We’ve all seen those leashes with knots tied to make the leash shorter. While a short leash has it’s place in crowded areas, it’s not recommended when teaching your dog to walk with slack in the leash.

Short leashes don’t allow for any slack. On a short leash, the leash will be taught the entire walk. This teaches your dog the only way to move forward is to pull until the leash is taught.

Have you noticed that most dogs walk much faster than we do? This is another reason for a longer leash!

Walk your dog on a 6 foot - 10 foot leash. This gives ample length for slack and allows your dog to walk at their natural pace — which is bound to be faster than your own. If you teach your dog the way to move forward is to have slack in a longer leash, you’ve solved your dog’s pulling behavior.

Listen to this discussion on this week’s Dog Trainer Car Talk episode.