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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It all depends a lot on the handler. Over the coming weeks, you can accommodate their urge to sniff if needed, but yes, one of the benefits of this method is that you can also prevent them from doing it. When I say "over the coming weeks", I’m still talking about the idea of doing all this "blindly"—meaning without looking at your dog.
By keeping the lead relatively short and loose, you make sure you don't end up tripping over your own dog.
"Is there a risk of doing it wrong and either causing pain, or it not working and the dog just keeps pulling as if nothing has changed?" Yes, it depends on the dog. It’s not a magic fix. A level of understanding needs to be established; otherwise, the dog could pull to the point of hurting themselves. If that’s the case, it means you need more training—essentially taking the walk out of a "real-life" context and doing specific exercises instead.
So, if I’ve got this right, the slip lead is supposed to sit high up the neck right behind the ears, you keep it short, and it tightens if he pulls—so no extra collar needed, just the slip lead on its own? But when he isn’t pulling, does it slacken off and move away from that spot behind the ears?
Does that mean it’s strictly for walking to heel? I’d imagine that if it’s positioned like that, he has to keep his head up and can’t really have a good sniff around his usual spots?
But if he’s meant to keep his head up, is there really no tension on the lead? I’m assuming the dog will still try to sniff the ground or look around, which is bound to create some tension...? And if we pass another dog and he wants to say hello, surely he’ll end up pulling then too?
Is it more for just getting from A to B on the lead, rather than a proper "stroll" or that over-excited "just left the house" stage of a walk where they want to sniff everything and stop for a pee?
Is there a risk of using it incorrectly and either hurting him, or it just not working and the dog carrying on pulling as if nothing’s happened?
(I’m not sure if I’ve just been looking in the wrong places, but I haven’t found anything clear online yet on the proper "how-to" for a slip lead... 😳)
This is exactly why I opted for this bit of kit, which is actually just a horse lunge line. When I first got my Lab, he didn't know how to walk on a lead, and those standard slip leads you get in the shops really hurt. They’re round, hard, and thin. If it’s painful for your hands, it’s going to be painful for the dog too. That’s why I chose a completely different texture.
If the dog starts pulling at first, at least it’s far less of a problem!
My slip lead has a safety stop on it so that the loop doesn't tighten too much. You need to set this stopper to the size of a well-fitted collar. When there's tension, the lead tightens, but it slackens off as soon as the dog stops pulling, so they can't feel it anymore. With a basic slip lead (without a stopper), you might solve the problem of her head slipping out, but if she pulls, the lead will tighten around her throat like a choke chain... And if you get one with a stopper, it won't be much different from a normal collar—her head will still slip through. It's up to you, but the best thing is to give it a try.
You can indeed add a safety stopper (a simple ring) to keep the lead from loosening, but then I don't really see the point of using a slip lead, as it’s meant to give the dog that sense of freedom. I tried it with my Lab, who’s a bit of an escape artist and tries to back out of his collar – I've tested it thoroughly over a long period and he’s never managed to slip out of the lead, even though he did it all the time with his old collar. Nowadays, he’s still using one (a red one) and he just trots along quite happily!
Thanks @Misanthrope for the photos, and thanks to Moumouth for posing for us – we always love seeing him! :D
It’s true that this setup is really simple; I’ve seen some with a sort of stopper so the "collar" part doesn't get too loose, and I was going to go with that or maybe even DIY one. I'm not sure how yet but I’ll figure it out, as the big worry is that if she backs up, I think she’ll manage to slip the lead. She already manages it with a collar, even with her Julius harness.
Like @Gabyn, I was wondering if it might choke the dog, but the idea is actually to place the collar part very high up on the neck, right under the chin, with the top part sitting right at the back of the head behind the ears. So I think it’s different from a standard collar or even a choke chain.
Mind you, you couldn’t use it as a long line because the dog could definitely get hurt then.
And as @Docline pointed out, it keeps the dog’s head up, which is exactly what I want. Instead of trying to bolt through the crowd and spinning circles around me, I’d rather she stays close and just watches what's going on.
You're spot on, Docline. That’s exactly how I see the slip lead. I hold the handle in my left hand and a bit of the lead about 15 inches from his head. The lead is light and I can feel the tiniest bit of tension from Moumouth if there’s a problem; much like with my mare, I just have to close my hand on the lead for him to feel I'm there and pay attention to my command. Besides, he knows 'stop', 'forward', 'right' and 'left', so this system is pure bliss as there’s never any tension. The lead slides freely and it’s almost as if it isn't even there for him, while still keeping him safe.
I was just wondering about slip leads—how they work and how to avoid using them the "wrong" way. I want to use one effectively without hurting the dog, as I imagine they don't work like a normal lead and there must be a wrong way of doing things that I should avoid...
Could someone give me a quick lesson on how to use a slip lead properly, please? 😳😌
A correctly positioned slip lead is just like holding reins properly: you don't need big movements to get your message across, just a subtle squeeze of the fingers and the message is received.
