Get Your Leash

For my final post, I decided to teach my dog a more challenging trick, which is to get her leash. This could be helpful when we want to take her out or on a walk. She could even start bringing us the leash to let us know when she wants to go on a walk, which sounds much better than hearing her bark at the door.

In her book 101 Dog Tricks, Kyra Sundance says the first step of this trick is to introduce the word “leash” to your dog. For a week or so, every time I put the leash on Gracie, I would say “leash” until she became familiar with the word. Then I started leaving the leash in a regular spot, on a hook by our front door where Gracie could grab it (37).

The next part of this trick was a little challenging for Gracie. In order to get her to grab the leash from the hook, Sundance suggests you, “point to it and encourage your dog to ‘get your leash!’’ (37). Then, immediately reward your dog by taking him for a short walk (37). This trick is a bit harder, so it has taken Gracie more time to get the hang of it.

For this trick, Gracie put her front paws on a bench under the hook and tried to get the leash off the hook.

This will be my final blog post, and I have enjoyed the time I’ve spent training Gracie. Although I am not continuing writing a bog, I think I will continue to spend more time with my dog and train her to give her a happier and healthier life. My final question to you is: what do you think is the most fulfilling thing about owning a pet?