Ok, so up to now I have never used an extendable lead. For the following reasons, which I honestly believed to be true: 1) They can be dangerous when used with a fixed collar if the dog has a lot of line to build up speed before being suddenly stopped 2) A dog is rewarded for pulling - the more it pulls, the more freedom it gets 3) If a dog is on a lead, he should be by your side 4) They get tangled up 5) They look rubbish My dog now walks well on any lead (unless he is too excited to remember to do so - but leave that aside for now, if he is excited, he is on a short lead and I'm closely managing him). My OH bought an extendable lead, and takes advantage of Charlie now sometimes wearing a harness to use it. He only uses it when Charlie is wearing a harness. Charlie doesn't pull on an extendable lead, and in fact, is extremely responsive to any pressure on the lead at all, more so than a shorter lead. He seems perfectly able to cope with the length of the lead changing and still understands he must not pull. And he seems more relaxed on a longer line, with more room before there is any tightness in the lead (there is less tension using an extendable lead with him, than a shorter one). I don't think he should be always by my side. I'm fine with him sniffing around and doing his own thing, so long as he responds to the cue "close" and walks by my side when asked. Having used a long line for a while now, it is absolutely the case that it is easier to stay untangled on an extendable lead that neatly rolls back into a handle, than a line you have to gather up. They do look rubbish though! Great big plastic box in your hand...
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I used them with my GSPs when we had a morning walk down the lane, otherwise in an afternoon walk when we were on the common or the hills they were free. I have no need to use them with the Labs! You will be quite shocked, but when the GSPs pulled on extended I just let the plastic box go and it clattered on the ground behind them and they soon learned to keep within the limits of the lead! The one thing to be careful is, never use them unlocked while walking on a pavement, as they could suddenly run into the road and get run over.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I agree with some of your points, especially the looking rubbish and dangerous for use with a normal collar (hypocrite). When we go for long ish walks with both dogs, barley is either on extender or a normal lead. We found using the extender much better than using a long line. It is also easier to control him on an extender as it is a lot easier to real him in if needed. The only thing is that he has it attached to his collar as he is an escape artist out of harnesses. He does not pull on the extender and is always reeled in if it looks like he is going to lunge or if we see other dogs or people in the distance. It has been a god send for us as it just gives him that extra bit of freedom that he is not allowed on a normal lead as he is NOT allowed of lead. However if we are attempting recall practice we use the long line as that is easier for recall practice than walking. My extreme pet hate with extenders is people using them on roads, with dogs miles ahead or behind of the owner, many accidents waiting to happen, very dangerous things on roads or very busy places, but fine to use in big open spaces where they are less likely to get caught up around tree's, people and other dogs.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I used to use an extendable a fair bit with Penny until I had a nasty experience with Penny being off lead and a small whippet on an extendable chasing after her and attacking her. I stupidly grabbed hold of the cord to try and stop him so Penny could run away (the woman in charge of the whippet was stupid and totally clueless) and I got a horrendous rope burn across my entire left hand and fingers. After several days of pain, and then reading other horror stories about them I stopped using mine completely and steer clear of others who use them. My mum uses one for her 6lbs yorkie but she's too small to do any damage haha. The only time I use my flexi lead now is when we are camping and I need to take Penny out for the loo, she needs to be on a lead but also needs freedom to find that perfect bit of grass
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil [quote author=Puppypal link=topic=6771.msg91734#msg91734 date=1403861693] My extreme pet hate with extenders is people using them on roads, with dogs miles ahead or behind of the owner, many accidents waiting to happen, very dangerous things on roads or very busy places[/quote] For this reason alone they should be banned. Absolutely terrible invention.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil we have just ordered a new collar and lead for Benson, and ordered an additional roaming lead, which extends up to 11 foot but also has a quick grab feature if you need to keep a dog close as well http://www.ruffwear.co.uk/activity/running/roamer-leash
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I use an extendable lead sometimes, usually if we are walking along country lanes to our off lead walks. Lots of people round here let their dogs walk off lead along these quiet lanes but I have seen a few near misses and don't want to take the risk. We often walk on a golf course and if it is very busy I will use it there as well as Bess loves finding golf balls and doesn't understand the difference between lost ones and ones in play.I use a tape lead rather than the cord ones as you are less likely to get a friction burn and have not had any trouble with pulling. Like most dog related things they are only the work of the devil when the owner isn't using them properly / is oblivious to what their dog is doing. Alice
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil Yes I agree that, used sensibly, they do have their merits. However I've seen far too many people using them improperly.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I quite agree Alice if used correctly I belive extendable leads are very useful especially when dogs can't be off lead for whatever reason. I always used one with my old lab. I never had any problems. I used a Flippy extendable lead. I found the handle not as bulky or heavy as the Flexi leads. I don't use extendable leads with Scott and Scout the main reason being we would get in a terrible tangle. : I walk the three older rescue dogs together on extendable leads but only around our fields so if we did get in a mess I could let go. I actually think it makes walking the three easier as I can have them at different lengths and they can please themselves rather than being stuck next to each other. There is definitely a place for extendable leads when used sensibly.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil My thoughts exactly. I always reel my dog in near a road, not only is it safer for the dog, but drivers can see that you have the dog under control.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I'm not a huge fan but agree that they have their uses eg when at a motorway service station and you want to give the dog a bit of freedom but it can't be off lead. I prefer the halti lead which I can make longer, but DH quite likes the extendable one... But you can't blame a lead for irresponsible dog owners - unfortunately!
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I`m afraid I am not a fan , when Millie was in season , I preferred to use a long training line which I felt gave a good control . I too dislike seeing people walking on the pavement with a dog on a flexi lead let out to full length , dog weaving about all over the place but then yes, this is down to poor control on the part of the user .
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil These retractable leads are perfect for lazy dog walkers. By that I am saying that if you don't really want a dog to pay attention to you and just free run and therefore self reward rather than interact with your dog and have fun with it they are perfect. Just don't use them on a road and don't expect them to want to walk to heel when your training them not too.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I think they have their uses too, just not for walks day in, day out ! I have used one (only ever with a harness) for Ruby when she damages her pads and can't hoolie and skid around. It gives her a little freedom but means she isn't racing around. I have also used one with Bella when we are somewhere where she can't be off lead. I like the fact that they can at least have a little run on them. I NEVER walk them on extended by roads! I have tried with long leads but I just get tangled up and annoyed with them. Chloe
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil My father uses one with Riley as he's not confident Riley would come back to him and he wants him to have some freedom. He's extremely conscientious and very careful with it. I also have a tape lead to lower the risk of injury. It was useful when Riley needed to be on restricted exercise. I don't consider myself a lazy or irresponsible owner
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I'm sticking with what I said, not once did I say irresponsible. ....I said they suit lazy walkers. It's proved itself already no need to justify what you do with your dog
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I had extendable leads with both my previous dogs, which were Border Collies. I loved the leashes. It gave them some freedom while they were on a leash, and I never used them in such a way that they were unsafe in roads, etc. I did not want to use one with Simba, however, as he is much bigger than my collies and if he got a head of steam up he would absolutely pull me over, or the leash out of my hand. However, I am considering getting one now. He hardly ever pulls on the lead, so I'm really not worried about that. It would give him more opportunity for a little more freedom, and seeing as 98% of his walks are on lead, I think that would be nice. Anyhow, it's interesting to see this thread and the input from everyone.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil Sadly in our area,dog thieves are about,so when out with daisy a lead will be important. As for this type of lead it might help when you need control of your dog.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil I do wonder whether extendable leads are seen as very much something a pet owner would use, and so are not considered "pro" or cool. (I have to say, I agree they don't look cool :). I think it might be unwise to use them before you have very good control on a shorter lead, and it's probably wise to have a clear set of cues around how a dog should behave (I definitely would not have used one when Charlie was first on rest). But I think that it seems perfectly possible to train a dog to behave well on an extendable lead, and it's likely to be a myth that this can't be done in a way that also allows it to walk properly to heel on or off lead when asked. For me, it's not something I'll be using very often. But it is something that I will use from time to time so I can use it when I want. I think it will be invaluable to have Charlie well behaved on an extendable lead if we ever have another period on restricted exercise.
Re: Extendable leads - not the work of the devil [quote author=Tillydyes link=topic=6771.msg91849#msg91849 date=1403910642] I'm sticking with what I said, not once did I say irresponsible. ....I said they suit lazy walkers. It's proved itself already no need to justify what you do with your dog [/quote] I was being a little bit flippant - sorry
