The dog lanyard is part of the equipment to have in your dog’s “tool kit”. It is, in my opinion, a must-have for many reasons.
Zoom today on the usefulness of the lanyard, its use, and the latter’s choice.
Lanyard for dog: what is it?
The first important thing to remember: a lanyard is not a leash. It is, of course, much longer, and I call a lanyard a “lanyard” when it is longer than 3 meters. Below 10 feet, it’s a leash; above that, it’s a rope.
A lanyard can go up to 15 or 20 meters if needed. But I recommend having a 5-meter lanyard and a 10-meter lanyard for daily use, it’s more than enough, above: it’s too bulky!
As mentioned before, a lanyard is not a leash; in fact, you will not use a lanyard to walk your dog every day or make him go around the neighbourhood before sleeping. No, the lanyard is more of an educational tool to teach or reteach his dog the indication of recall and strengthen the relationship between the master and his dog.
And yes, you read correctly; in my opinion, the lanyard allows to reinforce the relationship between master and dog! Let me explain: a lanyard enables the master to be relaxed when learning to recall, to give up, etc. as well as during educational walks to teach his dog to follow his master naturally (we will see later how to use the lanyard concretely) and don’t we say: “relaxed master, relaxed dog”?
Naturally, the more gently and respectfully the dog learns, the more the relationship will be strengthened. Therefore the more the interactions will be rich and lead to a harmonious cohabitation.
Lanyard for dog: what is the use?
First of all, an essential point: in my opinion, the lanyard is a tool that will secure both the walks and the first learning of recall.
It is a security in the sense that you offer your dog a semi-freedom when you can’t let him go on a walk or start working on the indication of the return to the master, the natural follow-up, etc.
Moreover, as mentioned before, the lead rope is an essential tool to teach or reteach various notions to your dog gently because it is a material that allows us to be more serene in learning.
For example, if you want to teach your dog to recall in more and more exciting places, having your dog on a lanyard will allow you to proceed with this learning in a progressive, more serene way and therefore not to transmit any pressure to your dog, which would only slow down the success of the teaching.
And yes, stress is often one of the leading causes of educational failures. Thus, with a lanyard, recall and connection with the master are much more effective.
How to use it?
Of course, it is not “thanks” to the lanyard that you will teach your dog to recall; I suggest you consult our article specially dedicated to the recalled subject.
The lanyard will help you be more relaxed in the exercise and secure your dog if you propose sessions in stimulating environments (cars, roads, bikes, etc.).
The lanyard allows you to work on the recall with confidence and avoid putting yourself and your dog in a situation of failure.
Moreover, working with a large lanyard (10 meters or more) allows you to work on natural tracking. Natural tracking is teaching your dog to follow your movements without having to call him.
So, on the ground that your dog knows (where he has already smelled all the scents before), attach the lanyard and walk as if nothing had happened, without paying attention to him, without talking to him and being very relaxed.
Walk back and forth a lot. The exercise is complete when you feel no tension in the lead, and your dog follows you naturally and pays attention to all your direction changes without being “forced” by pressure in the information.
Then, you can use the lead rope on a walk to offer your dog semi-freedom. In the beginning, keep the lanyard in hand and call your dog back from time to time; you can also resume the exercise of natural tracking in actual conditions, etc.
But you can also, if the environment allows it, leave the lanyard lying around. So, if, for example, you see a game passing by, a car arriving or something else, you can put your foot on the lanyard to keep control.
The little bonus: I invite you to tie knots in specific places on your lanyard. Indeed, the lanyards are often flat, and putting your foot on them is generally not enough to stop the dog completely. But if you tie a few knots, they won’t get under your shoe.
Dog lanyard: how to choose it?
As far as the choice of the lanyard is concerned, I could present to you all the possible and unimaginable lanyards, describe to you all the advantages and disadvantages of the various materials (cotton, leather, nylon, rope, etc.). Still, in my opinion, there is only one lanyard of absolute quality and pleasant to use every day and that I recommend you to buy: it is the anti-slip lanyard.
The non-slip lanyard is made of nylon and rubber, and you will never find it better in terms of quality and comfort. At the same time, resistant, light and flexible, this lanyard will allow you to lead your dog without having to wear gloves to avoid burns (hello rope lanyards)!
You can find non-slip/rubber lanyards on many specialized websites. I have never seen one in a specialized store, but I don’t hide that I haven’t been to all the specialized stores in France.
Let’s talk about prices! There is, as often, everything and especially a lot of nonsense! A 50€ lanyard (as we often see in stores) is not necessarily a good quality lanyard and pleasant to use. I have never spent more than 20€ on a lanyard, and I have only bought 3 in my life (two 5 meters and one 10 meters) and they are always in perfect condition.
Concerning the size, as mentioned before, I advise having at home a 5 meters lanyard but also a 10 meters lanyard to work with more distance if needed.
And a little extra advice: choose a colour that fizzes (orange, red) if you ever leave the lanyard lying around, so you can see it quickly, especially when walking in the forest.
