There is an ever increasing range of dog training aids that are now available to help you in your mission. However I am a great believer in keeping it all as simple as possible. So where do you begin with your purchases.

Rewards

I feel it is important to include this subject right at the top of the list.

Yes, when you are training your dog it is important that you reward them when they have been successful in learning and obeying a new command.  However I am one of the old school and I do not recommend the use of treats as a reward. You will come across certain chews and foody bits that are sold specifically as training rewards. I would encourage you not to go down this route.

Your dog’s expectation of a treat of any sort is putting in place a habit that ultimately may have to be broken. If every time your dog completes a simple task you give them a treat then they will turn into a dog that sits and drools for the treats at every opportunity.

However, that is not the biggest problem – the big problem is that feeding treats frequently leads to over-feeding and an overweight dog. In that one respect you will be doing your dog no favors at all.

The only reward that your dog needs as an indication of a new habit well learned or a command obeyed is for you to get down at their level and make a fuss of them.  Stroke their head, pat their neck or even give them a cuddle if you want, but stay off the food treats – it is totally unnecessary.

So now we have a that little issue out of the way let’s move on……..

Leashes and Collars

When it comes to the dog leash the variation in the market is huge – ranging from leashes only two-foot long to an extendable unit that could be 30 foot.

The ideal is the two to four foot leash – this way you ensure that when your dog is on the leash it is beside you and under your complete control and if your training is successful you will never need a lead any different to that.

If on the other hand the training has not been as successful to date, then in order to give your dog a little more freedom, but you are reluctant to let them of the lead – then you could consider an extendable lead as a short term solution whilst training continue.

Collars should be fully adjustable to the size of your dogs neck and it may be necessary to buy more than one to cover the growth from the puppy stage.

Fit a collar to your puppy as soon as possible as this allows them to become accustomed to the feeling of the collar around their neck, which initially may irritate.

Specialized Collars

Today there are so many variations to the dog collar. If your dog is trained correctly then the old conventional idea of a good quality leather collar will always fit the bill.

However there are a number of collar alternatives that can be resorted to if the training has not been as successful as you wished.

Clicker Collars

These are designed to emit a noise that can be activated by you, the trainer.  The idea being that when your dog has done something correct then you click the collar. The clicking is normally linked to the reward of a treat – a subject that we have already covered.

Like so many aspects to training the Clicker Collar can lead to confusion in your dogs mind as to what the message really means. So if you are going to go down this route then give careful thought as to how you are going to use it and if necessary take professional advice.

Electronic & Spiked Collars

These should be avoided at all costs as they can be counter-productive in your dogs training. They are aggressive and strangely they can often result in the dog returning the same aggression – what goes round comes round.

Choke Chain & Slip Collar

Although commonly used in the past the choke chain or rope slip collar used with caution can be productive in stopping a dog from pulling whilst on the leash.  I emphasize the word caution because again with over use and too much force exerted you can run the risk of damaging the dog’s neck.

Harnesses

These can appear to be a good alternative to putting pressure on a dog’s neck with a collar, but the big drawback is that they can tend to encourage the dog to pull even more than on a collar.

If the training of your dog is to be based around strong positive reinforcement of good behavior then the choice of leash and collar will be very simple.  If you dog obeys your commands at the first time of asking – and that will not happen overnight – then there will be no need for sophisticated collars because your dog will always be calmly walking beside you.

Dog Whistle

Other than the leash and collar the only other aid that is a must for most dog owners is a dog whistle. Not everybody has a good natural whistle themselves so always consider purchasing a good quality dog whistle.  This will then become a fundamental part of the training process.

Instead of shouting or screaming at your dog to return to heel a sharp blast on the whistle will be all that is needed.

That should be all that you need to get started with the training. As long as your approach to the training of your dog is based strong positive reinforcement of good behavior then they will be all the aids that you ever need.

Good luck.