Lead with collar or harness? Long lead?

One thing I did with J was to use a harness when I wanted him to wander pretty much where he wanted, stop and sniff, weave, and even pull a little (because if I didn't allow any pulling we'd never have got anywhere), but use lead and collar for 'lead training', where we could take 5 minutes to cover 10 yards, as I'd stop every time he put any tension on the lead. It worked well, though he's not a naturally strong puller anyway.

 

I used a collar for starters but he quickly choked himself and with true terrier spirit refused to NOT choke himself. so we switched to a front clip harness and he's stuck to that pretty much since. at some point we switched to back clip.... im....not... sure....why? but it works pretty well.

 

Harness, as collars can cause damage to the trachea; and a long line should only ever be attached to a harness as a dog running out could come to the end and be stopped suddenly, which has the potential to cause injury.

 

Your puppy will be growing so go for cheap and cheerful for now. When he is fully grown, Perfect Fit are good (but not cheap). When you buy, watch out for buckles and fasteners close to elbows which could be uncomfortable, also some nylon webbing is finished to stop it fraying by heating the end. That leaves a hard edge so watch for that being somewhere that could rub.

You might find this video useful about teaching a dog not to pull. Kikopup has lots of excellent videos on Youtube.

 

Regarding the lead length, if you went straight for the long lead that would mean it's the only thing your pup would know, until the day you put the short lead on, meaning it would be more frustrating for him on the shorter lead at first as he'll be used to more freedom. I think it's probably best to do it the other way round and get the basics down with a short lead first. But I'm sure mixing in the long lead after a few days/couple of weeks wouldn't hurt.

 

We have always used a harness with Murphy we chose a Y harness although someone once gave a us a top brand of chest harness which we never liked and they are now being discussed as some people say they are not good for the dogs natural movement and can cause damage.
We started on a short lead and gradually worked up to a flexi in the local park and a long 10mtr line for our walks in nature reserves.
As has already been mentioned a flexi or long line should never ever been used with a collar.

 

The long lines must be used with a harness and are surprisingly heavy especially if they get wet ( some are worse than others for this). I dragged one around myself for a test and I really noticed the weight. My 10kg adult dog manages it OK when the end is dropped but it does slow him down noticeably