.
However, there is not much padding and occasionally owners find the fit of this harness rubs their dog’s skin, especially behind the front legs, but this doesn’t happen to everyone.