30ft leads?

[kelleyanne1988]

I have bought two 30ft leads and two 50ft leads. Mainly so I could work with recall and also so when I go to the park I can still play fetch with them (can't have dogs off leash at our park; and they've gotten tougher about it).

The other day I had to wash some stuff off of my truck and I tied the 30ft leads around the tree in the front yard so I could watch them and so they wouldn't bark and jump in the barkyard since they are able to see me from the backyard if I'm in the driveway in the front yard.

I ended up just leaving the leads and decided tonight to attach them to the leads in the front yard and stand out there with them (don't want them getting tangled up around each other and wrapping themselves up tightly around the tree).

So... Now that you know WHY I have the leads around a tree in the front yard.... My question is... When dogs are on those leads and a person is holding the end, or it's attached to a tree or something. Before they reach the end of the line and can't go any further... Do they realize that they are even attached to anything? Like would these leads help me teach the boys the boundaries of my yard and to come to me before they reach the street so they don't get hurt?

Because what I was thinking was starting to just stand with them in the front yard with them attached to the tree, and when they start going towards the street to call them and work on getting them back to me, before the lead gets tight and before they make it to the street. I was thinking that with the leads as a safety tool, I could work with them on not going to the street and at the beginning before they know this concept of not going into the street then they would be attached to something that I could get them back safely, without chasing them around the neighborhood.

Let me know if this would be a useful tool or not. And if they realize they are on a long lead like that before they tighten the lead up.

[Sarah83]

I wouldn't trust any dog 100% to respect yard boundaries, they're not robots and I've witnessed a well trained dog run out into the road and be killed after years of never doing so. I could probably leave my front door open and Rupe not go anywhere but it's not worth the risk to him or to others. I boundary trained him because it's that little extra back up imo but it's not something I'd rely on.

I've been using a long line with Rupert for years now as he can't be off leash and sometimes he does still need a "steady" to let him know he's going to hit the end of it. For the most part he's quite good about judging distance though.

[Fundog]

I actually did that (well, not the tree part) with Dottie for a little while: 1) secured her long line to a post in a large unfenced area, and walked back and forth, calling to her every time I turned 2) holding the end of the line, walk along in an open field while she ran, and would call/whistle before she used up all the slack, and when changing directions. It worked awesome. I don't know if she ever actually understood that she was attached to a line or not-- until she got to the end of it before I could call her back or turn-- but it did help me out immensely, and she learned quickly, so that now I never use the long line anymore. Oh, and 30 ft. ended up not being long enough for me-- I lengthened it to 100 ft. instead. But that's just my personal preference and comfort. You have to go with what's best for you, just make sure you are consistent, and don't keep switching back and forth between two different lengths.

Now, one caveat: Dottie is not completely fool proof yet off-lead. I do still have to pay attention, and recall her before she gets farther than I'm comfortable with. She won't automatically come back to me when she gets to the "imaginary wall," nor does she perceive any kind of invisible boundary I do not want her to cross. That's another project for us to work on.

[Leigha]

I think I'd just worry about them seeing something they REALLY want, and run full tilt towards it, then eventually the lead'll run out and a tree's not going to give either, so they'd get snapped back. If it's attached to their collar it might hurt something. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just bringing up a point to consider since mine almost got hit by a car about 6 months ago.

Mine actually know their boundaries (they don't go in the street--they'll walk on the curb, but not get into the gutter or street) in the front yard, and they're really good about it. And they're both really good with recall, until Kole saw a dog that he ran full tilt toward and he wasn't listening to us screaming for him and nearly got run over.

[kelleyanne1988]

I usually use the 50ft leads, (mainly because I'll throw a toy further than 30ft, and I don't wanna run full speed with them to get the toy! and then get my arm ripped off! haha!)

30ft leads I've been using in the front yard so they don't have as much to get into the street. The tree is still close enough to the road that if i allowed them to stretch it fully out then they would be in the middle of the road, but I put my foot on the lead in the middle of the yard so they can't get to the road.

I also use the leads when we're in a place that isn't around the house. They don't stay on them as long then though. They get used to me having treats and EVERYTIME they come to me when called or even come up to me while they are playing I give them a treat, so they will be excited to be near me so they won't run off. This doesn't work at the house though... They don't listen at all around the yard! So they are never off lead in the yard, unless they are in the fenced-in backyard.

[Leigha]

Right, but what I'm saying is they see something across the street that they want horribly bad, they haul a** across the yard/street/whatever to get it, the lead stretches all the way out then because the tree's not moving they get yanked by their neck backwards. If my Kole had been on a leash, with as fast as he was running, he'd have probably killed himself when the end of the leash came up. And it literally takes seconds for it to happen. That would be my only concern, that they damage their necks like that.

[Fundog]

That is a valid concern. I put a harness on my dogs just for that very reason, so on the occasions when Dottie did reach the end of the line, the resulting whiplash was evenly dispersed through her entire mass, rather than concentrated in one area, which helped to reduce the shock impact.

That leads to another idea, Kelly Anne: in tracking exercises, the dog is always put in a tracking harness with a long lead (at least 20 feet). Your boys would be ideal at that sort of thing, and would no doubt love it! There are a lot of instructional articles online that give detailed step-by-steps on track laying and teaching your dogs to track. Get harnesses for them, and you'll be set! (In fact, you've already got bird scent available to lay down, as noted in a previous discussion, so that would be another way of teaching them to hunt.)

[Noobs]

Is there any way to use some sort of bungee type cord for the last few feet, at either end? That way any shock is absorbed.

Something like this:

http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/ser ... 3321_23904_

(I can't vouch for the product because I don't have one, but I just wanted to give you an idea of what you might want to have, whether you use a harness or not.)