Leashes / Leads, Collars, & Harnesses
Another question sparked by the "Couplers" thread, a few people mentioned what they use to walk their pups. [ ie; harnesses, collars, & leads ]
So, what's your most-used leash & collar / harness setup that you use to walk your dogs?
Waist leashes? "Over the Shoulder" leashes? 6ft leash? 3ft leash? Flexi? etc?
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Step-in Harness? Nylon Buckle collar? Martingale collar? Front-pull harness? Easy-walk harness? Limited slip collar?
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How about materials? Leather? Nylon? Braided Rope? etc?
If you use a separate set-up for hiking or another activity, please include that too
It's interesting to see all the different set-ups you can use to walk your pup & why you think it's the best choice. I'm curious since there's so many options! I'm not quite sure what the difference between most of them is LOL
[ note: please include what you all use for your non-nihon ken too
]
Thanks guys!
~
So, what's your most-used leash & collar / harness setup that you use to walk your dogs?
Waist leashes? "Over the Shoulder" leashes? 6ft leash? 3ft leash? Flexi? etc?
---
Step-in Harness? Nylon Buckle collar? Martingale collar? Front-pull harness? Easy-walk harness? Limited slip collar?
---
How about materials? Leather? Nylon? Braided Rope? etc?
If you use a separate set-up for hiking or another activity, please include that too
It's interesting to see all the different set-ups you can use to walk your pup & why you think it's the best choice. I'm curious since there's so many options! I'm not quite sure what the difference between most of them is LOL
[ note: please include what you all use for your non-nihon ken too
]Thanks guys!
~
Comments
Tikaani we usually walk him with the Halti if Tom will be hold him most of the time, as he can pull your arm off when he really wants to get something (squirrel), but when I walk him I hook him to the collar. Tom like to give Tikaani use of the whole leash so he can explore more, while I adjust the length he gets depending on how excited he is. If Tikaani pulls, I keep him at my side as this give me more control. If he remains calm, he gets to use the length of the leash.
Generally, if we are taking them somewhere where they will be running off leash (Dog park, friends yard), we just hook them to their collars. For both, we pretty much stick with nylon, though we have spoiled them with some cotton covered tag collars from B&G. Tetsu can wear pretty much any collar, but Tikaani we opt for double layer nylon with metal grommets for the buckle to latch to.
Currently I just use choke chains, fur savers and lupine collars. I connect the leash to both the choke chain or fur saver and collar (to "secure" my dogs as the collar has the potential to unsnap or slip off over the head <--- I've had both happen to me before! With Lynxiene and Kotomi, separate times though).
When I'm walking all 3 dogs...I'll use a pinch or halti on Lynx (at one point I used both the pinch AND halti, lol -sighs-).
When all 3 were puppies, I used a harness (nothing "special"...just the ones you can buy at the pet store chains) until they grew out of it.
I've tried numerous combinations of things ranging from standard harnesses, to ruffwear harnesses, to flat collars, to martingales. It turns out, neither of my dogs like wearing a harness. Even the easywalk is enough to get them opposed to going on walks. I tried the gentle leader with Joey for a while as used to pull a lot when he was excited. After 2 weeks of him just flopping on the ground and rolling around, I gave up on that too.
So, I've settled on the least of the evils.
When hiking, both dogs are typically carrying packs and, when leashed, are on 6 ft hand leashes from silverfoot attached to the harnesses. Sometimes I'll let Joey drag a 30ft check cord attached to his pack.
For normal walks both dogs have martingale collars and 6ft leashes from silverfoot. They are 3/4". Lucy's is all nylon, Joey's is the chain martingale. I've been very happy with this setup, but it lacks the waist capabilities I liked in my ruffwear leashes (but hated the 1" thickness of them). Back in October I ordered a set of leather martingales and leashes from LDS leather. This was all custom stuff I spent an hour on the phone with them describing. TURNS OUT LDS HAS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! I've been lied to repeatedly about the status of my order so after months of un-returned phone calls and outright lies I canceled my order. Anyway, that's just a bit of a rant. I currently have the same custom setup on order from ST Leathercraft and am expecting delivery in about a month. I'm super psyched out it.
My favourite collars are rolled leather. They are very discreet and durable. Those are for ID and for regular walking. I have 6' nylon rope leashes for regular walking.
For long lines I get 50' of polybraid rope from Wal-Mart and splice loops on the ends for attaching to things. The 50' packs of rope are $3 at Wal-Mart, so that gets me 2 or 3 long lines (depending on how long you want it). I also have tonnes of 4' leashes that are made the same way, but they are just slip lead/collar-lead-combo things that I keep around just so I have leashes everywhere that I can quickly put on and off the pups. Polybraid is really uncomfortable on the hands, though, so I wouldn't use it for anything where I'd have to hold the leash a long time or if the pup is pulling. I use them for dragging lines attached to a harness because I don't have to hold them much and I don't care if they get dragged through whatever ungodly mess or wrecked.
I haven't walked in the city with three dogs yet, and I'll also be pushing a stroller a lot, I imagine! I'll get back to you with what I like for that, but I really want to try some kind of hands-free thing, maybe attached to an easy-walk harness so I don't have to worry about dogs pulling me in all directions. Of course, I doubt I'll be walking ALL three dogs and ALL three kids anywhere at the same time by myself too often. That's just a bit much!
I did find one that was the design of a tiger's collar, but it was $395 and there is no way I'm spending that with a still growing dog. Maybe someday though. lol. It was pretty awesome on him and he didn't even whine, cry, or cough with it on. He looked tough, and I think he liked that. lol.
As far as leashes....if we go to a store, ie Home Depot, I tie Koda to my waist. Same with if we are going out somewhere that we will be standing around a lot. I just let him hang out from my waist.
In traffic, or during rush hour walks, I use a 4 foot leash. He doesn't pull it just makes me feel better. Otherwise, I use a standard 6 ft. leash. I have a 30 and 60 ft. tie out for when we are at my sister's house. Lots of rabbits to chase and no fences in her yard. I have a flexi lead, but it is such a pain in the behind. I generally will use a 15 ft. lead and tie on my waist if I want him to have room to runaround in an area he can't go off leash.
Reilly could wear any collar- hers is very loose and she never tries to buck out of a collar. I'd like to get her a nice soft leather collar when the budget allows. I'd like to get Sage a nice leather collar too, but I've not yet found one that is functional for his needs- are there leather martingales? Sage sometimes wears a prong collar on working walks, which I dont recommend willy nilly and have discussed elsewhere, but to be brief yet thoughtful and add to my prong collar thoughts: Sage is very finely tuned and responds well to his prong collar on the dead ring (no constricting) because it is a fine tool that permits the transmission of subtle signals with my lightest leash. the flat collar is fine for when we don't need to 'talk' as much but when he is learning he can't 'hear' as much with the flat collar on his thick mane and he reacts poorly to BIG communication. With the prong, he can hear the tiniest flick and flutter of the leash and without blunt hollering we can move & work together. Most people and dogs should not use (and do not need) prong collars, due to the real and high probability of misuse/abuse. Almost NObody uses these kindly and appropriately. (end/holier than thou)
Sage shuts down with a head halter, bucks and resists. It shuts cooperation and volitional behavior down before we even start. He can slip a headcollar, due to his loose skin I guess- which I suppose is the point of loose neck manes: hard/impossible to grip the structural stuff underneath.
He slips all harnesses in a panic attack, but he can't slip the webmaster harness and I dont ask him to do things he can't handle anymore, which is only fair.
The ruffwear harness is Sage's official harness, but he wears this and a leash when we go out in the forest/fields with our friends. In the past, he would be off leash, but now he stays on leash or with a 30' tracking line attached to his harness.
I have lots of leashes
- a stubby traffic lead for Sage's harness going to vet visits, where he must remain close no matter what. Sage does not go to stores. Sometimes I bring him to visit my mother at the bank though.
- a short, thick, soft mendota slip lead for moving dogs short distances, ie. to the bathtub, or car to house. Originally this was Sage's agility slip for waiting his turn (agility is commonly run w/o collars) but that activity didn't work out.
- a 6 foot mendota rope type snap bolt leash, Reilly's main leash, Sage for hikes where Reilly is off lead.
- and my FAVORITE leashes are my two soft old leather leashes- the first is my light lead- a 4 foot slender one for Sage's Working Walks, and the second is a little shorter than that. The second leash is 1/2 wide and is my close, sturdy leash for flat collar Sage work- such as when I take both for a walk: Rei on the 6' leash, Sage on the Short & Stout. We arent being precise in this case, just taking a casual leasher around the neighborhood to visit neighbors or sniff & pee.
- the 30' blaze orange line- its a soft rope by mendota I think. Easy on the hands.
Have had other leashes, but they were stiff, too wide/heavy. I actually like the light leashes they give you at training classes (olive green cotton web) but they get damaged easily.
In the car I have a 15' "training class leash" in my dog box, and a neat leash by some company with a name that reminds me of dolphins (?) it has a slider buckle up at the handle and you can thus open the handle and reclip it, or slide it to make the handle bigger/leash shorter. I opened the handle and clipped it to the tie downs in the back cabin of the Forester and slid it short so I can tether one of the dogs in the wayback and dry off/deburr/detickify them right there at a standing level before we go in the house.
I will look up ST and see what I find out= you don't have these yet, tho, do you? I'll wait to see if you like the finished pieces.
You are correct that I don't have them yet. If LDS hadn't f**ked me I would have had them months ago. :-( I will certainly keep you updated on the quality once they arrive. Given what I've read about their gear, I'm pretty confident there's nothing to worry about. But if you aren't impatient like I am, then you should totally wait. :-)
What we use:
Both Bella and Nola have limited slip collars from Bark & Giggle. (Thanks, Pam!!!) They only wear these when we leave the house, and they have their boomerang collar tags on them. For walks, we use lupine step in harnesses (although, I am looking for something different for Nola, as hers just does not quite fit right as she is rather barrel chested). We also use 4ft lupine leads. We have tried longer leads (6ft), but it is so much harder for me to handle both of them with the longer leads... They get tangled SO much more! We also have flexi leads for hiking, if there is more than one person going. If it is just me, 4ft leads.
I'm keeping it real basic, really strong leather lead (about 2.4 m long) and padded collars from Hurtta (I asked one of my friends who is living in Finland to send me some, of course you can't find them here). I love them because they don't damage the fur, they are really wide and soft. For obedience training I used Herm Sprenger prong collar made of curogan - amazing for white dogs and show dogs because it doesn't damage the fur and it doesn't make it gray or yellow. Not really a big fan of prong collars, but the collar is great quality, it has a side release buckle which is fantastic, never had an accident on it.
For show I have special akita show sets (leather and silk) and I am looking for some great quality leather kennel leads. Can anybody recommend me smth in Europe?
PS: OMG, Dave, I think I understood about 15% of what you wrote! "The martingales I am having him build me are all leather buckle adjust martingales with an additional d-ring so they can be used as flat collars as well. He's hand-stitching the seams and reinforcing them with chicago screws. He will also hand stitch a liner of your choice if you want something softer on the fur or do custom tool work if you want a design of some sort."
Please post a picture!!
I guess this is one of those things where everyone has a certain preference
[ & Dave, feel free to rant all you want. I was planning on picking some things up from them too when we got our pups & they were older, guess we'll have to go with someone else now
Sukoshi always has a simple collar w/ ID on her. She does not go naked. (She is also microchipped.)
She has a step in harness w/ reflecting stitching by Rogz. Only the front legs and shoulders are in this harness. The harness clasps over the shoulders and has two hoops for securing a leash. The assembly gives her freedom of movement and me a level of control I didn't have w/ standard harness.
I have a six foot lead for walking. I like the lead because it doesn't have the standard clip for closing. The clip is two semi-circles that close over each other. I think this is called a French clip, not sure, but it really holds well .
She also has up to 44 lbs flexi lead. For Shibas you need a flexi-lead at a higher "lbs. rating" than their actual weight, because they can go from 0-60 in nothing flat if they see something interesting...
I would say I use the martingales most often for everyday stuff. I also get a ton of use out of the harnesses I have from ManMat. They are well padded and are not an x-back so they are designed for steeper angle of towline. These are great for biking.
The chain martingales will break coat but it's a small price to pay for security.
I have an thoroughly obnoxious amount of dog gear.
Prong collars
Chain chokers
Nylon chokers
Snoot loops
Bright orange hunting collars with the set-in ring so they can slip out if necessary
Reflective glow collars for nightlime safety
Show martingales and leads
"Special occasion" collars
Flat collars
4' leashes
traffic leashes
6' leashes
10' leashes
check cords (30')
Flexi leads
Backpacks
weight-pull harnesses
In general, I share Dave's preferences and like leather leashes of thin diameter (1/2 or 5/8") so they aren't too clunky. I don't like really heavy snaps either and I avoid nickel hardware. I also have a self-admitted "issue" with mixing metals. If the leash has a brass snap, then the collar should have brass hardware too. There's my silly confession.
Despite all this, the dogs are usually naked in the house. I detest jingling tags so they have flat ID plates on their collars or the name and phone number stitched right on. I keep vaccine info in my glove box in the car and have a few of the rabies tags on my keychain.