So I had a scare this morning. On the the tail end of our walk, somehow, Willows leash just came undone from her collar. Nothing broke and I have no idea how it just worked itself off, but let me tell you I thought she was a goner. She took off in a run and of course a car turned onto the street just as this happened and it was still dark outside. Luckily she stayed out of the road and came back to pounce on Dakota so I was able to grab her. This has happened to me with Dakota in the past and I want to be able to take my dogs for a walk with peace of mind. There has got to be a more secure leash out there somewhere. Any ideas??

I've had that happen with the quick release clips several times...


Since then I've upgraded to a heavier than normal clip from a farm supply store (you can get some VERY secure things there)...


Then there's the training aspect to it as well. I know she's young but I would start before the teenage Husky brain goes haywire. By using a super light para-cord 50 feet long, I taught my dogs to stop when they think there's no leash on. I would walk for a bit and then take the normal leash off (the long line has to be light enough to make them feel unattached), and stand on the long line while holding it to prevent some serious burns. Dog would run out to about two leashes away and BAM! End of the line. Then I would walk up, attach leash, walk a bit further and repeat. When the dog starts to stop before the two leash distance, add some reward/praise. Then slowly decrease the allowed distance over a few days, and soon enough you will have a dog that stops when you drop their leash. Tacking on a stay will help things too.

Oh, the extra length of the line is to help facilitate catching the dog should they get away from you. No dog can move fast enough to get all 50 feet out before you can grab it. Just make sure you have gloves on if you need to grab a moving para cord line.

Ok, the leash was the quick release and here I thought that was the more secure connection. Do you get the para cord at the farm supply store as well? Thank you for this information!

I personally dont use a collar, to watch and listen to max strangle himself as he pulls on the leash for a chipmonk or a squirrel, I use a standard harness and I have more control over max and he learned very well.

Are you in an X-back harness or a standard harness? Standard harnesses are not as easy to back out of. You can also get X-back harnesses with a belly band now that helps prevent backing out.

Any harness can be backed out of but like Tori mentioned, some are harder than others. I use a belly band with our x back which is really easy to back out of without the band. We use a standard harness for walks which our sibe can and has backed out of before but I've learned to let the lead go slack if he starts backing out for any reason. As an added security measure you can attach a short line from the harness to their collar so that if they ever pull out of their harness there is a back up line attached to their collar.

I have 3 leashes, all with the secure clips pictured above. Last week I was bringing Sabaka inside from pottying and my fam was coming home. He was hopping around all excited to see them. Next thing I know I have the leash, the dog is running down the sidewalk and his name tag (without the ring that attaches it to the collar) is flying into the grass! I thought I had accidentally attached the leash to the name tag ring and that I would find that ring somewhere totally stretched out of shape. But I did not, it was still on the collar in perfect shape. I don't know how the tag nor the leash came off!!

THEN, last night I was walking him around the soccer complex while my son was at practice. I was on a service road and had asked him to sit while a truck passed. When I said, "Okay, come." to begin moving again, I hear a "clink" as the leash fastener hit the road! Sabaka was not moving enough at that point to notice he was off-lead, so I quickly grabbed him!

This has now happened twice with the same leash. I think the leash is defective but when I test it and compare it to the others, it looks and feels the same. This leash came loose once when slack and once when he was pulling. This makes no sense! Do I need to buy a tougher leash and how do I know I won't get another like this?

I have a martingale collar, an EZYDOG walking harness and an x-back harness with a belly band. I also have a Ruff Wear harness that her packs attach to...oh! I forgot about the multi-sport harness but when I measured her to send in the order, the company I ordered it from said she would be an XL according her neck measurements...but the strap around her belly is too big!

In any case, I like all of them and doesn't seem to be able to back-out of any of the harnesses we have.

Lisa, sometimes you just get a defective part. Maybe the spring tension is just enough to feel correct but not enough to actually hold. Or the sliding mechanism might not be seated correctly at the base. Is it under warranty? The clips found on store leashes tend to be on the cheaper side.

Eddy, I think I'm gonna chock this one up for a loss. It was on a clearance table with discontinued colors and patterns. I know the store does not issue refunds on anything from the clearance table. The instructor wanted a 6-foot lead for puppy school. I don't like walking him with it anyway. I like the 4-foot better. This defective one will get me through puppy school since if he gets loose in school the worst that can happen is that he squishes the Yorkie!!
Thanks!

SabakaMom wrote:

This defective one will get me through puppy school since if he gets loose in school the worst that can happen is that he squishes the Yorkie!!

Thank you for the laugh!

Which is better, neck collar or a body leash? I want to buy a brand new collar because the metal collar that I bought seems to injure the neck of Sibhee.

SiberianHuskySibhee wrote:

Which is better, neck collar or a body leash?

That's really a matter of personal opinion and preference. Many people prefer walking on a collar for extra control. I'm assuming when you say "body leash" you are referring to a harness. Many others prefer walking in harness because it protects the dog from damaging the neck or collapsing the trachea. One major drawback that many people find with harnesses is that the dog is more comfortable pulling in harness so that might make them more inclined to do so. However proper training will allow you teach a husky not to pull in harness so it really is just a matter of good training and dedication.

Personally, I never walk my dogs on a collar. There are too many negatives for me to ever even consider it. The neck is a very sensitive area and also the place that they are most likely to be attacked (the jugular) if another dog were to attack them...which makes it a place that they can be more reactive about. Not to mention most dogs who have not been loose leash trained will pull with all their might which can lead to choking and sometimes even cause the dog's trachea to collapse. Not a risk I would ever take personally. How many times I have seen a dog being walked on a collar and running until they reach the end of their lead and bam! completely flipping backward from the force...I can't imagine the damage it's doing to their necks. Or the dogs that choke themselves on a collar trying to reach another dog. My dogs wear martingale collars for ID tags only. Any and all walking or trips outside with my dogs are always done in harness. And I have trained my sibe to walk in harness on a loose leash, it is possible!

Val,

What would you recommend for an 8 week old pup in regards to the use of a collar or harness for walks? I know above you mentioned you prefer a harness but could you recommend a particular brand or style for an 8 week old puppy?

Thanks

I personally either use a gentle leader or a harness. I don't use a dog's leash. I use a horses lead!


When maggie was 8 weeks old. I just used a regular old collar and a hand leash. She didn't start pulling until 5-6 months.

SiberianKaia wrote:

Val,

What would you recommend for an 8 week old pup in regards to the use of a collar or harness for walks? I know above you mentioned you prefer a harness but could you recommend a particular brand or style for an 8 week old puppy?

Thanks

There are lots of different options for harnesses and collars. As far as harnesses, there isn't a particular brand I would recommend over another. Now if we were talking about a working, biking, or hiking harness that would be different but at 8 weeks that's too young to worry about. Use whatever works best for you and your pup. I use a regular H style harness for typical walks.

I use a homemade 550 cord survival harness and a ruff wear top rope leash. The harness has the polymer buckles you find on military equipment and are rated at 200lbs and the leash has a locking carabiner used for climbing. Overall pretty secure and strong.

I highly advocate the use of a leash with a locking carabiner as I have seen and have had a few dogs that have been able to manipulate the quick release and take their leash off. I didn't want to give Oakley the chance of figuring it out.

My pup's got a collar for her tags that I never attach a leash to so I don't have a preference over name brand. That's usually chosen by looks. She's also been in a harness since I brought her home at 8 weeks. Not because she was pulling yet, but because I wanted her to get used to a harness for the days when she DID start pulling (i.e. right about now at 4 months). Because she's growing so fast, I try not to shell out a lot of money on her harnesses. I've just been using the top paw ones from petsmart. Once I see that she's slowing down growth wise, I'm going with an easy walk harness. My mom just got one for the lab and it is a godsend. No more being dragged down the street! I don't think Callie will ever have that much power since she's a tiny girl but it'll make her more well behaved on the leash so I think it's worth it. Leashwise, I love the Kong ones because they're really comfortable on the hand, especially with a puller.