Leashes…They’re not just for walking

When it comes to dog training there is no piece of equipment more common than the dog leash. I think it is safe to say if you have a dog you own a leash. Despite the commonality of the leash, it is often only used in one circumstance….taking a walk. Yes, we are following leash laws, but if all the leash laws went away tomorrow, the vast majority of dog owners would continue to use the leash for their walks. This is because the leash keeps our dog close to us. It keeps them out of traffic and from running off at the site of a squirrel. The leash provides a level of control to the handler and we feel comfort knowing that, if it all hit the fan, we would have a chance to control the situation or, at least our dog. I think we all acknowledge the value of the leash for taking walks with our dogs. But somehow the same value is often not recognized for other situations in which behavior management is necessary.

After all, the core function of the leash is management. My behavioral plans always include a management piece. The plan may or may not include a management component for safety’s sake, but always includes a management component to prevent the dog from practicing the behavior we want to change. Practice makes perfect as they say, so we want to reduce and, hopefully eliminate our dog’s practice time. The leash is often the right tool for the job.

One “problem” behavior that I often see is jumping on house guests or new people. This behavior is a problem for us, it is not a problem for our dog…they have been reinforced with affection and attention (though not always good attention) for their jumping. This often starts when the dog is a cute, adorable, small, puppy…you know during the impressionable part of life. They have learned that jumping is a good way to gain attention and this strong reinforcement history caries into adulthood where we have a cute, adorable, large, dog that can knock people over. Jumping may also originate from overexcitement. Regardless of the motivation, when a dog is on a leash, you can control the distance between your dog and your house guests. This allows you to reinforce anything that is not jumping, generally a 4-on-the-floor behavior (standing, sitting, laying down) while preventing the practice of jumping on house guests. We are now able to move through a shaping process to build a calm greeting or send our dog to a station when guests arrive.

I also see plenty of application for using the leash inside the house, which to some it seems like an impractical use of this tool that is only used for outdoor walking. You may be surprised by how many strange looks I get when I suggest it. Because the environment outside can be very distracting for our dogs, it can be much easier to train leash walking in your home or backyard in the early stages. Whether you are working with a puppy who is just getting started, or your adult dog who just needs a loose leash tune-up, removing distractions will help your dog focus on the task at hand so that the reinforceable behavior has a higher probability of occurring. We cannot reinforce behavior that is not happening, so we must set our environment up for success. So walking in the familiar home and yard with your dog on leash is a great way to start.

Lastly, you may have a need to keep close watch on your dog. Perhaps your dog has a wound and you need to ensure they are not licking at it. Maybe your dog or puppy is going through a destructive phase and cannot be trusted unsupervised. Maybe you are bringing a new dog into your home and want to manage things initially and build a bond. In these cases, I consider tethering the dog to handler. Along with keeping your dog in view, it seems to have a big benefit of building a “follow” mindset. As you move, your dog follows and this helps with your leash walking. It also seems to build relationship as you and your dog have to navigate around while attached. I did this with my dog Peanut for 3 days and on day 1 we had to negotiate a deal that when I went though the sliding door, he would not go through the doggie door next to it.

There are many other situations beyond walking and what I have mentioned, so I encourage you to keep the leash in your thoughts as you develop your training plans. And don’t feel awkward about doing some indoor leash work.