Ms James Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Hellooooo wonderful, wonderful trainers! My lead holding technique is where I'm failing my doggies at the moment, and I was told today I should practise, practise, practise so that it becomes natural. I'm definitely not fast enough when it comes to looping the lead up quickly, and swapping lead to my left hand when I'm giving a hand signal with my right (when dog is on my left) - I'm still in the "thinking every step through" stage, I also have a stupid habit of holding the lead up over at shoulder height when I'm bending down to pat Now, to practise without the dogs, I thought I might need a bit of weight at the end of the lead to simulate something at the other end of it. I thought of attaching the lead to MrJames, but he wouldn't go for it Maybe I could put a small weight at the other end of the lead & put the weight onto a chair to practise that way. I also thought of putting a little jingle bell near the hand-loop so that my ear would hear it as soon as my hand strayed anywhere near my shoulders. Has anyone else ever had to practise their lead handling techniques? If so, how did you do it and what visual cues (if any) did you use? Any help would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akitaowner Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 i would suggest practice with the dog would be sufficient...you do get the hang of it - just make sure you know exactly what your supposed to be doing and eventually it will come... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs4Fun Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Is this for obedience? You only need to use a lead in the ring if you are doing CCD, so if you have real issues with the lead, perhaps skip CCD and go straight to CD. Depending on how you are teaching heel etc, a lead may be more of a hindrance than anything else. If you want / need to use a lead for training, make sure it is not too long. Length beyond what you need is just lead that can get tangled and that you have to control. If you need a long lead for stays or recalls, then have a separate one for those exercises. I hold my lead by the loop with my left hand with my hand near my waist. I do heel signals with the lead in my hand, and only swap it to my right for stand or stay commands. I do drop signals with my right hand. You may find things easier to get the lead out of your hand by tucking it into your waistband. Dog still on lead, acts as a safety line, but not in your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I hold my lead in my left hand and do all signals with my right hand. I don't correct with the lead at all btw so I don't need two hands on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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