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Extending Leads - Who Needs Them?The village I live in is set just off a road that joins several neighbouring communities. Although this main connecting road has a speed limit of 30mph many motorists ignore it, and I frequently see cars going past at 50mph or more. If they're not turning off into my village they have no real incentive to slow down - they're just heading on to the next village in the chain. For some reason the pavement (or sidewalk, depending on where you live) is very narrow for about a 30 yard stretch just by the turning into my village as it runs alongside a high wall. Along that short stretch it's only about 60cm wide. In the last few weeks I've seen 2 different people walking their dogs along that stretch of pavement with the dog walking well ahead of them at the very limit of an extending lead. They were walking in the opposite direction to the oncoming traffic.
On the one hand you could remark on how well behaved the dog was. But on the other side of the coin think how dangerous it is - your dog's about 10 metres in front of you and it's got cars rushing past only about 1 metre to the side of it. What if something spooks the dog? Or it sees something on the other side of the road to distract it like a cat? There's absolutely nothing to stop the dog going into the road - you can't possibly control it with the lead when it's that far ahead of you. In fairness I have to say that both dogs in question looked very placid. But even so, with the best will in the world is it not possible that something unexpected could happen? A screech of brakes, a blast on a horn or an exhaust backfiring perhaps. Any one of those could easily be enough to make a dog jump in fright. And with a wall on one side and no more forward slack in the lead the only direction the dog could go would be to the side - straight into the path of the oncoming traffic. If the road in question was a quiet one I wouldn't be anywhere near as concerned. But on a road that's not only busy but also has fast moving traffic in my opinion it just isn't worth the risk. Seeing this made me question the whole point of walking your dog this way anyway. If the dog is walking at the same speed as you are, but it's doing it 10 paces in front of you instead of at your side, what's the point? I frequently see people walk their dogs this way. Or the converse, where the dog trails along 10 paces behind, but is still walking at the same pace as the owner. Come on really - what *is* that all about?! I've always been of the opinion that an extending lead is a dead giveaway for someone who can't control their dog. They daren't let it off the lead for fear of it not coming back, but they think by having it on an extending lead it gets more freedom and opportunity to run about than on a short fixed lead. Not if it sedately trots along at the same speed as the owner it doesn't! And even if the dog does vary its speed it's still not really getting the chance to run. Not run properly the way dogs are designed to run. Do the dog a huge favour - just teach it some basic obedience so it'll come when called, then walk it on a fixed lead to an area where it can run free and let it off. The dog will have a far more enjoyable walk and so will you - you'll get enormous pleasure just from watching the fun your dog has when it runs free. If you're nervous or hesitant about how to get to that point with your dog I explain it all in easy steps in my complete dog training package - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success". As an example take Molly, the 2 year old rescue greyhound I rehomed last August. The strict advice from the greyhound rescue people is never to let a greyhound off the lead in an unenclosed area because they won't come back. What a load of total claptrap. And what an appalling legacy for the thousands of greyhounds rehomed each year. A greyhound is built for one thing above all else; to run. To my mind it's nothing short of cruelty to deny a dog like that the freedom to run. I just used some basic dog training skills with Molly so she understood the idea of reward, and in no time at all she'd come when called. I had her running free just 3 days after I got her, and now she runs free every time I walk her. And let me tell you, to see a greyhound run for joy is a sight to gladden even the heaviest heart! It's a truly breathtaking sight. Sorry - I've got a bit diverted from what I was saying. The point I was simply trying to make is that I think you should ditch your extending lead! Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".
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