Taut or Loose Line- Why I believe in the Taut.

The question came up today about taut vs loose line. Here are my reasons for a taut line-

1. Safety- less likely to get tangled.

2. Less likely to give a correction. Now I know this is reason for many to have a loose line, but I have seen more dogs get a jabbing correction when loose then taut. Coming to the end of a loose leash gives much more correction than a taut one.

3. Communication. Yes, I believe there is communication going through that line. I believe eventually you will feel your dog on and off through the line. The dog also knows you are there, you two are part of a team, you are following their lead. When loose your dog needs to look back to see where you are. A loose leash is when you are in charge- obedience- the dog must pay attention to you to know what to do.

Now, I know there are some that teach a loose line so there is no direction from handler to dog. This is why we work so hard on your line handling. The line comes from the same place and your belly is always to dog. A line well worked means there are no directions or CORRECTIONS coming from handler. A line with the same amount of pressure all the time, and coming from the same place with handler always facing dog gives no cues.

Along with the line we now have questions of speed. For many of us to keep a line loose would mean constantly running with the dog, and this to me can lead to many more problems which I will address here in the future.

A big piece of my training is your response to your dog. Many of you have heard me address this many times! I believe it is key in your success. I believe learning how to use the line is a basic component to your response and to do so in most cases I believe a taut line is the best.

If you have more questions please contact me!

Go find the Trails!