Collars help lead your dog through life while keeping him safe, but What Collars or Harnesses Do I Really Need?. They let you teach and correct when training. A variety of collars gives you the means to apply appropriate level of correction when needed. With practice and patience your dog eventually won’t need a training collar at all. The chart below may help. The AKC site has a good article on this topic (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/choosing-collar-or-harness-for-dog/).
| Collar or Harness | Description |
| FLAT COLLAR | A FLAT COLLAR is mostly used to keep the dog’s identification information and for walking a dog that has already been trained to walk politely on a leash. |
| EASY WALK HARNESS | The EASY WALK HARNESS is the first piece of equipment used to begin teaching your dog to walk politely on a leash. Because you clip the leash on the front of the harness, it discourages him from pulling by gently redirecting his attention toward you. NOTE: Sometimes, because of the build of the dog, the harness fits better if you put the belly strap over the dogs back and the back strap under the belly. |
| MARTINGALE COLLAR | If your dog is not making progress on the EZ WALK HARNESS, switch to the MARTINGALE COLLAR. The MARTINGALE COLLAR simulates the gentle nip on the neck that a mother dog would use to teach her puppy. |
| PRONG COLLAR | If the gentle nip of the MARTINGALE COLLAR is not effective, the PRONG COLLAR provides a stronger, yet safe, correction for the strongest willed dog. The quick connect makes it easier to put it on and take it off after it is properly sized. Unlike the choke chain, the PRONG COLLAR does not cause choking or damage to the wind pipe. Since it quickly stops the dog from pulling, it’s often called “power steering”. |
Begin with fun walks
To begin, take your dog for many walks on the collar in new and interesting places. If he pulls, give quick tugs on the leash to slow him down and stop him from pulling. He’ll figure out that when HE stops pulling, that annoying tugging stops too. In time that annoying tugging will become the physical correction that tells him he is making a mistake and helps you learn How do I correct a dog? https://pawsiloveyou.com/course/3minute-walking-politely-on-a-leash/
If the annoying tug isn’t enough, you may want to elevate your correction to a nip on the neck like his mom did when she found it necessary. A martingale collar will deliver two tiny nips on the dog’s neck when you use your leash in that same tugging motion. Some dogs are stubborn, or otherwise not very sensitive to the touch, and may need the leverage of a prong collar. A prong collar looks like a whole set of mom’s teeth. When used properly, it can be effective without much of a tug. Sometimes the mere weight of it makes the dog take notice. Prong collars are especially helpful when the dog is stronger than the owner.
Be sure your dog understands what you want before you use corrections
Be absolutely sure your dog is deliberately disobeying you before you do any type of correction. A dog who doesn’t know what a command means is confused and stressed by a correction. You also need to learn how to properly use training equipment. And you need to find a correction that is effective, not cruel, that matches your dog’s age and personality. It’s important to learn how to correct your dog. Be kind but effective when you correct your dog so he clearly understands, “oops I made a mistake”. And tune in next time to learn about proper use of training equipment as an aide to learning How do I correct a dog?
If you are interested in purchasing a collar or harness to answer the question “What Collars or Harnesses Do I Really Need?”, here is some we use and recommend (https://pawsiloveyou.com/recommended-products/)