Oh man that squirrel moment is so real, my shoulder hurts just reading it. Waist leashes sound good in theory until your dog finds something worth chasing. Hope your elbow feels better, and honestly going back to the old leash might save you the sled ride.

Try keeping a monthly page too for stuff that doesn't fit a week.

Sounds like that trainer just likes to hear himself talk, honestly. A dog sniffing a mailbox is not some big crisis, it's just a dog being a dog and taking in the world. Unless the beagle is pulling your arm off or acting wild, letting it take its time seems pretty harmless to me.