Our Top 5 Dog Training Equipment Recommendations
If your dog is joining us for Day Training or Residential Training, there are a few simple pieces of equipment that we use every day and recommend having at home too.
Using the same equipment that we use during training makes it much easier to maintain consistency between our training and yours.
Here are our top five:
1. A Raised Place Bed
A raised place bed is probably one of the most useful pieces of training equipment you can own.
We use place training with almost every dog that comes through our doors. It teaches your dog how to switch off, practise impulse control and remain settled despite what's happening around them.
Once your dog understands "place", you can use it while you're cooking dinner, eating, working, answering the front door or having visitors over.
We particularly like raised beds because they give the dog a really obvious physical boundary — they're either on their place or they're not. They're also practical, easy to clean and can be moved around the house.
We use and recommend HiK9 raised beds.
2. A Slip Lead
Simple, effective and one of the pieces of equipment you'll see us using every single day.
A correctly fitted slip lead gives you clear communication with your dog without needing lots of complicated equipment.
We use them extensively for loose lead walking, engagement and everyday handling.
The important part isn't simply owning a slip lead — it's understanding how to fit and use one correctly. We'll show you how we use yours as part of your dog's training and handover.
We like the slip leads available from Muntjac Trading, which stocks a variety of styles and sizes.
3. An ACME 211.5 Whistle
If we're working on your dog's recall, we strongly recommend having your own ACME 211.5 whistle.
The biggest advantage of a whistle is consistency. Your voice can change depending on whether you're excited, worried, frustrated or trying to shout across a field. A whistle gives your dog the same clear recall signal every time.
By using the same 211.5 whistle that we use during training, we can establish the recall with us and then transfer exactly the same signal back to you at home.
ACME also recommends sticking with the same numbered whistle throughout your dog's training.
4. A Clicker
One of the cheapest items on the list — and incredibly useful.
A clicker gives us a precise marker for the exact moment your dog performs the behaviour we're looking for.
Timing matters enormously in dog training. The click allows us to tell the dog, very clearly, "Yes — that exact thing you just did was correct."
Once your dog understands what the click means, it can make teaching and shaping new behaviours much clearer.
You don't need anything fancy. A basic dog-training clicker is absolutely fine and they're readily available from Amazon, eBay and most pet shops.
5. Good-Quality Kibble
This one sometimes surprises people!
Generally, we don't rely on lots of different high-value treats during everyday training. Our dogs work for their normal food.
Using your dog's daily food allowance for training means you have hundreds of opportunities throughout the day to reward good decisions without continually adding extra treats and calories.
Rather than simply putting your dog's entire breakfast or dinner into a bowl, consider how much of it could be put to work instead.
Recall, place training, engagement, loose lead walking and learning new behaviours can all become opportunities for your dog to earn part of their normal daily food.
One of our favourite foods is Millies Wolfheart, a British-made range of complete working and sporting dog foods.
Of course, every dog is different, so choose a complete food that's appropriate for your individual dog and introduce dietary changes appropriately.
Keep It Simple
Good dog training doesn't require a cupboard full of gadgets.
A place bed, slip lead, whistle, clicker and your dog's normal food will cover an enormous amount of the training we do.
More importantly, having the same basic equipment at home means that when your dog comes back from Day Training or Residential Training, you can continue speaking the same training language that we've been using with them.
Consistency between trainer and owner is where the magic really happens.
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