Pro Line Command Lead (aka "The Wonder Lead")

$44.99

The Command Lead or Wonder Lead is a core tool in the Smith Method of Training and is a great way to teach your dog to listen to ever increasing lighter cues. The Command Lead is how we get dogs quickly and calmly heeling beside us on a loose lead. Originally developed by Delmar Smith, this lead is the first step to getting your dog to join up with you mentally and listen to light cues. 

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"The best piece of bird dog training equipment I've ever bought!"

Ronnie's uncle and Field Trail Hall of Fame member, Delmar Smith, developed the Command Lead decades ago and since then it has been heavily relied upon by pet owners, bird hunters, and professional trainers alike to teach their dogs to heel properly. Well respected dog man, Ed Rader, is credited with being to first to call the Command Lead a "Wonder Lead" because he said "you will wonder how you ever got along without it." Whether you call it a Command Lead or a Wonder Lead, this tool will quickly become a favorite.

We use the Command Lead in all of our obedience work and bird dog training classes. It is a core tool for our method of training. We have 100% success teaching dogs to heel confidently on a loose lead using this tool. The training goal with a Command Lead is to have a dog willingly walk beside you on a loose lead, responding to very light cues for direction or simply going with you in every movement of your body.

We often see high powered bird dogs pulling their owners around on a leash. This doesn't benefit the dog or the owner for multiple reasons. First, a dog that is in a pulling or "roading" state of mind is not listening to his owner for cues at all. Second, constant pressure on the dog's throat can cause permanent damage to the dog. Third, a dog that is used to pulling on a leash is much more likely to pull free and run off or get in a dangerous situation.

When used correctly, the Command Lead changes a dog's state of mind and promotes a composed, confident, and compliant mindset. The Lead will get a dog to begin to look to his handler for direction and will begin the process of teaching the dog that pressure on his neck carries meaning and there is an easy way to respond that causes the pressure go away completely. Dogs begin to learn to make their own decision to go with their handler and respond or yield to pressure (ie: a cue). As we work with dogs on the Command Lead we are able to use lighter and lighter cues, until it just takes a small movement of the lead to gain compliance from a willing canine partner.

The simple spring-like cue and release action of this stiff 6 foot lead quickly has dogs heeling calmly beside their handler. The colored bumper shifts up and down the rope to create a custom fit for the dog. The bumper should be shifted snug enough that the loop of the Command Lead cannot easily slip over a dog's head.

This modern version of our Command Lead comes in multiple colors and has a hand-braided nylon bumper. This is a great upgrade from the traditional black rubber grommet. We have been using the new version at our kennel extensively for multiple years now and it has proven its durability to us. The constant movement up and down the rope does not wear this bumper out.

The variety of color combinations helps you keep track of your Command Lead and lets you personalize your equipment!

***Made in the USA!***