Walk into any pet store and the kaleidoscopic plethora of choices in collars, head collars, martingales, harnesses and leads can make your head spin. Personally, I love it. I'm a dog gear junkie, I must admit, with a Paco collar for each of my dogs high on my wish list. In training your dog, having the correct equipment can make a world of difference in how that training goes. But how do you know what to use? Below is some basic information to help you choose the collar, head collar, or harness that's best for you and your dog. And if you've heard that “Who's walking Whom?” comment once too often, you'll be a step ahead next week when I address pulling on lead.

For your basic, flat webbing, around-the-neck collar, three things are most important:

Fit: A correctly fitted flat collar should have room for two fingers to fit between neck and collar. If it has a metal buckle (more on that below), there should be adequate length to go through the buckle and then have the tail tucked under the loop. This helps secure the buckle. A good rule of thumb is to measure the dog's neck just behind the ears and add 4”.

Width: To prevent damage to your dog's neck and give you the most control, find the widest collar you can. 1 – 2 inches wide. I see countless tiny dogs wearing fine little cat collars. Intuitively that seems right, but the reverse is true. Toy dogs are susceptible to a condition called “collapsing trachea”, especially yorkies, pomeranians, and toy poodles. Narrow collars can contribute to collapsing tracheas. If you can't find a collar an inch wide that fits your little fido, she's better off in a harness. A puller of any size wearing a narrow collar can sustain neck damage. If your pulling dog coughs, this is a sign of tracheal irritation, and indicates that the dog needs something different, at least until training has progressed.

Closure: Plastic snapping mechanisms have become really popular closures for dog collars. I don't like them, as I've had them fail a couple of times. A metal buckle is absolutely the safest and most secure. My dogs all wear a loose flat collar simply for the purpose of carrying their I.D. For Rocket, who is going to be shown, it's a rolled leather collar to help prevent coat damage. I don't care how these collars close, because they're not what I use when we go for a walk.

Rolled collars: Unless you can find one with a pretty big diameter, I put these in the same class as choke collars – too much chance of damaging your dog's neck and they don't give you enough control. Go with a flat collar instead.

Head Collars: Gentle Leaders, Halti's, and Canny Collars are examples of head collars. Like a halter on a horse, when you have control of the head, you have control of the whole dog. I recently used this post as an excuse to give the “Canny Collar” a try. Rather than having the lead attach under the chin, it comes off the back of the dog's neck. I haven't decided yet if I like them better than the under-the-chin models yet, but the really great thing about them is that the dog isn't always stepping over the lead. It stays up away from their feet. At this point my favorite head collar is the Halti, because I find it doesn't slip around on the dog's face as much as some other brands. I love these for dogs who have leash aggression issues, because they allow you to teach the dog to focus on you, rather than the other dog. I also find that dogs who are a little timid or shy sometimes like the security they feel while wearing one of these products. There can be a fairly steep learning curve to accustom your dog to a head collar, and dogs who are bold tend to find them very restricting. For that reason, unless I'm working on one of the issues I mention above, they are not a “go-to” product for me. If you are using a head collar, make sure the leash you use is very fine. 3/8” is enough to walk even the biggest dog. Flexi-leads are a definite no-no with any type of head collar.

Limited Slip Collars: Also called Martingales. These straddle the line between your basic flat collar and a choke collar, tightening up when there's pressure on the lead, but because there's a limited amount of slippage, they can't choke your dog. They are ideal for dogs who slip like greased lightening out of a standard flat collar and are an excellent choice for a basic walking collar, especially since they slip on and off easily if you don't want the dog to wear it all the time.

Choke Collars: Don't like them, don't use them. When I was younger, they were THE training collar. I don't like them because they're too fine and frequently don't loosen after they've tightened up, even when put on correctly. There are lots of better products on the market now.

Prong or Pinch Collars: Again, there are better products on the market now. It's a rare dog who needs this type of collar. If you do use a pinch collar on your dog, always take if off if they are playing with any kids or other dogs, and take it off before leaving them alone. Your vet clinic will also thank you if you leave this collar at home when you come in for an appointment. I can tell you from experience that they can be wicked on your hands when you're trying to work with a dog in that situation.

Harnesses: There are many no-pull harnesses on the market now, and I have to admit, I'm using them a lot in my training these days. They are a crutch, but since teaching a dog not to pull takes a lot of time and dedication, they're pretty useful. Better a dog using a “cheater” than a dog who doesn't get walked because it's just such an unpleasant experience. I recently discovered the “Freedom Harness” and I love it. It's wildly adjustable, so you get a pretty custom fit, and the girth strap (the part that wraps around the dog's body), is velvet, which is fantastic for dogs like Whimsy who have fine hair coats and/or sensitive skin. Additionally, it has a ring in the front as well as a limited slip ring on the back, so you have lots of walking options and can go from attaching the lead to the front ring only (so you have ultimate control) to attaching it to either just the limited slip ring on the back or both the chest and the back ring as your training progresses. I use it with a flexi-lead for our long walks in the park, and with the double ended leash it comes with for walks around town. Even there, it is nicely adjustable in that I attach it just to the back ring when we're on side streets, then to both the front and back rings when we're downtown and I want the dogs closer to me and under ultimate control. I'm gushing a little about this harness here because it's my new favorite, but there are lots of excellent options out there, each a little different, so look around to see which one seems best for both you and your dog. Make sure it fits correctly. I discovered that I could pull Tug right out of his harness if he was behind me, sniffing something with his head down. Tug's built a little bit like a spark plug, and when his nose is engaged it's like he has lead in his paws. If I wasn't paying attention I could easily pull him right out of his harness. Under closer inspection, I found that I needed to loosen the straps that go from the center of the chest to each shoulder, and then tighten the girth strap. Problem solved.