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Leash Training 101 Do You Have The Right Mindset
Leash training your dog is much more than actually following a few steps and guidelines. It's the actual mindset of the owner that is the single most important element. Success or failure, joy or frustration – all depend on how you approach your dog's walking sessions.
Start your leash training off on the right paw, so to speak. If you have a puppy that is unaccustomed to a leash and collar, let it first adjust to the feel of a buckle collar only. Once it is comfortable wearing the collar, snap on a short, light line and watch while it drags that around. Leave the line on for 10-minute sessions a couple of times a day until your puppy no longer pays attention to it.
For an older puppy or adult dog that you have had fitted for a headcollar or prong collar, again, let it have time to adapt to the feel of this new device before snapping on a leash. Do not leave specialty collars on an unsupervised dog. Because both prong and headcollars tighten with pressure, a dog can suffer serious injury if the collar catches on an object. Pay close attention to your dog during these get-comfortable sessions.
It's important that you approach training with the right attitude, because teaching leash manners requires absolute consistency on your part. Every walk becomes a training session, whether you plan on it or not. There is no such thing as “We train when we walk after work, but all the other walks are just walks”.
This is a difficult concept for people, as we are impatient, hurried, and often doing something other than paying attention to our dog as it walks.
While your dog is learning, there should be no rushed walks, no stops to chat with neighbors, no using the time to make a call on your cell phone, etc. You can't expect your dog to become mindful of you during a walk if you consistently ignore it.
Likewise, recognize that your dog doesn't pull on the leash to aggravate, annoy, punish or get back at you – it's simply a matter of cause and effect. The dog is thinking: I pull, you follow, and therefore, I get to where I want to go.
You must reshape this thought process. Put emotions aside, view your lessons as an opportunity to forge a new relationship, and decide that from this day forward you and your dog will learn how to enjoy your walking time together!
BONUS : Leash Training 101: Start With The Correct Collar
One of the best leash training methods created today does so that encourages the dog to develop awareness of its owner. To begin, you should use a sturdy, flat or rolled buckle collar made of leather or nylon.
Although popular among obedience trainers, slip collars - which tighten and release in response to tension - are not necessarily a good choice for teaching leash manners. Most dogs are overly excitable on the leash and often pull heedlessly against this type of collar, sometimes resulting in damage to the trachea. Though appropriate in the right hands, this collar is best left to those experienced in its use.
For the determined dog that already has a habit of pulling, the “headcollar” is the most effective training tool. This relatively recent innovation loops around the top of the dog's neck and muzzle. The loops are attached by an additional strap on each side of the head and one below the muzzle. The leash attaches to the headhalter, the concept is based on the simple physical rule that where the head goes, the rest of the animal must follow.
The headcollar turns the dog toward the walker whenever tension is applied as it simultaneously tightens around the muzzle and back of the head, encouraging the dog to move in the direction of its owner to release the pressure.
Specifically designed to offer a gentle alternative to other collars, initial hands-on instruction from a trainer who is familiar with its use is still a good idea in order to have the proper fit and more effective method.
For the standard size breed that is around six months or older, a prong, or pinch collar, may work best – and also for the adult dog that naturally pulls. Made to constrict in response to applied tension, then instantly expand again when tautness is released, this metal collar has large prongs that turn inward around the dog's neck, creating what could be described as a blunted, teeth-like effect.
As with the headcollar, correct fit and size are important and are best judged by a trainer well educated in proper prong-collar usage. One that is too tight pinches the dog continually, which is counterproductive to training and cruel to the dog. One that is too loose loses its effectiveness.
A properly fitted prong collar should sit high on the dog's neck, just below the ears. You should be able to slip your fingers underneath the collar when pressure is not applied, but it should not be so loose that it slips down around the trachea.
Despite its somewhat formidable appearance, the correct use of a prong collar simply gives the dog cause to stop and take notice of its owner. The prongs only pinch if pressure is applied, such as when the dog pulls. The pinch is in direct relationship to the amount of pressure applied.
The more pressure that is applied, the harder the pinch will be. Prong collars work well for leash training because the dog controls how much pressure it puts on its collar, and therefore, controls the amount of pinch it receives. This allows the animal to avoid the pinch by maintaining slack in the lead.
One of the best leash training methods created today does so that encourages the dog to develop awareness of its owner. To begin, you should use a sturdy, flat or rolled buckle collar made of leather or nylon.
Although popular among obedience trainers, slip collars - which tighten and release in response to tension - are not necessarily a good choice for teaching leash manners. Most dogs are overly excitable on the leash and often pull heedlessly against this type of collar, sometimes resulting in damage to the trachea. Though appropriate in the right hands, this collar is best left to those experienced in its use.
For the determined dog that already has a habit of pulling, the “headcollar” is the most effective training tool. This relatively recent innovation loops around the top of the dog's neck and muzzle. The loops are attached by an additional strap on each side of the head and one below the muzzle. The leash attaches to the headhalter, the concept is based on the simple physical rule that where the head goes, the rest of the animal must follow.
The headcollar turns the dog toward the walker whenever tension is applied as it simultaneously tightens around the muzzle and back of the head, encouraging the dog to move in the direction of its owner to release the pressure.
Specifically designed to offer a gentle alternative to other collars, initial hands-on instruction from a trainer who is familiar with its use is still a good idea in order to have the proper fit and more effective method.
For the standard size breed that is around six months or older, a prong, or pinch collar, may work best – and also for the adult dog that naturally pulls. Made to constrict in response to applied tension, then instantly expand again when tautness is released, this metal collar has large prongs that turn inward around the dog's neck, creating what could be described as a blunted, teeth-like effect.
As with the headcollar, correct fit and size are important and are best judged by a trainer well educated in proper prong-collar usage. One that is too tight pinches the dog continually, which is counterproductive to training and cruel to the dog. One that is too loose loses its effectiveness.
A properly fitted prong collar should sit high on the dog's neck, just below the ears. You should be able to slip your fingers underneath the collar when pressure is not applied, but it should not be so loose that it slips down around the trachea.
Despite its somewhat formidable appearance, the correct use of a prong collar simply gives the dog cause to stop and take notice of its owner. The prongs only pinch if pressure is applied, such as when the dog pulls. The pinch is in direct relationship to the amount of pressure applied.
The more pressure that is applied, the harder the pinch will be. Prong collars work well for leash training because the dog controls how much pressure it puts on its collar, and therefore, controls the amount of pinch it receives. This allows the animal to avoid the pinch by maintaining slack in the lead.
