Stop Your Dog From Pulling With a Double-Ended Leash
When dogs pull on a leash, it’s dangerous for both the pet owner and his dog. This is especially scary when a dog is much bigger and powerful than her pet owner. I’ve witnessed dogs pull their pet owner right out of their shoes while waiting for class to begin!
With that said, there are so many new tools that really manage leash-pulling until a pet owner teaches his dog how to walk politely on leash. For example, front clip harnesses and head halters work well, but I learned a leash technique from an old-time dog trainer that still works like a charm today. So, when double-ended leashes debuted several years ago, I was thrilled!
Remember, dog leashes are used for safety, meaning they’re used to stop a dog from pulling you toward another dog or person, running away or into the street, or whatever. Leashes shouldn’t be used for corrections.
My Old Dog Leash Trick
Back in the day, I would clip a six-foot leash to a dog’s flat buckle collar. Then, I would place my left hand on the leash about three feet up and loop the remaining part of the leash in front of the dog, so it would rest on the dog’s chest. Now, both of my hands were holding the leash and pressure was applied on the flat collar (left hand) and chest (right hand holding the leash loop).
It worked magically, especially while standing still. The only drawback is 90% of pet owners would forget how to loop the leash loosely in front of their dog. Now, with double-ended dog leashes, there’s no more guesswork.
RELATED: Why Do Dogs Freak Out When You Touch Their Collar?
How Double-Ended Leashes Work
A double-ended leash has one leash with two clips on each end plus a handle in the middle. Sounds crazy, right? Basically, you’re attaching one end of the leash to your dog’s flat collar and the other clip to the front of your dog’s harness while you hold the handle. It looks a bit odd, but it works wonderfully.
Double-ended dog leads make it easy to manage your dog until he learns how to walk politely on leash. When used correctly, double-ended leashes apply evenly distributed pressure to the front of your dog’s chest and collar, which stops excess pressure from being applied to one specific spot. If your dog pulls away, the harness clip and neck collar will turn your dog’s front (shoulders) back toward you.
You’re probably thinking that a front clip harness does the same thing, but it has its drawbacks. Some dogs will continue to pull so much they will stretch out the side straps, which renders the harness useless. Hence, the beauty of a double clip dog leash because the other end is attached to your dog’s collar, which evenly distributes pressure to several areas and not just one spot.
No More Yanking Back
With a double-ended dog leash, you’re not applying pressure in just one area, which can cause injury due to a yanking motion. Instead, you’re applying pressure evenly to bring your dog toward you if she pulls forward. Think about it this way: if a man was walking into oncoming traffic and I grabbed his arm, it would be really hard to stop his forward movement. Plus, grabbing his arm would cause him to spin around and he would still move forward. However, if I grabbed his shoulders and waist at the same time, he would stop on a dime and it would cause less exertion from me.
When to Use a Double-Ended Leash
Remember, dog training equipment is used as a tool to keep your dog safe while teaching her polite behaviors. Once your dog learns to walk politely on a leash, you can switch to a single-ended leash during walks. Even when your dog learns to walk politely, feel free to use a double-ended leash during walks, especially when walking near distractions, such as squirrels.
Brand I Recommend
By far, my favorite double-ended dog leash is the Freedom Harness (one end attaches to the front of the harness and the other end clips to the top part of the Freedom Harness). While I think the Freedom Harness is an excellent idea, I really like the security of attaching to two different items because some dogs are really good at getting out of a harness when they need to. 🙂 Do know, I don’t work for this company, but I highly recommend their dog leashes and harnesses to clients. Plus, you can order these products on Amazon too.
Give a double leash a try. Let me know what you think!