I have found over the years, with many different dogs, that the style of preferred lead depends upon the dog.

We had normal nylon or leather safety release buckle collars for most dogs.

But I had a very aggressive stubborn lab once that I went from regular collar to training (choke) collar to halti collar, before we were finally comfortable on a walk.

I now use an itty bitty harness for our itty bitty dog (toy fox terrier), because she is so small, I worry about hurting her tiny little neck with a normal collar.

If I had to choose my favorite it would be a limited slip collar(sometimes called martingale collar). Yup, that is the one I prefer, especially for my labs.

But in order to continue to waffle, I will go back to my original statement.... it depends upon the dog.

I'm a dog walker, plus I have three large dogs of my own.

I also think the style of leash depends on the dog.

I have a dog client that loves to bolt for squirrels and cats when I least expect it. She has the gentle lead that you describe and it does keep her under control. They must be measured for a proper fit.

The one collar I stay away from and advise my clients to do the same is one that has the "clip" type mechanism that slips together and holds the collar on the dog. I've had two of these things break. Everything worked out with no injuries. I think the things just wear out due to constant tugging. The better collar is the belt buckle type.

SG

I use a standard 6ft nylon leash with flat nylon collar for exercise walks and car-rides.

I use a flexi-lead when we go for a fun walk, like to the park or river, paired with a regular, nylon collar, but I always have a regular leash with me.

I use a 6ft leather leash and round leather collar when we visit...I think of it as his Sunday-best, LOL.

I have heard really great things about Gentle Leader, quite a few of my neighbors swear by them.

There's two different things: leashes and collars, so I'll talk about leashes first. I like the leather leash for regular walks, it's the easiest on the hands in my opinion. A flexi leash or just a long line with a clip is useful for walking in big fields or on nature trails when I want to give them a little more room to explore.

As far as collars, it largely depends on the dog. One of my dogs is a greyhound, so he needs a martingale (aka limited slip) collar because his neck is fairly wide and his head is narrow, which can make a regular collar slip right off his head. He has great leash manners so I haven't tried any other collars on him. However martingale collars (either all nylon or nylon with a small chain portion) are good for dogs that are mild pullers. They can't be tightened all the way like a choke, so they protect the dog's neck, while at the same time being a reminder to the dog not to pull.

My other dog is a bouncy, pulling maniac. ;) I have a variety of tools I use with her, depending on the situation. A regular flat collar for boring occasions, a Halti head collar in very stimulating places (I like these better than the Gentle Leader although they are fairly similar). We also have a prong collar that we use rarely, however it is a tool to teach leash manners also (which I quite prefer to the choke collar btw, especially when comparing how it acts on the dog's neck). For our nature walks on a flexi I use a regular body harness.

I'm not a fan of the Easy Walk and similar harnesses for a couple of reasons. One is that they are very easy to slip out of (which my girl has done even with a normal harness, but this would be way too easy for her). Also, because of how they go around the chest/front legs, they put a lot of unnatural pressure on the elbow joints which can cause problems over time.

For your dog I would be tempted to try a martingale collar if she just needs little reminders (some folks like the nylon with the small chain section because the dog learns to respond to the sound of the collar tightening). Alternatively, if she needs a bit more work I'd try the Good Dog collar (aka Triple Crown collar) which is a plastic, gentler version of the prong. I hope that helps, sorry it got a little long. :)

fivemonkeys, you said "She is attentive and sits politely when we ask her to when other dogs walk by. However, with a traditional leash she will pull on occasion and will actually gag."

She sounds like a great girl and smart. I personally wouldn't change her collar though. If it was me, the second she pulled I would say "No, Sit" or Down or whatever the situation calls for. Between that and her realizing 'gee if I pull it hurts my throat" she will get it.

Changing her collar isn't going to correct bad behavior moments and pulling on the leash. And she sounds like a smart dog who will figure it out.

Go back to basics with the sit, heal or down when she pulls and I bet you two will do fine.

You have half of the game won already since you have a dog who listens to your commmands and obeys them. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! You dont need to go out and get anything. When starting out for a walk, have your dog come to you to get hooked up for walkies, if that means putting on just the leash - great, some people dont have collars on 24/7 so if that means putting the collar on, start there. Your dog should be in a calm submissive state. Just call your dog, let it know its going walkies and put it in a sit stay position. When you head for the door, put your dog in a sit stay position, go out the door first, put your dog back into a sit stay position while you lock up. Place a choke collar around the dogs neck closer to the ears like you see the people at the dog shows doing, this is a more sensitive part of the the dogs neck and it will be less inclinded to pull. If the leash slips down, back to a sit stay until you readjust - in the begining it is kind of frustrating, but within a week or so you should see a big improvement. Also, no sniffing everything, a walk should be kind of a fast paced walk, dont let your dog sniff everything or pee on everything, this too will change over time, first couple of minutes is pp and touchdown time, then it is real walkies, nothing else. Just correct unwanted behavior with a verbal tsk and a short sharp tug and release on the collar. Good Luck. Be patient and last of all dont let your dog drag you around, your dog should be walking by your side.

mazer could not have said it any better! I agree 100%.