What Do You Use To Walk Your Dog And Why?

[OSoSwift]

Limited slip and cotton leads. The Whippets wear limited slip or martingale depending what I have made for them at the time.

I do not like harnesses unless the dog has a specific problem ie a neck problem. I believe they just facilitate better pulling.

I have used extendable leads in the past for toileting while travelling, but don't bother anymore.

[juice]

martingales and leather leads.

except my old bully who i walk seperatly on a retractable lead, reason.....he just ambles along at his own pace having a sniff and look around then we go home, i never have it to the end. and its not a cord one, but heavy duty .

i have used it on fosters here and there.

Edited July 22, 2010 by juice

[Red Fox]

Prong collar or well fitted flat leather collar with either a strong 6ft leather leash or a rubber grippy leash.

I would never use a retractable leash on my dog. Apart from the no control factor you also risk amputation if the cord wraps around your finger!

eta, forgot to say why: reliability and control. I own a large dog and I'm not willing to risk a leash/collar breaking on me. I also feel that the prong is safer and more effective (for my dog) than any other correction collar or "training tool" ie, haltis, check chains, no pull harness, etc,

Edited July 22, 2010 by SecretKei

[Guest belgian.blue]

Front leading harness [ezy walker] for Ivy and martingale for Badger.

Martingale collar puts too much pressure on Ivys throat as she pulls a little, doesn't bother me as she walks well in the ezy walker, also feels more natural to walk her in one. She wears a martingale whenever we leave the house though.

May get a ezy walker for Badger but he's still too young to deceide, we'll see how he goes.

Both on flat cotton/nylon leads.

[Greytmate]

Martingale collars and 900mm cotton leads. I used to walk Woody on a flat collar, but he is under better control now, so I use a martingale.

Retractable leads can be very dangerous for greyhounds. They accelerate faster than a motorbike. Trying attaching a retractable lead to a lightweight motorbike and keeping hold of it if you need a demonstration of what will happen.

[mackiemad]

i do a lot of off-lead but when i'm walking with him on lead i'm heeling so though i use a check chain and a sturdy leash, the chain always has some looseness in it, unless he is getting a correction for something. he is in his rolled leather collar for when other people want to walk him free walking (as i don't trust them with a check chain and my dog)-my mum and dad sometimes enjoy walking him, but are not 'dog' people and have never use something like a check chain.

apart from being incredibly unsafe, i think the flexi leads are a fab way to teach your dog not to respect the lead. if i say walk this way, or stop sniffing that, or no you can't just walk over there and pee on that blade of grass then he should do it. after all, what if that blade of grass he has to pee on is the other side of a busy street? respect for the lead is paramount i think it is as important as a solid recall.

[spottychick]

Martingale collar on Pepper, it doesn't pull on her neck as much as a flat collar and works similar to one, but allows me to have some control if she gets over-excited on the lead. Also it's got pretty patterns on it

Tango has a front-lead harness because he pulls. He's getting better at walking tho and it's starting to annoy me because I use a long lead for him and it tends to slip under his body all the time (giving him wedgies!!). So I'm looking for alternatives for him. I won't use a head harness halti thingy or check chain unless I had absolutely no other choice. So far I haven't need a check chain for any of my dogs (but did try one on the big boofer dog my neighbour was neglecting - didn't help - he snapped it after he'd spent all his time happily choking himself half to death on it anyway)

[Genabee]

Apparently Cavvies should be walked on harnesses only?

Could someone confirm?

I was told this when we went to buy for Genevieve. We ended up buying a collar, leach and harness pack. We've never put the harness on her though, as for puppy school it wasn't allowed - we had to use the flat collar and leash.

We have just kept up with this and she walks fine on a leash for most of the time.

With our family dog Aurora, she was on a choker chain for years and was always trying to get ahead. We changed her to a harness after about 7 years and all of a sudden she walks normally!!!!! If only we had known that 7 years earlier! I think different methods work for different dogs.

[freundhund]

• Flat collar for walking to and from the park
  
• Check chain for basic obedience
  
• A German metal show collar with windpipe curve for show training
  
• A tracking Harness for when we practise tracking
  
• No lead when we walk the bush track, but I always have a lead in my hands in case of people on the track or aggressive dogs.
  

[Aziah]

Most of the time they are walked on material chokers or martingale

[Little Gifts]

Harness and soft lead gives me a better feeling of control as I have had dogs slip their normal collars before. I've also had a dog who yanked on a retractable lead quickly and it broke injuring my hand and letting the dog run off. I wont use them again. I have bought a martingale but am yet to try it, mostly because I can't remember where I put it.

[WoofnHoof]

I walk my sibe in a harness with a normal lead he used to wriggle out of collars when he was young and I'm just used to the harness now although I can walk him in a flat collar if I don't put the harness on. The chi I usually carry because it's too much of a PITA trying to make sure they don't get tangled up and he is hopeless on a lead at the best of times I will put a collar or harness with a lead on if we go out so I can put him down if I have to though.

[Enigma]

I only ever use martingale collars on my greys and soft leads. Any leads over 1 metre are banned in my area

[mirawee]

I generally use martingale collars with my dogs. Or flat collars.

My younger kelpie knows how to pull out on a flat collar if he gets bored when we are standing talking to someone, and it is easier to put a martingale on the fluffy lappies rather than trying to find the D to clip the leash onto ;)

And definitely no retractable lead!

[dandybrush]

most of our walking is on a flat collar and leash, I do always carry a halti for when we go somewhere new/exciting and he starts to pull the halti goes on, he is just too strong

[halfthewords]

Carl and Jag wear martingale collars (with a check chain attached instead of the nylon--as seen in my sig), Mischa and Cleo wear slip leads as they pull out of their collars and don't move the way they should in harnesses. I think they reckon it inhibits their Min Pin movement. ;) When we go rollerblading, Carl is harnessed. He's such a good boy, he never pulls.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Hanna Gibbs

[badboyz]

I ticked both flat collar and other - because the collars I use for the shar pei are limited slip collars, similar in function to a martingale, but in the style of a flat collar. This is due to their wrinkled skin making their necks thicker, and it easy for them to slip out of a plain flat collar. I use a flat collar for the chihuahuas.

Edited July 22, 2010 by badboyz

[huski]

Daisy now walks on a flat collar, when I was training her to do LLW I used a martingale collar but I don't need it anymore.

Micha walks on a martingale because he head is very narrow.

Both dogs are only ever walked on good quality leather leashes.

[Flye]

Gary walks on a flat collar and lead. He had perfect leash manners when I adopted him, very lucky in that regard.

[lovemesideways]

Flat collar for both.

Though Rover occasionally wear a martingale, because his Labrador buddy Milly is very very skilled at taking off any other type of collar!

Now I personally have no use for a retractable lead, and I would have been the first one to say how silly they are. I have however learned that they can be useful!

For example, When my friend walks her 2 poodles at the park, she had problems with them so she will keep one on a retractable lead while the other is off lead. She is very very careful about the lead, stays away from other dogs, and the retractable lead allows her to play fetch with her poodle on lead. She keeps the lead locked when walking near the road and does not just allow the dogs to roam around. Pays very close attention and really is just exceptionally responsible with the lead.

I think they can be a useful tool when used correctly and responsibly!