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’ve never used one and never will. I have a 6 ft lead for walking and a 10 ft lead for scent work. I don’t even want Diana pawPrints to do scentwork off leash. Not even in a secure room. Unfortunately my Dad has started to use a motorized scooter on dog walks and he has switched to a retractable lead as Dolly pulled him over once. But I doubt it’s a good brand and I doubt he uses it properly. Sometimes he walk her off leash. He claims she always comes when he calls her but I know better. All she needs to be is spooked or distracted by a particularly interesting something (rabbit perhaps?) and she’ll be off and not coming back. She will think nothing of bolting into the street. He loves her but has some sort of thing about being able to walk her off leash. I’ve warned him but he always knows better. I told him if she is hit by a car I will never bring Diana over to visit again. Nothing I can say will dissuade him.
My uncle’s dog was killed by a car while on a retractable leash. His neighbor was taking him on a walk and he went out behind a parked car and was hit. I heard about it third-hand so I don’t know the details but I know that his friend didn’t know how far out the dog was because of my uncle’s dang retractable leash.
I’ve had ropeburn using them, I’ve been smacked by them, I’ve seen others’ dogs “chased” by them (a friend’s dog got lost in the forest that way, was eventually found tangled in a bush), I’ve seen the mechanism break and let the whole length of the leash out at once.
I wish pet stores would stop selling them!!
Hate them. Working for my vet and dealing with owners who let the dog in the door first with the flexi lead all the way out, we’ve had dog fights in the waiting room BEFORE THE OWNER EVEN GOT IN THE DOOR ALL THE WAY!. I threw my flexi lead away shortly after my dog bolted in a parking lot and pulled it out of my hand. I see people walking two dogs with two flexis and being dragged down the street. And I’ve seen the damage done when they wrap around someone’s leg or hand. Use them on little dogs, but pay attention! And I’m also in awe at the use of harnesses on big dogs and people wondering why they’re being dragged down the street.
There is a time and a place for everything! We use both your standard 7’ lead and the retractable. It’s also called education and being aware. It’s the dogs walk not ours and we are responsible for the safety of our dogs. Vigilance!
As one who works with rescues, I totally support the rescue discussed earlier in this thread who clearly instructed the new owners how to manage their dog. Flexible leases with rescues in particular are very problematic until the dog is fully trained and leash knowledgeable. I said earlier that I have used flexible leashes with success but my dogs had gone through basic and into intermediate obedience classes.
The horror story that I have used in working with new parents of rescues is one where the human was not paying really good attention to their dog, on a busy street, dog went out between two cars. Owner had them on a flexible leash that was the rope/string style and the dog almost got hit by a car. In the process of all of that excitement the leash wound around the dog’s neck and basically garrotted the dog. I totally agree and tell people that if they get to a point where the dog is well trained and they go for a Flexi leash that they need to use the one that is a flat tape strip instead.
Training, awareness and appropriate use IS KEY!! Humans and dogs
My Dog became reactive on a retractable lead Since switching to a regular lead I’ve been able to fix it as I can make her pay attention to me and she knows if an off lead dog comes at her I will protect her My other dog would simply chew through the lead at a moments inattention and off she would go Thank goodness she had an amazing recall Stopped using retractable leash’s ages ago
I’ve used name brand Flexis since they first came out, but never ever with a harness, never in stores or vet clinics or at dog training or competition. They are just for walking dogs where there is plenty of space and I am constantly on the alert. They are handy when I am short on time and the dogs really need exercise, and wonderful in large open areas. We alternate Flexis and 6-footers and always use the latter when there are other people and dogs. My dogs have good recalls, so as long as I am paying attention, I can call them in and shorten up the Flexi when needed. There is a lot of responsibility involved in dog ownership – controlling your dog on whatever kind of lead you are using is important. That being said, I particularly hate to see dogs in stores and at the vet clinic wearing a retractable lead – it tells me that that dog probably has a clueless owner.
I HATE those leashes! I bicycle to work along a shared pedestrian/bike path for about 10 miles. It is TERRIFYING when I encounter an owner using a retractable leash, owner on one side of the trail, dog on the other, me barreling towards them on a bicycle with limited ability to stop quickly. I have almost hit so many dogs. Or when the dog sees me and bolts towards my bike, with their owner trying to reel them in using one of those horrid things. It is so dangerous for the dogs and the cyclists.
Agreed!
I hate bicyclists who come barreling by us and don’t slow down at all. And that’s on short leashes too. Most of the paths I’m on are narrow enough that I have to reel a dog in close to me to let bicyclists pass and I’ve had WAY too many come flying by without so much as slowing down.
Maybe we should ALL be considerate of others.
AMEN.
People have to remember to that the ones of us commenting here, who read whole dog journal, take their dogs to obedience classes, read anything they can get their hands on regarding dogs etc. know the ins and outs regarding retractable leashes. We either like them or don’t, but understand the possible consequences of using them. We think 3 steps ahead. We are above average dog owners…The majority of people who own dogs are just average dog owners. They feed and water it…maybe it gets daily walks. And since the invention of cell phones, you see so many being walked and the owner looking at their phone while the dog is either eating something it shouldn’t, crossing the street before the owner catches up,etc…they aren’t paying attention.
That’s part of my point. People need to pay attention to their dogs–at all times, particularly if you’re using a retractable leash (that can pose a danger not only to your own dog, but to other dogs, other people, and yourself). Too many people DON’T pay attention and they ruin it for the “good” owners who do. And even if you’re a responsible owner, it’s way too easy to get distracted and lose sight of the fact that you need to be paying attention to your own dog. That’s why I prefer to teach my dogs to walk politely on a leash and sit beside me if I stop. That way I know where my dog is and if I get distracted, I know where my dog is. And, no, I don’t make my dogs “heel” during their morning walks–that’s their time to sniff, exercise, get some enrichment, etc. But in a crowded area, yes my dogs are asked to “heel” and stay close to my side.
As someone involved with rescue, I can’t stand retractable leashes! I work with Great Dane and Irish Wolfhound rescue–so not little dogs! I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve been at a Meet and Greet (pre-pandemic) when around the corner sashays itty-bitty dog who isn’t well socialized to larger dogs. Itty bitty sees the “monsters” and starts to bark, growl, lung, snap. We have always been very lucky–none of our Danes or Wolfhounds reacted with anything more than a “What’s YOUR problem” look. We’ve always hustled to return itty-bitty to owner, who is on a completely different aisle or area and has no idea what itty-bitty is into. Some itty-bitty owners then have the gall to bless US out for having “aggressive” dogs on the site. Some have complained to management about the Danes and Wolfhounds. To a one, every single manager has looked at itty-bitty on a retractable leash, seen that itty-bitty isn’t hurt in the least, listens carefully to complaining owner and then comes and apologizes to us. Itty-bitty’s owner doesn’t know that had our “aggressive” dogs been truly aggressive (or had decided to defend themselves from the aggressive itty-bitty), their itty-bitty would be either severely injured or dead (simply due to size differences). So please people! If you have an itty-bitty (and we have one now ourselves), please socialize them to other dogs, including larger ones so that itty-bitty isn’t fearful and feels the need to act aggressively to the “scary monsters”. If you have ANY sized dog, please keep an eye on your dog when you’re in public. Don’t allow your dog out of your sight. Retractable leashes can be a nightmare for a lot of people and a lot of dogs. Don’t use them unless you really know what you’re doing. Instead of putting the retractable lead on the dog and going on your way, spend a little time training your dog to be polite on a leash and to be polite with other dogs and people. You’ll be happier and so will your dog. And so will all of us sitting with the large dogs. It would be nice just to worry about finding a terrific home for the dogs, and not having to worry about your itty-bitty, not having to worry that a manager will actually believe itty bitty’s owner and throw US out, and not having to worry that one time we’ll take in a dog that does the unexpected and defends him- or herself against itty-bitty and badly hurts or (heaven forbid) kills itty-bitty.
THAT is how itty bitty diddly dee will end up diddly dead!