Collar/Harness and Leash recommendations

[littlemp]

I have a 6 month old DDB and need some collar/harness and leash recommendations. She tends to pull when walking although not horribly. I want to get it under control now though. I currently use the Easy Walk and it has helped vs a regular collar but I was wondering about other options.
I grew up with K9 police dogs and we used a pinch type collar. I thought about using one of those but thought I would ask here first.
As far as a leash I use a cheap one from the pet store.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[ruthcatrin]

I use a prong (pinch) collar and as long as its used properly theres nothing wrong with using one, but I don't see a need unless the harness stops working or fails to correct the problem. A harness wasn't an option for us.

There are variations on the Easy walk, but I'm not sure what else people on here use.

For leashes, its up to you for what you want, but as she gets bigger make sure its sturdy and well made with good quality hardware. The couple I've had fail, one the webbing shredded (can you say cheap?) the other the hardware broke.

 

[DennasMom]

We just use a flat collar or a show-slip collar (cord, not chain). Neither really stops pulling. I tried putting a pinch on her once - she flopped on her side and wouldn't move. And that was 2 seconds after I put it on when I hadn't put more than 2oz of pressure on it! (It was loose, with soft rounded points, too). She responds well with voice commands, treats and the soft collars, so I think we'll just stick with those.

I'm also bad, in that I walk her on a 16' flexi leash, but she knows where the end of it is and knows not to pull.
If she does pull, I stop and start backing up. She has to stop what she's doing and come all the way back to me. I don't start walking forward until she's behind me. She knows the drill, and we only have to do that once or twice per walk anymore.

For formal walking on lead (I use a 6ft leather leash), we're still using treats to keep her in position (we haven't taught her 'heel' yet) - as long as I have treats in my pocket, she stays right with me. She knows immediately when the last treat is consumed though. Lol.

One of our past dogs would get overly-excited on walks sometimes with our dog-walker. She used a gentle leader with him, which worked really well.