It's a game. We only kind of regretted teaching Gracie, our huge black mostly Great Dane that game, but she didn't learn many games, really, and she so liked that one. We'd play "kill the leash" and she'd grab it, shake it, growling and wagging to beat the band.

It wasn't until she and I were bored, standing outside a shopping mall one day, playing "bad leash" that I realized people were gtting the wrong impression. They'd stand 7-10 feet away, and carefully inquire "Are you okay, Miss? Do you need help?" They didn't understand that the growling and lunging was all playing - and I was in no danger whatsoever. In fact, no one was ever in danger from Gracie, she had not a predatory bone in her body, and the only damage she ever really did once she got past teething stage was bruise people's legs with her frantically wagging tail!