Getting a new German Shepherd puppy is an exciting adventure for any new puppy owner. When bringing a new puppy into your home, you’re welcoming a new family member into your lives. German Shepherds make wonderful companions and can easily blend into your family environment. As we all know, when bringing a new puppy into the home, many questions and steps can be taken to make it as easy as possible. Canine Extreme has had 25+ years working with these fantastic dogs, and in this article, you can find some of the most common questions we receive when welcoming a new puppy into the home.
Picking a Collar and Leash for a German Shepherd
Welcoming home a new German Shepherd can bring in many new questions. One of these questions is, “what type of collar and leash should I get my new German Shepherd”? While the “right leash and collar” are based on your preferences, Canine Extreme does have a few recommendations. There are many variations to the leash and collar, such as material, length, and width, and some can outperform others. Rest assured, in this article; we’ll go over a few options and guidelines to use when selecting a new collar and leash for your German Shepherd. We want you and your new German Shepherd to not only be comfortable, but stylish as well!
While there is no wrong collar, some collars perform better than others in our experience. When selecting a collar, some key factors are safety and comfort. Here at Canine Extreme, we have designed our line of leather collars and leather leashes. We have made sure comfort, safety, and durability are the utmost priority. Safety is a crucial factor because you don’t want the collar breaking while on a walk and having your dog get loose. A collar with an intergraded metal clasp is a substantial way to increase the strength, sturdiness, and safety of the collar selected. We recommend these claps to be metal, like brass or stainless steel.
While safety is a significant feature, it’s equally important to keep in mind your dog’s comfort. Two of the go-to style of collars that we like to us is the Canine Extreme Flat Leather Collar and a Rolled Leather Collar. Both the flat leather collar and rolled leather collar can be worn every day and offer comfort to the dog. Rolled leather collars are to protect the hair around the dog’s neck, adding benefit.
Once a collar is selected, its time to pick a leash for your new German Shepherd. Picking a leash has similarities to choosing a collar because you want to choose something sturdy that is also comfortable. However, we now want that comfort to be for us as we will be the ones holding the leash. A 6-foot leather leash is the standard go-to leash for Canine Extreme. Leather leashes offer a high quality of leash that is long-lasting and exceedingly comfortable to hold. Depending on the size of your dog, you can select the 1/2 x 6 foot or the 3/4 x 6 foot. While both are sturdy, the 1/2 x 6-foot leather leash is a bit lighter, and sometimes is preferred for puppies.
Many options for a leash can be selected. The main one that we do not recommend is a retractable leash. Retractable leashes can teach your dog to pull as they get rewarded with more distance; the more they pull. Rest assured, there are a few other leashes that can give you options on length. The first one is an 8-foot leather leash. Just like with the standard 6-foot leather leash, this is a comfortable leash that becomes more comfortable with use. The extra two feet can help give your dog a bit more freedom. The second option is a traffic lead. There are many styles and variations of traffic lead and are generally around 2 and 1/2 feet long. Traffic leads are a short leash that can be used when you need your dog close to you but don’t want to use a long leash.
A good collar and leash is an essential step to accepting a new dog into your home. While there are some guidelines mentioned above, you can take these guidelines and try out some options. Everyone and every dog is different, and finding something comfortable for you and your German Shepherd as well as looking fashionable is part of the fun!
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