Walk Slowly and Keep the Leash Smiling
When the dog is moving, exploring and investigating, like in this video, we want the leash to smile and stay off the ground. This makes the dog comfortable and helps avoid some distracting external factors.
Keeping the leash off the ground also makes you more comfortable and therefore the walk is more pleasant. When the leash touches the ground, we know it! And so does the dog.
Leash dragging is more or less noticeable depending on the type of leash, the terrain and even the weather. For example, a wet fabric leash weighs more than a dry one.
Our aim should be to make the dog feel as natural as possible within the constraints of the harness and the leash. Almost as if they weren't there.
To allow for the movement to be as close as possible to the natural movement of the dog.
Not to interfere with sniffing and exploring.
Equipment is there for reassurance and safety, not control and restriction.
Of course it is OK for the leash to touch the ground on occasions, like when the dog stops to explore on a spot or a small area. Also when we start to move or we stop the leash might be dragging for a little bit, but if our dog is on the go, we should let the leash smile from this point on.
Practice makes perfect, and leash skills are something all of us can learn and continue to perfect with time.
We also wrote about dragging the leash in the following blog post: Can a dragging leash smile
