Double-Attach Your Leash Escape Artist! | Phoenix Behavior Consulting

This is my Animal Behavior College (ABC) student, Elizabeth, walking “Poppy” in my client’s front yard for the very first time. We were expecting a lot of wild thrashing about (from Poppy, that is, not from Elizabeth!). But Poppy did a lot better than we expected.

Of course, I was expecting only the best from Elizabeth. This was the first time she ever walked this dog. And she delivered!

Notice the double attachment. The blue leash is attached to Poppy’s harness, and the brown leash is attached to her collar. Whenever I walk a client’s dog, I ALWAYS double-attach, for safety as well as for insurance. If I lose a client’s dog, I’ve lost a dog; I’ve lost a customer; I’ve probably lost my business!

Most of my customers’ dogs’ collars are WAAAY too loose. Many of my customers’ dogs’ body harnesses are too loose and/or improperly installed. That’s why I always double-attach when I walk their dogs outdoors.

When you double-attach to your dog, make sure you connect to two different places. E.g., connect one leash to the collar. Attach the other leash to a different place, such as the body harness or head halter.

Above is my dog-walking buddy, “Charlie.” He’s a 10-year-old Louisiana Catahoula Leopard (Catahoula, for short). I’ve been training and walking him off and on for about 9 1/2 years. Now I walk him once a week, every week, for about an hour. Notice the brown leash is attached to a Martingale (or no-slip) collar at the center of his chest. The black leash is attached to his regular collar at his right shoulder.

This is “Lady,” a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever, the love of my life. And, yes, my wife is very jealous. (“You kiss that dog more than you kiss me!”) When I adopted her (the Lab) 8 years ago, I double-attached to her, too. Now, I know her, trust her, and, of course, I’ve got her collar properly adjusted. Now I use a single leash and collar with Lady. My wife is still working on me, though. She still has me on a choke chain! 🙂

If your dog is a collar or harness escape artist, CONTACT US TODAY! Do you want to lose your dog?

Click here for more info on loose-leash walking.