TRAINING QUESTION

Dear Mom of Hooligans,

I just adopted a three year old Weimaraner named Rocky. He's sweet and affectionate and I love him to death but he doesn't walk well on a leash. He almost pulls my arm out of the socket. What kind of leash should I get for Rocky? My sister has a retractable leash for her beagle mix.


Congratulations on adopting a great Hooligan! Even his name says "Hooligan"! I foresee alot of happy challenges in your future. As to leashes aka training leads, the one I swear by is a six-way leather leash that has been used in European schutzhund dog training for many, many years. You can use it several ways, but what I like most about it is this: It fits across your upper torso and attaches to the dog's collar. This will keep Rocky beside you so that he has no option but to walk at your heel, with you giving him an appropriate treat reward every so often. Plus, it will leave your hands free. I bought my leads many years ago at a dog show, but I believe you can order these from amazon.com. Just be sure to get one that is leather and is six feet long.

I never recommend retractable leashes for any dog. NEVER. EVER. Don't buy one. I have seen too many owners use these the wrong way and just let their dogs wander wherever they want to, as far away as they want to. It allows the dog the opportunity to annoy other people and other dogs and it also can cause horrid injuries to dogs. The retractable leash is in fact like a wire that can get wrapped around a dog's leg and slice it like a knife. It can do the same thing to human flesh. Big dogs can break a retractable leash with no problem at all, just snapping it like a string of thread. Stay with a strong, six foot leash like the 6-way lead I mentioned above. It's safer and it's reliable.