You may have seen people using a long leash for training in the dog park. Long leashes act a bit like training wheels and provide safety and control when you’re not sure if your dog’s recall is up to standard.
Besides being safe on the streets, there are plenty of other uses for a long leash for training, such as:
- Loose leash walking
- Maintaining leash laws
- Boundary training
- Distance control around people and animals
- Socialization
- Communication
In this guide to using a long leash for puppy training, we’ll help you get started with the basics of lead training. We’ll tell you how to use a long leash when training your dog, how to use a long leash for recall training, and our top tips for long leash training. Long leash training. A bit of a tongue twister, right?
Download the Zigzag app today, and you’ll get started on many of the uses for a long leash. Not sure which leash to buy? Check out our article on long leashes and recall lines.
Getting started with long leash training
To get started with using a long leash for training your puppy or dog, let’s cover some basics so that you’ll know what to do:
How long should a long leash be for recall training?
We recommend a 30-foot length to begin recall training with a long leash. This length gives you enough space to train your dog for recall, but not long so that it gets tangled up and messy.
What’s the best age to start long leash training?
Once your pup has had all of their shots, you can start training them outside with a long leash. If you have a yard, you can use the long leash there too! It makes it even better, to be honest – you can already train with distractions all around.
What treats should I use for long leash training?
Use high value treats that your dog likes! It’ll make life easier for everyone. We go over treats more in our app, as well as in our article on rewards and treats. Basically, it all boils down to you becoming the most valuable thing in your dog’s life – treats will help you get there. We’ve got you covered with our top treat recommendations here!
What else do I need for long leash training?
Always use a harness for long leash training! It’s pretty dangerous to train with it just on a collar, as your puppy can run to the end and get quite a jolt, so let’s stay safe.
At the start, we advise you to wear gloves so that the leash can’t burn your hands in case it runs through. It’s a pretty bad burn you don’t want to have…especially with long leash training when you definitely need your hands. You may also find tying knots in the leash helpful; if you tread on the leash it will stop, without it burning your hands.
Struggling to decide on the right harness for your pup? Check out our guide to puppy harnesses.
How to use long leash training
Long leash training can be used for puppies. It’s also great for teenage dogs, adult dogs, and also new rescue pups or dogs who might be a ‘flight risk’.
Here’s our tops ways of using a long leash for training:
Recall training
Teaching your puppy recall when called is important for safety, imagine all of those enjoyable walks you’ll be taking, where you want them off the leash, Long leashes provide a great level of security at the beginning of training, but still give that feeling of freedom to your puppy when adding some distance for them to run back to you.
Ask your puppy to ‘come’ and then when they run back, reward them with a super delicious treat. Yay!, you’ve started your recall training!
Loose leash walking
Training leashes are great for training loose leash walking. But using a leash that’s longer than normal means you aren’t tempted to do any “leash popping” or use any pressure on the leash to move your puppy around. Here’s how you do it: walk through the park with your puppy on a long leash. It will drag along the floor, which is a good thing. When they are close to you, mark with ‘good’ and reward them. By doing this, we’re creating a reward zone, where your puppy is learning to associate that walking next to you gives them treats.
Boundary Training
You can teach your dog to keep inside certain boundaries by limiting them with a long leash.
Distance Control
Using a long leash when you’re around livestock is the safest way to keep your puppy safe, as well as the other animals. You don’t want the chaos that comes with (literally)) running into a herd of cows.
Socialization
Puppy socialization is very important. By using a long leash, you can give your puppy freedom to explore and investigate their surroundings while keeping them under control AND staying nice and relaxed yourself.
Leash Laws
Leash laws protect your dog as well as others. They’re not actually intended to ruin the fun. Some places have rules for what the right length of leash should be, and some don’t – it really depends on where you are, so keep your eye out for that.
The Zigzag app has specialized lessons on how to teach your puppy to walk on a loose leash and much more advice you didn’t ever know you needed. Better download it today, and be pleasantly surprised!
Recall training with long leash training
When starting out long leash training to teach your puppy a recall, follow these steps:
- Choose a reward your dog loves – sausage, chicken, or any other high value treat that they’re really into.
- Start off easy – stand just 3 feet from your puppy. We want them to get it right!
- Call your puppy in a happy voice – it’ll make them more excited to come to you!
- Reward them with a tasty treat, or check out our “best dog in the world recall” in our training games article. We’re not being dramatic – yours will really be the best dog in the world.
- Increase the length of the long leash as your puppy gets better at recall to make it more challenging!
Zigzag’s top tips for mastering long leash training
If you’re thinking of using a long leash to train your dog, here’s our tips to help things go smoothly:
- Don’t rush the process…trust it. Training recall, loose leash walking, or other long leash training exercises takes time and patience!
- Keep the long leash short until you’re ready to give your dog more freedom. It will come with time!
- Wear gloves – no-one wants rope burns. You can thank us later!
- Consider a biothane long leash for ease of cleaning – read more in our article; we go all out on long leashes and training lines.
- Don’t forget to reward – try not to use the leash to control your dog. Instead, make yourself the most exciting thing for them to be around using praise, treats, and toys. It’s not bribing – we promise.
For a full training program = download Zigzag. It includes everything from teaching recall (teaching your puppy to come back when called), loose leash walking, socialization and a lot of important life skills like sleeping through the night and being on their own. Basic for your own mental sanity too…trust. We also have a team of professional dog trainers waiting to speak to you about your puppy anytime you need…24/7. We’re not kidding.
