The Best Leash Training Equipment for Puppies
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Many people would love to have their dog walk beside them on a loose leash, never pulling or moving from side to side. Most dog owners never achieve this goal for a variety of reasons, including the wrong equipment, no formal training, and bad habits started early.
It takes skill and practice to get your dog to walk on a loose leash and never react to anything. In my book “Leash Training Your Puppy,” I include a step-by-step process to achieve this goal. The book also includes leash-training drills like U-turns, figure eights, and more.
The first change is your mindset: stop thinking of walks as just walks, and start thinking of them as “leash training” sessions with your puppy. Put away your phone, and focus on staying in the moment with your puppy, watching every move they make.
The equipment mentioned in this article is only part of the process to loose-leash walking. The rest of the equation is training. I've already done numerous leash training articles. Take a look at our blog archives.
How to Select the Right Equipment
There are hundreds of options for leash training equipment. Go to a pet store, and you will find a large variety of harnesses and leashes. Browse on Amazon, and you can easily get overwhelmed by the choices.
The best advice I can give when starting out is to keep it simple. No need for sophisticated equipment. Stay away from anything labeled tactical for now. The goal is to walk your puppy using a six-foot leash and a flat collar. The process includes a variety of other equipment and leash training from a professional dog trainer.
Below is a list of equipment that you should get and things to avoid. Stay away from marketing you see online that promises to stop the pulling. These won’t work. A puppy pulling on the leash isn’t stopped by equipment alone, but by training combined with the right equipment.
The Biggest Equipment Mistakes
Every day I see people walking their dogs using a rear clip harness and a 10-20 foot retractable leash. The dog does whatever it wants, and the owner is distracted by their phone. This is a big problem. There is no dog-owner connection, and it is no surprise that the dog has developed bad habits while on a leash.
Puppies in my puppy training program spend a lot of time learning proper leash training skills and manners. No pulling on the leash, no jumping on people, and no reactivity to other dogs.
Equipment Lists
USE THESE:
Flat collar - buckle or snap
6” snap leash - Mendota Pet
Slip lead in the house
StarMark Pro-Training Collar for some dogs
DO NOT USE:
Rear clip harness
Retractable leash
Bungie leash
Multi-handle leash
Chock collar
E-Collar (shock, vibrate, or tone)
These are my suggestions for leash training puppies and dogs, based on over 18 years of experience. You can use whatever you like, but I warn you that the worst combination for leash training is a rear clip harness and a retractable leash.
A rear clip harness gives all of the power to the dog, and takes it away from you, the handler. Think os a Husky pulling a sled in the snow. Your dog should not be pulling anything while on a leash. They should be calmly next to you on a “loose leash,” meaning that there is no tension in the leash at all.
I can’t say enough bad things about a retractable leash. Every time I see one, I want to throw it in the trash. Every time I see a dog owner using one, their dog is way out in front doing whatever it wants. This isn’t good leash manners, and it isn’t leash training.
Also, a retractable leash has a very thin leash that could break at any time. The leash rolls up into a spring-loaded handle and could easily malfunction. The buttons that allow the leash to expand and hold could also break. Too many moving parts. Like I said earlier, “keep it simple.”
Neither the prestigious AKC Canine Good Citizen nor our Group Training classes allow retractable leashes during the sessions.
Watch some of the leash training videos on my YouTube channel and Instagram page for examples of good leash training technique.
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