Collar or Harness

[lourdes]

Before I find my lifelong companion and protector I am doing research on all things GSD, any thought on should I use collar, harness or both for which types of training and on the collars which one, the pinch, choke etc.
thank you

[Chicagocanine]

Are you getting a puppy? I would use a regular collar or harness for a puppy.

[lourdes]

The pinch collar looks too brutal for me, not sure I would be comfortable nor my GSD. I'm hoping by my 52 birthday in March I will find my lifelong companion and protector.

[onyx'girl]

I have many collars for my dogs. Flat buckle collar for tags(which they only wear when we are off property)
For my baby puppy, I really didn't use anything, he was naked most often when we trained. I wanted him to want to be with me, not because he was attached. Food, praise, then toys kept him engaged with me.

I went with a harness when he was about 3 months old when we went off property. I also had a heavier leather harness for protection work.
Around 6-8 months I introduced a prong. But I still used a fursaver on the dead ring only for many training exercises. I intro'd the e-collar at 3 yrs. We use that for certain things, but when he was trained on it, it was on him every time I trained, even if it wasn't used.
For my reactive dog, I used a gentle leader and a front clip harness because a prong ramped her up.
For my very handler sensitive dog, a flat buckle collar is all that is needed.
The only collar I've never used and never will is a slip chain choke. I'd rather use a prong than a choke collar.
For fosters, I use a martingale that cannot be slipped.

[Cassidy's Mom]

What kind of training do you plan to do? For young puppies I start with an adjustable flat nylon collar with a quick release buckle. I also like Sense-ation front hook harnesses, a traditional harness with the leash connection on the back can encourage pulling.

I don't like or use choke chains, and you won't need to worry about whether or not to use a prong collar for awhile. Jane's suggestion of a martingale collar is a good one, you want something that a puppy can't back out of. One time Cassidy balked at the door to the vet and backed out of her collar - our vet is on the busiest street in town, with four lanes of traffic. I had to immediately tackle her before she could bolt! The Sense-ation harness is also more secure than a flat collar, and it's very easy to put on, you just pop it over the dog's head and buckle it under the chest.