Invisible Leash for Toddlers and Dogs

Richard Seltzer
2 min readJul 23, 2022
Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash

This is wishful thinking. I don’t know how this could be accomplished. But I’m imagining the next step up from invisible fences and fancy leashes.

I can imagine a harness electronically connected to a handheld device (cellphone) in your control. If a pet or child strays toward the limits of where you want them, you pull them back to where you want them, remotely. This need not be through pain (like invisible fences). Rather, obedience should trigger pleasurable feelings. That’s how it should work when you go along for the walk, for the companionship and the exercise.

But sometimes you’d prefer not to go along, because you have so much else you need to do. Your dog having fetched the leash and dropped it at your feet, with a hopeful look. Or your toddler is whining to go outside. But right now is not a good time for you. In that case, you should be able to set GPS-based parameters, defining an area that you consider safe, such as your back yard. And part of the reward/punishment for approaching the limits or moving away from them could include the automatic sounding of your voice — warning or approving in varying degrees.

Do any of you know how to make such a product?

List of Richard’s other stories, book reviews, essays, poems, and jokes.

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Richard Seltzer

His recent books include Echoes from the Attic, Grandad Jokes, Lizard of Oz, Shakespeare'sTwin Sister, To Gether Tales. and Parallel Lives, seltzerbooks.com