Hi everyone,
I’ve got a question about slip leads. I’m thinking of getting one for my girl; I currently walk her in a Julius-K9 harness, but when she decides to pull, even though she’s only small, she’s surprisingly strong! I’ve read recently that those harnesses aren’t actually that good for their shoulders. I’ll admit I just followed the trend at the time; it’s good quality and sturdy, but maybe not the most comfortable long-term.
She walks much better on a collar, but she manages to slip out of it easily. The issue is that her neck is as wide as her head, so if she pulls backwards, the collar just comes right off. It’s happened a few times now—talk about a heart attack when you’re in the middle of town!
So, I was wondering if a slip lead would suit her build? Also, is there a risk of her choking herself with one?
Translated from French
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Blimey, your "girl" doesn't half move! Are you on a bike to keep up with her? Either way, she’s got the face of a right HAPPY dog! And that’s just brilliant! The way dogs express themselves through body language and sounds is nothing short of a miracle! You can learn everything just by watching and listening to them! Every day I’m expanding my doggy vocabulary!
Blimey, your "girl" doesn't half move! Are you on a bike to keep up with her? Either way, she’s got the face of a right HAPPY dog! And that’s just brilliant! The way dogs express themselves through body language and sounds is nothing short of a miracle! You can learn everything just by watching and listening to them! Every day I’m expanding my doggy vocabulary!
Yeah! Actually, as you mentioned, it's just for getting from A to B, especially when it's crowded outside. Her whole thing is "oh god, oh god, let's get out of here", and she just goes into turbo mode, or she'll start zigzagging all over the place and I end up tripping over the lead and everything.
Otherwise, I'm not really a stickler for heelwork. I use a fairly long lead so she's got plenty of room; I don't care if she's in front of me. Like Sky said, the problem with walking like that all the time is the dog can't sniff, and I'd much rather she had the freedom to just do her own thing :)
So, having a stopper on the collar would really put my mind at ease. I'm against choke chains, and knowing her, a slip lead would probably end up strangling her. I'm sure it's fine for Misanthrope's Lab, as I assume he doesn't pull like a steam train regardless of the situation, but with my girl in a crowd, I need at least a bit of control. Having a back-stop would reassure me too, because I have this nightmare of being left with a slip lead in my hand and no dog on the end of it!
At the moment, I'm actually using a collar attached to a harness because of my phobia about her getting into the road. When it's busy, I try to position the collar higher up, right behind her ears like you would with a slip lead, to keep her close to me. I think it makes her feel more secure, though she can be a bit "blimey, I hadn't thought of that" about it. Mind you, you might just tell me my collar is rubbish – it's just a basic clip-on one.
I'm starting to think a slip lead might be more practical than all this gear...
I prefer my own way; it's not a torture device. Mind you, I do agree with a lot of Cesar Millan's methods. But we shouldn't forget he's dealing with dogs that have serious behavioural issues, which luckily isn't the case for every dog! There's no need to constantly assert dominance over them.
Exactly. Being able to "understand" them helps us appreciate and respect them more. I adore her, but here’s my approach to lead walking with my girl—she’s just over five months old in these clips:
I was just sharing this video to illustrate one of the scenarios (walking strictly to heel, collar right behind the ears), not to promote anything :-)
Personally, I use a slip lead more for my third example—a casual walk and as a bit of a safety net (knowing she’s still got a little something around her neck just in case).
I prefer mine, it’s not a torture device. Mind you, I do agree with a lot of Cesar Millan’s methods. But let’s not forget he’s dealing with dogs that have real behavioural issues, which thankfully isn't the case for every dog! There’s no need to be asserting our dominance over our dogs.
The most important foundations of good heelwork are hard to teach through a video clip.
It’s more of a philosophical matter. Moumouth simply loves walking by your side.
How to teach a Husky to love walking next to their owner—I mean, so they actually find it rewarding—that is the real question. It’s about inspiring them to do it, rather than forcing them.
That sounds like a total nightmare when you put it like that! Absolutely not—I’ve never even considered using a slip lead in those circumstances. Quite the opposite, actually: most of the time the lead is just draped over their shoulders as if they weren’t even wearing one, but I can step in and take control in a split second if I need to cross the road or if any potential danger crops up. I’ll definitely film a video in town once the weather clears up! Moumouth isn't exactly head-in-the-clouds; he’s totally chilled out, and "Crazy Jim" is as well!
Really looking forward to seeing it.
In the meantime, Andre, if it’s any consolation... I think the advice in that clip is meant for people with dogs that are difficult to handle. Your input would be more applicable to a dog that’s much further along with their heelwork training.
