Many people are holding leads while out walking their dogs in a dangerous way, that could lead to them being hurt or the dogs getting loose very easier if something were to go wrong.
I learned the correct way to hold a lead while working with Security Dogs as they need both perfect control, as they cannot let go by accident but also to reduce the likely hood of injury to themselves when the large dogs lunge or pull suddenly.
Below are the several ways most people hold a lead.
This is how most people hold a lead, they this is safest as the lead can’t slip off that easily and they can use their wrist to brace when a dog pulls. This is VERY dangerous. Even a small dog, never mind a 10 stone Rottweiler at the end of it. Having the lead like this when a dog pulls can very easily dislocate or break your wrist, if it didn’t break it fully you could have a small fracture appear that could become worse over time. It might seem comfortable or easy to do but it is not safe and not how you should hold a lead with any dog.
Some people hold the lead just in the palm of their hand, they can shut their hand around the lead when needed to take the strain of the pulling. Having it in this position leaves it far too open to letting go of the lead. Far too often I have seen people dropping the lead when the dog pulls suddenly, when the dog gets loose anything could happen.
This is what I deem to be the MOST dangerous way to hold a lead, it cannot be removed easily, it can get stuck very easily as it pulls tight, it can break your wrist and you could be dragged by a bigger dog if you were caught off guard. DO NOT have your lead like this unless you are wanting an accident to happen.
This in my opinion is the safest way to hold a lead. You have almost a hook to hold back the lead with if the dog suddenly pulls, also the hand can hold the lead close to the hand and creates a lock. Yes you could break your thumb but that is better than breaking your whole wrist, you can still grab a dog if needed. It is the way I was taught when handling dogs that are lunging and barking at people.
These are just my opinions on handling a lead through experience, feel free to try them out yourself and comment if you think any differently from me or have more information.
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