How to find a dog trainer?
Dog Training Services for Northern New Jersey, In-home and group class dog training
Dog Spelled Forward, your dog training and behavior consulting solution for Bergen County New Jersey. Serving Hackensack, Ridgewood, Paramus, Rutherford, Maywood and nearby communities.
info@dogspelledforward.com
Phone: 888-591-8996
Dog Spelled Forward by Eric Goebelbecker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
info@dogspelledforward.com
Phone: 888-591-8996
Dog Spelled Forward by Eric Goebelbecker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Retractable Leashes
Tweet
Like many trainers, I don't like to see retractable leashes in my classes and ask that handlers bring six foot long nylon, cotton or leather leashes. Many students are surprised when this comes up. Why don't I like them?
First, it's worth explaining what I think a leash is used for: keeping your dog from walking (or running) away from you. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. (It's not a means of communication, but that's a different discussion.)
So right off the bat, the retractable leash sends a mixed signal – sometimes your dog can walk away from you, and sometimes she can't. How does she know? She pulls and sees if she can. If she can't, she tries again. And again. And again. Already you can see how training a dog to walk nicely on a leash when pulling on the leash is how she figures out if it's OK to walk away from you is nearly impossible.
As far as classes go, retractable leashes are almost impossible to use effectively. During a class you need to be able to keep your dog near (which is difficult enough if it is her first class,) have a hand free for treats, perhaps have another hand free for a clicker an oh yeah, learn something. The retractable leash makes this twice as difficult with its rather large handle and its tendency to slip into unlocked mode. I frequently recommend that students step on their leash while working on an exercise in order to free up a hand, but this doesn't work with retractable leashes either because the fine nylons leads will slip under most shoes.
Last, and by no means not the least, is safety. After effectively training your dog to pull on leash, you are now betting her safety on two things: that you will have the leash locked when it needs to be and that the locking mechanism will hold at the critical moment when your dog lunges after a tennis ball on the street, a squirrel or another dog that doesn't want to be lunged at.
If you want to give your dog some freedom, buy a long line and a snap-back and find a safe place to play. With some practice and some training, a long line can be a lot more fun anyway!
Related Posts