"While leashes form a physical bond with your dogs, the accompanying commands and directions let humans become part of the pack and enter into a social bond with the dogs."”

PEAK TO PEAK — Walking your dogs in the woods is one of the many benefits of living in the Peak to Peak Region—which counters those nights lying in bed waiting for the roof to be ripped off, or a large, cherished tree coming down with a crash.

Like shoveling snow, walking leashed dogs can cause injuries if done incorrectly, from broken arms and legs to head lacerations and broken teeth.

Leashes form a physical bond between humans and their dogs. Some owners disparage leashes and insist that dogs are happiest when running unleashed because it is their natural state.

There are still places along the Front Range where dogs can be exercised without leashes, but the more common trails require leashes for the safety of the animals, the owners, and others.

When used properly, leashes are more like the ropes that mountain climbers use. Climbers are tethered to the rope for their safety, but within those constraints, they can display amazing physical dexterity.

The rope gives them the freedom to explore places they couldn’t go otherwise.

The length of a leash is a personal preference issue, with a wide array of options. The most typical leash length is six feet, but retractable and long lead leashes can also be used. If you are walking two or more dogs, six-foot leashes are easier to untangle.

While leashes form a physical bond with your dogs, the accompanying commands and directions let humans become part of the pack and enter into a social bond with the dogs. The commands can be unique to the individual, but once the dogs learn what a command requires of them, they can respond instantly and a shared language is developed.

This shared language becomes important when the leashes get crossed and tangled up. There are myriad ways to separate tangled dogs. The human can step over, through, or on leashes, or switch hands. The dogs can cross under the other leashes or turn in circles to get the leash on the right side of the collar.

The key is repetition in using the same commands to invoke the same behavior in dogs. Once the basic commands become second nature, most dogs are capable of learning more complex commands, like spinning clockwise instead of counterclockwise.

One of the joys of walking dogs is companionship, but there is a level of communication between dogs that humans aren’t capable of understanding…like what the dogs smell. One smells something amazing and the other one needs to check it out. Even humans with a good sense of smell will never know what they discovered.

The same goes for dog quirks. One dog likes to walk on the left while the other likes to walk on the right. Switching sides just throws them off. They are out of sync until they are switched back to their preferred positions. Part of being successful in working with dogs is knowing their quirks and how to deal with them.

Most walks are routine and uneventful but there are situations where the human has to let go of the leash to keep from getting hurt. It is a difficult decision, but the dogs can’t be helped if the owner is hurt. Sometimes letting go is the only option.

Walking dogs is one of the simple joys in life but it takes a lifetime of practice to do it well with leashed dogs.