Tactical Dog Training Blog

Ray Allen manufacturing’s Modular Lift, Load, Carry Harness has been a staple of military and police K9s for over 70 years- but is versatile enough to transition to everyday, civilian use. Part of our larger modular harness system, the excep … read more

The Opportunity Harness is named for its versatility and functionality for K9 and handler.  Padded and contoured for all day comfort, this is truly a day-in, day-out duty harness. Its allure is that it’s simple: the chest strap an … read more

Ray Allen’s Nomad Ballistic Carrier Vest kills two birds with one stone: it functions as a modular harness with outstanding protection, and it seamlessly fits our interchangeable harness system as an essential piece of warrior gear. … read more

If you need just one good reason to buy a Ray Allen leather collar for your dog, let it be this: Matt, our resident product-tester and destruction junkie, shot at our Latigo Leather Agitation Dog Collar almost a dozen times and not a sing … read more

Ray Allen Manufacturing’s nylon police leads are trusted by K9 officers, trainers, and handlers across the country. Made with premium double-layer nylon and 1” bolt snaps at both ends for versatility and convenience, we have included D-rings … read more

Nylon leads and leashes are a popular choice amongst dog handlers in the police and miliarty. But for hardcore working dogs, does this light, webbed material meet the demands for strength and versatility that handlers need in a leash? When i … read more

This week, we let Ray Allen’s resident product tester Matt experiment on some of our toughest biothane, waterproof, leather-alternative leashes. But instead of controlled durability testing through research and development, we let Matt shoo … read more

Ray Allen’s resident product demonstration guy and minor Youtube celebrity Matt gave some of our best leather leashes the Southern Hospitality treatment when he performed some major destructive testing to show the true integrity of our products. M … read more

If you and your dog are out in extreme conditions, be it hunting, tracking, or any kind of outdoor work, our RAM-Tech Biothane Leashes are the way to go. More durable than leather, they hold up to humidity and heat, immersion into swampy or mud … read more

What should you look for when choosing a quality leather dog leash? What meets the standards required for police and military units? We get asked this question a lot, and we’ve made a video to show our customers the distinctive aspects of our le … read more

Ray Allen’s Cobra Buckle Collar is a simple yet sophisticated piece of equipment. Rivaling our Martingale Nylon Collar for the best everyday wear collar, this 1-inch collar is straightforward, easy-on, easy-off, and a great value. (See Cobr … read more

Ray Allen Manufacturing’s Martingale Nylon Collar is arguably our best daily-wear collar. Simple and adjustable, the Martingale is a quick way to gain control over your dog for walks, trips to the backyard, in and out of the vet’s office, or an … read more

Much like the skid plate on the bottom of a vehicle, our Nomad Harness Skid Plate accessory clips securely onto the underside of our Nomad Harness System, and acts as a barrier to debris and other objects that may cause injury to your dog’s che … read more

The 'woobie' jacket (also known as a ‘poncho liner’), comes from a long line of weatherproof, military-issued muslin, canvas, or quilted nylon ponchos that could be used as a makeshift shelter, sleeping bag, or other protection from the element … read more

Ray Allen’s Swiss Seat- also referred to as a rappel seat- is a securely crafted harness meant for various types of rigging activities, prepping your K9 for zip-lining, hoisting, fast-roping, or deployment from helicopters or planes. The Swiss … read more

Ray Allen Manufacturing is excited to present to you our patented Nomad harness - our complete interchangeable harness system. This harness has been heavily field tested and designed to accommodate a tracking piece, patrol piece, ballisti … read more

Which leather dog collar should you choose for your K9? Here is a breakdown of each type of Ray Allen-made leather collar:Heavy Leather Collars Our 1 ¼ and 2-inch Heavy Leather Collars are truly the standard for a classic leather dog collar. Ra … read more

Ray Allen products have been a staple for military and working dog handlers for over 70 years because of our dedication to consistency and quality. We have been manufacturing our products and sourcing our materials right here in the U.S. since our … read more

Ray Allen’s Nylon Service Collar with Raptor Buckle is a perfect day-in-day-out collar that can easily transition your working dog to life at home. It is a lightweight collar that mirrors some of Ray Allen’s similar Service Collars- without the bu … read more

Ray Allen crafted the Cobra Buckle Nylon Service Collar with working, police and military dogs in mind. With a load rate of 7,000 lbs., our double-layered collar is made from 3-inch webbing which weaves back onto itself and decreases contact … read more

Our Ultimate Padded Leather Collar is a hand-crafted luxury collar made from combination tanned latigo leather, richly dyed in stylish black or burgundy. A premier collar for tracking and scentwork, this collar is made to evenly distribute pul … read more

The Evolution Collar is one of Ray Allen’s quality handcrafted dog collars, made with superior attention to detail right in our facility in Colorado Springs, CO. Versatile This lightweight collar puts zero strain on your dog’s neck, making i … read more

If you are seeking a quality agitation collar, or an all-around “anything and everything” collar that works as hard as your dog, Ray Allen Manufacturing has specially designed the RAM leather/nylon Collar with Cobra buckle. Ray Allen knows … read more

Are you and your dog going stir-crazy during the Coronavirus quarantine? Get you and your dog moving and strengthen the human-K9 bond with these creative ways to work and play at home.If you’ve ever wanted to learn clicker training, now is the perfec … read more

In bite dog training, it is absolutely necessary to teach your dog to bite the decoy and not the suit. In an actual apprehension scenario, you want your dog trained for a confident bite: a hard grip that exerts pressure on the contact point of the … read more

Time to hit the road? Far from setting off into the sunset and enjoying a relaxing journey, travelling with a dog can be a fur-raising experience. Fear peeing, puking and pooing; shaking, barking, whining and whimpering. Yeah, safe to say that hittin … read more

By Tasha WilliamsAs a veteran, you may be facing a number of physical, mental, and psychological issues as a result of your service. One of the options that you help you cope with such a problem is a service dog. If this is something that you are con … read more

Canine support companions help people with disabilities succeed in many environments, and at the University of Colorado Boulder, a service dog is enabling a wounded military veteran to pursue his dream of hands-on research in neuroscience. Xenna is … read more

We are proud to introduce the world's first Interchangeable Harness System (I.H.S.). The NOMAD IHS will allow near limitless functionality and design combinations by allowing the user to choose a variety of harness frame and body options and combi … read more

Amherst, NH April 19, 2019 - Actor Trevor Donovan is known on screen for his TV role on 90210, off screen he is known as a champion for canine mobility, sharing the mobility struggles of his beloved German Shepherd, Dogbert with his 30 million soc … read more

This article is reprinted with permission from ConsumersAdvocate.org. You can find the original Consumers Advocate article at this link. By Scott Smith, Sept 14, 2018 Soldier, take me from this shelter’s cage. Give me back my … read more

by Andrew WeimanFor court purposes, using real drugs is always better. Drugs that have been qualitatively tested to be cocaine for example, and not some other additive will make a better court presentation.I participated in a study with Dr. Kenneth F … read more

Canine Liability 360: REASONS WE GET IN TROUBLEby Bill Lewis IIA K9 handler’s leash should ideally be wrapped around the handler’s waist and secured when not being used so it can easily ride above the gun belt, not interfere with access to the handgu … read more

by Jeff Meyer When properly used an Electronic collar, or E-Collar, is, in my opinion, one of the best tools you can use to train and handle a patrol dog. When used incorrectly it can be one of the worst tools in our arsenal. I have trained hundred … read more

by Shawn RosnerAhead of the 11th Annual K-9 HITS Handler Instruction and Training Seminar in San Francisco, California in August, I wanted to provide some canine public relations information and ideas and some helpful tips for establishing a charit … read more

Product Videos Visit the Ray Allen Manufacturing Youtube page to find in-depth product descriptions, interviews with industry experts, product comparisons and informational product overviews. To keep up with professional police and military K9 handl … read more

by Pete StevensI hear it all the time- “It’s a nice sport dog, but there is no way he could handle the streets”. And honestly there is some validity to it however not all of time.  My beginning in this wonderful world of K9 was as a law enforcem … read more

by Ted DausThis past September, the State of Arizona tackled the issue of whether a dog sniff (odor) provides probable cause to search in light of the fact that the State of Arizona has legal medical marijuana. Surprisingly, one court of appeals deci … read more

by Jill Cline, PHDDigestibility determines how much nutrition a food provides in a given volume, while palatability affects how appealing a food is to the dog. Both of these characteristics are important criteria when selecting the best food for your … read more

by Andrew WeimanAfter talking to many handlers around the country it appears that in some cases training has become a necessary evil, a time filler, or to some a waste of time. To them it has become boring, for various reasons; it’s the same old thin … read more

by Mike SuttleI constantly see police dogs who lack a lot of confidence in the patrol and apprehension phase of their work, as well as dogs that will take very little real pressure from a man while they are engaged in a fight. I believe that most of … read more