Question about slip leads

Bobkat
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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?
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    • Energiesolaire
    Energiesolaire Icon representing the flag French
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    Wow, wow, and wow again.

    The little guy taking over, I’m almost getting emotional.

    By the way, if you don’t mind lining a multimillionaire’s pockets, Cesar sells these leads.

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    It sounds like a nightmare when you put it like that! No, absolutely not—I’ve never even thought about using a slip lead under those conditions. On the contrary, three-quarters of the time the lead is just resting on their shoulders as if they aren’t even wearing anything, but I can regain 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 when the weather’s right! Moumouth isn't gazing at the stars! He’s totally chilled out, and Jim the nutter is too!
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Here’s a video explaining how to use a slip lead for strict heelwork, with the collar positioned right at the top of the neck, just behind the ears.

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7gllm38sLI]

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Definitely, Moumouth’s is more of a ‘token collar’ than anything else :-) Lucky you! My post about strict heelwork was just to show how it's used in different scenarios.
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    I’m not even asking Moumouth to walk to heel; he’s the one sticking to my leg! Anyway, with the lead length I’ve gone for, he can sniff whatever he likes or go and say hello to his mates with much more freedom than he’d have with just a collar! He’s got a collar, but it’s purely decorative—that’s just for the owners’ benefit, really!
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Yeah Gabyn, it’s hard to imagine how much such a simple (and cheap!) tool can help with comfort and training!

    I taught my dog to walk to heel using a standard collar and lead. Looking back, if I’d known about slip leads and all their different uses back then, it would’ve been so handy for training. I’d recommend everyone keep one in their kit, alongside a normal collar and lead.

    With a young dog that pulls a lot, you can start doing short slip lead training sessions every day. Even if it’s just a few well-timed minutes during the day, it really starts to sink in! And bit by bit, you’ll notice the dog starts coming back to heel more and more on their own :-)

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    Gabyn
    Gabyn Icon representing the flag French
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    Thanks for all the explanations! I didn't realise a piece of kit that looks so simple was actually quite sophisticated.

    I think it would suit Bobkat, but not me, as I'm not looking for heelwork right now. My new little guy pulls on his lead (less so now after a fortnight, phew!) for all sorts of reasons, so I need to deal with that urge first, bit by bit, before moving on to walks where he has to be at heel.

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    As for using a slip lead to teach a strict heel, that's very much Cesar Millan's philosophy, but I don't think that's what Bobkat is looking for. According to him, the only way a dog should ever walk on a lead is at a strict heel with the collar positioned right up behind the ears. Personally, I think that approach is only really suited to farm dogs who live off-lead and are only put on a lead for two minutes to get from A to B. For the rest of us (meaning the vast majority of dogs), it's better to let them have a bit of freedom, while being able to call them back to heel when needed :-)
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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    With any collar, including a standard flat collar, it’s possible to teach a dog not to pull without necessarily having them stuck to your heel. Personally, I use a lead that's about 4ft long, and I just ask her to walk without pulling. I only insist on strict heelwork in crowds, when crossing the road, and so on.

    In her thread, Bobkat mentioned two issues: her dog slipping out of her collar, and the fact that she tends to pull and she doesn't want to risk choking her too much.

    There are two types of slip lead: a standard one or one with a safety stopper. A standard one (without the stopper) would solve the slipping-out issue but would increase the risk of choking. On the other hand, a slip lead with a stopper reduces the choking risk but doesn't change the minimum diameter of the collar (so she could still slip her head out).

    Misanthrope’s suggestion is actually quite good: since the training lead in the photo is really thick, even if her dog pulls a bit, it won’t dig into her skin.

    There are plenty of ways to use a slip lead:

    - For strict heelwork training, using a standard slip lead placed right behind the ears to control the head.

    - For training loose-lead walking (not necessarily at heel) using the "clink" as a deterrent: in this case, you’d use a slip lead with a stopper. Even with one of these, dogs prefer a loose collar to a tight one, and plus, when the ring hits the stopper, it makes a metallic clinking sound that helps trigger that "oops, I shouldn't be pulling" reflex.

    - Or simply for a normal walk without any specific training, which allows the collar to stay loose so the dog doesn't even feel it. For example, I like taking her to the fields with a slip collar (which I attach my normal lead to); when she's running off-lead, she doesn't feel the collar, but it's still there in case I need to clip her back on.

    Anyway, that's about all I can think of regarding the slip lead system.

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    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    There’s really no need to try and "faff" about with it or overthink things; it all works perfectly well on its own. You just pop the sliding loop over the neck—it sits naturally at the base and only moves up if the dog starts pulling. I use this lead for Jim and Moumouth on long walks through town, and it’s the only one I take with me, even to the woods, if I need to put them back on the lead. If anything, they have more freedom than most! I’ll try to film a video for you!
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