Take The Lead, Putting Safety First! Leash Walking Skills Every Human Needs to Know
Have you seen what people do with a leash in their hands? I remember seeing a video of chimpanzees handling objects. They grabbed, swung, lifted and pulled at these objects. The point is, primates can’t help but manipulate objects in weird ways.
What type of weird ways do human primates handle leashes?
#1 For one, we like to grab things and pull them up in the air.
We humans tend to hold leashes up and tight when we want a dog to stop and stand stationary.
#2 We grab things and hold them high, even when stationary.
Humans also tend to hold the leash up and tight when standing around stationary. When we’re not standing stationary, we are randomly shortening and lengthening the leash so the dog has no idea what location or position will lead to a loose, comfortable leash. Instead, we should shorten the leash to the length we want that will allow the dog to move. This way the leash is loose when the dog is in an approved location and tight only when he tries to move out of position.
#3 We even raise them above our head.
An entertaining habit of humans is the need to pull the leash above our heads in order to pull it short enough to give a quicker correction.
A better way to shorten the leash is to gather it in one hand so that both of your hands can stay low.
#4: And tend to love the false control, even when just walking.
Not only do we tend to pull the leash tight when standing stationary, we also tend to want to hold the leash tight all of the time while walking a dog from place to place. As a result, the dog learns that the leash will be tight no matter what, so there is no need to try to walk on a loose leash.
The leash should be loose when the dog is in position or about to get into position. It should only be tight for a few seconds at a time when you need to guide the dog to catch up to you or to get back into position when he’s straying off course.
#5: We humans also often do some unsafe things with the leash, such as wrapping the leash around our hand.
We often wrap the leash around our hands, which is dangerous. If the dog startles or sprints away this can lead to broken fingers and sprained hands. A better method is to place your thumb in the handle and make a fist then gather the leash in one big loop placing it between your thumb and index finger, instead of wrapping it around your hand. When the leash is gathered, it should not come out of the top of your hand. If the dog pulls, you would need a lot of wrist strength to control it.
The leash should extend from the bottom of your hand down towards the dog. If needed, get a wider leash for better grip.