How Quality Equipment Will Keep Your Dog Safe on Leash

At Mannerly Mutts Dog Training, we pick our equipment for quality and safety.  Dog equipment does not train the dog, but it can make the training easier for both the human and the dog.   Dog equipment's bigger and more important role is to keep your dog safe.

All you need to do is glance at Lost Dog Recovery of Maine's FB page to see a small representative of the problem.  Just a couple of months ago Sapphire, a Jack Russell Terrier, in York Maine was lost, and has not been found.  A couple of days ago, we saw another two dogs who had slipped their collar and leash on our road and heading through the neighborhood.  We could not catch them, but they did make it home.  Not all of these end in a happy ending however, with all the dangers around us (autos, predators, and just the amount of land to get lost in).  Dogs can move very fast, especially when spooked, and cover long distances.  So what makes the equipment we use safest when bringing dogs outside to train?

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NOTE:  YOU SHOULD NEVER LEAVE ANY EQUIPMENT ON YOUR DOG WHEN NOT WORKING WITH THEM OR SUPERVISING THEM.  LEASHES AND COLLARS GET GET STUCK ON SOMETHING AND INADVERTENTLY CHOKE YOUR DOG WHEN THEY PANIC.  ​

What to look for in a standard leather leash:

1. Brass hardware:  It is becoming harder to find vendors who offer brass hardware.   This is considered superior to nickel or chrome.   These things can break or not close correctly if you are using inferior hardware on your leashes.
2. Leather is one piece especially and including the handle.  (If the handle is made of another piece of leather, that could break off and leave you with just the leash and no dog).
3. No nicks or cut marks: Do not use a leather leash with nicks or cut marks in it (at least outdoors).  This can degrade the leash and safety.  A dog owner does not want to be left just holding a part of a leash, especially with a not well trained dog.
4. Rivets or sewing or both:  Sewing and/or rivets hold a quality leash together.  Both sewing and rivets can be done poorly.   The leashes I buy usually have sewing and rivets to hold the handle and clip part together.  You want this work to be done well, and not experience any failures.

Use in training:  Leather is softer on human hands, strong, and allows a better grip than most nylon or cotton leashes.  An alternative (that I have not tried yet) is a material called biothane but that can become slick when wet (so I have heard).

​What to look for in a slip leash:

1. Soft Strong Material:  Material should feel strong, safe, and comfortable in your hands.
   
2. Stop Gap:  The leather or plastic above the slip collar (part of a slip leash) is to put a stop  as to how the slack the collar can get, so that your dog does not pull out of it.  Without one, the collar portion of the leash can get loose and your dog will slip out.
   
3. Uses in dog training and safety:  A slip leash is great for puppies and small dogs.  The collar can always be adjusted to fit any size of dog.   It is easy to grab and go or store in your car if you see a loose dog.  You can teach tension and release on the slip collar much like you might on a tight buckle collar, a nylon slip collar, or a metal chain training collar.
   

​What to look for in a transitional leash:

1. Everything on a slip leash plus…
2. Safety backup to collar provides protection in case this comes off when in a nose loop configuration.  It does not happen that it gets loose often, but I have had it happen a couple of times to me.
3. Uses in training:  This is a leash I find usefully with reactive dogs when they are conditioned to it.  This can also help people that have some strength or balance problems make the training less physical on them.  
4. If you train with this equipment (rather than manage with this equipment), then it can be easily converted to a slip leash if you just want to use the collar portion.

​What to look for in a long line:

1. Nylon (in my honest opinion) is better than cotton.  I say this because I have had a cotton long line break on me, but never a nylon one.
   
2. No fraying or breaks if you are using it outdoors.  Untangling this leash and rolling it up nicely at the end of each training session will prolong the leash’s life.  
   
3. Right width, length, and hardware size for your dog and training  There are lengths that are too long or too short for different training goals and exercises.  Smaller dogs are going to need less width and smaller hardware (like clips) to be comfortable.
   
4. Brass hardware is usually safer.  I can’t always find brass hardware, but I feel a lot safer when I have equipment with brass hardware on it.
   
5. Uses in training and safety:  If your dog is not off leash trained, this allows you to get them some freedom when you are not in an otherwise fenced in area.  In training, these are what I call the “training wheels” towards off leash training to a reliable standard.
   

​What to look for in a collar:

1. Why do I recommend metal training collars (or slip leads for outdoor walking)?  So many dogs get out of harnesses, cheap flat plastic collar clips break, and the best flat collar is one with a metal buckle that can be made snug and also has the holding clips to hold it in place, otherwise these too can fail.  Martingales that are all cloth or nylon often are able to slip off a panicky dog’s neck. All you have to do is look at your local found or lost dog FB pages in your area to see the problem.
   
2. Stainless steel is the best material for this  although I can’t always find this.  I don’t like nylon slip collars, because (unlike slip leads with quality material) they tend to rub off the fur on the dog’s neck.  Also nylon or cotton slip collars tend to wear out and stretch out faster.  Fit is important in all of these collars.
   
3. Herm Sprenger brand has been known to have the best quality and engineering (as far as dog training goes).  These collars are meant to have a loose/tight loose action when put on correctly for training.  Brands that your typical pet store carries (because they are cheap) do not have that engineering.
   
4. If you condition or work your dog on any collar they will not “choke” your dog, as these collars are commonly called “choke collars”, and that is not an acceptable use in these collars.
   
5. Uses in training and safety:  Unless you have a ridiculously large collar, it would be incredibly rare that your dog could slip out of this.   In training, the collar is not used as a correctional device until the dog is trained to a standard and understands what they are doing.  Then the loose tight loose correction can be used as a cue, so that you can stand upright and comfortable when you and your dog are in training.