Hi everyone, Our “Summer” is now 1 year old and weighs 120 lbs. He is extremely strong, and has gone after a cat in our fenced in yard, by pulling the lead out of my hand. We use a leather collar and a leather 6’ lead. I have seen 12” leashes with a handle for service dogs and the cross shoulder or body leash. Which one of these will give me the most control? Thanks to all in advance Jon
@raf108 In order to have control over the dog you need something more than a leather collar. Suggest a Freedom harness until you get the pulling under control. Get a cotton lead with clips at both ends. Attach to front and top rings. And you can put two hands on the lead. I suggest you also enrol in an obedience class. Instructor should teach you how to hold the lead so that it will not slip out of your hands,and also teach you how to change your centre of gravity so that the dog does not pull you over. And begin to teach you how to teach your dog some impulse control.
Shorter will give you more control until you can be sure pup won't lunge after cats or squirrels and such. My current Guide Dog Puppy is almost a year old and 83lbs, and I have a single loop of lead forming a handle right on his collar (see my Instagram image: https://bitlylink.com/U628G) which I use when we are in a high-distraction setting as it still allows him to walk nicely but he doesn't dislocate my shoulder if he does lunge Otherwise I use the other end of the lead, which is still only about 3' long.
I agree with Michael that the Freedom harness gives you probably the most control of all harnesses and is the place to start. It also comes with a double-ended leash so you will be able to attach it to front and back. It will give you much more control than a flat collar and it is much kinder for the dog than a collar as well: https://dogmantics.com/is-it-harmful-to-attach-a-leash-to-your-dogs-neck-2/
I think you need some kind of harness to give you control and prevent damage to your dog's neck. I use a Perfect Fit which works well for us in situations where he might forget his training, most of the time we can manage with just a flat collar now. I also liked the Truelove harness which has a chest plate with front clip and a very useful handle you can use grab your dog in an emergency or help lift him into the car. I have a very strong fabric lead which is lovely and soft in the hand. It's 2 metres long and double ended to use with harnesses with a front clip, or can be doubled up to shorten it to use with a collar. Over a year old now and as good as new despite all the lead biting and pulling it went through in the early days. Made by Tellington t - touch who I think are UK based but I'm sure you will find similar things where you are.
I have a lead that has a second loop near the bottom. I find it gives me extra control if needed. A friend of mine made me one (he makes equipment for Husky sled racing) but I also believe that Grippy Leads makes something similar https://www.grippyleads.co.uk
