Our 5 month old lab has been so good at recall in the open fields where we usually walk her that we have dispensed with the long leash and she has been great. When we come across other dogs she does run to them, has a little play but always comes back when we call and start to walk away. We mix call and whistle. However, we went somewhere where we didn’t expect so many people and other dogs and she got a bit crazy, running to people and ignoring our calls. It was our fault for exposing her to too many distractions too soon. My question is, should we go back to the long leash in all circumstances or just where we expect a lot of people? I have read the article about long leash training and don’t want her to confuse her by knowing when she is on the leash and when she isn’t. Is it too late to go back to basics? Advice please!
It is never too late to go back to basics Also, the purpose of a long line is not to shape her behavior because she's aware of it, it's so you can get her back under control when necessary. As she comes into adolescence, she's likely to be much bolder and more confident about whizzing off to greet other dogs, so I'd definitely go back to using it so that she can't practice unwanted behaviors while you're still proofing her training
Thank you. We just went back to the long leash today on our walk along muddy paths and it was certainly useful when some young girls came towards us wearing very light coloured jeans - I dread to think what they could have looked like if the lead wasn’t on and she ran towards them ! But seriously , yes we are working on the sit and stay as people approach us and recall when other dogs are ahead so will keep using the long lead.
