Collars - So important to pick the right one

Getting your puppy a good collar that he or she doesn't mind wearing is so important to ensuring happy leash training.  I remember the first time as an adult when I had to decide on what type of collar to use on my puppy.  A trainer I was working with told me to use a Choke Chain.  She told me that using a choke chain with a leash would be the best way to get him to slow down and learn to heel.  But it never did.  He was a very strong, exuberant puppy, and he kept pulling on the leash to the point where the chain would choke him.  I was afraid that he would hurt himself by damaging the bones in his neck.  So I would back-off his training.  It took me awhile to find a better alternative and by that time, my puppy had already developed a habit of pulling at the leash which took me a very long time to break.

The alternative I moved to was the Gentle Leader headpiece / collar, seen here to the right.  While this is a humane device, I found my puppy really didn't like it, so I had to "bribe" him to put it on.  However, I have heard from many others who swear by the Gentle Leader (or the very similar Halti), especially when working with active breeds like border collies.  But I didn't like having to bribe my puppy into agreeing to put the collar on.  Additionally, I don't think this type of head gear works well with very small puppies.

During my work for Tony La Russa's ARF, I was introduced to the "Martingale Collar."  I had used martingales before for my horses, but had never heard of them for puppies.  But these are wonderful!!!  I find that they make them in sizes that fit even the tiniest puppies.  With the martingale, the puppies never can choke themselves, and since they always release once the puppy backs off, they get instant relief.  I've used the martingale now for every puppy I have had and they all seem to respond to it.  I can get much less "wild lassoed bronco" behavior when I use these with a light leash, and they are small and light enough not to bother the puppies.  They are easy to put on or take off and easy to clean.  Also, unlike choke chains and easy leaders, the martingale can be left on the puppy even when not on the leash.

Of course you may choose to use a harness instead for small puppies, but I find that the although the harness is great at protecting the puppy from harm, it doesn't provide as much direct communication to the puppy so training them to heel, stop, and turn seems to be more difficult, especially when you are talking about a very young puppy who has never been on a leash before.

In any case, I strongly advise against the horrible "Pinch Collar" as shown here to the left.  I think it's a travesty to use this device which can cause injury to the dog.  If a puppy is so difficult to control, that no leash can help other than this type, then it's best that that puppy only be handled by an expert, and you should not try to train it yourself.  You will be much better off if you never pick a dog you can't control.

Next:  Some tips on beginning leash work.