Anti-Pulling Equipment for Dog Walking

Most equipment mentioned below is available on Amazon. Some are available at big name pet stores like Petco and Petsmart.

Head Collars

Head collars are similar to horse bridles. They go around a dog's neck and muzzle, which gives the dog owner the ability to direct the dog by his head and prevent major pulling. While head collars work quite well, they can also prevent the dog from displaying "calming signals" (natural body language to avoid conflict) so I don't recommend it for puppies and environmentally sensitive dogs. But with generally confident dogs, as well as special cases, such as elderly or pregnant dog owners with big strong dogs, the head collar can be a huge help. In my experience, only 1 out of 4 or so dogs will accept the head collar willingly. Some need to learn to get used to it. A few will absolutely hate, even after a few uses. Below are a few of the many brands out there:

 

Control Ease Dog Headcollar - This is a good quality and affordable brand. The nose loop is padded with neoprene, which helps to avoid chafing.

Gentle Leader Headcollar - This is a also a good quality brand but a little more expensive. The nose loop is padded with neoprene, which helps to avoid chafing. This brand is more widely available, including at big pet stores like Petco and Petsmart. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns.

Halti Headcollar - This is another good one. It has a safety clip and other features so that the nose loop doesn't have to sit so tightly on the dog's muzzle. It might be good for sensitive dogs.

 

Front-clip Harnesses

Front clip harnesses are my first choice for dogs that pull. It doesn't prevent the dog from turning his head and giving "calming signals" but it curbs the pulling to a manageable level, especially when combined with training.

Wonder Walker Body Halter - This is a nice affordable harness that comes in many colors and sizes. I like that there is a back clip ring (in case you want to put a drag line or long line on your dog) as well as a front clip (to curb pulling). It only has one attachment so it's very easy to put on the dog and take off.

Didog Soft Flannel Padded Dog Vest Harness - This is a new harness that is easy to put on the dog and take off. It has a back ring as well as front ring.
 

Freedom No-Pull Harness - This harness has a nice fit, and the bottom part uses a velvety fabric which helps to prevent chafing behind the dog's front legs. It has a front clip (for anti-pulling) option, as well as a Martingale-style back clip option, which can be used when you want to give your dog more freedom on a long leash. It's a little cumbersome to put on the dog every day though, because there are multiple attachments to clip in.

Halti Harness - This is a pretty good harness. It's very affordable and is available at big name pet stores. It has neoprene on the bottom strap to prevent chafing.

Easy Walk Harness - This is a decent one although I've found that the sizes/fits are not very good. It doesn't have any padding on it either so some dogs experience chafing behind the front legs. The front clip is Martingale-style, so it shifts a bit more than I like. But it is available at most pet stores.

Leash

If you don't have access to anti-pulling tools, you can use a long leash and create a makeshift harness. The method I like to use, which works on my high energy 80-lb Lab, is #1 in the link below:

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/285082-turn-your-leash-into-a-no-pull-harness/

Others

Martingale Collar (limited slip) - While this collar works well on dogs with narrow heads that might easily slip out of a regular collar, it doesn't serve as an anti-pulling tool.

Slip Collars and Choke Chains - This collar works in such a way that if the dog pulls, the hole in the collar tightens on the dog's neck, thereby choking him. This tool can curb pulling with some minor pullers, however I would say that many dogs will pull anyway and start choking or coughing. It's not very pleasant. Also if your dog is in any way fearful or reactive, the "correction" they get when pulling towards a trigger can exacerbate their negative emotion.

Prong Collars -  This collar has prongs that stick into the dog's neck. It puts pressure on the dog's neck in many spots if he pulls on the leash.  Some dog owners swear by this tool. I would recommend this tool over a choke chain, although again, I wouldn't recommend it for emotionally sensitive dogs that might develop negative associations. Also, I should mention that some dog owners have told me that their dog ended up losing their hair and getting raw skin where the prongs were pinching the neck.