How to Use a Leash in Dog Training

Fun times!

Most people associate a leash with one simple act - walking your dog. When we head out with a dog, we expect to have them tied to us so that we can control them if need be, as well as preventing them from entering any potentially dangerous situations. But is this the limit of a leash? Might it have some other uses - like helping your dog training efforts? Let's take a look at the leash and see if there's some other ways it can be utilized in raising your dog.

First, a leash can be used to prevent your dog from running away when you're trying to train it. While you obviously don't want to be training your dog so poorly that it feels the need to run away, it can be helpful to have your dog on a leash even indoors. Dogs can be very good at avoiding your attempts at chasing it, and smaller dogs can be too agile and light on their feet to be caught. If you add a leash to the equation, however, you add to the dog's "size," essentially, making it easier to catch them.

Remember, however, that you don't want to use your leash as a punishment. Instead, you should probably be looking to reward your dog for positive behaviors rather than punish them for negative behaviors. If you do find yourself needing to control your dog indoors, however, let it walk around with a leash on every once in a while. Just don't make it a regular habit.

Second, you can use a leash to help a dog learn a new behavior. You can't reward a dog for something it hasn't attempted yet, and it's a bad idea to try to "bribe" it into doing something - it probably won't understand. Instead, you can use a leash to guide a dog into doing a trip, such as going through a hoop.

Once the dog has gone through the hoop and you associate the word "Jump!" to this behavior, you can then take the leash off, give the dog a treat and some affection for a job well done. Eventually, you can start going without the leash, simply presenting the hoop and saying "Jump!" There's a good chance your dog will eventually learn what this means and, because of the positive associations attached to it, be perfectly willing to jump through the hoop.

Remember not to make your leash a negative experience for a dog - don't use it as a tool of punishment to choke or yank on the dog with. If you have to make corrections with a leash, just give quick, solid tugs to keep the dog in line. Ultimately, you want the dog to remain calm and relaxed when you put its leash on.

Photo Credits: ceiling

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