Clothing

Comfortable footwear such as trainers/flat boots should be worn, please avoid wearing sandal type/open toed footwear or high heeled shoes. As most of our training takes place outdoors, always remember to bring a sweatshirt/fleece.

Leads

Selecting the lead for your dog is very important. You will need a lead that is well made, strong and comfortable in your hand.  Flexi leads are not recommended whilst training they are best used for dog walking. Lengths of chain with a leather/webbing handle or just chain leads have have also been proven to be non-beneficial when training dogs. We recommend leads of upto 1.5mtr in length made of either leather, nylon or rope.

Collars

Selecting the correct collar for your dog is crucial.  Many collars are frowned upon because they can cause discomfort or injury to your pet - choose carefully!

We would advise a flat leather or nylon collar or a half-check collar which doesn't close tight on the dog's neck.

What not to wear: choke/check chain - prong/spike collar - electric/shock collar. Under no circumstances will a dog be accepted for training if it is found to be wearing any of the collars below:

Treats

Treats must be of high value to the dog and should be small enough so

the dog doesn't have to 'stop' to chew. i.e. cheese, liver cake, chopped sausage

Toys

These retrieve / play articles can be used at the Essex Dog Training Centre.

NEVER throw sticks for your dog, each year hundreds of dogs are killed or injured by becoming impaled on sticks, use strong hosepipe strips instead.