Extendable dog leads

I'm in sympathy with all the reasons they can be problematic, although would say like most things in life, they are partly as bad as the person using them. Like cars that can be driven aggressively to make noise that annoys 1000 people in a dense suburb.

Hate them and the should be banned on bridleways. The amount of times I have to tell dog owners to retract them around my horse. They really don’t get it and the risk of wrapping around my horse’s legs. Idiots 😡

I use one with my border collie when we go hiking. She's fairly reliable but she's nervous of people, so when people are around (or livestock) she's on a retractable lead. That means she can sniff and she can be kept on a short lead as people pass. She's always on the shortest setting down by roads. When we're out in the open, if it's an area where I can't quite tell what's coming she's on the zip line. She will recall away from most dogs but she's not 100 reliable, so lead it is unless it's definitely quiet enough for her to be loose.

I think they're ok if used sensibly.

I dislike them intensely, as pp has suggest, primarily because they are misused, and appear to be a substitute for training and socialisation. There’s generally some yappy little ankle biter at the end of them round here.

I have 2 labs, and the idea that their combine 60kg weight and momentum could be controlled at that distance is laughable.

Leads over 3'3" are banned in our council by-laws now, in places like this, but of course it's not policed so it's made no difference.
Same where I live. There are signs at various points along the path I mentioned in my previous post but as with many things the lack of enforcement means it's pointless. Responsible owners probably don't need to be told anyway, and irresponsible ones aren't going to care about instructions on a sign.
It's the same with lots of things. Like the numerous recent threads where posters are calling for electric scooters to be banned, when what is really needed is for existing laws to be effectively applied. You barely ever see police officers or even parking wardens round us these days so government and councils can make laws about stuff like this til they're blue in the face and nothing will change unless they fund ways to actually enforce them.

Some imbecile in our nearest town nearly tripped me up with one. He was one side of the pedestrian precinct and the dog was the other. I didn't see the grey lead against grey paving. My fault, apparently.

Leads over 3'3" are banned in our council by-laws now, in places like this, but of course it's not policed so it's made no difference.

True.
The lead is an inanimate object and can't be harmful on its own, but the design does mean that there is more potential for misuse. But you are quite right, ultimately the responsibility lies with the human holding it. I'm sure there are plenty of responsible owners who use them that I don't even notice because they are aware of their surroundings, engaged with their dog and using the lead appropriately. It's unfair me to judge the equipment rather than the owner. Unfortunately though, I have had injuries as a result of misuse of an extending lead that I think would have been impossible had the dog been on a short lead and that has coloured my judgement. I think there are risks inherent to this design of lead that don't exist for shorter leads and whilst I am sure these can be massively reduced by responsible use, there does seem to be a significant number of owners who don't use them properly.
Again, I am happy to acknowledge bias in my observations but where I live it appears that the engaged, responsible dog walkers I encounter tend to use shorter leads and have their dogs close to them anyway whereas the long leads are more often used by disinterested owners who let their pets basically walk themselves whilst they're on the phone. It's the combination of the length of the lead and the behaviour of the owner that's the issue.
I'm not sure there's justification for a ban or anything- there are irresponsible cyclists and motorists but we don't ban bikes and cars - but misuse is an issue.

They are def misused.
If you are away from roads and have a small dog then they can be ok, otherwise they are just an accident waiting to happen.

Had a dog run up to mine yesterday on a flexi lead. Thank god there was no traffic because the owner was on the other side of the road still!

I think this is the key point. I have control over my dog when he's in a shorter lead, I tell him to heel and positively reinforce good walking behaviour. The lead is only retracted when there are no mother people around, he goes on a shorter lead when we see people or other dogs. He doesn't pull, he's been taught not to. I'd never use one of these leads on a big dog.

I do have fixed leads and have used the long line leads but they are not as good for us when walking

I hate them as well. I have my dog on a strong normal lead . We have had 2 dogs first was a brilliant well trained black labrador current one is a more difficult rescue dog . Black lab could be off lead quite alot rescue dog unfortunately can't but always used normal leads with both . I don't feel fully in control on those extendable things

I would like to see them banned on safety grounds. One of our dogs received a wound to his leg when a small dog circled him wrapping the lead cord right around his legs. The cords also commonly inflict hand injuries to owners or anyone that needs to get hold of/restrain the dog.

There have also been a few stories on here about small dogs being run over whilst on an extending lead...

I think my biggest issue is when you see large powerful dogs on them and the owners defend the use by saying "they're only dangerous if used incorrectly" or "they can be locked". I do not believe that extending leads can ever give enough control over a big strong dog.

I don’t like them either. It encourages a dog to pull, because it knows that if it tugs on the lead, the lead will get longer. I’ve also had a nasty ‘rope-burn’ on my hand from them . They’re also really difficult to unwrap if they get tangled with other leads.

Used one for 17 years with no probs, and use one now for a dog I look after. Never had any issues. You have to stay alert to hazards to your dog and other dogs and people. In other words, engage in the walk and not be on your phone.

I am still only seeing issues caused by idiot owners not the actual lead.
I suppose it could be argued that the leads enable people to be bad owners but they would probably manage to do that with any lead

I nearly ran over a dog that ran into the road on an extendable lead the other day. I’d seen it messing around so slowed right down and was able to avoid it. The owner wasn’t bothered, but I would have been the villain if it had been injured.

I hate them. My friend uses one with her 30kg boxer and has no control....she didn't see the issue when I shrieked as dog, on length went round me and was about to cross in front thereby would have pulled me over with the line or cut into my legs.
I've had dogs on extension go for my dog because owner not close enough to realise what's going on.
Honestly I'd ban them.

Most of my walks are with a short, non-extending lead which I hold slightly behind me so that my dog cannot cross in front of me and, if she wants to change sides, has to go behind me. Her walking etiquette is excellent, and we're always walking to the beach/park where she is off lead with excellent recall.

However, our last walk of an evening (8pm ish) is a street/pavement walk where we use an extending lead. She likes to mosy and sniff on this walk and it lets her have a little more freedom. If we see anyone ahead she has to come back to my side and I shorten it to pass.

I think, like most things, it's how and with the degree of common sense in which they're used that makes the difference.

All of those examples are down to the human on the end of the lead rather than the lead itself

Extending dog leads drive me mad. Loads of people walk their dogs on our local cycle path and I'm forever trying to figure out which dog is attached to which human. I've been chased by off the lead dogs a few times but I honestly think I prefer that to the situation where the dog is still not under control but also has a mobile trip wire attached to it. Not that I blame the dogs, it's usually dopey owners who are on their phones and have earphones in who are the issue, as they are oblivious to what their dog is doing and to the rest of the environment.

I use them and I’ve never encountered anything that been mentioned on here. They’re great for my dog

Like anything its not the lead thats the problem.
Used by responsible owners and well trained dogs they are fine. DDog has one but he rarely needs to be on lead anyway and we just haven't replaced his old extendable one that we used to use to let him have a wander when his recall wasn't as good

They're a pain in the ass.
The only time I feel their use is acceptable is in wide open spaces if the dog can't be off lead for some reason but also isn't prone to legging it (nasty injuries from cords), providing the space isn't busy with other dogs or people.
They should NOT be used near roads, busy areas, or urban areas.
I've lost count of the amount of situations I've dealt with where a dog has been poorly managed because it was on an unlocked flexilead.

They should be banned. You have no control over the dog and if you forget to lock it the dog can go 20+ feet in any direction.

Like the woman I saw walking down my narrow village street this week - right next to a fast road.

Normally used by people who don't know much about d oh ha and just buy what's in the key shop.

Which is why they should banned.

I use a long line which I have total control over and can let in and out. Only use in open spaces when I'm teaching recall.

Yes it gets muddy, yes I have to activity pay attention to what the dog is doing - that's the point.

I think they probably have a place for a person with a small dog who wants to have a sniff about when nowhere near roads if the dogs recall can’t be trusted.

They’re a reckless choice for most dogs/ walking situations.