Dog Gear

Often being involved in Schutzhund and other dog sports goes hand in hand with having excessive amounts of dog gear! I love to shop and many dog shows and trials I've attended have hosted fabulous vendors. Over the years I've accumulated quite a collection. The items below are some of my favorite and most used dog supplies. Click on a link to jump to that section. Some items may be posted in more than one section. Click any photo to load a larger image.

Recommended Suppliers
Van
Collars
Leashes
Conformation
Training Tools
Toys & Rewards
Tracking under construction
Kennel Supplies under construction
Grooming under construction
My Doggy-Dooley (the urban solution for dog poop!)
DIY Agility Jumps
DIY Channel Weaves

The "kennel on wheels"

My "dog van" is a 2004 Mazda MPV. Unfortunately I couldn't go all-out on a dog trailer, RV, or large utility van. The MPV was a great compromise. It is very easy for me to quickly convert it from the kennel to a normal 7 passenger minivan.

I use 36" wire crates for travel/training so my van can do any combination of 4 canine or human passengers (ex. 2 humans in captain's chairs, 2 dogs in crates; 4 dogs, 0 captain's chairs, 3 dogs, 1 captain's chair). Normally you cannot fit 2 36" crates side by side in the rear but I've recently created a platform that makes this possible (lifts the crates over top of the seatbelt anchors).

Below are photos of various configurations and gear.

The pros: best bang for my buck, better gas mileage than larger SUVs, lots of space (I can fit four adult kennels if I needed to, and still have plenty of space for stacking/storing equipment on top of them or stacking puppy/small dog kennels), the van easily accomodates our current family of two human and three canine passengers and two week's worth of luggage and supplies without having to obstruct the view out the back, the side windows actually roll down rather than just crack open so the van is well ventilated, there are multiple rear AC vents with their own controls so I can keep the dogs cool without refridgerating myself, the captain's chairs are easy for me to remove or install, the rear bench seat folds into its own cargo well and lies flat so I never have to remove it.

The cons: so far the only con (and I knew this going in) is that I cannot fit two normal 36" kennels side by side in the way back, it's about 2 inches too narrow. However I can fit two side by side in the middle, ueMidwest SUV crates which are more narrow and designed to fit side by side, or raise the rear crates above the seat belt anchors.

Collars

Leather 1.5" aggitation or all purpose-collar. This collar can be used for aggitation because of how the D-ring is attached and it is made of thick, strong leather. It also looks very nice as an all-purpose buckle collar.

Remington ASAT buckle collar with safety ring. This is a 1" collar I bought primarily for summer vacation. Because it is ASAT (synthetic), it does not stretch, get dirty, or stay wet and get stinky. This particular collar did not come with a D-ring but a leash can be attached to the safety ring.

Rolled leather slip collar with buckle. My favorite all-purpose slip collar, also has a buckle for better fitting. Bridgeport Equipment.

Herm Sprenger prong collar with quick release snap. The best quality prong collars are Herm Sprenger. The will not rust, and the prongs are smooth and rounded, they do not have a sharp cut edge. The quick release snap is a help for those with weakness in their hands and avoids prongs becomming loose or bent having to remove or attach the collar.

Herm Sprenger heavy duty Fursaver with large links. I cannot remember the exact specs for this collar, but this is the collar I use in the SV/USA/WDA show ring. It is the preferred type and does not rust or tarnish the dog's fur. These collars can be used in all three phases of Schutzhund and are also the required collar for Schutzhund trials.

Black leather show collars with brass hardware. These are my AKC/UKC conformation collars. I have a rolled leather slip, a thin (yet strong, heavy-duty) leather slip, and a rolled leather martingale. These are appropriate for German Shepherds and look professional without being distracting. Used with the matching 4' lead. Alpha 1 Leash

Black nylon show collar and lead combination. This is the collar/lead combo I use on puppies for AKC/UKC conformation. The collar is adjustable and the lead is short, appropriate for the smaller UKC rings or AKC puppy matches.

Leashes

1" x 6' ASAT all-purpose leash. We mostly use this leash for walking/jogging with dogs, or moving dogs from point A to point B.

Thin ASAT all-purpose lead. I made a few of these by purchasing a 33' line and cutting it into various lengths. The one below has the original snap and no handle. I use it all the time in obedience training because the ASAT does not easily get caught on anything if it drags. It's also great for any conformation ring.

33' ASAT long line. This is my "official" tracking line, as it is the required length for Schutzhund trials. I've also used it when I need a long long line during protection work. It is about the same width but a bit thicker than the lead above, and also feels more like soft rubber. I took out the seam at the end so there's no handle. Elite K9

3' leather obedience lead with a ring in the handle. This is my original trial lead, used for Rally Novice and on-lead portions of Schutzhund and Dog Sport/SDA obedience trials. The snap clips to the ring on the handle so the leash can be worn around my waist or over the shoulder, as required for off-leash portions. Bridgeport Equipment

Handmade custom leather obedience lead. I just got this lead from a vendor at a trial. I want a thin, soft leather obedience lead to replace the one above, but with just a ring on the end and no handle. They put a ring on the end of it for me and it fits very comfortably over my shoulder, as required for off-leash portions of Schutzhund.

8' leather lead. I've used this lead for obedience training, tracking (when working close to the dog), and just general use at home. Since it is thinner yet strong, it is also commonly used by dog handlers in the SV/USA/WDA conformation ring. I put a knot at the end of mine.

4' black leather show lead. This lead goes with the black leather show collars shown above. It has matching hardware and is short for use in small UKC rings.

Nylong long line. I believe this line was originally 25' long, but I've replaced the cheap snap with a heavy duty one and have knots every foot or so for grip. I use this line for tracking and protection.

1" x 6' Grip-rite all-purpose lead. I just got this lead for my husband to use when he jogs with the dogs. They are allowed to pull within reason so he needs a good grip, and he likes a 6' or longer lead so he isn't tripping over the dog.

Conformation

4' black leather show lead. This lead goes with the black leather show collars shown above. It has matching hardware and is short for use in small UKC rings.

Training Tools

12" Grab-tab. I make these tabs out of the braided nylon used with Gappay balls. Once Nikon rips the ball off the string, I just add a snap. Great for obedience and protection. I prefer knots on the ends of my tabs rather than handles or toggles (which can more easily get caught in a dog's mouth or paw).

12" Grip-rite tab. Another great obedience and protection tab made of thin, "grip-rite" material. I prefer knots on the ends of my tabs rather than handles or toggles (which can more easily get caught in a dog's mouth or paw).

Short leather tab. This tab is shorter than the others so there's no way it can catch between the dog's toes. Bridgeport Equipment

Gappay reward ball. This is one of my original reward balls. Unforunately, Nikon rips them off the string fairly easily, but this one is modified with a longer braided nylon string knotted around a piece of leather. Like grab-tabs, I prefer the ball rewards have a knot or nothing at all rather than a handle or toggle. I find a handle impractical and toggles often get caught or can whip your knuckles pretty hard. Hallmark K9

Small Gappay reward ball. This is the small version, used only for little puppies. The one pictured has also been modified by me so it has a longer string that will not come through. Like grab-tabs, I prefer the ball rewards have a knot or nothing at all rather than a handle or toggle. I find a handle impractical and toggles often get caught or can whip your knuckles pretty hard. Hallmark K9

Toys & Rewards

Favorite tug. We love this tug because it is small, durable, and most importantly it has two handles. The tug material is tightly rolled suede.

Ball-on-string. This is one of many variations of "ball on a string" that are Nikon's favorite reward toys. This particular one has a very nice hollow ball on "grip-rite" materia.

Tracking

Coming soon!

Kennel Supplies

Coming soon!

Grooming

Coming soon!

My Doggy-Dooley

The urban solution for dog poop!

In March, 2011 we moved from nearly 1 acre to a postage stamp. Even though our yard is one of the larger yards in the neighborhood, we struggled with what to do with all the poo. With 2 large adults and one growing puppy, I was not about to collect poo in little poo bags half a dozen times a day, not to mention the fact that poo is natural, biodegradable and bags are not (and yes I do have the biodegradable poo bags for going on walks and dog shows but they STINK!). I also did not find scooping poo into a larger bin and storing it until trash day to be an acceptable solution, considering the summer heat and humidity just amplifies the stench. My neighbors would not appreciate that. I started researching Dog Dooleys and this sounded like the best option for us. It can be tricky to get it working in such a way that the poop is constnatly broken down and washed away, but I figure even if we have to dig a new hole every few years this is still the best solution. Luckily our soil gets very sandy about 2 feet deep, ideal for drainage and a sub-ground dooley system. The dooley is like a composter for poop, but it acts more like a septic system. Poop does not break down as quickly as other bio waste. Also, because it obviously stinks, it is desirable to have it out of sight and covered. I wanted to use a worm composting system to break down the poop but the initial purchase of worms was cost prohibitive.

We started by digging the 4' hole behind our shed. The dogs do not have access to this area and it is the farthest from our house and all our neighbors' houses. I positioned the hole right next to the shed so that rain water running off the shed would help drain the dooley (water is important for this process).

hole

Next, I found a large waste bin left behind by the sellers. I removed the bottom and drilled many holes for oxygen and drainage (holes should not be so big that the dirt can come through).

bin bin

The bin went in the hole, along with some sand from our sandbox and some extra pea gravel for drainage.

drain

Before adding any poop, I added a layer of normal yard waste to help get the composting process started.

grass

Added the cover and voila! Doggy doo do out of sight, out of mind. My bin cover had a hole presumably chewed by a mouse. I did not patch the hole so as to allow oxygen and other waste-eating insects into the hole.

top

It's been about a month since we "installed" the dooley and so far it is going well. My assumption is that we will have to dig a new hole in about a year or so. I predict that next time I will want to dig a deeper hole (we live in Michigan so we have to deal with permafrost and the composting process will slow/stop for half the year because of the temperature). This first year I am just experimenting with how much water and normal yard waste to add, whether to use any other additives such as Rid-X or other bacteria and enzymes, whether I will need something for the odor, etc. I did add a bit of Rid-X right away to get things started but have not continued to add anything. When I open the cover there are LOTS of bugs eating away. If it is not raining, I add several 1 gallon buckets of water every few days. So far the odor has not been an issue.