A leash is probably one of, if not, the most important piece of equipment to train your pooch. When Shannon and I got baby Beary we bought all the necessities first-time dog owners should have. First mistake: I bought a $30 retractable dog leash. It looked sleek, felt durable and sturdy, but it confused our little guy. There was no way for him to gauge any sort of limit in distance, because I’d change the slack on the leash, depending where he was allowed to go. The next mishap was purchasing a six-foot Lupine lead that had a regular trigger-style snap. The padded handle felt nice, but when Beary shook his entire body after a brisk walk, the snap got loose and so did he! And this was the second time it had happened with a trigger-style snap! Let me tell you, once your puppy is off the leash and thinks it’s a fun(ny) game for you to catch him, you will go into panic mode. Lesson learned: no more trigger-style snaps. I still have the Lupine leash as a back-up, because it feels and looks great, but that’s only what it is a back-up. Enter the Aspen lead. The snap has a bit of a different mechanism in that it acts more like an automatic hitch that’s really immune to those hiccups the other snaps seem to have. This leash isn’t really the sharpest-looking I’ve bought either and at 12 bucks it ain’t exactly cheap either for a six-footer, but the ease of mind is priceless. Now, I’ve also seen a video in where the dog trainer endorses a leather leash with a thumb loop, but Beary being a 15-pound terrier definitely won’t hurt my wrist if he pulls hard. I can’t vouch for others, but I can say that Aspen’s The Easy Hitch  leash is money well spent.

Pros: it’s foolproof and hasn’t failed me yet

Cons: not the prettiest of leashes and it’s 12 bucks

[ratings]