Retractable or nylon dog leash? And gentle leader, flat collar or choke chain. Which 2 go together best?

I have a lab, and need to know which ones are best, 1 from each group: choke chain, flat collar or gentle leader and: retractable leash or normal leash? He is like 70 lbs and I am like 59 lbs so he has control over me aka not the other way around.
I go to dog classes, he only pulls when we are at home and sees a deer in our 5 acer yard and jerks, so there is NO time for me to stop him. And the retractable leash is 16 ft and is xxlarg and for dogs up to 110 lbs.

I assume you are asking this because your dog is pulling you down the street. I am writing this for the use of a choke collar (and pinch collars) as training aids to help you teach your dog how to walk. At 59 lbs, I don’t expect you are very old and would recommend that you talk to a trainer (or take a class). This would be a lot more effective than even using any of these collar and leash combinations – if your dog is well trained, the leash and collar make no difference.

I think choke chains (and even pinch collars) are great training tools, but you should learn how to use them before your first walk. Both are training tools, they aren’t supposed to be used indefinitely for walks.

I started out using a choke collar for my 8 month old lab and have since switched to a pinch collar because she just pulled until she was weezing, choking, and still heaving against the chain. With the pinch collar, she walks on a loose leash. If she tugs or pulls, I do a quick tug to tighten the collar (and administer the pinch). She has learned really quick.

I switch up what collar I use – her regular collar, the choke collar, and the pinch collar. I also let her off the leash but leave whatever collar on (pinch or choke) while she runs around free during our walks or at the park. This teaches her that it’s not the collar that causes the discomfort, it’s her pulling on the leash. I also administer the tug even when she has just her regular collar on.

Another trick I learned when she begins to pull (especially just with her regular collar) is that I stop. I don’t move forward, I don’t acknowledge her pulling, I don’t talk to her, nothing. I just stand there until she refocuses on me. Then I wait until she loosens the leash on her own. I then make her sit. After she sits, I say okay and then we start walking again. I do this every time she pulls – you’d be surprised how quickly they pick up that they need to have a loose leash before we walk. It can make for a long walk – but you’ll be a lot happier on future walks.

I let my dog off her leash in safe areas (at the lake or park) and let her run around and chase ducks and geese and squirrels. I also let her swim and chase her retriever toy BEFORE we go on our standard walk – this seems to tired her out and then she is more mellow on our leash walks.

As far as a leash goes, I prefer the nylon (6 ft) leash. My dog walk buddy has a retractable leash and absolutely loves it, but I just don’t feel like I have as much control of my dog when she’s on a retractable leash.

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