December 11, 2025 • 14 mins
Choosing the right equipment for your puppy can make all the difference between smooth, confidence-building training and a daily struggle with slips, stalls, or stress. In this episode, we break down how to select the best harnesses, collars, and leashes for your puppy’s size, breed, and temperament—because what works for a bold Labrador pup may be very different from what a tiny, sensitive toy breed needs.
You’ll learn how to introduce new equipment gently so your puppy associates gear with comfort and fun, not fear or frustration. We also spotlight the most common mistakes puppy owners make—like relying on poorly fitted gear or switching tools too late—and how to avoid them. Finally, we walk you through transitioning equipment as your puppy grows, ensuring safety, comfort, and continued training progress at every stage.
Whether you’re bringing home your first pup or refining your setup for a growing canine companion, this episode gives you practical, trainer-backed guidance to set you both up for success.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Today, we are talking about puppy equipment.
So, collars, leashes, harnesses,there are so many options out
there.
Which one's right for your dog?
We'll talk about it today.
Welcome to the puppy trainingpodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Fella, the online
puppy school.
Here, we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:22):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello, everybody.
Welcome back to the puppytraining podcast.
(00:44):
Today, as I said, we're talkingabout equipment.
I know there are so many optionsout there.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed.
But let's dive into this topic.
Let's talk about harnesses,collars, leashes, let's talk
about fit, comfort, andsuitability.
It all matters a lot.
And poor choices here can slowyour puppy's training.
They often create frustrationand even lead to behavioral
(01:06):
challenges later.
And we don't want that.
So today's episode, we aretalking all about choosing the
right equipment for your puppy'ssize, their temperament, and
breed, how to introduce theequipment gently so they don't
mind it, right?
We want them to like it.
And big mistakes people make onaccident.
We know you don't do it onpurpose, and how to transition
gear as your puppy grows.
All right, here we go.
(01:27):
Handlers often underestimate howmuch equipment affects behavior.
For example, a poorly fittedharness can cause shafing or
pull on your dog's hair.
It can restrict shouldermovement or make a puppy
reluctant to walk.
A heavy leash can overwhelm atiny breed dog.
A slip collar can frightensomebody who's shy.
Even something as small as a tootight collar can turn what
(01:50):
should be a positive walk into avery stressful experience.
Now, the goal, of course, it'seasy.
Equipment should never be adistraction or a discomfort to
our dogs.
It should support the behaviorwe are wanting and help our dogs
feel safe.
So let's start with collarsbecause most puppies leave the
shelter or a breeder wearingone, and we do want them very
(02:11):
early on in their lives tounderstand what a collar is and
be okay having one on.
So we start all of our puppieson standard flat collars.
These are great for um ID tags.
So identification, that'simportant.
Light handling, and thenpuppies, just getting them
comfortable with pressure aroundthe neck, just wearing
something.
You'll notice when you first puton a collar, they might sit and
(02:31):
scratch and scratch and scratchat it.
We just want them to get used tothe fact that something is on
their neck.
Now, flat collars are not greatfor dogs who pull hard or any
type of breed that has a verysensitive neck.
Um, our smaller breeds mostlyfit into that category, and
there are others.
So we want to be able to slidetwo fingers between the collar
(02:52):
and our puppy's neck when we aresizing it.
And it's important to check thisweekly because your puppy's
growing rapidly.
And if you forget to check it,it can get really tight.
So make sure that each weekyou're checking your puppy's
collar that you can be able toslide, that you're able to slide
those two fingers underneath it.
If not, you need to adjust itand make it a little bigger.
(03:13):
Now, breakaway collars, it'ssomething that's a collar that's
easy to come apart, if you will.
They're excellent for safety,especially if your puppy plays
with other dogs and tends to gettheir collar tugged.
Uh, just a side note on this isI don't always have my dogs
wearing their collars.
So they have them on when we'reout and about.
Um, but you know, if they'rerunning around and playing, I
often just take them off becauseof this.
(03:34):
We don't want our collars to getstuck together or cause any
other kind of injury.
So just be aware that if yourdog is running around with a
collar on, you want to make surethey're in a safe area and
you're watching them so thatthey don't get stuck on
something.
So things to avoid with collarswould be choke chains, prong
collars, or any aversiveequipment, especially for young
puppies.
These uh pieces of equipment cancreate fear, tension, and
(03:57):
physical harm, and we don't wantthat for our dogs.
All right, let's talk harnessesnext.
Now, with a very, very youngpuppy, I'm starting out.
I mean, leash walk training,honestly, is without a leash
even attached.
We're in my house in a quietroom, and I'm teaching my puppy
to follow me as I make rightturns, left turns, about turns,
that kind of thing.
So as I start to introduce uhmore formal leash walking as we
(04:19):
move outside into leash walking,this is when I'm starting to fit
my puppy to a harness.
So at that point, they're alittle older, they're a little
bigger, and that's when I'mstarting to size my dog's first
harness.
So uh there's a couple differentkinds.
I like to look for a front clipharness.
This helps reduce pulling.
It offers gentle directionalguidance for our dogs, and they
(04:41):
are ideal for strong orenthusiastic puppies.
It'll help you maintain bettercontrol if you have a strong
dog.
Uh the second would be I like tohave a back clip on my harness
because sometimes I'm having mydog out on a longer line, say a
15 to 30 foot line, and they'rerunning around with that
dragging behind them, maybe at apark or a larger area where
(05:04):
they're uh somewhat off leash,but they're not, right?
It seems like they are becausethey have this long line on
them.
So I like that back clip optionso that I can attach, I have
multiple points to attach aleash.
Uh the back clip is uh great fortiny breeds.
It's good for a dog who just isa confident walker and already
has the walking skills that youmight not need to put it in the
(05:26):
front.
You can just clip it on theback.
But for brand new puppies,oftentimes we're using that
front clip and then we cantransition to the back clip.
But the back clip also providescomfortable forward movement.
Now, the next thing I'm lookingfor is a Y front or what we call
a V-neck harness.
These allow full shouldermovement, so it's not going to
impact my dog's forwardmovement.
They do make harnesses that slipover your dog's head and they're
(05:48):
higher up, so they're abovetheir shoulders, and that's also
fine.
Um, but in general, if you'reconcerned, you can look for that
Y.
That'll help you know that it'snot restricting their shoulder
movement.
Now, a harness should not rubunder your dog's arms.
We don't want it to sag ortwist.
And if you find a good one,there um it would be like a very
adjustable one.
(06:09):
So look for multiple points ofadjustment.
And then we want it to allow,like I mentioned, natural
shoulder extension, and we wantit to stay snug but not tight.
Okay.
Now, a common sign of a poor fitharness would be our puppies
freezing or they're trying tolike bunny hop while they're
walking.
They just look awkward, they'renot wanting to walk normally.
That almost always points todiscomfort, and it's something
(06:31):
about that harness that'scausing it.
Okay, next let's talk leashes.
So I start off with just astandard six-foot leash.
Now, I like the lupine petbrand, they're very lightweight.
You can get um just like aquarter inch thick leash with a
small, tiny clip on it.
Uh, with young puppies, I don'twant something that's heavy or
bulky.
(06:51):
I just want it superlightweight.
Um, long lines are another thingthat I start with when it comes
to leashes.
So this is really good forrecall training or exploring a
larger area safely.
Do make sure your puppy's fullyvaccinated before taking them to
public parks.
But in general, having a longline is really useful for
training, especially as you headinto the adolescent months.
(07:13):
And it allows uh for moreindependence, right?
But you still have a way to getcontrol of your dog as needed.
So we want to make sure thatlong lines are dragged gently
and they're never jerked, and wewant to make sure we are
clipping them to that back clipof a harness.
I'm avoiding things likeretractable leashes, especially
when it comes to puppies.
It's hard to teach a puppy notto pull if that tension is
(07:34):
constantly on them.
So retractable leashes, the waythey're designed is that it
keeps that tension.
And I can't teach my puppy tolet go of that tension if it
doesn't ever let go.
So I don't really uh loveretractable leashes.
There's other reasons why Idon't use them.
Uh, they're inconsistent andsometimes they can be dangerous
depending on uh the situationthat you're in.
(07:55):
So I just like a regular leash.
All right, now matchingequipment to your puppy's
temperament and breed.
Let's talk about that a littlebit.
Here's where we get kind ofstrategic.
For shy or sensitive puppies, wewant to start with the lightest,
softest equipment, okay?
And we can use that back clip orsoft flat collars.
We want to introduce these veryslowly, use food rewards,
(08:18):
encouragement.
If you notice your puppy has anaversion to it, you might just
want to leave it out in themiddle of the floor.
Anytime they look at it, toss alittle food reward in their
direction just for interactingwith it.
So we can go slowly.
We don't have to rush right intoputting it on them.
Now, for confident or energeticpuppies, we want to make sure
that they're wearing that frontclip harness, that they have a
(08:38):
sturdy but lightweight leash,and consider that long line for
safe energy release if they needto get out and run.
If you have a small or toybreed, we want to again
prioritize that really lightequipment, avoid anything bulky
around their neck.
Make sure that if you areattaching a leash to them, that
it's a harness, not a collar.
Um, generally they'll like thatbetter.
Now, for large breed puppies, wecan choose equipment with room
(09:01):
to adjust.
Make sure that you have multiplepoints of adjusting, like we
talked about.
And front clip harnesses againare going to help you manage any
early pulling habits that comefrom strong puppies.
And we want to also introducethose long lines early just so
that they get used to the factthat it's dragging around behind
them.
We can help you with all of thisif you have any questions on
equipment and how to fit it toyour dog.
(09:22):
So, how do we introduceequipment gently?
This part is really important.
I would start indoors in a, youknow, your basic training room,
wherever that is in your homethat's quiet, few distractions.
Just let your puppy sniff theharness or collar and reward
them.
And you might repeat that five,10, 15 times, right?
We like to pair the equipmentwith the food rewards.
(09:42):
So we might clip, unclip, holdit near them, and then food
reward after each of thosesteps.
We want to keep uh thesesessions short.
So I might put the harness onfor just a minute.
See if you can get your puppy toplay.
Play often helps them forgetwhat's happening and not focus
on the harness itself, butthey're now focused on the fun
they're having and they start tofeel good while wearing the
harness.
We're pairing that associationof the harness and fun together.
(10:06):
We want to avoid forcing orchasing.
So if you chase the puppy withthe harness, they're going to
associate it with fear.
And we don't want to start anyof those behaviors.
Finally, we want to normalizewearing equipment.
So let your puppy wear theequipment inside to build
comfort before we go outside onsome kind of adventure.
So they just get used to wearingit.
They recognize the colour is acollar and this is what we wear,
and it's no big deal.
(10:27):
And they'll stop scratching atit, they'll stop trying to get
it off the more they wear it.
So again, that play, you guys,is super powerful.
Pull out a little tug toy, getout a toy that they can chase
down the hall, and you'regetting them to play and
interact and have some funwithout, you know, them focusing
on, oh, I'm wearing this thing.
All right, now here are a fewcommon mistakes I see people
(10:47):
make, and you don't reallyrealize you're making it.
So just be aware of these.
First would be using equipmentthat's too big or too small.
We want to make sure that it'ssized appropriately for our
particular dog and remember thatthey grow.
So that next mistake isforgetting to adjust it.
And you'll notice the collargets tighter and tighter and
tighter, and we don't want ourdogs to be uncomfortable or
unsafe.
(11:08):
So make sure that each weekyou're checking that collar,
making sure you can fit thosetwo fingers under the collar as
your puppy grows.
Another mistake would bechoosing style over function.
Oh, but I think this one's socute.
But it doesn't necessarily fitwhat we're trying to accomplish
with training.
And then putting a leash on onlyoutdoors.
We want to make sure that weintroduce the equipment indoors
(11:28):
first because it's just easier.
We're setting our dogs up forsuccess by introducing this
equipment in a non-distractingenvironment or a less
distracting environment, Ishould say.
And then we're setting them upfor success to then go outdoors
with it.
I often see people going towardsthose retractable leashes.
I know that they seem like agood idea, but again, it's hard
to teach your puppy not to pullif there's always tension on
(11:50):
that leash.
And they can get really far outin front of you, and that can be
dangerous too.
So be careful with those.
And then lastly, switchingequipment too frequently, which
leads to confusion.
So pick something that works,it's quality, it'll be uh good
for the training, and then yourpuppy gets used to wearing that,
and we can stick with that.
So remember that consistencybuilds confidence.
Now, puppies grow fast, fasterthan we expect.
(12:13):
That means equipment must evolveand change.
Now, how do we know when toupgrade or adjust?
Again, those two fingersunderneath the collar.
If you notice the harness isleaving rub marks or it's
getting uncomfortable, it'spulling on their fur, it's
probably too tight.
Your puppy's pulling improvesand a back clip becomes
appropriate.
Um, you start new training goalslike a recall or off-leash
(12:35):
skills, we want to make surethat we're now changing that
point of contact.
So we're putting the clip on orthe leash on the back.
And then if your puppy outgrowstiny puppy equipment and needs
sturdier gear.
So if you have a little puppyand you're using like a really
light, thin leash as they growand get bigger, if you're
getting, you know, into the 50plus pounds, you can get um
upgrade to a bigger, more sturdyleash.
(12:56):
But we want to make sure that wedo that appropriately.
Don't start with the big sturdyleash on your really young
puppy.
So um, a pro tip would be tojust take a monthly equipment
check day, right?
Do a little review of okay, ourleashes, our harnesses, and our
collars, are they fitting?
Are they appropriate for ourlevel of training?
Do I need to make any changes?
Okay, so before we wrap up,here's just a quick checklist.
(13:19):
We want to make sure that wehave a properly fitted flat
collar, that we have a breedappropriate harness.
Look for that Y again, that wehave a lightweight six-foot
leash.
We have an optional long linefor training.
I like this to be 15 to 30 feetlong.
Again, super lightweight,comfortable material, so there's
no sharp edges or heavy clips onany of the equipment, that we're
doing adjustments frequently andwe're introducing the equipment
(13:41):
slowly and positively.
If you've got these piecescovered, you are well on your
way to better walks and fastertraining progress.
If you guys have any questions,please reach out to us.
My team and I would love tocoach you on what is best and
appropriate for your particularpuppy because they're all
different and we love that.
You can also visit our website.
We have a products tab in ourmenu bar that shows you our
(14:03):
favorite products.
You're welcome to see thatthere.
And we are happy to help you.
So reach out if you havequestions.
Thanks you guys for listening.
Happy training.
Have a great week.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
(14:25):
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Today, we are talking about puppy equipment.
So, collars, leashes, harnesses,there are so many options out
there.
Which one's right for your dog?
We'll talk about it today.
Welcome to the puppy trainingpodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Fella, the online
puppy school.
Here, we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:22):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello, everybody.
Welcome back to the puppytraining podcast.
(00:44):
Today, as I said, we're talkingabout equipment.
I know there are so many optionsout there.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed.
But let's dive into this topic.
Let's talk about harnesses,collars, leashes, let's talk
about fit, comfort, andsuitability.
It all matters a lot.
And poor choices here can slowyour puppy's training.
They often create frustrationand even lead to behavioral
(01:06):
challenges later.
And we don't want that.
So today's episode, we aretalking all about choosing the
right equipment for your puppy'ssize, their temperament, and
breed, how to introduce theequipment gently so they don't
mind it, right?
We want them to like it.
And big mistakes people make onaccident.
We know you don't do it onpurpose, and how to transition
gear as your puppy grows.
All right, here we go.
(01:27):
Handlers often underestimate howmuch equipment affects behavior.
For example, a poorly fittedharness can cause shafing or
pull on your dog's hair.
It can restrict shouldermovement or make a puppy
reluctant to walk.
A heavy leash can overwhelm atiny breed dog.
A slip collar can frightensomebody who's shy.
Even something as small as a tootight collar can turn what
(01:50):
should be a positive walk into avery stressful experience.
Now, the goal, of course, it'seasy.
Equipment should never be adistraction or a discomfort to
our dogs.
It should support the behaviorwe are wanting and help our dogs
feel safe.
So let's start with collarsbecause most puppies leave the
shelter or a breeder wearingone, and we do want them very
(02:11):
early on in their lives tounderstand what a collar is and
be okay having one on.
So we start all of our puppieson standard flat collars.
These are great for um ID tags.
So identification, that'simportant.
Light handling, and thenpuppies, just getting them
comfortable with pressure aroundthe neck, just wearing
something.
You'll notice when you first puton a collar, they might sit and
(02:31):
scratch and scratch and scratchat it.
We just want them to get used tothe fact that something is on
their neck.
Now, flat collars are not greatfor dogs who pull hard or any
type of breed that has a verysensitive neck.
Um, our smaller breeds mostlyfit into that category, and
there are others.
So we want to be able to slidetwo fingers between the collar
(02:52):
and our puppy's neck when we aresizing it.
And it's important to check thisweekly because your puppy's
growing rapidly.
And if you forget to check it,it can get really tight.
So make sure that each weekyou're checking your puppy's
collar that you can be able toslide, that you're able to slide
those two fingers underneath it.
If not, you need to adjust itand make it a little bigger.
(03:13):
Now, breakaway collars, it'ssomething that's a collar that's
easy to come apart, if you will.
They're excellent for safety,especially if your puppy plays
with other dogs and tends to gettheir collar tugged.
Uh, just a side note on this isI don't always have my dogs
wearing their collars.
So they have them on when we'reout and about.
Um, but you know, if they'rerunning around and playing, I
often just take them off becauseof this.
(03:34):
We don't want our collars to getstuck together or cause any
other kind of injury.
So just be aware that if yourdog is running around with a
collar on, you want to make surethey're in a safe area and
you're watching them so thatthey don't get stuck on
something.
So things to avoid with collarswould be choke chains, prong
collars, or any aversiveequipment, especially for young
puppies.
These uh pieces of equipment cancreate fear, tension, and
(03:57):
physical harm, and we don't wantthat for our dogs.
All right, let's talk harnessesnext.
Now, with a very, very youngpuppy, I'm starting out.
I mean, leash walk training,honestly, is without a leash
even attached.
We're in my house in a quietroom, and I'm teaching my puppy
to follow me as I make rightturns, left turns, about turns,
that kind of thing.
So as I start to introduce uhmore formal leash walking as we
(04:19):
move outside into leash walking,this is when I'm starting to fit
my puppy to a harness.
So at that point, they're alittle older, they're a little
bigger, and that's when I'mstarting to size my dog's first
harness.
So uh there's a couple differentkinds.
I like to look for a front clipharness.
This helps reduce pulling.
It offers gentle directionalguidance for our dogs, and they
(04:41):
are ideal for strong orenthusiastic puppies.
It'll help you maintain bettercontrol if you have a strong
dog.
Uh the second would be I like tohave a back clip on my harness
because sometimes I'm having mydog out on a longer line, say a
15 to 30 foot line, and they'rerunning around with that
dragging behind them, maybe at apark or a larger area where
(05:04):
they're uh somewhat off leash,but they're not, right?
It seems like they are becausethey have this long line on
them.
So I like that back clip optionso that I can attach, I have
multiple points to attach aleash.
Uh the back clip is uh great fortiny breeds.
It's good for a dog who just isa confident walker and already
has the walking skills that youmight not need to put it in the
(05:26):
front.
You can just clip it on theback.
But for brand new puppies,oftentimes we're using that
front clip and then we cantransition to the back clip.
But the back clip also providescomfortable forward movement.
Now, the next thing I'm lookingfor is a Y front or what we call
a V-neck harness.
These allow full shouldermovement, so it's not going to
impact my dog's forwardmovement.
They do make harnesses that slipover your dog's head and they're
(05:48):
higher up, so they're abovetheir shoulders, and that's also
fine.
Um, but in general, if you'reconcerned, you can look for that
Y.
That'll help you know that it'snot restricting their shoulder
movement.
Now, a harness should not rubunder your dog's arms.
We don't want it to sag ortwist.
And if you find a good one,there um it would be like a very
adjustable one.
(06:09):
So look for multiple points ofadjustment.
And then we want it to allow,like I mentioned, natural
shoulder extension, and we wantit to stay snug but not tight.
Okay.
Now, a common sign of a poor fitharness would be our puppies
freezing or they're trying tolike bunny hop while they're
walking.
They just look awkward, they'renot wanting to walk normally.
That almost always points todiscomfort, and it's something
(06:31):
about that harness that'scausing it.
Okay, next let's talk leashes.
So I start off with just astandard six-foot leash.
Now, I like the lupine petbrand, they're very lightweight.
You can get um just like aquarter inch thick leash with a
small, tiny clip on it.
Uh, with young puppies, I don'twant something that's heavy or
bulky.
(06:51):
I just want it superlightweight.
Um, long lines are another thingthat I start with when it comes
to leashes.
So this is really good forrecall training or exploring a
larger area safely.
Do make sure your puppy's fullyvaccinated before taking them to
public parks.
But in general, having a longline is really useful for
training, especially as you headinto the adolescent months.
(07:13):
And it allows uh for moreindependence, right?
But you still have a way to getcontrol of your dog as needed.
So we want to make sure thatlong lines are dragged gently
and they're never jerked, and wewant to make sure we are
clipping them to that back clipof a harness.
I'm avoiding things likeretractable leashes, especially
when it comes to puppies.
It's hard to teach a puppy notto pull if that tension is
(07:34):
constantly on them.
So retractable leashes, the waythey're designed is that it
keeps that tension.
And I can't teach my puppy tolet go of that tension if it
doesn't ever let go.
So I don't really uh loveretractable leashes.
There's other reasons why Idon't use them.
Uh, they're inconsistent andsometimes they can be dangerous
depending on uh the situationthat you're in.
(07:55):
So I just like a regular leash.
All right, now matchingequipment to your puppy's
temperament and breed.
Let's talk about that a littlebit.
Here's where we get kind ofstrategic.
For shy or sensitive puppies, wewant to start with the lightest,
softest equipment, okay?
And we can use that back clip orsoft flat collars.
We want to introduce these veryslowly, use food rewards,
(08:18):
encouragement.
If you notice your puppy has anaversion to it, you might just
want to leave it out in themiddle of the floor.
Anytime they look at it, toss alittle food reward in their
direction just for interactingwith it.
So we can go slowly.
We don't have to rush right intoputting it on them.
Now, for confident or energeticpuppies, we want to make sure
that they're wearing that frontclip harness, that they have a
(08:38):
sturdy but lightweight leash,and consider that long line for
safe energy release if they needto get out and run.
If you have a small or toybreed, we want to again
prioritize that really lightequipment, avoid anything bulky
around their neck.
Make sure that if you areattaching a leash to them, that
it's a harness, not a collar.
Um, generally they'll like thatbetter.
Now, for large breed puppies, wecan choose equipment with room
(09:01):
to adjust.
Make sure that you have multiplepoints of adjusting, like we
talked about.
And front clip harnesses againare going to help you manage any
early pulling habits that comefrom strong puppies.
And we want to also introducethose long lines early just so
that they get used to the factthat it's dragging around behind
them.
We can help you with all of thisif you have any questions on
equipment and how to fit it toyour dog.
(09:22):
So, how do we introduceequipment gently?
This part is really important.
I would start indoors in a, youknow, your basic training room,
wherever that is in your homethat's quiet, few distractions.
Just let your puppy sniff theharness or collar and reward
them.
And you might repeat that five,10, 15 times, right?
We like to pair the equipmentwith the food rewards.
(09:42):
So we might clip, unclip, holdit near them, and then food
reward after each of thosesteps.
We want to keep uh thesesessions short.
So I might put the harness onfor just a minute.
See if you can get your puppy toplay.
Play often helps them forgetwhat's happening and not focus
on the harness itself, butthey're now focused on the fun
they're having and they start tofeel good while wearing the
harness.
We're pairing that associationof the harness and fun together.
(10:06):
We want to avoid forcing orchasing.
So if you chase the puppy withthe harness, they're going to
associate it with fear.
And we don't want to start anyof those behaviors.
Finally, we want to normalizewearing equipment.
So let your puppy wear theequipment inside to build
comfort before we go outside onsome kind of adventure.
So they just get used to wearingit.
They recognize the colour is acollar and this is what we wear,
and it's no big deal.
(10:27):
And they'll stop scratching atit, they'll stop trying to get
it off the more they wear it.
So again, that play, you guys,is super powerful.
Pull out a little tug toy, getout a toy that they can chase
down the hall, and you'regetting them to play and
interact and have some funwithout, you know, them focusing
on, oh, I'm wearing this thing.
All right, now here are a fewcommon mistakes I see people
(10:47):
make, and you don't reallyrealize you're making it.
So just be aware of these.
First would be using equipmentthat's too big or too small.
We want to make sure that it'ssized appropriately for our
particular dog and remember thatthey grow.
So that next mistake isforgetting to adjust it.
And you'll notice the collargets tighter and tighter and
tighter, and we don't want ourdogs to be uncomfortable or
unsafe.
(11:08):
So make sure that each weekyou're checking that collar,
making sure you can fit thosetwo fingers under the collar as
your puppy grows.
Another mistake would bechoosing style over function.
Oh, but I think this one's socute.
But it doesn't necessarily fitwhat we're trying to accomplish
with training.
And then putting a leash on onlyoutdoors.
We want to make sure that weintroduce the equipment indoors
(11:28):
first because it's just easier.
We're setting our dogs up forsuccess by introducing this
equipment in a non-distractingenvironment or a less
distracting environment, Ishould say.
And then we're setting them upfor success to then go outdoors
with it.
I often see people going towardsthose retractable leashes.
I know that they seem like agood idea, but again, it's hard
to teach your puppy not to pullif there's always tension on
(11:50):
that leash.
And they can get really far outin front of you, and that can be
dangerous too.
So be careful with those.
And then lastly, switchingequipment too frequently, which
leads to confusion.
So pick something that works,it's quality, it'll be uh good
for the training, and then yourpuppy gets used to wearing that,
and we can stick with that.
So remember that consistencybuilds confidence.
Now, puppies grow fast, fasterthan we expect.
(12:13):
That means equipment must evolveand change.
Now, how do we know when toupgrade or adjust?
Again, those two fingersunderneath the collar.
If you notice the harness isleaving rub marks or it's
getting uncomfortable, it'spulling on their fur, it's
probably too tight.
Your puppy's pulling improvesand a back clip becomes
appropriate.
Um, you start new training goalslike a recall or off-leash
(12:35):
skills, we want to make surethat we're now changing that
point of contact.
So we're putting the clip on orthe leash on the back.
And then if your puppy outgrowstiny puppy equipment and needs
sturdier gear.
So if you have a little puppyand you're using like a really
light, thin leash as they growand get bigger, if you're
getting, you know, into the 50plus pounds, you can get um
upgrade to a bigger, more sturdyleash.
(12:56):
But we want to make sure that wedo that appropriately.
Don't start with the big sturdyleash on your really young
puppy.
So um, a pro tip would be tojust take a monthly equipment
check day, right?
Do a little review of okay, ourleashes, our harnesses, and our
collars, are they fitting?
Are they appropriate for ourlevel of training?
Do I need to make any changes?
Okay, so before we wrap up,here's just a quick checklist.
(13:19):
We want to make sure that wehave a properly fitted flat
collar, that we have a breedappropriate harness.
Look for that Y again, that wehave a lightweight six-foot
leash.
We have an optional long linefor training.
I like this to be 15 to 30 feetlong.
Again, super lightweight,comfortable material, so there's
no sharp edges or heavy clips onany of the equipment, that we're
doing adjustments frequently andwe're introducing the equipment
(13:41):
slowly and positively.
If you've got these piecescovered, you are well on your
way to better walks and fastertraining progress.
If you guys have any questions,please reach out to us.
My team and I would love tocoach you on what is best and
appropriate for your particularpuppy because they're all
different and we love that.
You can also visit our website.
We have a products tab in ourmenu bar that shows you our
(14:03):
favorite products.
You're welcome to see thatthere.
And we are happy to help you.
So reach out if you havequestions.
Thanks you guys for listening.
Happy training.
Have a great week.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
(14:25):
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
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