Making New Training Memories

Have you ever had an inanimate object that at one point was useful but then with repeated use just became weak and worn out? That object odd as it seems held memories of the times it was used, and when it helped achieve or accomplish something so it was kind of hard to replace it.

I like to think I’m okay at getting rid of old, broken items, but this time it was a training tool. Getting rid of it for some reason felt like letting go of the dogs that were often at the other end, the lessons I learned while using it. I know it’s weird.

The item I’m describing is my 20-foot leash. Originally purchased it when Jack was a puppy. I then used it for Tinker Belle, my first small-breed dog. 85% of her training was done using this leash. She passed her Canine Good Citizen Test with mostly flying colors. She lost a point for being too eager to greet strangers.

The next dog was Harley, a German Shepherd mix puppy I brought home to “foster” that my parents adopted only 4 days later. He was mixed with collie so he got distracted easily and would forget he was coming inside if something more interesting caught his eye.

Then came Duncan. He had an issue with staying close. Also a small breed dog, his terrier instincts did not involve staying close to humans. He quickly learned that he could gain freedom by learning to follow directions.

A few months ago, after resigning myself to the fact that this training leash was no longer safe to use, I ordered a biothane line from Palomine Lines and disposed of the old one. The colors are bright, the biothane is durable, makes the line easy to clean, gentle on the hands, it doesn't tangle as easily and it seems to be pretty resistant to the thorns and stickers that I often encounter here.

Now it's time to create new memories with this training line as I work with my own dogs, client dogs and fosters.