Are you going to start long line training? This is a really useful and effective training technique when done well. So let me help you make it easier with the following 4 tips. Let’s get started!
No More Than 15 Ft
Use a leash or line no longer than 15 feet. This line is going to be long and a bit annoying but you can get good at it. There are longer lines out there that you could use. Even up to 30 feet! But I think 10 to 15 feet is really good for a lot of areas of training. Whether you are trying to get your dog to not only walk with you, but also to do some recall training.
Knots In Your Line
Place knots in your line. In long line training, I usually place several knots in the line. When I’m going to be training with one of my clients and even training with my own dogs, I put a knot where my left arm would be down by my side. If the dog is sitting in heel position, there will be a knot right there at my fingertips. That way it’s easy to be able to steer the dog. Also, if I needed to to gain a lot of control, I’m going to put another knot, probably about 2 to 3 feet off the line. It can kind of simulates a short leash, but then it’s not going to be tight, necessarily.
This is the amount that I’m going to use to consistently to call my dog back. So as my dog gets away from me and I’m letting the line out when I get to that knot I’m going to use it to call the dog back.
Big Loops
Make big loops when you call your dog to you. What I mean by this, is your line is completely out, and you’ve told your dog to come. Now that they are coming, use really big loops to reel your dog in. A lot of people start making these really small loops and inevitably, the line is going to get caught underneath your dog’s feet. The key is to make big loops when your line is all the way out and your dog is coming in to be able to manage your line.
This is definitely something you should practice in an environment that doesn’t have a lot of distractions, but enough of a distraction that your dog gets away from you.
Walk Away Quickly
I want you to walk away quickly as you call your dog while making big loops. If you do this, walk away quickly either backwards or forward, it is going to buy you some time to be able to reel the leash in. It’s also going to give your dog the extra signal that you do want them to come your way. Because you moving tends to get the dog to want to come after you.
I really hope these 4 tips were helpful. For more tips like this you can always visit my YouTube Channel or take a look at more articles just like this one here at www.longoriahausdogtraining.com.
Go out, train your dogs and enjoy them.
Happy Training!
