[Luna the Spoo]

I'm new to standard poodles and have to say I'm just amazed at how she doesn't seem to walk but does this bouncy prance thing like she's got springs in her paws where her feet barely touch the ground unless she's in full run. I call her my bouncy little lamb, or tigger. Anyway, I'm used to training how to walk on a show lead but this girl is not a show dog. I've got her on a regular flat collar right now but she's needing to size up, and I'm wondering if I shouldn't try a different type of collar and possibly a harness for walks? Would a rolled leather collar be better with poodle coat? Right now she's 15 weeks and willingly walks along with the pack most of the time but I want to start doing one on one walking training with her once she gets her last set of shots in a week and we can expand on our current little route.

 

[cowpony]

I use a wide martingale collar for day time walks. I prefer the martingale to both a slip collar and a flat collar. Like a slip collar, it sits comfortably loose, looser than a flat collar, on the dog's neck unless the dog starts pulling. Then it tightens to prevent the dog from ducking his head and popping the collar off. Different from a slip collar, the rings on the martingale prevent the collar from over tightening and choking the dog.

I use a rolled leather collar to hold my guy's tags, but I don't use it for walking. I would need to over tighten it to forestall the possibility of him popping the collar off. I want the collar to be loose and comfortable.

I used a harness to walk puppies when they are still babies and figuring out leash manners. I know they are likely to hit the end of the leash hard, and I wanted to spare their necks. I still use a harness to walk at night, as I can hang lights and reflectors off it for better visibility. I know some people don't like to use a harness, as it rubs the coat. I don't worry about that, as I'm not trying for a show coat.

 

[Starla]

I also prefer a martingale. I don’t want to have any dog freak out and back out of a collar ever, and I like a loose fit. I don’t do collars inside, but many people do like the rolled leather collars, they’re suggested often.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy wears a rolled leather collar, but we walk her with a front-clip harness.

I had her out on just her collar last night, for a quick pee in the dark, and she spooked when someone “appeared” from the bushes (actually just walked by, but you know what dog brains are like lol). She hit the end of her leash hard and coughed on and off for the next ten minutes. I felt so bad.

 

[Johanna]

I am not a fan of harnesses. I think they are for pulling! Most of the time I use a simple chain collar - usually the nice smooth ones called "snake chains". I also use leather buckle collars. I train puppies to walk politely without pulling by using tiny jerks on the collar if they pull.

For show dogs that I want to lead out in front of me, I just clip the lead on the "dead" ring and encourage them to go out in front. For dogs who will be shown in conformation and also in obedience or agility, I use the thin chain collar for conformation and the leather collar for obedience/agility. I have never used a harness on any dog, poodle, whippet, Scottie, greyhound, or German Shepherd.

 

[Luna the Spoo]

Whelp it looks like there's no real general consensus on this one so I'll order a couple different ones to see what works best for us, something for training and walks and something to keep on for ID tags. Still not sure what exactly but I appreciate all that took time to weigh in on what works for you!

 

[DNi]

Your approach of trying a couple is probably the best approach since the best fit will probably depend on the needs of you and your pup (she's adorable!).

Loki came to us with a flat collar that I swapped for martingale since I was worried about him backing out of the collar. I then swap him to a harness when he started to chase squirrels to prevent him from hurting himself while we're working on leash manners. I'm also less worried about his long line snagging when he's dragging it during his "off-leash" runs when he's wearing his harness instead of his collar. He's "naked" at home (no collar/ID tags), but I use these velcro ID tags that can be easily moved from a harness to a collar when we're outside.

 

[Luna the Spoo]

I decided to go with the Martingale for walks. We mainly walk as a pack vs individually and she hasn't shown any interest in pulling away so far but my main concern is with backing out of a flat or rolled collar with that long thin head and snoot 😄. My other big concern is with accidental loss. She is chipped however I fear accidental escape from the house and I'd tags would be the quickest way for the dogs to be returned should this ever happen. So my dogs wear collars all the time. My concern with this VERY bouncy spoo is that she could accidentally get hung up on something so she would need a pretty close fitting collar to make that less likely to happen. I'd put a cat breakaway collar if it would fit. At least till she gets older and quits all the bouncy business (they do stop eventually, right?!😯) Maybe I overthink all this stuff but I can't help it. I take the safety and wellbeing of all my kids (bio and fur) very seriously and always thinking ahead and both in and outside the box sometimes to my own detriment. Let's not even get me on the subject of the best food🤦‍♀️.