Favorite Dog Items, Leashes, harness, etc…

There was a learning curve for us with leashes, collars, harnesses and other items before we found our favorite dog items.

This is Part Two. Go Here for Part One.

All items aren’t for all dogs. It seems so obvious at first. We wouldn’t put a collar meant for a Chihuahua on Border Collie, but what about all those collars in the medium dog size? Is there really a difference between a Martingale Collar and a regular collar? Or two similar looking regular collars? Yes, yes, there is a difference.

Favorite Dog Items: Collars

Pandora came with an adorable pineapple and flower printed collar and a puppy leash. The cuteness! But like all puppies she grew fast, and we needed to replace her collar and leash.

So off I went to the pet store. After choking on the price of collars, I came home and hit Amazon. Then, after a few hours on Amazon, I had to ask myself questions: Does she need a lead? A Martingale collar, a regular collar, an e-collar? Heck, if I knew.

Since, I couldn’t decide, I just got one that was basic, the Blueberry Pet Essentials Classic Collar (it has pretty good reviews and lots of color options) and it was what we needed.

It lasted and grew with her. It was easy to clean and never broke or frayed. It did get a little dingy after a good year and a half, despite all the washings. Pandora is into many things, she goes through every mud puddle, she slides across the grass, she tries to roll on cougar scat and deceased animals on hikes. The collar also went through Roxie’s stage of yanking Pandora around by it. But that collar held in there. Since it worked so well, we bought it again.

Favorite Dog Items: Leashes

I know, there are a ton of leashes out there. And we tried many of them. We tried the retractable leash – doesn’t work well with training leash manners. And it completely failed when I was trying to keep her near me as a man jogged by. Pandora liked that someone was faster than me and the darn thing snapped when she took off.

So, I went back to the basics. I don’t snub basics.

We did buy a cheap basic leash once, I learned never again to buy a leash that had some slick coating on it. When you need to get a hold of your dog, you need something that has a good solid grip. The slick leash gave me “rope” burns. Ditto the retractable leash, you are stuck with that plastic handle and if you need more control, you’re S.O.L (snot out of luck).

I don’t have a link for this leash because Amazon no longer has the one we bought and I’m not going to recommend one we haven’t tried. Pandora is a mid-size dog she’s just shy of 40 pounds, and that is mostly muscle. She’s a bit thinner than most Australian Cattle Dogs. We got a 4′ leash that has a 1″ width and a solid metal clasp. That thing is great although it does have a small nibble on it, it’s still strong and not unravelling.

Know your dog, know what you can handle and what you need. Feel the material of the leash and make sure it won’t shred up your hand.

Favorite Dog Items: Kennels

When we first Pandora home, we were going to forgo the kennel. But I kept reading that for easy and fairly quick potty training, the kennel is the way to go. We didn’t have a dog kennel, but we did have a cat carrier that Pandora didn’t mind. Of course, she was just a little round ball of cuteness so she fit.

We hopped on Amazon and got one ordered. And it arrived in the nick of time, little miss was barely squeezing into the old crate. We’d bought an Amazon Basics? I’m not positive. It worked for us, but doesn’t have the better ratings that this one has, which is identical:

Favorite Harness

Yes, I caved and bought a harness. Have I mentioned the difficulties of getting Pandora to walk on sidewalks or paths anywhere near vehicles? Oy Vey!

We love this harness because it has a little stretch, which came in handy to prevent chafing on little miss when I put it on too tight one time. Pandora’s friend Roxy got one in a different color and she wears it all the time. Still holding up after two years of use.

Our Favorite Fence

Let’s face it, Pandora’s a cattle dog through and through. If we don’t give her a boundary, she’ll herd everything within a four-mile radius to our yard. My husband and I couldn’t agree on the type of structural fence and cost, so we went with the invisible fence.

I know many people are concerned about the fence, but it’s been a great fence. You have different levels of intensity: Level one is a beep and vibration. Level two is beep and light zap and so on until level four where it’s a pretty decent zap.

I was a bit upset the first time Pandora got zapped, I felt horrible when she yelped. Here’s the thing, it was mostly out of surprise. I didn’t have it on the highest setting, I had it on the first zap.

Another thing, this company stood behind their product and were excellent to deal with. We had screw pop out of the box on the collar and they sent a replacement immediately. No hassle. Phenomenal customer service. The PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Pet Fence.

Favorite Pet Food Storage Container

There are all sorts of storage containers out there. We got the Gamma 2 Vittles Vault (I love saying “Vittles Vault”) one and have been pretty content with it. I always feel like I’m breaking into a safe when I spin the lid. It’s solid and keeps the food dry and stale-free.

Our Newest Favorite Item

The car-seat cover. This has been a life saver…well, for the car seat material anyway. It is the Vailge Dog Seat Cover for Back Seat.

This thing is awesome! Especially, when Pandora took off through a mud field. Or after her many swims. Or when she’s in full shedding mode. Cleanup is a breeze. Most of the time, I just shake it out and we’re good to go. I’ve thrown it in the wash (after Pandora’s mud romp) and it’s been fine. I didn’t put it through the dryer. It’s easy in, easy out. Saves the car from a hair-fest during shedding season. I can’t rave about this enough.