I hate regret. Unfortunately, it seems to be another unavoidable part of life. One thing I regret is not being a smarter dog owner. Living with my English Pointer Puck has been a learning process, and that process has been full of stumbles, bone-headed mistakes, and just plain stupid moves. I’m fortunate that my little girl doesn’t hold grudges like I do.
Something I messed up from day one was how I used a check cord. The check cord is that long piece of rope trainers always have with them. In the right hands, it’s a powerful tool telegraphs a tremendous amount of information to you about your dog. Martha Greenlee talks about his in the latest post on her excellent Steady with Style blog:
“Check-cord tension is one of the most important forms of communication between your dog and you. How much tension is too much, or to put it another way, how hard should a dog pull is a question that is often asked but hard to answer. It is like asking a race car driver how fast is too fast. It depends on the car and the track. Same thing with a dog. It depends on the dog and the situation…” Read the whole post here.