Selecting a Leash

Hello everyone!

As the weather improves, we all start coming out of hibernation. What that equates to is A LOT more walks outside with our dogs! It only makes sense that we spend some time talking about the one piece of equipment you will need for every walk. YOUR LEASH!

If you’ve spent enough time with dog trainers, you’ll start to notice the equipment they use with their dogs.  Think long and hard. When was the last time you saw one of our staff members walk their dog into the training ring on a brightly patterned nylon leash?

My guess is probably never.

I’m not going to say there is anything wrong with the cute patterned leash and collar sets you see in all the box stores. I myself, have been a sucker for the cute designs in the past. The trouble is that as nice as they are to look at, they just don’t meet all of the expectations I have for a good leash.

Let me take a step backwards for a moment. Let’s answer one really important question before we move on. What is the purpose of a leash? It may sound like a silly question at first but I think it’s always important to decide what we want from our equipment before we spend our hard earned money on something that is anything less than ideal. After all, you wouldn’t go out and buy a hack saw if what you really needed was a hammer. Knowing the purpose and function of the tool is ultimately going to determine your satisfaction with it in a given situation.

I have about 4 leashes that I use regularly. Each serves a different purpose and so their use is entirely dependent on the activity I plan to participate in that day. Each has its own set of properties that makes it unique and important. I also have a drawer of unused leashes that I never touch anymore because they either didn’t fit my needs or were replaced with a better-quality piece of equipment.

Let us break it down by function.

Leashes for Class:

For standard obedience classes, most training venues (Heavenly Hounds included) require a 6ft leash leather or nylon leash. You may be wondering to yourself, “why can’t I use a chain, plastic or retractable leash?” Take it from your dog trainer, the material matters. In a classroom setting, just like out in the real world, you are going to be in situations where your dog is highly distracted and in close proximity to those distractions, whether they be other dogs, people, food, toys, etc. In this setting, you will need to maintain control of your dog and limit access to those distractions but you will also need to have the flexibility to move away from your dog while still maintaining a grip on your leash in order to work on some of the training exercises. Here, a 6ft leash makes sense. When you aren’t working on distance training, you can bunch the leash up in your hand to limit access. If you are using a chain or plastic leash, it is incredibly hard to comfortably bunch up the leash in your hand. Retractable leashes, which are generally loathed by dog trainers for a variety of reasons, have the opposite problem. Although they “bunch up” neatly, they don’t always retract quickly enough and trying to grab the line can very easily result in horrendous injuries as the cord can create nasty burns or deep finger-severing cuts in seconds (gross but true). They are also known to be unreliable when it comes to locking them into place. One minute your dog’s leash is locked at 4ft and the next he’s pulled hard enough that it unlocks and he’s now across the room and tangled up two other dogs and their owners (again, potentially slicing into ankles and legs). The other major problem with these leashes is that if they are dropped while unlocked, they will begin to retract and end up chasing your dog. While some dogs might not be bothered by this, there are plenty of dogs who would be incredibly frightened by the plastic object moving towards them, banging around on the ground as it goes. That alone could chase a frightened dog right into trouble.

What we need from our leash: For class we need a piece of equipment that is 6ft long, durable, easy to bunch up, is unlikely to cause damage to anyone if it malfunctions or is dropped, and won’t hurt our hands.

Leashes for Walks around town:

Here we also need something durable and easy on our hands. If our dogs get excited by another dog, a squirrel, or some other distraction, we need to be sure we can get them under control without losing our grip or our leash breaking into two!

In order to master great loose leash walking we need our dogs to understand that the leash is a signal that means “stick with me” and “ignore all distractions unless given permission.”  Successful walking is a team exercise and the leash is simply the team jersey that you and your canine companion both wear together.

For walks around town, you might be happier with a leash that is shorter. Since we are asking our dogs to stick with us, we may not ever need 6 feet of leash and having a 4 or 5 foot leash means we won’t need to bunch up quite as much in our hands, making the walk more relaxing for the human side of the equation.

Since we will be outside, we also need to be aware of the weather. The leash we choose for walks outside needs to be able to handle everything from rain and snow to mud and hot sun.

Lastly, our human vanity needs to be taken into consideration. We all want to look our best and Fido probably does too! Let’s make sure that whatever equipment we choose here looks nice. We will be out in public after all!

What we need from our leash: For walks around town we require something 6ft long OR less, something durable, easy on the hands, something that can withstand the elements, and something attractive.

Adventures and recall training:

Sometimes we want to take our dogs somewhere and just let them be dogs! Whether that be letting them race around a big open field, letting them explore ahead of us in the woods, going for a swim, or just practicing our recalls (come when called) we may find ourselves in need of a leash that can handle it all.

Here we will want lots of length to allow our dog to venture forth while still giving us the control we need should we need to get them back to our sides. Our leash should be able to handle mud, water, and all weather conditions. It should also be something that won’t bring our adventures home with us. What I mean by that, of course, is that it should not collect leaves, burrs, water and mud as it goes. We also might want to add a requirement that this leash not tangle easily! There is nothing worse than having to untangle your long line after a great day with your dog. We’d hate for your leash to be the reason you vow to “never do that again!”

What we need from our leash: For adventures our leash should be long, durable, easy to clean, and able to handle all weather conditions without becoming a big mess.

What leash should I get?

Now that we have established what we need for any given situation, we get to select our equipment!

We have already discussed why retractable and chain leashes aren’t ideal but, as I’ve already hinted, nylon leashes have their down sides as well. Although the colors and patterns are often fantastic, the fabric itself can be very hard on your hands. When wet, nylon becomes slippery and it’s hard to grip. Even dry, nylon can slide through your fingers and even give you pretty nasty rope burn if pulled hard or fast enough (I have the scar on my ankle to prove it!). Nylon leashes get points in the style department but when it comes to our other requirements, they fall short.

This is where leather wins the leash game. A good leather leash will feel soft on your hands but still provide a great deal of grip even when wet. That’s not to say leather is perfect. Where, nylon is virtually maintenance free (and thus can be wonderful for dog collars), leather might require some initial breaking in. The good news is that leather gets better with age as the oils in your hands will actually help condition the leather and help maintain it over time with very little effort on your part. There are also excellent leather conditioners which can clean and soften up your leash or prevent it from drying out. Properly conditioned, leather holds up well in all weather and will maintain its grip even in the sloppiest of weather conditions. You will find that most of our trainers are always using leather leashes with their own dogs.

Leather leashes also come in a variety of lengths, widths, colors and styles! You can even get braided leather leashes in order to get beautiful multi-colored leads. When it comes to style, leather still gives you a lot of options even if you can’t get all the patterns you might see with nylon.

For class and walking around town, you really can’t go wrong with a leather leash!

If you hate the idea of using leather, consider the material we most recommend for adventures.

If you are taking your dog on adventures, you will want to try out Biothane leashes. This material is a leather alternative. It has nearly all the same characteristics of leather that we love including being soft on the hands, durable, and low maintenance but takes it to a whole other level. This is a vegan-friendly alternative that is also an excellent choice for all of your outdoor recreational needs.

This type of leash wipes clean with minimal effort and doesn’t knot up like a nylon leash could. When it comes to long lines, these leashes are the gold standard. They also come in a variety of lengths, widths, and colors. Once you’ve tried using a Biothane leash, you might decide this versatile material is your go-to leash type for class and walks around town as well!

Overall, you want to make sure that whatever leash you choose is doing the job you need it to do. If you are ready for a new leash, check out the products in the images above or visit our STORE.

Happy Training!