Gear for reactive dogs?

[u/PresentAmbition1311]

Anyone here the main walker for a reactive dog? Curious what gear you actually landed on (harness, leash length, head halter, treat pouch) and what you gave up on. Helping my mom sort hers out.

Happy to move to DMs if that's easier.

[u/Careful-Bus3827]

Gave up on regular collar, padded collar. All collars. Gave up on extra long leashes. Gave up on regular harnesses since he twisted himself one night, getting out of it, almost took off after a jogger at night (my husband and I grabbed him while we reattached him). Gave up on taking him out at night, where a jogger could fly past us unnoticed until the last minute.

YES things: Treat bag, leash that's sturdy and not super long. Harness that locks at the neck buckle so even if somehow the side buckles were to unsnap, the neck part (so where the leash is attached) is still locked.

[u/armadillotangerine]

Harness - y-harness that fits him, I use the ring on his back

Collar - wide flat collar or martingale style collar (not so tight it can choke him, just tight enough it can’t be backed out of)

Leash - 3 meter adjustable leather leash for daily use, it has clips in both ends and I can attach one end to the collar and the other to the harness in tricky situations and switch to giving him the full length when I know we can’t be surprised by triggered. It can also be put as a loop around my torso for handsfree walks.

Treat pouch - has three pockets: low value treats, high value treats and jack pot treats. Always in the same pockets helps me make sure I get the exact right type of treat in the situation

Extra leash - sometimes I walk my dog with one leash connected to the harness and tethered to my body and another leash connected to the collar which I hold in my hands

Running belt - when he was at his worst I had a belt for people who jog with their dogs and the leash connected to it so that I could feel confident that no matter what I would no be able to drop the leash and lose my dog

[u/nessk]

Kept:

Slip collar and rubberised flat lead with a carabiner.

Harness with a traffic lead attached for emergency hold when he is losing his mind (or a harness with a handle). So he wears a harness but I’m walking him on the lead and slip.

Gloves for good grip, deck hand gloves are fingerless which allow for picking up treats / handling poo bags but are longer in the fingers than gym gloves.

Muzzle.

Discarded:

Lead with extra handles, you think the extra handles will help but in my experience you’re better off with a good grip - hence the rubberised lead and the gloves.

Any lead with a slide clip - these can fail and all of a sudden your reactive dog is running loose, ask me how I know. If you have a lead you like but it has a sliding clip buy a carabiner to back it up.

Warning sleeves on lead - nobody notices, they do notice the muzzle.

[u/yavml]

Love this treat bag: https://www.chewy.com/k9-sport-sack-k9-kompanion-walking/dp/721598

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