Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Importance of Leashes

By Allyson Westcot


After your pet becomes well-behaved walking on a leash, you might like to take it off occasionally. It could be tempting to go out without the leash and go to the same places you usually walk. This isn't usually a good idea, however. The advantages of employing a leash almost always completely outweigh the joys of going off-leash without a lot of planning and preparation.

When your dog is used to walking quietly on a leash, he's used to feeling that way while tethered to you. Remove the leash, and there's a decent probability that under calm circumstances with no surprises, your dog would at least stay near you if he's well-trained enough. But in some cases, as quickly as a dog realises the leash can't stop him, he'll go out of that comfortable range and put more of a gap between you.

Even if your dog is so well-trained that he stays by your side, you can't foretell how he'll react if another dog rushes up to him, or if an auto backfires near you. For some, all it takes is the scent of a loose kitty to send them hurrying ahead.

We've all felt that sudden shaky feeling that results from a burst of adrenaline after being scared or excited by something. Dogs have the same response. When that occurs, a dog's natural instinct could be to run, irrespective of how much pro training there's been.

This is a massive risk, since it might result in a dog running so far that he gets lost, or running into the street and perilous traffic. It's a bad risk to your dog to go off the leash on your daily walk. There are dog parks and other places where going off-leash is more safe. Ready your dog for those if you want to enjoy some off-leash time, but utilise a quality harness and leash like those made by EzyDog on your daily walks for safety reasons.




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