Show dog leads and collars [Complete Guide] (2024)

Hello, my name is Allison, and this is part of our equipment series. Today, we’re going to talk about leads and callers, uh, the differences between different leads and collars that you might use for your show dog in the show ring when where all kind of my tips and tricks around it all right so first of all, let’s start with the basics. Some people like the color of the nylon to as closely match their dog as possible, and some people like silver chains.

Some people prefer a darker almost black chain or a fancy gold chain, but this is a personal preference. Another type of lead that you may be familiar with is a martingale, which has a lead that can only go to a fixed circumference but can be loosened and tightened by this other kind of loopy lead this ring connects to your leash and then this goes around the dog’s neck and again the martingale can come in chain snake chain nylon some leather This is called a bolt snap because it looks like a bolt to me uh snap leaves are the ones that I don’t like the most first of all the bolt can easily be touched by your finger and then your dog is set free at the dog show or another inopportune moment so if I am using a clip i would like it to just be a different kind of clip without this bolt that is harder to undo as well as the bolt hat or the snap of any kind has weight One of the things about kangaroo leads is that you can get them custom made with beads. Now, the beading is gorgeous, no doubt about it, but think about it when you’re supposed to be neatly holding that leash in your hand now you’re holding all these beads in your hand and it just makes for like a big handful of leash as well as those beads are heavy right so they’re weighing down the leash es maybe get a beautiful custom leash with like lots of beads on it for taking your dog for a walk but it’s not always the most practical choice actually in the ring so a little like here is my personal dog show leash right now she has a chain martingale and i have actually attached it to a narrow resco because i couldn’t find a nylon leash that i thought was long enough and then at the other end i have just wound up the excess lead and made this leash as long as i personally want it my custom length by just putting a simple rubber band around the other leg and then bada bing bada boom i have the exact length of leash that i want so like this is the leash that i’m actually currently showing my own dog on right now so as you can see there are many different sizes shapes colors of leads and collars so a little just brief recap when i am starting my puppy young dogs i like to start them either on a very fat soft slip collar made of nylon or like i said the big fat the 3 8 inch rescue lead because i feel they can lean into it they can push into it and it’s a little more forgiving i can get the head carriage out of them the control i want out of them without having like a very thin lead like maybe just making them uncomfortable under their chin so when it comes to picking your leash your collar for the show ring know that there are many many different options out there all of them have advantages and disadvantages and with most show dogs i have found that they probably have like maybe three different collars throughout their show career like a bigger fatter one for that puppy stage that training stage and then typically the one i think they can graduate to and then typically through trial and error i actually get down to the one that is the most comfortable is the most practical for that breed and just works between myself and the dog that i’m showing so next time you’re looking for a leash and collar remember there’s lots of options out there we hope that that helped hi guys thanks for joining us on another article in our equipment series like we said there is a lot of equipment here that we need to cover so if we haven’t yet hit the piece of equipment that you’re yearning to learn about let us know in the comments below and we will add it to our very next one as well don’t forget to like and subscribe because then you won’t miss out on a article that maybe you’ve requested or something that you want to know about we are always here for you to answer any of your questions about these or any other products any other thing that you need to know to take great care of your dog, whether you’re in the salon, going to a dog show, or just trying to get your dog groomed at home in the easiest and most efficient way possible. So thanks again for joining us in our equipment series.

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• “Occupational and Environmental Health: Recognizing and Preventing Disease and …” by Barry S. Levy, David H. Wegman, et. al. – Oxford University Press, 2017
• “The Chest X-Ray: A Survival Guide” by Gerald de Lacey, Simon Morley, Laurence Berman – Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008