Why should you keep your dog on a leash?
As soon as you set foot outside, you see “dog on a leash” signs popping up everywhere. I might as well tell you right away, they annoy me. Firstly because Musher is not the best trained dog to walk on a leash and secondly because I think that her walks are surely more fun if she is free and she can sniff whatever she wants. And thirdly because she is well enough educated and her recall is pretty good. So let's take a closer look at what lies behind this dog-on-leash injunction. Why should you keep your dog on a leash? Is the leash an essential tool for going on vacation with your dog, and even for everyday life? Let's take a closer look at what the law says about leashing your dog and when you can untie your dog and let him run free. Happy reading Wouafer's!
The leash: what does the law say?
First of all, I draw your attention to an important point: this article and all the advice apply to all dogs except categorized dogs, type 1 and 2, “deemed” dangerous by nature…
Before going any further, a little topo vocabulary: do not confuse “without leash” and rambling. In this article, we are talking exclusively about off-leash walking under the close supervision of the master.
Holding your dog is only compulsory if a sign tells you to do so and therefore a municipal decree has been issued to this effect. You may also come across no dogs or muzzled dogs signs: 2 other indications to take into account for your walks. In some natural areas, you can also find signs with times of the year when your dog must be tethered in the area so as not to disturb the nesting or reproduction of the wild animals that live there.
Side digression here is what the law says Art. L.211-23 of the Rural Code: Is considered to be in a state of wandering any dog which, apart from a hunting action or "the guard or the protection of the herd", is no longer under the effective supervision of its master, is out of earshot of it or of any sound instrument allowing its recall, or which is far from its owner or the person responsible for it by a distance exceeding one hundred meters. Any abandoned dog, left to his instincts alone, is in a state of wandering. Persons having the responsibility or custody of an animal in question may be prosecuted civilly, administratively and criminally.
The leash: it's your dog's safety!
The leash is an essential tool for the safety of your dog, especially in town. A cat that tumbles out of nowhere, a bus passing by in a huge uproar, a piece of sandwich, a kid jumping on your dog, a bicycle passing you at full speed from behind... these are all possibilities that may induce - be a reaction of stress or fear of your dog and which can put him in danger. If he swerves or decides to take to their heels: you won't be able to do much if he wasn't on a leash… The leash is in a way his safety belt!
Free-roaming, off-leash walking is great provided your dog has excellent recall. Recall obedience is essential to ensure your dog's safety and yours. It must come back on the first hit at your request. If your dog has a bad recall, you'll have to work on improving that. This is essential if you want to be able to give your dog some freedom and walk him off-leash.
The leash is also an essential safety tool for going on vacation with your dog. Your dog surely has his favorite places to go for a walk at home, but there he will be exploring a whole new territory and so will you. You don't know the dangers: the road to cross, the neighborhood dog who breaks down his gate as you pass, the bike path... Keeping your dog on a leash is a good method to ensure his safety unless you have scanned the area is that everything is ok!
1001 equipment to keep your dog on a leash
Leash, collar, harness, elastic lanyard, rewinder, fluorescent leash, gps in case of running away... To walk your dog on a leash, there is no shortage of equipment. There is something for all tastes and for all budgets.
As for the dog, you have to choose between a collar or a harness. On the dog collar side, the choice is not lacking: between the flower collar, neon necklace, luminous necklace, reflective collar, fabric collar… And when it comes to dog walking harnesses, the choice is just as wide, between training harnesses to prevent your dog from pulling too much. animal harness, the fashionable harnesses that you see everywhere like the Julius harness customizable with scratches, neon harness, luminous harness, the harness with pockets for carrying small equipment…
Then, for you, you will have to choose a leave alone ou a lanyard; depending on the length. Prefer a very short leash during your walks in town with a lot of people to prevent your dog from going to greet everyone. The leash can be simple or with a winder to give your dog a bit of freedom when the area allows it. Having a “big” dog, I do not really believe in this solution. If Musher starts full iron at the passage of a cat, I don't give much of the mechanism of the thingy... You can also opt for a leash to pass around your arm: be careful of falls if your dog pulls a lot and has a nice power. And the last case is also the leash with the pulling harness or traction belt. It is the material used in cani-rando, riding a cani cross or cani-trail.
I often wonder where to hike with my dog, and when I choose natural areas where my dog must be kept on a leash, I personally opt for this kind of gear. Holding my dog on a leash at arm's length tires me out quickly because, when hiking, I need to have my hands free to trudge.
Oh and I also wanted to tell you about a great tool if your dog doesn't have a good recall. It's about gps for dog. It is a small tracker to place on his collar and which geolocates your dog on an app installed on your smartphone.
The leash: essential to avoid crossing too close dogs with a bad temper
Since I'm a big dog lover, I follow lots of groups of all breeds on Facebook. And unfortunately, very (too!) regularly, I see photos of dogs that are attacked and are badly damaged physically and psychologically or even worse… Their masters found themselves powerless in the face of one or more dogs who came to attack theirs on a walk.
If your dog is very dominant, totally unsociable, temperamental (he doesn't like black dogs because he has already been attacked…)… in short, if you know your dog is reactive and you know he is potentially dangerous: ATTACH- THE ! Please spare the other doggies who walk around quietly without asking anyone. And don't put their masters at risk. A biting dog is subject to the law in the same way as his master, 100% responsible for the actions of his animal.
Any bite of a person by a dog must be declared by its owner or holder. The animal will then be placed under health surveillance for 15 days, whether vaccinated against rabies or not, at the owner's expense. He must be subjected to a behavioral evaluation by a qualified person. In the event of non-compliance, the animal may be euthanized.
-
When I started writing this article, I cursed the leash a little, but thinking about it, I realize more and more of its super important role and the safety it provides both to your dog, to yourself and also to other dogs. I hope this article will help you, like me, to take a slightly different look at the usefulness of the leash in everyday life…!