08/22/2026
I generally recommend against bungee leashes unless you’re joring with your dog, and no tool can replace training. That said, these are otherwise great tips from another local business!
Keeping your dog safe and preventing escapes should always be a top priority! 🐾
🐕💞🐾“What kind of collar and leash do you recommend?” 🐾💞🐕
I get asked this ALL the time, and after 17 years of working with dogs, my answer is pretty consistent:
“A properly fitted martingale collar + a simple, secure leash. And one thing I personally do NOT recommend? Retractable/Flexi leashes.”
Why a martingale?
Martingale collars were originally designed with sighthounds in mind…Greyhounds, Whippets, Italian Greyhounds😉, etc. because their heads can be nearly as narrow as their necks, making it incredibly easy for them to back straight out of a traditional flat collar….ask me how I know…lol.
A martingale has a limited tightening loop. When properly fitted, it tightens just enough when your dog pulls or backs up to help prevent the collar from slipping over the head, without continuously tightening like a choke collar.☺️
But they aren’t just for sighthounds!!
Whether your dog is:
🐕 a puller
🐕 an escape artist
🐕 nervous and likely to back out of a collar
🐕 or perfectly well-mannered on a leash…
I still LOVE a properly fitted martingale for the added security. Plus, there are different colors, designs, and types!!!!
Dogs can get startled. They can see a squirrel. Another dog can surprise them. They can suddenly plant their feet and back up. Even the best-behaved dog is still a dog—and it only takes a few seconds for one to slip a loose flat collar or a harness… speaking of harness…
“But my dog pulls, so I use a harness.”
Ready for this, this one surprises people.
A standard back-clipping harness does not discourage pulling and for MOST dogs, it can actually make pulling EASIERRRR because it allows them to put their chest and body weight into it and gives them more leverage.
Dogs also naturally push or pull against opposing pressure (sometimes called an opposition reflex). It’s part of the reason working dogs can comfortably lean into harnesses to pull sleds, carts, or perform other jobs….put something around the strongest part of the body, give them leverage, and then pull backward while they’re trying to move forward? IT’S INSTINCT. 🙃
Don’t be shocked when your little 40-pound dog suddenly discovers they have the horsepower of a diesel. 😂😆🤣
A harness absolutely has its place, especially for certain medical, anatomical, training, or activity specific needs. But simply putting a pulling dog into a harness isn’t going to teach them not to pull, it can encourage it.
And the leash?
Give me a good old-fashioned fixed-length leash, slip lead, or bungee leash. I highly recommend AGAINST retractable/Flexi leashes.
Retractable leashes can create several safety problems: less immediate control of your dog, thin cords that can cause extreme burns, amputation, and strangulation injuries if wrapped around and in some cases death, mechanical failure, dropped handles that can frighten a dog, and far too much distance between you and your dog when something unexpected and dangerously quick happens.
A leash isn’t just there to keep your dog attached to you. It’s your connection, your communication, and your ability to keep them safe.
Simple doesn’t mean outdated.
Sometimes simple is safest.
Here’s an Amazon link to a common, simple, inexpensive martingale collar so you know what you’re looking for: https://a.co/d/0ehC3YcZ
💞🐾🫶🏼💁🏼♀️
