WEBVTT - What's the Best Kind of Dog Leash?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Bogelbaum. Here. When you adopt a puppy

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<v Speaker 1>or an older dog, there's a lot to look forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>Fun days of playing with her and taking walks, feeding her,

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<v Speaker 1>teaching her tricks and taking walks, cuddling on the couch

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<v Speaker 1>with her, and yes, taking more walks. Dogs require a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of walks. The obvious reason is that they have

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<v Speaker 1>to go out to do their business, meaning urinate and defecate.

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<v Speaker 1>The frequency depends on the breed, but if you live

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<v Speaker 1>in an apartment or a house without a fenced yard

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<v Speaker 1>where they can roam freely to take care of the

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<v Speaker 1>call of nature. As the adult in the room, you

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<v Speaker 1>are responsible for taking them out to a designated area

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<v Speaker 1>where they can go and you can clean up after them.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's more to it than that dogs need lots

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<v Speaker 1>of exercise. They need to burn off energy and socialize

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<v Speaker 1>with other dogs. Hello dog park. Walks are an important

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<v Speaker 1>part of your dog's daily routine, and that means your

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<v Speaker 1>pubs leash is a crucial canine accessory. But there are

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<v Speaker 1>a dizzy and number of options, So we talked to

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<v Speaker 1>an expert about her favorite leash and why she recommends it.

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<v Speaker 1>Susie Agga is a nationally recognized dog trainer, an expert

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<v Speaker 1>in dog behavior modification, and the founder of Atlanta Dog Trainer.

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<v Speaker 1>She has decades of dog training experience and has clear

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<v Speaker 1>preferences about leashes for starters. She never recommends a retractable leash.

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<v Speaker 1>She explained, they're very popular leashes, but everyone hates them.

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<v Speaker 1>It's irritating for the dogs on the leash, they've got

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<v Speaker 1>constant tension on them, and it's irritating for humans in

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<v Speaker 1>the community. Most pet owners don't reel in their dogs,

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<v Speaker 1>they just let them wrap up whoever's walking by. Retractable

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<v Speaker 1>leashes are dangerous to dogs and humans. How many times

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<v Speaker 1>have you been strolling along in the park, minding your

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<v Speaker 1>own business when suddenly there's a Doberman pincher staring at

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<v Speaker 1>you a good twenty to thirty feet or sixty nine

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<v Speaker 1>meters away from its owner. Also, retractable leads can hurt

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<v Speaker 1>you the dog walker should you attempt to grab it

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<v Speaker 1>in case of an emergency, it could give you a

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<v Speaker 1>rope burn. And these leashes are infinite for snapping due

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<v Speaker 1>to strain or mechanical failure. And whipping back with high

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<v Speaker 1>force toward the walker's body and face. Aga also doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>recommend the slip lead, which is basically a slip knot

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<v Speaker 1>allowing you to slip your dog's head through the loop

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<v Speaker 1>and pull to tighten. Think of those leashes you get

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<v Speaker 1>at the vet, but they can be very dangerous, she said.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't like them because it puts a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>pressure on the dog's trachea. It can cause a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of damage. Agga's leash recommendation is a basic six foot

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<v Speaker 1>or approximately two meter braided leather leash with brass fittings.

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<v Speaker 1>The clips onto the dog's collar or harness, whichever the

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<v Speaker 1>dog wears when walking. Aga says six feet is plenty

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<v Speaker 1>long for every breed of dog to get away to

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<v Speaker 1>use the bathroom. The only time she doesn't recommend the

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<v Speaker 1>brass fittings is for small dogs because the brass can

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<v Speaker 1>be too heavy for those smaller dogs. Try stainless steel

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<v Speaker 1>or aluminum fittings instead. Agga explained, a leather leashes last

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<v Speaker 1>a really long time. I've got one leash that's fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>years old. Most leashes available in the market are made

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<v Speaker 1>of reinforced nylon or cloth. Webbing. Some even have carbon

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<v Speaker 1>fiber woven into them. Others are made of nylon rope.

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<v Speaker 1>AGAs says those are fine, but to be prepared to

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<v Speaker 1>keep buying them. She said Nilon leashes, even the ones

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<v Speaker 1>that are sturdy webbing, are fine, but they don't last

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<v Speaker 1>as long as leather. Dogs can choose through them and

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<v Speaker 1>then the owners end up tying them in knots. There's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of stuff in the dog world designed to

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<v Speaker 1>make you buy more. As a trainer, I want something

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<v Speaker 1>that's going to last a long time. Aga says. All

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<v Speaker 1>dogs should wear collars so that they always have tags

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<v Speaker 1>on the leash clips onto the collar. Some dog breeds, though,

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<v Speaker 1>benefit from wearing a harness when they go for walks,

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<v Speaker 1>especially large breeds like huskies or Bernese mountain dogs and

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<v Speaker 1>much smaller ones such as toy breeds or puppies. Harnesses

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<v Speaker 1>are good for dogs who pull a lot too, Agga explained.

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<v Speaker 1>Harnesses are designed so there's less pulling. Front clip harnesses

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<v Speaker 1>seem to work best for that, and you don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to put a lot of pressure on the trachea of

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<v Speaker 1>a small bree ned, so a lot of toy breeds

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<v Speaker 1>will use harnesses rather than a color because of how

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<v Speaker 1>small they are. Today's episode was written by Patty res

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<v Speaker 1>Musen and produced by Tyler Clain. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. For more in

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff Works dot com and for more podcasts. For

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