Leather leashes which kind do I use for protection work,heres the deal. - Page 1

You have two kind of leather Latigo and Harness leather both are good but heres how to weed out the bad ones.Take a lead and fold it over and squeeze it if it cracks deep then get one that does not.The tanneries some times burn the leather in the tanning process and you will not know till the leash is made and if you use it in protection training the lead can crack and even break on you.The second thing is to find out what is the weight once the leather is, you should be using at least 10-12 ounce leather either harnness or latigo these are great leathers and if taken care of will last you many years.

Next is how whide and how long ? standard is 6' by 3/4" wide with a good 1" snap, now if you like a custom leash you need to find a craftsman who makes them by hand.I use a one piece  protection leash its 9-10 ft long ,edges beveled and polished,oiled and soften by hand.

I have heard handlers say my latigo leash streched when doing bite work and I say it was a bad grade of leather and should have not been used for protection work.

I use a lead that was custommade the size was wider than 5/8 the next size before 3/4 cause 3/4 is a tad to wide and 5/8 is to not wide enough.So getting a custom lead was worth the money and meets my demands .

Leash widths 1/2 for dogs 35lbs and under.

"                        "5/8 for dogs 70lbs and under.

"                       " 3/4 for dogs 100lbs and under.

"                       "7/8 for dogs 130lbs and under.

"                        "1" for dogs 130-150 lbs.

Depending on the leather you can go a size smaller and work a heavier dog,say a 5/8 wide lead is 12 ounces or heavier can be used on 80-100lb dogs if your hand size warrants it.I hope this helps you,take care and good training.

Any questions contact k9unit5@yahoo.com.