Lead Trouble

One of the techniques taught by behaviourists for dogs that are not under control is to put a long lead on them. Then you have something to grab a hold of but not the dog which when you touch them is a form of reward.

Some dogs have a long lead left on when their owners go out so when they come back they can grab the lead as the dog hurtles out the door and/or grab the lead to get the dog under control.

This seemed like a good idea, however after seeing what happened to a dog that had a long lead on l am now weary and always warn owners to be extra careful if they are not there to keep an eye on the dog.

In this case the lead had wrapped around the dog. From the outside the dog’s prepuce looked normal, this wasn’t the case though. When the dog was under GA and the penis was extruded by the vet it caused a sharp intake of breath and an immediate crossing of legs and wince from the male vet. The penis had been almost cut in half and there was just a thread holding it together. Luckily for the dog the urethra was undamaged or things would have got very complicated but it all healed well.