Delmar Smith Wonder Lead

Lion Country Supply was the first nationwide gundog supplier to offer the Wonder String, now known the world over as Delmar Smith’s Wonder Lead. Delmar is the senior statesman of dog training and along with his son, Rick, and nephew, Ronnie, have brought the Silent Command System to pointing dog lovers everywhere through their Huntsmith program. The Wonder String is the mandatory second step of the Silent Command System and is featured every May at our training seminar near LCS headquarters in Pennsylvania.

The Wonder String is great for problem dogs, beginning dogs, or even for ongoing refresher training on leash walking, “heel” and “whoa” commands. "You'll wonder how you ever got along without it!” was the quote that earned the Wonder String its name, from another fine trainer, Ed Rader.

Proper leash walking is important in an obedience program for any dogs: pets, earth dogs, flushers, retrievers, pointers, versatile dogs, hounds, or beagles. The Wonder String can even be used in place of a show lead when working with beginning show dogs or dogs having problems with being handled in the conformation dog show ring.

This quality product is custom designed from cowboy lariat rope, which is known for its rugged toughness in both the rodeo arena and on the ranch. Available in the standard 90-inch “heel” length.

• Place the large loop of the rope loosely around the dog’s neck. Make sure that the knot of the small loop is towards you and that the lead makes a natural concave arc across your body. If you handle the dog with your right hand, the lead will look like a lower-case “d”, if you handle with your left hand, it will look like a lower-case “b”.
• Pull the large loop up to the back of the dog’s ears at the base of the skull, then gently tense the rope straight up from the dog, so it will fit snugly in that spot. While in the tense position, move the rubber stopper up the lead 2-3 inches from the small loop and knot, so that when the lead is released it will quickly release the stimulation.
• In the beginning, the dog will need tug-and-release corrections to walk on the heel, with the eventual goal of the dog walking on the heel with a slack lead and no need for correction.

The Wonder String comes with an instruction guide, but for more detailed assistance please accept this invitation to attend our 2015 Rick Smith seminar on May 1-3, or purchase the Silent Command System Volumes I and II on DVD.