If you saw my post from the other day about walking off lead you will know that we never let Max off his lead as we don’t feel safe doing so. Partially in case he runs off but mainly because we don’t trust other dogs that he might come across.
I am thinking of getting a retractable lead to use when we take him on longer walks in quieter areas so that he at least gets a little more sense of freedom sometimes. I was just wondering if anyone can recommend a good one? There seem so many to choose from and some are so expensive! I don’t want to buy a cheaper one if it’s just going to break on me!
I have mixed feelings about retractable leads, I do have them for both my dogs but I only use them now when we are beach or field walking. The reason being was I allowed Bella's to get too long on the street one day and she was nearly run over by a car reversing out of a drive, it was totally my fault and I can't believe I was so stupid. I do think they are fine for open areas though. There seems to be two kinds available, one has a thin string like cord and the other has a thicker more tape like cord, I prefer the tape as it appears to be stronger. I got mine from pets at home and I think they were about £14 they can go as expensive as £25.
If I were in a quiet area, I would definatley concider getting one so she could move around more. I wish she could but its just not safe. Where I live..never. Never ever would I get one. I have her on a short leash and end up wrapping some of that around my hand where we live because of traffic etc.
I have retractable leads for my dogs and I def recommend them for long walks in areas away from roads and other dangers. Mine don't pull my dogs back at all they are really good. But def don't get one too cheap cos my last one was cheaper and broke, the lead bit stopped retracting so it was just a really long lead!
I love using retractable leashes only if I'm walking one dog bc using two of those at the same time doesn't work for me, lol. I think you will be fine as long as you invest in a decent one!
the onlly drawback on a retractable leash is that IF you drop it/ or it is pulled out of your hand, it may scare the bedevil out of your dog on its way back. It has happened once or twice to me. Fortunately the dog ran to me, to 'get this thing that is following me' off!!
Yes I will second that, very true! It's fine if it happens with a chilled out dog like Spice, it doesn't faze her. But it's happened a couple of times with Sugar, I've dropped the lead and it's freaks her out so bad, I suppose to her it's like something's chasing her! She will run until she either calms down or I catch her! So just keep that in mind you have to be careful of dropping it, other than that though I love retractable leads
I personally don't like them. I prefer to use long training leads when I want my
dogs to be able to explore better. Of course they are also excellent for distance
training, recall, etc. Here are the ones I use...(super cheap, but VERY durable)
Thanks for the heads up about dropping the lead, I hadn't thought about that happening so will have to be extra careful!
Thanks for mentioning the training leads LS. I have seen them used a couple of times when we have been at puppy classes and the one they used there was a really thick old thing that looks pretty heavy and not great for a 4 pound chi! I had a look at the link you gave and they look much better and easy to use! I'm going to have a look to see where I can get one over here and give it a try. Think I'll still get a retractable lead too just to see how we get on with it.
I can't wait to go shopping now so we can try them out. I just feel like our routine walks have got a bit boring recently so I'm hoping these will make things a bit more fun!
I use a retractable for Honey when we're in open space. Search this on eBay - Flexi Comfort Long Cord 8 Metre Lead. It's much longer than the leads you get at pets at home and prob a bit cheaper too! Sturdy and the handle fits your hand well, it kind of sticks on if you know what i mean and is very comfy
I like using a regular leash for walks but we do have a retractable for hiking and stuff. We use a Kong On the Go Palm retractable tape leash. I love it because it's light weight and does fit in the palm of your hand. Before we bought her current leash, we were using the Kong regularly in the locked position and the locking mechanism worked great. I actually like this leash so much that when I forgot it in the middle of nowhere while boating, I bought another one as soon as I could. I still prefer a regular leash for walking but I love the Kong for everything else.
I love the KONG retractable leashes. Usually we have ours locked but when we are in a safe place (which honestly is most of our walks) and Jaxx has some extra energy I will let the lock off and let him run.
We had a super cheap one to begin with and honestly the KONG retractable is so much better and it is reflective stitches sewn in. We never walk were it is unsafe at night but I am glad to know it is there.
The KONG retractable leash fits very nicely in your hand once you get used to it.
The only place I have seen the KONG retractable leash is at PetSmart though.
Toby has a regular 6' leash for walks. He has a large 15' training lead that I have for when we are out in the yard at my parents house or sitting on the patio at my apartment. I live in a very populated area and I don't trust him off leash. The long lead lets him explore.
I'm not a fan of retractable leashes because once my sister used it with Toby and accidentally dropped it. It when flying toward him and scared the crap out of him. He wasn't hurt, but he could have been.
I have a Flexi lead and a standard short one
The flexi is fab as allows about a 5 metre extension
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