Tried leaving the leash loose on our walk yesterday and it totally backfired

I always keep a short grip on my golden retriever, but I saw a tip online about giving them more slack for confidence. So yesterday in the park near my apartment, I let the leash hang loose for about 5 minutes. He immediately bolted after a squirrel and pulled me right into a mud puddle. Learned that a loose leash is great in theory but not with a 70 pound dog who has zero impulse control. Has anyone else had a training trick blow up on them like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

harperg7625d ago

Heard a trainer say loose leashes work best with dogs who already know "leave it" first.

anthony_campbell8825d agoMost Upvoted

because honestly, the whole loose leash thing is a trap I fell for too. I tried it with my beagle mix and she just dragged me straight to a pile of trash someone left out. I swear she thought it was a buffet. The worst part is I was wearing sandals and stepped in a puddle that was definitely not water. I ended up just standing there like an idiot while she sniffed a discarded pizza box for ten minutes. Now I keep the leash short and just let her sniff when I say it's okay. It's not graceful but at least I'm not covered in mystery slop anymore.

tylerj2225d ago

Ngl I had to stop reading after the part about stepping in a puddle that wasn't water. Honestly that's one of my biggest fears on walks and I'm so sorry that happened to you. Tbh I would have just stood there too not knowing what to do with myself. The way you described standing like an idiot while your dog went to town on a pizza box is way too real. I don't think anyone truly prepares you for the chaos of owning a beagle man.