Walking & Training
Good walks start with gear that fits, the right things in your pocket and a little practice. Begin with how to measure a dog for a harness, collar or coat, then use the dog walking essentials checklist to pack for every walk, including after dark.
If your dog drags you down the street, the short-session plan to stop leash pulling is the place to start. Walking a cat? This topic also has a slow, week-by-week harness plan. The harnesses, collars and leashes these guides mention are in reflective dog walking gear.
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Guide
Apartment Dog Etiquette: Hallways, Elevators, Lobbies and Noise
How to handle your dog in a shared building: a short leash and a wait at your own door, when to ask, wait or carry in the elevator, lobby manners and pet rules, and how to cut the barking, late-night zoomies and nail clicks your neighbors hear.
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Guide
Walking a Dog in the Rain: Gear, Short Routes and Drying Off at the Door
How to walk a dog in the rain without soaking the house: whether to go, coaxing a dog who won't step outside, covered routes, reflective gear and a zippered bag pouch, and a paws-belly-coat drying routine at the door.
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Guide
Hiking With a Dog: A Day-Hike Checklist for Water, Waste, Trail Manners and Tired Legs
What to bring hiking with a dog, and how to use it on the trail: park rules, a harness and 6-foot leash, water offered at every rest (even to a dog who won't drink), full bags packed out, passing hikers and horses, a tick check, and when to carry a tired dog.
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Guide
New Puppy Checklist: Supplies, Home Setup and the First Week
What to buy for a new puppy and how to set up your home before day one, from the crate, food and enzyme cleaner to a collar with ID, a harness and leash, plus the first vet visit and a simple routine for the first week.
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Guide
How to Leash Train a Puppy: Collar, Harness and Your First Short Walks
Start indoors with two-minute sessions, let a light leash trail while you watch, and follow your puppy before you ask them to follow you. Then keep the first walks short and quiet, and learn what to do when your puppy sits down and won't budge.
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Guide
How to Harness Train a Cat: From First Sniff to First Steps Outside
A week-by-week plan for harness training a cat: first sniffs, buckling on an H-style harness, a trailing leash indoors and short supervised outings, plus why some cats flop over and the signs to stop for the day.
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Guide
Front-Clip vs Back-Clip Dog Harness: How Each One Works and Which Suits Your Dog
A front clip turns a pulling dog back toward you; a back clip is simpler for a dog that already walks calmly. See how each works, what no-pull harnesses can and can't do, how to check the fit, and which suits pullers, small dogs and runners.
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Guide
How to Stop a Dog Pulling on the Leash: A Short-Session Training Plan
For adult dogs that pull: four short stages, from a hallway reward zone to stop-and-wait, direction changes and real streets with sniff breaks as the payoff. Plus where a front-clip harness helps and where it doesn't.
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Guide
Dog Walking Essentials: What to Bring on Every Walk, Including After Dark
What to bring on every dog walk, from an ID collar and harness to water and a way to carry full poop bags, plus reflective gear and a light for darker evenings after the clocks change in November.
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Guide
How to Measure a Dog for a Harness, Collar or Coat
Three soft-tape measurements (chest girth, neck and back length) are all you need to choose a harness, collar or coat size. This guide also covers the two-finger fit check and what to do when your dog is between sizes.
