Dog Training Equipment
Having the right equipment can be important to make training your dog go smoothly.
It doesn’t take much, but you certainly need to get the equipment that is tried and true, and not waste money on items that don’t work well. Below are the items we’ve used with our own dogs (some for more than 20 years!) and are fantastic. Let’s start with the one we get asked about most…
Training Rewards
Our all time favorite for training was Dick VanPatton’s Natural Balance Food Roll. Unfortunately, they decided to discontinue it a few years back because…wait for it…demand was too high! So they stopped making it completely. Makes no sense, right?
The biggest reason we liked it was because it was a balanced food. By that we mean it was meant to be fed as a dog’s regular meal just like canned or kibble. So it’s not like you’re giving your dog candy during their training. It was also soft, which means no crumbs to distract your dog from the task at hand, and smoky smelling…the dogs seem to really love that. There are other roll foods on the market now, but none have been as wonderful as DVP’s. If you’re going to use any food roll the way we recommend is to slice off a few 1/4″ slices. Then stack them and slice them into 1/4″ wide strips, turn it 90 degrees and slice it again into 1/4″ pieces. Now you’ve got a whole bunch of treats all diced up…somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 per original slice, and that’s a lot of treats!!!
Staying with the using food for a reward, if you dog loves their kibble then use that as training rewards. That’s our preference. You can always take some soft and smoky smelling treats and put them in a baggie with their kibble and let those flavors marry. In a day you’ll have some supercharged kibble. You can also put some rotisserie chicken in the baggie instead…or really any non-spicy meat cut up into little bits. Your pup will thank you!
If you’re going to use bagged treats make sure they’re soft and not crunchy. Treats like Zukes, these can be made the right size by breaking them up or pinching off a bit when you’re giving it to make it smaller! Most training treats are too big even for a big dog and you don’t want to fill your pup up when you’re training!
And you’ll need something to put those treats in, of course.
Pockets are neat, but not good for keeping training rewards. Rewards in a cup on the counter, also neat. And they’ll both work ok, but a treat pouch will change your world! There are so many treat pouches out there it’s hard to decide. Just keep in mind, you will need immediate access to the rewards so absolutely no zippers, clips, or buckles standing between you and the treats. For us, we go for a simple, single function pouch…no bells, no whistles, and reasonably priced. Our favorite is the Treat Tote. It’s available in 2 sizes, too, so if you have to have a multifunctional pouch get the large and you can carry an extra Chuck-It Ball under your treats.
This is our favorite and it’s tried and true for over 20 years!
Dog Beds
Our dogs like all kinds of beds, from an enclosed papasan style to a furry and fluffy donut. Beds with bolsters and beds without. They don’t really care.
But when it comes to our preference, we highly recommend raised cot-style beds. They’re particularly good when teaching a place command because of the very distinct boundaries. Raised beds don’t hold in the heat because the air underneath is the same ambient air as the room. Maybe you’ve noticed your dog preferring the floor to that big fluffy bed you bought. It’s not unusual, especially during the summer here in Atlanta. And these beds don’t create pressure spots because of the nature of the bed’s hammock surface.
There are many styles of raised beds but the best beds anywhere are made by Kuranda. They are build solid and the fabric is stretched and enclosed into channels making access to the edges very difficult if not imporssible. In fact their raised beds are guaranteed chew proof for a year!!! And for the record, we like this bed so much we became an affiliate.
Proper Attire
Before we get into any of this…If we’re going to be working together Do NOT go out and buy anything yet. Except for a leash. You’ll definitely need a leash. But for what your pup will be wearing, we will bring equipment to try, and when we figure out what works best then you can purchase the correct item and not worry about returns.
Leashes
There are a ton of options out there. Different materials, colors, textures, attachments, clips, bells, and whistles.
Honestly it can be a bit overwhelming shopping in store and trying to figure this out. Online? Forget about it!
Here’s what we recommend for normal walking…a very simple flat leash that’s 6′ long. The width of the leash and the size of the clip should be appropriate for your dog’s size. Don’t get a 1″ wide leash with a clip meant for a 125 pound Mastiff and then put it on your 7 pound Chihuahua! And don’t get a 1/2″ leash with a tiny clip for your Mastiff.
Nylon works great, but if you want to splurge then get a leash made from Biothane. This material is a non-stretch polyester membrane coated in either polyurethane or PVC. It feels nice, almost like leather, and it can be washed off easily because it doesn’t absorb.
And there should be absolutely NO STRETCH in the leash. When you give a tap on the leash it should be felt by your pup, not absorbed by the leash. If they don’t feel it, you’ll be working harder and causing more problems than you’re solving. So no jogging leashes that are made of bungie cord and can be clipped around your waist!
And while we’re at it – no retractible leashes. Sure, they have their place, but it’s not during training or on normal walks.
Please avoid hanging anything from the handle, like a poop bag dispenser. On more than one occasion we’ve seen someone accidentally drop their end of the leash and when the dispenser hits the ground it startles the dog, who then starts running, and continues running because there’s this scary sound/thing following them that they need to get away from. And it makes holding the leash a bit awkward, too.
Harnesses
Probably the most important piece of training equipment for dogs is what they wear when they’re out and about.
If we’ve already met then you have an idea that we’re not fans of any sort of back clip harness for walks. Regular harnesses encourage pulling and most of the ones that clip in front offer no way to communicate effectively.
The collars and harness below are, in our opinion, the best available and help you communicate from your end of the leash during your walk.
The only harness we can confidently recommend is the Easy Walk harness by Petmate.
Collars
The Gentle Leader is a great option for a training collar. Used to control the head of your pup, it can help control in a way different from any other collar. The one big downside is most dogs don’t care for anything on their muzzle, so there can be a steep learning curve.
Gentle Leader
Training Collar
First, we need to address the elephant in the room. The appearance of these collars can be off-putting to some. Yeah, we get it. But feelings aside, when used properly as a means to communicate rather than restrain, it can be very effective with a slight fraction of the pressure from your end of the leash that’s required using a harness or regular flat collar.
Using one, not using one is ultimately up to you. This is not our go to and not using one of these is NOT a deal breaker, but there may be time when we recommend one if we think it will help and if we do, the Herm Springer is the best training collar on the market. This top quality collar is the only one we recommend. It’s made in Germany and is available in Chrome and Black Stainless Steel.
Toys – may seem like fun and games but are still equipment to train your dog
There is little doubt that every dog needs a Kong. This is one of the best pieces of equipment for training a dog. Not only is it great to gnaw on, it’s even more useful when it’s stuffed. That’s right, put treats, their food, peanut butter, and/or special rewards inside and it will keep them busy for a while…even longer if you freeze it. Great for when you’re crate training them!
When it comes to the game of Fetch, there’s really only one ball for our own pups, and only one delivery system…the Chuckit! Ultra. Tennis balls are easily found, and cheap. The problem with them is they can grind down your dog’s teeth. Really. Think about the covering on a tennis ball and what it’s meant to come in contact with…the court! Not many tennis balls lose their fluff, but when a dog chews on it, guess what? It is so abrasive it can grind down their teeth. So what do we recommend? These rubber balls by Chuckit. They’re tough and gentle on the teeth.
And don’t forget the Chuck It! delivery system. This is guaranteed to tire them out and save your arm…not to mention, no slobbery hands!
