You love your dog and you love walking him. The only problem is that your hand is engaged in holding his leash all the time. Not anymore! It’s because hands-free dog leashes are here! A new trend of dog leashes that keep your hands free is getting increasingly popular.
A hands free dog leash is an unfettered choice for those who find it fun to spend time on the trails with their furry friends. Hands-free dog walking leashes allow you to use trekking poles for longer distance hikes. As an added bonus, with your dogs tied to you, your hands are free to take pictures, serve treats and pick up poop. And today, there are so many types of hands-free dog walking systems among which you can choose the best according to the types of dogs you have.
In general, there are two types of hands-free dog leashes. One is for dogs who pull and the other is for dogs who don’t pull.
If your dog is well-mannered and doesn’t pull your hands out of their sockets while you walk him, he can go on a hands-free leash either tied to a collar or a regular harness. Here you should remember one thing: never use a no-pull harness that is meant to restrict the natural gait of your dog. It can cause joint problems and other health issues in the long run. It should be used only on the recommendation of a certified dog trainer and only as a short term solution during the training period when you want your dog to walk beside you properly.
You should put non-pulling dogs on an adjustable short leash, since you want to train them to walk beside you. A shorter leash will prevent you from tripping on it.
Remember that the shorter the dog, the longer should be the leash. Not all hands-free systems are adjustable. If you are going to walk a short dog, make sure the leash is sufficiently long to extend downward comfortably to his height. Similarly, if it’s a larger dog, a short leash will allow the dog to avoid tripping on it.
The length of adjustable leads also depends on your furry friend’s ability and the activity you have undertaken. E.g. for a structured walk, the length of the lead should be such that it will create a loose J-hook off your waist but won’t touch the ground. Dogs that pull because of respecting leadership and/or being unfamiliar with packwalking must be on the shortest length possible. If that’s still too much play, detach the lead from the waistbelt and loop the whole lead onto the waistbelt amid the o-rings. If in this spot, you wrap the lead around your waistbelt to make sure it won’t slip around on the belt before tying both ends to the dog’s collar and your dog will get no other option than walking behind your butt.
If your dog is a puller, a hands-free leash gives you the great advantage of saving your arm from being ripped out of its socket. However, remember that all that pulling force comes on your waist and so, you should consider some other things to save yourself from getting a back injury.
For puller dogs, the hands-free leash should be wide enough to support totally throughout the back. Also, its every component should be heavy duty with welded metal loops and durable sewn straps.
Shoulder style harness or half harness has a great benefit for dogs that pull because they offer generous padding and provide a full range of movements to the dog.
Although your dog loves to pull while being on a hands-free system, he should be under your control. He should not be let pull you to the extent that he gasps and wheeze for air.
You are excited to use your new hands-free dog leash. But before you start using them, you will have to keep a few things in mind in order to make yourself and your dog comfortable and safe.
To start with, remember to wear the waistbelt just as you wear a conventional belt, i.e. quite snug at the waist and not over the hips, and also not so loose that it will go around easily. This position will allow you to make the most of balance as well as strength of the core of your body.
The buckle will be in the front over your belly button and the o-rings should be at the middle of your back. There are two adjustable slides on either side of the belt that will enable you to fit the belt on your clothing. If you wear many layers, wear the belt over the top of the outermost layer. This will offer you a direct access to poop bags or other objects attached to the belt along with any adjusting/handling of the equipment that you may require during the walk.
At the back of the waistbelt, the lead(s) are clipped to the o-rings. Choose to clip on the lower half of the o-ring rather than the upper half as the latter will make the waistbelt twist. The best alternative is to clip in a downward manner as it will make it more difficult to get accidentally undone.
Whether to attach to right or left o-ring depends totally on you. If you have only one furry kid, choose the side you want him to walk on, whereas if there are multiple of them, distribute them evenly between two o-rings.
Regarding adjustable leads, fasten the looped end to the waistbelt and leave the single strand end to tie to your dog’s collar. It will keep the looped end away from the dog’s feet and the dog won’t be tangled in it. This is not required in case of fixed length leads.
Hands-free leashes are wonderful, but do pose a risk to the user. While you are attached to your dog, you’ll have to pay additional attention to the surrounding. You and your dog may clothesline a tree or encounter with wildlife or other off-leash dogs. The purpose of telling this is not to scare you but to alert you of the dangers you should avoid.
To be safely used to a hands free dog leash requires even more training than that needed for using a regular leash. Once you find just the right leash for you, give some time to training yourself and your dog to use it properly and then you can enjoy using your hands to do various things while walking your pooch.