Make A Comfortable Dog Leash

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Golden Retriever with Lea...
Make a comfortable dog leash. No more saying, "Ouch, that hurts!" when your dog pulls.

Of course, your dog may be so beautifully trained that he or she never yanks on the lead. However, for those of you still struggling to get to that point, a comfortable leash can make the process less painful.

Comet is "fairly well trained," but has been known to "forget" what he's learned when he sees or hears a cat nearby. We found the Comfortable Leash to be not only strong enough to withstand his lunges, but gentler on our hands as well.

Comfortable Dog Leash

ESTIMATED TIME
  • One hour
MATERIALS

Any color nylon webbing:

  • About eight feet (about 2440mm)
  • Width to fit the handler's palm between closed fingers and thumb:
  • 1 1/ 4 inches (32mm) wide for a smaller palm
  • 1 1/ 2 inches (38mm) wide for a larger palm
A metal snap:

  • Different types can be used
  • Snaps need to have enough room to fold the webbing through one end and be sturdy enough for the dog's lunging force.

We used the wider webbing since Stan has extra large hands to match his height and both of us use the leash.

ESTIMATED COST, IF ALL ITEMS PURCHASED

  • Nylon webbing 1 1/2" USD 0.79 a foot: 8 feet = USD 6.32
  • Snaps = USD 1.65 to 2.95 each
  • MAXIMUM COST: USD 10.00 including 7% tax
Note: Above items were purchased at a regular hardware store

INSTRUCTIONS

Important: Melt webbing ends slightly with a match, lighter or low flame on your gas burner to deter unraveling. Use a wet cloth to prevent burning your fingers when you pinch the ends smooth.

Step One - Attaching Leash to Snap

This knot is the same as is used for a necktie

Steps 1 and 2: Coming from the left, pull one free end of webbing through about 18 inches (450 mm). Now cross the free end over from right to left, then cross back under from left to right.





Step 3: Then bring the free end up and curl it over.





Step 4: Lastly, loop the curled end through and pull everything tight, leaving a little of the free end showing

Note: This loop will tighten as your dog pulls on the leash.

Making The Handle

This is optional - see reasons below*

  • Fold over the free end of the webbing to leave the size loop you desire
  • Make the leash about 6 feet (1830mm) long if you can
  • Pin the handle in place and try it out by attaching the snap to a stationary object
  • When the handle is where you want it, sew the webbing with matching thread, using the "X-in-the-box" pattern shown in the photo below
* We like to use the leash for bicycle exercise with Comet. It can be more easily adjusted if there is no handle.

* Another use is as a substitute Whipwhir. Just hold by the snap end and use the free end for the chase. So far the webbing has held up admirably through several sessions with Comet and seems to dry very quickly too.

A wider leash lends itself well to customized decoration. Think of things you can glue or sew onto the leash.

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