Dog Leashes and Collars

If you want to keep your dogs close by on a walk, it behooves you to get a leash  and collar.  In addition to being practical ways to keep your dogs nearby, these are the most popular ways to show off your dogs' originality.

This is a slight issue of practicality and a big style question. How you dress your dogs will largely how the world looks at them. If you care about that, this is a very important decision. Luckily, you can switch collars and leashes up at any time, as long as your dogs are comfortable in them.

Materials of Collars and Leashes

There are plenty of fabrics that collars and leashes can be made of. Look, read, and learn.

Nylon  Practical, inexpensive, versatile, and best if your dog gets wet a lot. Just because it's versatile doesn't mean they're boring.	Cloth  Simple and easy. Like all cloth, they can look like whatever you want. They'll fray more quickly than nylon.	Leather  Strong, durable, rough and tumble collars tell everyone to not mess with your dogs. Best for big dogs, or dogs that think they're big.	Chain  For really tough dogs, these are only for those who are strong enough to support them. Often for training.	Reflective  Very important for dogs that are out at night. If you jog together, this is a great safety precaution. What could be bad?

Flea-control  and herbal-scented  collars are ways to accent your dog's style aromatically.

Choke  Generally used for training, these keep dogs from trying to pull away from you by tightening.	Retracting  Make your leash as long or short as you'd like. Strong, durable, and great for many pets.	Ornamented  Use rhinestones,  studs,  fur,  diamonds,  or spikes  to show off how fancy your pooch is.	Obedience  Like choke collars, but with spikes or points on the interior. Only for the seriously disobedient dogs.	Harness  Strapping along the spine and front quarters, a more controlled way to walk. Big dog?  Small dog?

Does It Fit?

• You should be able to fit two finger between your dogs' necks and the collars.
• Just buy a collar whose circumference is 1-2 inches larger than that of your dog's neck.
• They're not too heavy for the dogs, are they?
• Does the length work with your dogs' walking styles? If they keep tripping, it might be too long. Keep getting tangled? Too short.

Stay Safe

• They're called dog tags  for a reason. Outfit your pooch with a label denoting name, address, and phone number, just in case you get separated and he wants to send mail home.
• Put their licenses and vaccination histories on the tag too. A legal, healthy dog is more likely to be shown mercy.
• If you're not on your own property, best to keep your dogs leashed. They can get away from you at a moment's notice.

Collar and Leash Accessories

Muzzles  Keeps dogs' mouths restrained so they can't bite or bark. A serious training tool.	Bag Carriers  and dog Poop Scoops  Clean up after your dogs with a baggie. Scooping makes the process a bit less gross.	Clickers  Hooking onto leashes, you click the button to help train your dog to perform on command.	Seatbelts  Buckle your dogs into the car and make sure they ride safely.

Bandanas  These keep your dog cool, and super cool.	Vet Recover Cones  Big cones keep your dogs from gnawing at their stitches after operations.	Leash Doublers  For two dogs, you can split your single leash into a supply for two.

External Links

• Canis Major -- How to get a well-fitting leash and collar and how to use them.
• Canis Major -- How to train your dog to follow your lead.
• City of Albuquerque -- Why to walk your dog.
• eHow -- How to get a properly fitting leash and collar.
• eHow -- More tips on how to walk your dog well.
• Good Pooch -- Dog walking ettiquette.
• Humane Society -- Top ten essentials for caring for your dog.
• Perfect Paws -- How to get a puppy to accept a collar and leash.
• Pet Sit USA -- How to pick a dog walker.
• The Weather Channel -- A dog walking calculator to determine how many calories you burned on your walk.