Thursday, December 12, 2013

DoggyStyle: On Leash Modifications for Better Walks

I've heard that City Moms take great care in choosing their strollers, often considering it like their SUV: equipped to hold and store everything they need for their walks and journeys.
And just like our pups go for so many daily walks, our leash has taken on the same importance. Through our daily walks through days like this or like this, these are some modifications we've made to make our walks easier:

Add-On's:
Miss M is upset we are not getting her best angle
We added a circular key ring to the leash handle and we were able to clip on our poo bag dispenser and an extra carabiner. We can use the carabiner to hold extra things like our dog treat bag, extra keys, or citronella. Though it sounds excessive, it's not bulky because I use the double-elbow hand hold that I wrote about here. 

Safety Measures:
It's funny how we all put so much trust in the little latch that clips the leash to the collar, but through our own experiences, and talking to several of our friends, we have learned how that little clip can fail. Sometimes it just wears out and doesn't clip as well, or if your pup rolls or snags it against a chair or table it could come unclipped. It has happened to us once with Mr B (he really wanted to meet a giant poodle), once with Miss M (we didn't even know it was unclipped until we looked behind us and we couldn't understand how Miss M was lagging so far behind) and a funny story from a friend (their pup came unclipped, rushed into a grocery store and was frolicking in the bread aisle). Since then, we learned to thread a carabiner through the base of the clasp serving as a second connector to the collar. We wrote more about it, here and this is what it looks like.

An Extra Grip:
Sometimes leashes can become slippery. Or cause rope burn.
To get an extra grip on the leash I originally used a leash with an extra loop at the end that acted like an extra handle, though I found Miss M found that extra loop very tempting to play with as we were walking. One of our dog walkers taught as a different trick: you can get an extra grip on any leash by tying a knot in various places to get more control.
Especially important if Mr. B is having one of those days where he doesn't understand the meaning of  'a walk'.

Style:
Mr. B is happy to match his person
Just like buying fun new gym clothes gives you extra incentive to go to the gym, I found using cute leash sets give me that extra push to enjoy our dog walks even when the weather isn't enjoyable. We have been using matching leash and collar sets from both Sirius Republic and Silly Buddy. They both handmade all of their collars and leashes so sizes are customizable. We like using the wide martingale and matching leash. Sometimes we even coordinate by the seasons.

Also:
We are liking this length now.
We also carry these on our walks.
Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

6 comments:

P H O T O G R A P H Y by Wendy Martin said...

We've started using a carabiner to double up as well after reading one of your posts. I like the idea of an extra key ring for bags and keys. I'm going to have to use that. Thanks to your inspiration, we now have a foster :) http://loveincamouflage.wordpress.com. Please look at the fostering page.

Yum Brain said...

Red Dingo leashes are also awesome. They have a padded handle and they can be shortened by half... Great for walking on the "big street" when I need D to heal very closely!

Debra@Peaceabull said...

I swear by my standard leather 6' leash. It isn't slippery and I do have three strategic knots placed in it. I also do like the leash that came with the freedom harness because of the double ends.

Spencerabc said...

Your pitties are the cutest!!!Where do you get all your puppies fabulous clothes?
I am also a "mother" to a 12 year old pittie.

OG said...

LOVE the picture of Mr. B in boots and gaiters! Extra connection to leash is a great idea!
ALSO PLEASE SHARE!
http://www.dogshaming.com has not had enough adoptable pup submissions for their adoptable Friday posts. I referred New Leash on Life to them but PLEASE spread the word!

Anonymous said...

Love everyone of these tips and pretty sure the fact that we use them has to do with your past posts on the topic! So, thank you!!!!

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