I hope this is the right forum, wasn't sure where to put it. Buffy's recall is a bit sketchy when she sees other dogs. We are working on it but I can't always trust her enough to let her off lead (unless she is playing with dogs she knows in a secure area). I use a long training line and a harness because I was told this is the best option, rather than using a flexi lead. I have been having a few problems though. I was told to step on the line rather than grab it with my hands (I did once, I will never grab it again!). But twice now she's run at full pelt and when I stepped on the line it landed me straight on my back. Very painful and not very safe. Also once it got wrapped around my finger, which I don't think was broken but it's definitely not like it used to be. Has anyone got any tips for using a long line that won't leave me with injuries? I know that flexis can be dangerous but I'm not exactly filled with confidence at using this long line. I'm sure it will be fine with a bit of training (for me and the dog!). I really don't want to have to keep her on a short lead all the time. Thanks for any tips!
I really don't like the idea of stepping on a long line with a dog moving away from you when slack in the line allows the dog to build up any speed, even if the dog is wearing a harness (and definitely never if the dog is wearing only a collar - I honestly think you can do dreadful damage) - because bringing a dog up short like this is highly likely to be punishing to the dog. I also think it will teach them nothing but not to run off if they have a long line attached. You have to step on the line close to the dog, or step on it fast enough - with the line laid out so it stops him immediately before he builds up speed. What you can't do is step on the line at a point that means there is slack available, the dog starts running and builds up speed, then whacks to a stop as the line goes tight. As you have found out, that's not good (for your dog or you). I would drop a long line if my dog was wearing one and he bolted and there was a lot of slack in the line. And you definitely, definitely do not want to be wrapping a long line around your hand. I think you need to see someone do the close to the dog or no slack thing, but even then ideally the the long line is used as sort of a 'reminder' for the dog. You need your dog's attention fairly on you, and if they pause to look at a distraction and you think they might run you you can pick up the line and give it a gentle tug to get your dog to return his attention to you. I have successfully used both long lines and extendable leads - I prefer an extendable lead for walking over a long line, but I use them in very different ways. You definitely do not want to use an extendable lead if your dog can't walk on a normal lead with pretty much 100% reliability, they are just leads but you have much less control over your dog. This is how I use a long line. I have the end of it in my hand and I'm 100% engaged with my dog - I'm either close enough to my dog to stand on the line very close to him or the line is straight (so if I stood on the end of it, there wouldn't be much slack). MVI_0168 by Julie T, on Flickr
Just looking at your post again, I wonder whether you are trying to use a long line just as part of a normal walk? I don't think they are suitable for that, I think they are only suitable to use when you are training, you are working on your dog doing something with you, with a level of distractions you have chosen, and engaged with you, and you are thinking all the time about the exercise you are doing and what is happening with the line.
Yes, same as JulieT, it sounds to me as if you are not actually using the line for training but rather for walking, right? ONe of our trainers had a good idea, I think. She said while walking keep the line (really she was responding to a question about a flexi) keep the line short. If you want to let the dog roam out a bit more then find a place to sit, where the line won't wrap around trees or trip people, and then let the line out. In the way it sounds like you are using the line there's no difference between a long line and a flexi. This trainer felt it was confusing to puppy to be trained to loose leash walk fairly close to you and then let out so far, so sit. Your avatar shows a puppy, is that Buffy? How old is she now? Did you follow the puppy method here for teaching recall? That lasted all her 14.5 years for my first Lab and gave me confidence to let Oban off leash at 5 months old. It probably won't work once puppy is past about 16 weeks old though. When I had to do some refresher recall training with Oban, at 18 months old, what got him back to me was North/South Fetch, morphed into recall with a ball. No long line at all. I tried a long line for recall, over and over, didn't work for us.
Oh wow, I have been doing things wrong then! Thanks everyone for the tips. There are benches on our walk so I can sit there and let her have a sniff around and not worry about ending up flat on my back again. She has just turned 6 months. Recall was going well but I obv didn't proof it properly and now she's far more interested in other dogs. I can call her back most of the time if there are no distractions. We are starting again from scratch with the instructions that are on the recall section of the site. I've got a whistle because my children tend to pick up on verbal cues and ruin them.
I would not sit down while using a long line on my dog - you have to watch that line very carefully if you have a dog that might bolt, it can't be round their legs or anything like that if you are going to use it to stop a dog running off, it has to be in a clear, straight line from the back of the harness to you. It does sound to me as though you would be better off with just a short long line - say a 10m line which you use as a lead, and can get hold of by walking up to your dog and picking it up instead of using your recall if she runs over to another dog. It's posts like this that make me realise telling people to use a long line isn't all that practical if they are walking a dog (so thanks, I'm not going to do this again! ). Long lines are good for training, not walking.
I will second JulieT's caution and add, never let your dog play with other dogs while on any kind of line. On another board one owners two dogs got tangled in the line one, the young one, was on and the young one got a badly broken leg out of it. Other line cautions. When we WERE doing fetch/recall work at field training one day another lady borrowed my line. She's way more experienced than me, I paid no attention to her. She did not lay the line out carefully, stepped in it and when her young dog was sent after the bumper the line wrapped around her bare ankle and was pulled around it, sliding all the way. That line had been in swamp water and dirt, it was filthy. She got a very bad infection and her leg swelled up to her knee. She has an awful scar. Treat the long line with respect, it can hurt both of you.
We used a long line for over 3 years teaching our rescue dog Charlie who had zero recall a recall. I also bought a whistle and Pippa's Total Recall which has a section on recalling your dog away from other dogs. Are you using high value treats when calling Buffy away from other dogs. Could you set up some practice sessions with other willing dog owners/friends? We only used the long line for recall training and a normal lead for a walk, Charlie wore a front fastening harness with the long line attached, it's quite tricky to get used to but we did. We always recalled him before he got close to the end of the line so as to avoid injury to him and us. Eventually we dropped the line on occasions when there were low distractions then adding distractions, now we don't use it. I really don't like extendable leads and I walk with people who use them and they are the biggest pain in the backside, criss crossing, wrapping round my legs and my dogs, striding out way ahead of the owners. I was walking with my puppy and a friend some years ago with her large Labradoodle on an extendable lead, he circled around her she tripped and broke her ankle so there I was with two large 6 month old puppies running through the village to raise the alarm to her husband. She was out of action for over 6 weeks. I have never used one and never would, they would be the one thing I would ban.
