Dutch Shepherd Forum

We are shopping for supplies for the puppy we are getting next week and I was wondering if there is a benefit of using either a harness or collar for lead training and walks. We are new to the DS breed. I have always had Golden Retrievers as family dogs growing up and used a collar.

Also, are there any "must have" supplies that you can suggest that we may not have thought of? Specific brands of anything or styles? Thanks for your input! We are very open to learning anything you'd like to teach us!

born2fly79 wrote:We are shopping for supplies for the puppy we are getting next week and I was wondering if there is a benefit of using either a harness or collar for lead training and walks. We are new to the DS breed. I have always had Golden Retrievers as family dogs growing up and used a collar.

Also, are there any "must have" supplies that you can suggest that we may not have thought of? Specific brands of anything or styles? Thanks for your input! We are very open to learning anything you'd like to teach us!

Don't know what you've already thought of, but make sure not to forget the enzymatic cleaner (Nature's Miracle and related products).

I started out this time with a harness, but after a couple of months, switched to a collar.

One thing I got this time around that I didn't have before and could not live without now that I have one, is an XPen (exercise pen). I've got it set up in the kitchen, in addition to the other crates around the house. It allows the puppy to have more space and freedom than a crate, and I believe helps it learn to be able to be calm and settled while in the house, but not confined to a crate.

Again, without a list of what you are getting, it's hard to speculate about what you are forgetting

Depends on what your goals are for the dog! Many people who work in dog sports will start a puppy in a harness, to preserve the sensitivity of the neck for responding to leash pressure (since we all know puppies buck like broncos at first on a leash!).

We got the basics, like food dishes, leash (shorter nylon lead and a flexi lead), collar, slicker brush, basic shampoo, lots of chew toys (including a kong toy), a bed for outside the crate (need a cushion yet for inside his crate), and food. I think that's it. The XPen sounds like a great idea! I'll have to look into that!

turnnburn52984 wrote:Depends on what your goals are for the dog! Many people who work in dog sports will start a puppy in a harness, to preserve the sensitivity of the neck for responding to leash pressure (since we all know puppies buck like broncos at first on a leash!).

We do? I never owned a harness for any pup, and most of they make pretty decent working dogs. Maybe because I am of the opinion that if a flat collar kills a pups drive, it did not have enough to begin with anyway. Not knocking your remark, Kelly. Just stating that even in that, it all boils down to personal peference.

I think either choice will work just fine, so if I were the owner, I would go with that I would feel most comfortable with.
I second Leih's advice for crates and X pens. It is such a blessing to have a time out every now and then. (for the owner as much as for the pup!)

I never put a harness on Cino until we started doing back-ties for his initial bitework.

Started very early with a pinch collar and it never broke his spirit.

Although I don't train with him anymore, the last time we were out at the club working his spirit/drive/desire to get that sleeve was over the top.

...

Why I love him so much. When I do take him out to work he does it and when we are home he is happy to chill out with me.

Thanks for the advice! My husband is pretty set on a collar and we don't plan to do bite work with him, so that's probably the route we'll go. We still need to research some sports and I would love to do some agility training. We'd be learning together. It wil take lots of research, dedication, and help from others!

Don't worry too much about getting the cushion for his crate yet<g>...This time, I went with rubber stall matting, and it does the same thing while being impervious to puppy chewing and such. Now, I admit it was a royal pain to buy a stall mat (4'x6'), then cut it up into several crate size mats, but you can buy them already sized for crates, too.

It's possible you'll get a pup that won't mess with a crate cushion, but you may want to wait and see what your pup is like before making that purchase (you can always get it later down the line).

Judith...I know what Kelly was talking about... she wasn't implying that the dog would lose drive from having a collar on, but that the frequent pressure from the collar would make the neck less sensitive to leash pressure down the line when training heeling and that kind of thing. That's actually why I went with the harness to begin with, but it became a PITA, and I just said screw it, I taught my GSD to be an ace heeler without worrying about neck sensitivity, I'll manage with Geyser, too<g>.

I have a variety of collars and a harness. I only used the harness on Thalie when we started bite work, mostly for more control of her body and so that the pulling was more of holding instead of feeling like a correction. She could pull against the harness when she needed. I had put a harness on the pup for the first few weeks, it was easier to grab the back of the harness when she was into something she wasnt supposed to. Now she is back in a regular collar. I also have the harnesses for the back of my pick up for the bed tie. I think its a good idea to have a variety of things, just in case.

vneerland wrote:

turnnburn52984 wrote:Depends on what your goals are for the dog! Many people who work in dog sports will start a puppy in a harness, to preserve the sensitivity of the neck for responding to leash pressure (since we all know puppies buck like broncos at first on a leash!).

We do? I never owned a harness for any pup, and most of they make pretty decent working dogs. Maybe because I am of the opinion that if a flat collar kills a pups drive, it did not have enough to begin with anyway. Not knocking your remark, Kelly. Just stating that even in that, it all boils down to personal peference.

The 'Michael Ellis way' would use a harness. Thats really all I meant by it. He's a pretty popular method. He saves a pups neck for when they are a bit older (I believe he introduces collar pressure around 6months? Can't really remember). Just sayin, thats all. I've always raised pups on collars, not harnesses, so I have no first hand experience, but it makes sense to me.

I totally agree, if flat collar kills a pups drive he should get to go be a pet, not a sport/working dog.

Hmm... Never thought about a harness giving you more to grab when he gets into something he shouldn't. Might not be a bad idea to try one for some activities.

On a side note, we get him Thursday and I can't wait to get some good pics on here!!