Can you use a leash and still be force free? | Hannah Branigan
About this episode
Hannah Branigan discusses the nuances of using a leash in force-free training and the importance of intent versus impact.
Somewhere on the internet, someone is arguing that using a leash means you aren't really a force-free trainer. In this solo episode, Hannah unpacks the difference between impact and intent, explains why force-free training is a set of values rather than a guarantee of perfection, and gets into the mechanics of how a leash can function as a neutral tactile cue trained entirely through positive reinforcement. If you've ever felt defensive when someone questions your training tools, this one gives you a more grounded way to think it through. Key Takeaways: Force-free training is an aspirational value system, not a pass/fail test: Holding that value means you're always asking what you can do better, not claiming you're already perfect. Impact and intent are both real, and both matter: The learner's experience of a leash always deserves your attention, and your intentions about how you use it shape what kind of trainer you're becoming. A leash can be trained as a neutral tactile cue through positive reinforcement: Leash movement doesn't have to carry any aversive weight to be a functional signal your dog can learn to respond to. What you do after a training error is the most important…
More episodes of Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training
- The Matching Law: What It Is, What It Isn't, and Why It Matters | Hannah Branigan
- Is Positive Reinforcement Actually Slower? (A Hot Take, Revisited) | Hannah Branigan
- Training Faster Behaviors Without Frustration, Part 2 | Hannah Branigan
- Training Faster Behaviors Without Frustration, Part 1 | Hannah Branigan
- Avoiding Triggers and Situations | Hannah Branigan
- What's Wrong with "Drilling"? | Hannah Branigan
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