Quick & Dirty Leash Hack When You’re In a Pinch

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Quick & Dirty Leash Hack When You’re In a Pinch

Quick & Dirty Leash Hack When You’re In a Pinch

If you’re in a pinch with a hard to control dog…

Here’s a quick and dirty hack for a basic leash that can be used on an unruly dog:

With the leash running parallel to the spine, make a 90° turn away from you about halfway, and loop the leash under the belly and back up the side closest to you.
Bring the end up and under your 90° turn, and bring the end back towards you.
Gently cinch it down. Now you’ve got an impromptu slip lead that goes around the tummy. A carabiner may help you with this, too.
Remember: only gentle tension is needed. Do not jerk or pop the leash.

WHEN TO USE IT

Important: this is management, not training. Sometimes to keep ourselves and our dogs safe, we will do things we would never do in training. This leash hack is not intended to be a training setup. It’s a “get ‘er done so we get home” setup.

If you’re working on training a new dog, are petsitting for a friend, or are walking neighborhood dogs as a service, this might be a useful, temporary fix to help you get along. This is especially useful in a pinch during the holidays with the extra people in your home (and sometimes those people bring dogs with them who, though probably sweet, might not do as well during the hustle and bustle). Walking itself is super important, and sometimes you’ll have to pull out some interesting approaches to get home.

Remember: a leash is a communication tool like a telegraph wire, and it’s important to use it sensitively and supportively.

LEVERAGE is ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT than STRENGTH

If you’re constantly coming at the problem as if it’s a test of strength (or resolve), you will always be operating with a deficit. People get away with a sloppy relationship and sloppier training with smaller dogs because most people can muscle them into something close to what they want. This creates a culture where we always try to muscle a dog into obedience because that’s just how it’s done, especially when most people still buy into that dominance crap that, for some reason, is still the prevailing attitude despite being misunderstood, redefined, and all but shot down numerous times in recent years. Read here, here, here, and here, to link just a few examples.

Instead, make your management strategy about leverage and your training strategy about your relationship. This little hack illustrated above capitalizes on leverage in this way. I’ve had students use this to control a big, nutty dog with two fingers.

THIS SHOULDN’T BE COMMON PRACTICE

As I said, dog training hacks like this are emergency moves when you’ve got to get a dog under control and you don’t have the time or opportunity for anything other than now. As always, we should strive for confidence and control with a flat collar or a harness. No dog trainer worth their salt would ever recommend this configuration as a long-term training solution. We’d never do “training sessions” with a setup like this. Sometimes, though, everyone needs an ace up their sleeve to get the job done.

You may also want to take a look at my article and video about leash handling. These are techniques for safe and effective leash handling that cover all of the bases from management to training.

Likewise, some differential reinforcement will help you in these instances, too.

If you continually struggle with over-arousal, reactivity, or aggression, call a certified dog trainer or behavioral consultant!

Good luck! Share your walking experiences in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this post, too!