Golden Retriever Puppies:
Dog Collars and Dog Leashes

Golden Retriever puppies do well with certain collar and leashes. I have listed these below to help you buy the right ones for your puppy.

1. Flat Collars
First of all, there is a regular flat or rounded dog collar. This is a collar that can be left on the dog, and to which tags can be attached. For their Golden Retriever puppies, many people start with a nylon flat collar that usually comes with a snap buckle. This works well for puppies with their softer necks. It is lightweight and typically does not cause any friction burns around the neck.

I used these on my pups -- they are safe and work well. For grown dogs as well, using dog collars with snap buckles is useful. These snaps break and allow the collar to come off relatively easily -- which is critical if the dog's collar were caught in something. Other collars with different fasteners may not break, and not allow the dog to free himself in an emergency situation.

2. Slip Collars
For training purposes, people often use slip collars (also called choke collars) for Golden Retriever puppies. These are chains with rings at both ends so that the collar can form a loop around the dog's neck behind the ears. There is a right way and a wrong way to put on these collars. If you are going to use slip collars for training, please make sure you find out about the correct way to put them on your dog.

I am not a big fan of these collars as they can be somewhat dangerous. The slip chains typically do not have a limit on how much they can constrict. So even though they are safe when used properly, they do have a serious potential of causing injury and even death of the dog. I would strongly urge you not to use these collars on young Golden Retriever puppies (less than 4 months of age), since their necks are not yet very strong.

3. Prong Collars
These are also known as pinch collars are also popular for training. This collar is made up of a sequence of widely-spaced chain links with blunted ends turned inwards toward the dog's neck. When yanked, the collar pinches the dog's neck. This is designed not to pinch very tightly, and pinches such that the pressure exerted by the collar is distributed over a large area. This is generally considered to be safer than slip collars.

4. Martingale Collar
These collars have 2 loops, the smaller loop tightens the larger loop when it is pulled and in turn, this exerts pressure on the dog's neck. Functionally, these collars are more like prong collars than like slip collars. The have limited constriction on the dog's neck and the pressure exerted is evenly distributed.

Please note that only the regular flat or rounded collar can be left on the dog when he is unsupervised. All the other collars (slip, prong, Martingale) cannot be left on the dog -- these are to be put on only for training. These are to be removed immediately after the training session is over. Leaving on such collars can result in serious injury or death for you dog. Please be careful.

Judging by the features noted above, select the dog collars you think may be right for you. More than which type of collar your puppy has, it is important to learn how to use it properly.

Dog Leashes
Many leashes are available -- a metal chain, braided leather, nylon webbing, retractable, and so on. A lightweight leash is best for very young puppies. The length of the leash is important. Get a 6 foot leather leash for basic training purposes. It is useful for training and also is mild on your hands in case your puppy jolts ahead, taking YOU for a run. Longer leads (12 to 30 feet) are used for training at a distance or during tracking sessions.