Can you handle that leash? Are you a novice seeking help, or an expert seeking adjustments?
Does it trip you up, direct the dog in dramatic or subtle ways, cue the dog, get tangled, knotted, or hung up on objects, or can the leash be tight, loose, or elastic?
These are all possible scenarios and more – the question isn’t so much about the handler avoiding these challenges as about developing the skills to work through any that come up during a search and to work confidently despite any impacts to the dog’s working odor. It isn’t Pamplona; you probably aren’t going to get run over by the dog (bull), but hopefully we can keep from getting tangled in the leash!
There used to be a time when the focus was on being so smooth on the line that it looked effortless. Personally, I learned I’m not very graceful, at new things – so, to supplement this, it was more about how to work through interruptions, such as a dog being pulled off a hide, checking the leash, and working out of a tangle, etc.
The concept is that any leash skill must be reliable, repeatable, and easily accessible from our toolkit under trial search pressure. These are one set of rules to employ.
First rule: “Keep it Simple”; we will cover easy ways to course-correct under search-time pressure.
Second rule: “If you punished the dog with the leash, apologize with a reward” to move on quickly in the search.
Third rule: “If stuck, thinking about what to do, see 1st and 2nd rule."
Any more rules, and we would probably be breaking rule number one! Or if the skill needed seems complicated and unreliable to use, then we need a different skill.
Exercises to practice your leash skills are always fun. We will cover some short videos, sometimes entertaining, but many times featuring adaptable leash movements that handlers make to prevent interruptions and derailments of searches. If you're brave and want to share a short video, I’m happy to be kind and talk through some skill applications we can all work on. On the coaching side, I haven’t yet seen a mistake I haven’t made in trial. Also happy to find a new challenge to work through.
