I know it’s low-hanging fruit to criticize people for misuse of retractable leashes – but there are an awful lot of first-time dog owners out there who may have been tempted by the highly convenient devices and who don’t know their pitfalls. And because I’m traveling at the moment and just saw a near-disaster out my hotel window involving one of these products, allow me to explain. And then, for those of you who have been around a while, why don’t you tell us your favorite “Never use a retractable leash!” story in the comments?
I heard some hubbub and glanced out the window to see what was up. There was a moving van towing a trailer with a car on it, and an SUV towing a trailer with a small car on that, and a group of people all getting ready to hit the road for another fun day of (apparently) moving their household in the summer heat. A number of adults were milling around, putting their bags in the various vehicles. The fact that they had dogs held my eye: A pretty Golden Retriever and a tall and young-looking Great Dane who was wearing a harness, both attached to young women who were holding retractable leashes. As I watched, another person came out of the hotel with two metal bowls full of water and offered them to the dogs: drink up, dogs, it’s your last chance for a bit!
I was just about to leave the window when the action of one of the young women held my eye: She put the handle of the leash that was attached to the Great Dane on the fender of the trailer, and walked around the moving van to do something else. Oh no! I said helplessly from my third-floor window, and sure enough, it happened. The dog turned her head, which pulled the handle of the leash off the fender so that it fell toward the dog’s head, spooking her and making her bolt.
HOW MANY TIMES have I seen a dog running in a panic, being “chased” by a rattling plastic retractable leash handle that was bouncing along the ground and bumping the dog’s heels? (Answer: Too many to count.)
Thank dog, the Dane only ran backward a few feet before the other young woman yelled and the dog stopped, shaking with fright. Thank dog again, because this hotel is within a few hundred yards of a busy intersection and a highway.
I get that these devices are great for what we like to call “sniff walks,” where you allow the dog to stop and start and wander at will. But most trainers hate them because they also condition a dog to pull against the pressure of the spring-loaded leash to reach what they want to smell or see. When the holy grail for most dog walkers is walking with a dog who doesn’t pull and drag you around, this is counter-productive.
Also, if the dog suddenly pulls toward something, unless the owner is paying absolute attention, is ready with the button that operates the brake, and the brake actually works (the “bargain” models tend to break down), the dog can bolt into the street (we’ve heard stories of dogs getting hit and killed by a car while on one of these leashes), bolt toward a frightened person or a person with a fearful dog (starting a dog fight, making a person fall, etc.), or “clothesline” a person who might be jogging, skateboarding, or riding a bike.
The biggest problem is that there is not a good way to reel the dog back in, if he’s already out at the end of the leash. The models that have a cord inside can get wrapped around dog or people legs and can cut deeply; if you grab one, trying to control the dog, the cord can slice your hand open. The ones with a “tape” or flat line inside are safer, but there is still no good way to shorten the leash quickly if the dog is pulling away, only if he comes back toward you or if you can catch quickly up to him.
And, of course, if someone lets go of the handle, an inexperienced dog tends to panic and run blindly with the leash handle chasing it.
Some of you may defend them. I must say I find them to be very helpful for walking smallish dogs out in the areas where my dogs can safely walk off-leash (no other people, no roads nearby, they have great recall). But, in my opinion, they should never be used with a big dog (they don’t give you enough control), and never never never around other dog walkers, pedestrians, cyclists, etc. They are just an accident waiting to happen in crowded environments.
What’s your favorite cautionary tale about these leashes? What circumstances do you think they are perfect for?
Shared your article on my Facebook page as we are firm anti-retractable leash people. I included this story:
“I know some of you will find this hard to believe, but Harley T Wonderdog gets very protective of his parents when other dogs are around (some humans as well). Because of this, we have him on a stout 4 foot leash that we control.
The picture illustrating this story reflects an experience we had at Cape Hatteras. The owner had their dog on a retractable leash and said his dog was friendly and would like to approach Harley. We warned him that Harley was a protective dog and to please do not let your dog approach. This gentleman did not listen and let his dog approach. Luckily for him and his dog, I had Harley’s leash and was quickly wrapping it around my wrist when Harley reacted. The guy, who would not listen to the other dog owner, found he had another problem. He could not pull his dog back because he let out too much lead. Thankfully, Harley listens and fell back to a safe distance with me, while I verbally scolded the other dog owner for not listening to us.
Best advice to all dog owners is: know YOUR dog; Presume the other dog is not friendly especially in an unfamiliar place, like the beach; and invest in a good NON-retractable leash.”
How would this story have changed really if he was on a shorter leash? Let’s face it…the guy still would have brought his dog to yours. Maybe he could have pulled him back sooner, but he was still an idiot. Frankly, you can easily pull the dog back on a 12-foot leash by just backing up and pulling. All he had to do was back up quickly and pull. So this was a case of a jerk being a jerk.
AND…these types of people? The alternative is no leash. Because that’s what they’re going to choose. I would much rather a dog be on SOME leash than running around willy nilly on no leash. Because then you have ZERO control.
I fully agree & understand the issues but I have always had good experiences with using the retractable with my min schnauzer (19 lbs) on her harness. I use Two hands when walking in tight situations. I do not live in a heavy NY urban street environment but in a open suburban style neighborhood. It allows my little girl to walk thru yards & run a bit in parks but I am always looking around & behind to see if any impending dangers. The other hand is always on the line to walk across streets & close to people or bicycles. I have good control over her but agree some owners seem oblivious when walking – leash or retractable- distracted by text & cell. That is Far more dangerous than just using a retractable.
Perhaps people don’t mind a 19 pound dog, but I’ve found that some people (certainly not all) don’t appreciate me letting my dogs run through their yards. Now I’m talking Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds, who weigh just a tad more than 19 pounds! But are you sure the owners of the yards your dog can run through are okay with your dog running through their yard? What if they take exception and shoot your dog? It probably won’t happen, but stranger things HAVE happened.
When I was new to dogs, I tried a flexi but did not care for it. Now, I use either a 6 ft. leash or a 12′ long line for my 14# dog. I reel out the long line for sniff stops and loop it back to continue walking. I learned how to safely use a long line from a Grisha Stewart online class some years ago. I practiced in my living room as she suggested. Works well for us when I want my dog to have a bit more freedom and yet I can loop it to 6 ft. in a matter of seconds. Don’t know if she is still teaching this but it was well worth the money. Otherwise, I stay aware of our surroundings and keep careful control of my dog no matter which leash we are using.
Totally agree.
They are the.most dangerous way of walking a dog. I have seen multiple dogs walked one retracting lead each by one person!!! How they hold more than two at a time I have no idea. Awful things. I have also seen calves sliced with these terrible things.
Basically the handler has NO control with a retractable leash. If your dog doesn’t have a good recall and isn’t trained to walk on a loose lead then if anything unplanned for happens such as the dog being frightened or stimulated to chase that retractable leash is going to break. Never use them with a large dog or untrained dog. I hope the owners on here saying they use them never experience the sadness of losing their dog to accident. A very elderly dog that can’t move fast and doesn’t care about much might possibly be ok on one in a safe area.
Agree completely! Working with rescues, we absolutely HATE retractable leashes because dogs come around the corner with no owner in sight and reacts with aggression toward our rescues. We have Danes and Wolfhounds and they could easily kill a very small dog by simply defending themselves against that aggression. Too often, people are completely clueless, put their dogs on a retractable leash, go on their way and then forget they’ve got a live dog on the other end. They pay NO attention to what the dog is doing. It can be a NIGHTMARE for other people and other dogs. And if you use a retractable leash properly and you love it, I’m sorry, but there are enough idiots out there who haven’t the foggiest idea of what they’re doing and those people can cause serious injury to other people, other dogs, and they can even get their own dog killed. Is it really worth it when you have good alternatives?
Like Michelle, I have had good results over the years, with retractables. I really liked them. I even liked them after I got a nasty slice in my calf from one (my fault — I was not paying close attention) — I also have had burns from a regular leash. What with decades of dogs in my life, i can easily say I have had everything go wrong and right with both.
My current little rescue does not like the retractable tension at all so I have gone back to a regular leash. I don’t miss the retractables, especially the risk of another bad slice and the bouncing and frightening effects of a dropped one. I was almost swayed into retractable disapproval but recalled all those 100’s of quiet walks and sniff-arounds. The retractables did give them some freedoms in our overgrown, semi-wild urban alleys. I don’t know if I will ever go back to them or not. In my old age, perhaps the regular leashes are easier and less risky.
That’s one of the problems (as I see it) with retractable leashes. You have to pay attention! Some people simply can’t be “bothered” to pay attention to what their dog is doing (and I am NOT accusing you of being one of those kinds of people!). For those of us who do pay attention, it’s very easy to get temporarily distracted by something and an instant later, you’ve got a disaster on your hands.
It’s impossible to be completely non-distracted all the time, both for human and dog! There could be a sudden child screaming, a delicious-looking squirrel, anything. Boom, leash disaster.
When I dogsit I use a belt leash, I could never forgive myself if something happened to a friend’s dog.
Honestly? You have to pay attention with EVERYTHING. I’ve seen dogs almost hit on 6-foot leashes, including my own in the beginning. Standing near the road, ready to cross with my new rescue dog. I had NO idea that the UPS truck that would trundle by would be such a THING but she tried to run out in front of it. I had to yank her back hard to stop her from getting hit.
My husband had a nasty fall when she bolted on a 6-foot leash suddenly and he tripped over a part of the sidewalk that was uneven. Couldn’t play his fiddle for over a year due to tendon injuries. Again, not paying attention.
I’ve seen people on cell phones get pulled over or drop the leash when their dog suddenly bolted. I’ve seen dogs hurt their necks when suddenly bolting with a head collar on because the person didn’t notice something (dog, squirrel, whatever).
Paying attention is necessary no matter WHAT you use. The issue is not the leash. The issue is people are so distracted by their phones these days that they aren’t watching around them.
I’m not a fan of retractable leashes, for all of the reasons already stated by others. I have one that I haven’t used in years, and when I did use it, I had my waist belt strung through the handle, with the leash locked at about 6 feet most of the time. I found it useful to unlock it to practice stays and recalls during a walk, but that’s about it. For most walks, I prefer a 6 foot leash on the waist belt.
Regarding people not paying attention, it can happen to any of us… and is the reason I like the hands-free waist belt arrangement – but even that can be hazardous if the dog is big and strong enough to unbalance the person and pull him or her off their feet (mine is a 17-pound puffball – not a problem).
I live in downtown NYC, Manhattan. I have a greyhound and a terrier. They both get walked on standard 5 foot leashes. There are a lot of new dog owners with their pandemic puppies….most on flexi leashes. They like it, I get it. But they don’t know what they’re doing so as We walk near them, I ask them to please lock their leash.
I’m always worried that one of those flexi ropes or tapes will wrap around my greyhound’s long skinny legs. So we never say hi! to anyone walking their dog on a flexi. We keep our distance.
I wish they were banned.
I use a retractable leash for my smaller dog, but I see the potential disasters. I think the biggest problem is people not knowing how to use them. I do keep my finger near the “trigger” and it’s become a reflex to lock it when I need to. I disagree that “reeling” them back in is a problem, but again, I really think the issue is (mostly) operator error.
There is no doubt…toss them out. Wish they would ban them. Thank you for writing this article. Hope many people read this and get rid of those dangerous retractable leashes. They truly are an accident waiting to happen.
We have always loved our Flexis in the National Forest or now in open areas and the Conservation nature park where we like to walk them occasionally. Our dogs are less than 30 lbs. No idea how a really large dog would do. The ordinary 6 ft. lead just doesn’t give enough freedom to move around without us having to follow close by. I have seen Flexis used inappropriately inside vets’ waiting rooms and other tight spaces. The problem mainly is that people don’t seem to know HOW TO LOCK IT. There is no reason it couldn’t be made short and still used indoors. That’s no reason for all the negative press this handy device is getting. You can’t fix stupid but that’s no reason to ban an item like I see mentioned on other sites. A lot of people are misusing devices of many kinds and if we started banning them all we would deprive ourselves of useful or fun items. Personally, I never saw a reason for a Flexi in tight areas where you can’t get the plus of the 20+ ft. extension ours have.
I agree, too!
One problem is that many are of such low quality that you cannot lock it.
I organized a charity fun run/walk for the local humane society with dogs invited, and we took the opportunity to help people better use their retractable leashes. MOST of them did not have a locking mechanism or it was so weak it was useless.
Pet stores should only sell high quality ones or not at all.