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?
I fully agree that retractable leashes can be problematic. That said I use a 20’ retractable lead to walk my two hounds in tandem and let them walk at to the end of the leash. I have the retractable leash attached to a special belt around my waist and the other end attached to a cross piece attached to their individual harnesses. If they try to pull I just stop. We hike on old unused rail beds that are used by ATV’s and snowmobiles. When I hear or see an approaching vehicle
I have them stop and I walk up to them and lock the leash in place. I then hold on to their respective harness handles and wait for the vehicle to pass. So far this has been the best solution for me but as I said before this type of leash definitely has some cons.
I can think of several stories, but the three that impacted my decision of how dangerous retractable leashes are for most owners:
My boss’s wife was walking their Lab pup at night. It saw something, bolted and she ended up having back surgery for ruptured discs.
Our back yard fence was down in one place, so I decided to use the retractable leash that I had for a prior dog (for some dumb reason) to take my pittie-mix pup to potty on New Year’s Day. She took off running over the edge of our flagstone patio, downhill and my feet flew out from under me. I got a huge hematoma on my thigh, resulting in a trip to the doctor. It was so painful, I thought for sure I had broken something.
At our local humane society annual event, where there are tons of dogs, I was walking my other pit bull on a break from the Pet Partners therapy dog booth. A little dog ran under my dog, and then behind him, totally wrapping his back legs up and entangling the two of them. Thank goodness I have such an affable boy; otherwise that little 8-lb dog might be dead as that would have freaked out many otherwise gentle dogs I know. Ironically, at the booth we had just been talking about the need to ban extension leashes and especially at events where so many dogs come together.
I used to use a retractable leash when walking my lab so he could have more freedom of movement. Even keeping a close eye on him, I missed a rabbit that he saw, and when he bolted I fell and ended up with severely skinned knees and palms. Maybe ok to use with a very small dog but not with a large one.
Recently I saw a woman walking a large dog with the retractable leash while she was looking at her phone, an accident waiting to happen.
Agree completely! Would I clip a retractable leash to a Great Dane or Irish Wolfhound? Absolutely NOT. Even if that dog walked well on a leash. Too many bad things can happen. Jeez, Irish Wolfhounds are SIGHT hounds. They see a furry little critter running and instinct takes over and they give chase. You got 180+ pounds pulling on that retractable leash? I wish you lots of luck. You’re going to need it.
My senior Cocker Spaniel LIVES for his daily outings so he can re-up his neighborhood to his presence. I use a retractable (replaced because of worn gear mechanisms 3-4 times a year) lead. I have it locked in my right hand but give a good 12″ or so of a leeway hold with my left hand so I can gently motion my intent beforehand, and also have an extra secure hold for unexpected events.
I have been using retractable leashes with great success on large dogs for over 40 years. I also have a variety of other leashes and choose the appropriate leash for the event/occasion. I use retractable leashes daily walking or jogging with two large dogs on the trails in a nearby state park. I am courteous on the trails. Whenever someone is approaching, I shorten the line and move off the trail and let others pass. I also have a short 1 ft lead with me that I can quickly add to the harness to give me better control if a crazy situation evolves. I do not use retractable leashes on streets or around people or anytime that I cannot be 100% focused on my dogs and the surrounding environment. Just in places where many people illegally let their dogs off leash. I put in the time to make sure my dogs are trained to politely walk on all leashes. I find retractable leashes to be an indispensable tool allowing my dogs greater freedom to be dogs and get more exercise. Any tool can be dangerous if misused.
You need to teach a course on proper handling! Unfortunately, you seem to be in the minority. I am one of those dorky users who got injured, as explained below. I also had an incident where a tiny dog wrapped itself all around my 70-lb dog’s back legs.
I got a scar on my ankle from a wire flexi-lead many years ago; thankfully the scar faded after two or three years. I had my dog on a regular leather leash; and he started to play with another young dog who was on a flexi; they became very bouncy, and the other dog pulled his wire flexi loosely around my leg as they were playing; and then the other dog tried to run, and the owner pulled the lead tight, causing the wire to tighten around my ankle; I can still remember the pain. Also, I did some dog walking and a few of the dogs had flexi-leads; I remember not feeling that I had good control over them; not enough traction as in a leash (especially a leather leash). Nowadays, I link two or three leather leads together and can easily pull in and let out as the situation demands; and when my dog pulls, a leather leash does not burn; it is easier to handle.
Retractable leashes should be taken off the market. I don’t know how many times my mother or spouse have dropped the handle of these types of leashes, especially when my spouse walks 2 dogs at the same time. A lot of people don’t know how to put the break on and it’s difficult to reel back. I haven’t used a retractable leash in years because of the danger to my pets, others or self. A regular leash is much safer.
Good way to dislocate a shoulder! Small person and large dog takes off at a run…
I would like to see courses in retractable leashes that:
1) taught the dog what to do when the leash handle gets dropped (ignore it!)
2) taught the owner when to lock it, and how to not keep jerking the dog around by pushing the lock randomly.
3) advocated for certain brands (as well as appropriate harnesses to use with them) and mentioned the problems with the cheap brands and cheap, inappropriate harnesses
4) taught the owner not to wrap the (regular) leash handle around his/her wrist!!!
5) taught the owner where an unlocked flexi is appropriate, and where it should be locked at 6 ft. or less!
6) allowed the owner to practice on other owners things such as reeling the ‘dog’ in.
…and the list goes on….
As others have mentioned, a flexi is a tool, just as a regular leash is, and a chain saw is. Regular leashes have fewer requirements in order to keep dogs and people safe, but they aren’t entirely without peril (I had one wrapped around my legs and got bit by another dog while my dog tried her best to avoid the other dog). Chain saws can be nasty beasts if you don’t know anything about chain saw safety. Flexi leashes are highly convenient in certain situations, and people will continue to use them. Giving them the option of learning how to use them properly could go a long way towards avoiding the perils that I, too, have been subject to.
That would be great–but (unfortunately), you can’t force people to take the class. I’d bet you a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts that we’d find that responsible owners who have every intention of using the retractable leash properly would sign up for the class, while the people who clip it on and then go on about their business and ignore the fact that they have a real, live dog at the end of the retractable leash wouldn’t take it.
I think these leashes are great for specific tasks and environments, but a poor choice for typical leash-walks. Handlers have almost no way control a dog’s movements (vs using a 6’ leash).
I’ve used the 26-30’ leashes to train dogs for off-leash hikes in open areas and on defined trails. I also think they’re great for exploratory or “sniff” walks in very low traffic or open areas for dogs that are responsive to recalls but being off-leash is prohibited by law.
Even in these circumstances there’s a real risk of injury to owners and dogs if a dog takes off full speed and hits the end of the leash because the brake fails.
Because of the tension on the leash, I think it’s inappropriate to use them with any type of collar. I’ve found that training dogs to walk on a slack leash on flat a collar and using a retractable leash with a harness doesn’t undo leash manners training.