What Leashes for Dogs Are Available on the Market?

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Let’s face it - dogs are undeniably cute. Whether you have one of your own already, or you’ve been swayed by images of cute puppies and dogs online, once you do have a dog, you want it to have the best possible life. But whilst they are a lifelong companion, we still need to ensure that they are well trained and managed to prevent any unwanted occurrences.

One way to go about this is by having all of the necessary equipment required to train them. In an ideal world, we would have trained our dogs as puppies. Like human babies, puppies are able to learn more easily and retain information better when they learn it at a young age. But if you have adopted an older dog, then no worries. With a bit more training, patience and time, you will be able to get your dog trained up too.

There is a whole science behind how you can effectively train your dog. Studies have been carried out to see what type of training dogs respond better to - such as behavioural training or observational learning - and even what kind of treats help them to remember more commands. One area that has received a lot of attention is the equipment that is used during training.

There is a lot of training that needs to be carried out outside, preferably in a large open space such as a park. This is because it is in these sorts of areas that your dog will need to require restraint as it is where other dogs and humans will be. Important lessons that are taught in open spaces include how the dog should walk alongside its owner as opposed to in front.

Walking parallel to the owner is preferred for several reasons. Firstly, it makes sure that the dog is aware of who the boss is. Secondly, it prevents the dog from pulling on the lead. This is important to learn as it both prevents injuries to the dog and if a situation were to occur up ahead, the dog won’t already be far ahead possibly getting involved with the situation. Lastly, it will also encourage your dog to be better at recall, as it will learn that its space is beside you rather than always up ahead.

However, this is all easy to say but it is much harder to teach in practice. To make this process easier for you, there are several pieces of equipment that have been shown to help train your dog, the main one being leashes for dogs.

What is a leash?

A leash is the most basic tool for pet ownership and will go on to be one of the most important pieces of equipment you have for your dog. One end tethers to your dog’s collar and the other end is held by you. This way, a leash allows you to control your dog meaning that they will walk more calmly.

You won’t have to worry as much about your dog running up to other people or animals which can lead to unwanted consequences. A well-trained dog who acts calmly on a lead will also reflect positively upon its owner as it can show off how responsible both parties are.

What types of leashes are there?

Traditionally, a lead would only be made out of rope or a chain. Both of these sorts of options are sturdy, allowing for good control over your dog, but they can also be very restrictive as there is no slack in them if your dog is far up ahead. This can lead to your dog being uncomfortable. This is particularly true if an incident is occuring up ahead meaning you have to sharply pull your dog away.

With recent advancements in dog training, other types of lead material have also been introduced. These are much more dog friendly and will avoid your dog from being uncomfortable in a situation such as the one stated above. The materials used in these sorts of leashes are flexible and include reinforced rubber. Other types will have a retractable mechanism meaning that the dog can still wander ahead on a tight leash, but can still be recalled quickly.