The Complete Guide To Leash Training

• Leash Training My Puppy: Introduction To The Leash
• Leash Training Your Puppy: Stopping My Puppy Pulling
• Leash Training Your Puppy: Training My Puppy To Walk To Heel
• Leash Training Your Puppy: Helping My Puppy Overcome Fears On The Leash
• Leash Training Your Puppy: What Kind of Collar Should I Buy?
• Leash Training Your Puppy: Training My Puppy On A Headcollar

Choosing a suitable collar and fitting it correctly is paramount to safety and dog training.  Choose a collar that is what we call a flat collar (no chain whatsoever) with a buckle.  If you buy a collar with a plastic clip then it can be beneficial as it has a quick release should your dog or puppy get caught on furniture or fences etc.  This is a good safety feature.

Fitting the collar is pretty simply, just make sure that you can fit two fingers in comfortably.  This will ensure the collar is not too tight or too loose.  Your puppy will scratch and rub the collar at first, don’t worry just try to engage them in a game and feed them with it on.

ID tags are vital for your dog’s safety and for piece of mind so ensure you have them on the collar at all times.  A good tip is to only put your phone number and mobile/cell number on the tag, not their name.  This can discourage people from being able to act like they know your dog, call it to them and potentially steal your dog.  Most importantly have your puppy micro-chipped at the vet.

COLLARS TO AVOID!

Electric collars, prong collars, pinch collars, choke chains aka check chains are to be strongly avoided!  They can cause huge problems for you down the line.  If your pup has one on and encounters something such as a car and you pull them in to protect them the pain this will inflict will create a negative association, leading to problems with even getting your dog to walk down the street without pulling your arm off, showing displacement behaviours (such as aggression) or cowering behind you.

Every year hundreds of dogs end up with damage to the neck, skin complaints, muscle damage and unfortunately far more fatal injuries; caused by these ‘training products’ which are detrimental to your puppies mental and physical well being.  If you find a trainer using these they are a poor trainer who does not have enough skill to handle a dog without these malicious forms of equipment.  Seek another trainer!