The Leash

The leash plays a vital role in our ability to keep a dog in modern society. We need leashes to keep our dog safe and stop our dog from bothering other people and animals. We think of a leash as something to restrain our dog but it is also an important tool for communication, whether we intend it to be or not.

Most of the time, we use the leash to take our dog out to public places. This is usually for a walk but might also be to tie the dog while we do some other activity. The vast majority of time a dog is on a leash, he is pulling and we are pulling back. There is a lot of communication going on during these tug-of-wars.

We hate pulling on the dog's leash while we go for our walk but we continue to do it, day after day. We are supposed to be the leader in our household pack and yet our dog leads us down the street while we struggle along. The rationale is that our dog "needs the exercise".  Most dogs literally "take their owners for a walk". It appears that dogs don't care where they go as long as they get to lead and pulling on the leash is an important part of leading.

When the leash is tight, the dog knows exactly where the owner is. This communication is important for the dog so he doesn't have to pay attention to the owner. The dog can feel the owner through the leash and use his brain to explore his surroundings. The walk on the leash is one of the earliest and easiest ways we teach our dog to be our leader.

The tight leash also encourages focused behavior. Because a dog doesn't have to pay attention to anything, he is free to focus on just one thing. This might be a child on a skateboard, another animal, or any normal distraction. There is nothing to teach a dog to focus on more than one thing. In the wild, a wolf must learn to pay attention to both the prey and the rest of the pack if the hunt is going to be successful. On our walk, the dog only has to focus on what he sees and the more he is restrained the more focused he becomes.

So, the simple walk can be either a great opportunity for teaching our dog his place and teaching him to be able to pay attention to many things or it can be an uncomfortable activity and one way we teach our dog to be dominant and single-minded.

There are many types of dog leashes so picking the correct one can be difficult. A good leash for walking your dog should have certain characteristics:

• The leash must be comfortable to handle for its entire length. Sometimes your dog will be close and you want to keep the leash from dragging on the ground. Being able handle all of the leash with both hands is important. (leather or nylon)
• The leash must be long enough to allow your dog to walk without running into you but short enough that you can keep it out from under your dog's feet and still remain slack. (six feet maximum) Long, mechanical leashes serve no good purpose.
• The leash must be of the correct weight. A heavy leash on a small dog is uncomfortable for the dog while a thin or small leash may break or hurt your hands on a large dog.

Learning how to handle a leash well is critical for good dog training and communication. Teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash accomplishes a lot:

• A loose leash teaches your dog to pay attention to you. This promotes a "split brain" where the dog focuses on his surroundings with his eyes but pays attention to you with his brain.
• A loose leash teaches your dog to stay close and behind you so he can keep track of you.
• A loose leash reduces the tendency for a dog to fight. When a dog feels he can escape, he has a chance to flee instead of fight.