Dog scared of bikes - slip lead?

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Jemymah
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:18 pm

Dog scared of bikes - slip lead?

Post by Jemymah »

Hi,
I'm asking this for a friend!
Our friends have a 1.5 ur old pup that Casey spends time with during the week when we are at work.
He's a lovely sweet dog but fearful.
On walks he's scared of other people but one of the main issue is bikes. If he sees one he'll bolt and hide.
They got him as a young pup and he's always been this way. The place they got him from wasn't great apparently and he was the smallest and most nervous of the litter.
He isn't snappy, if he's scared he just slinks away, or runs.
They took him to a behaviourist who had him playing with a ball near bikes, ending with him taking the ball from the spokes of the bike.
The advice for our friends is to get an old bike and take it about, playing near it that sort of thing. That sounds ok I think? She also recommended walking him in quiet places and building up from there.
But the bit that makes me feel icky is that she also recommended changing the harness to a slip lead because nervous dogs shouldn't be on a harness. Does this sound right? It doesn't sit right with me that if he bolts he has a slip lead on but I'm new to dog ownership. The behaviourist said that as long as he is wearing it properly it's not an issue and if it moves to his neck you just move it back but I don't know.
My concern is that he's such a good boy, could the slip lead make him more scared, or snappy?
Casey, spaniel terrier mix, born Dec 2016
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Dog scared of bikes - slip lead?

Post by Erica »

I think the behaviorist has half of a good idea. Fearful dogs have been known to slip out of many harnesses and flat collars, so something more secure as backup is a good idea. But I agree with you in that a slip lead on its own isn't the right choice.

There are a few harnesses that are more secure. One like the Houdini Harness, with that third strap by the back legs, is much harder to slip out of quickly. (A dog could still chew their way out unattended, but they can't bolt out of it if they're in good shape.) That company has a US division too. Ruffwear also sells a "Webmaster" harness which has a similar idea and has worked for a few Houdini dogs I've worked with.

If your friend feels their dog might try to escape the harness in a stressful situation, a martingale or choke collar can be used as backup so that there is still something attached to the dog if they slip the harness. Attach one end of a leash coupler (the little thing they use to "walk two dogs with one leash" which is a terrible idea) to your leash or a sturdy part of the harness, and the other to a snugly-fitted martingale collar. The collar should have no pressure on it usually, but should the dog slip the harness, the martingale comes into action. You can also use a carabiner for this.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Jemymah
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:18 pm

Re: Dog scared of bikes - slip lead?

Post by Jemymah »

Thanks Erica, I probably should have said that as far as I know he's never got out of the harness as far as I know. When he bolts he's off lead. On lead he'll scrabble behind you and try to hide.
Casey, spaniel terrier mix, born Dec 2016
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