Extendable dog leads - please please please stop using them

[violentovulation]

I am the owner of a large senior dog. He is always on lead, and wears a harness. He is not an XL bully before anyone asks, and I am always in control of him. He used to love saying hello to other dogs on our walks, and now he's an anxious mess because people can't be bothered to train their dogs due to them being small. There is an assortment of small shouty dogs in my area, chihuahuas, jack russells, pugs, daschunds, bichon style dogs, miniature schnauzers, westies, cross breeds of them all. Most of them are walked on those bloody extendable leads. These small horrors will yell at us from across the road when we are minding our own business. Then they try to come over the road and the owner inevitably has to yank them back because the lead doesn't retract properly, and in the event that we can't avoid walking on the same side of the road, my poor dog gets a faceful of angry ranty little shit because their owners think an extendable lead means they don't need to teach a dog recall, heel, and other calming techniques. I'm tired of telling people to control their dogs.

Do they have to attack a child before you'll give a shit, honestly? Or maybe your dog has to run out into the middle of the road and get hit by a car first? If any of this doesn't apply to you and your small dog, please scroll on and thank you for being a responsible dog owner.

I've lost all patience. truly. There is a house at the bottom of my road with three small dogs, one of which is a really nasty little shit. When they are walked, it's always out in front of everyone else yelling at anything that goes by. There's another family across the road with a chihuahua, and they all yell at each other from across the road, it's so noisy and initially I thought someone was hurting one of them. When I went to go and check things out, they were honestly just screaming at one another. Nobody ever does anything, you just have to listen to it until they run out of steam.

You have ZERO control over a dog on an extendable lead. ZERO. Train your fucking dogs. It might be your little bundle of joy, but you're failing them hard when you don't train them.

I'd like to see a ban on extendable leads, but I realise it probably won't happen. AIBU for wanting a ban on them? You can buy long leads to give dogs some room to run about in large spaces while they burn off some energy, but you still have more control over those because YOU control how far a dog goes on it.

I have changed the times I walk my dog to avoid times when there are more people around. I take him to different areas etc, but this nonsense still drives me up the wall. AIBU? Sorry for all the swearing, I'm just so frustrated. We went out at 6am this morning and it was so lovely and quiet. I don't expect quiet perfection, just people controlling their dogs. Thank you for reading my wordy rant.

In our council area, on pavements and shared use tracks, leads longer than 3'3" are banned under local bylaws. It's not made one iota of difference to the people who use extending leads. These leads have their uses but I was tripped by one in a shopping centre. None of my dogs have ever had them. A longline is a different piece of kit and I have used those, but only in open spaces. And yes, it's always what a friends calls ankle snappers that are on extending leads.

I have a large dog on extendable lead and I am in full control because as soon as I see another dog, I pull her back and lock the lead until I was able to check with the owner that it is OK for her to come over to say hello. I really don't see how I would be more in control on a long leash which I have to wind manually if my dog decides to ignore recall (and yes, my dog has been though training but, unfortunately, she is one of those breeds notorious for their disobedience. Which is exactly why she is always on a leash).
I am actually more pissed off about those little yappy shits who run completely off the lead and have no recall. Not disagreeing with you on the principle of controlling small (or large dogs) just on the fact that extendable lead does not automatically mean zero control.

Sounds like the problem is untrained dogs / irresponsible owners rather than the lead!

My friend broke his arm and collar bone being tripped by one of those extendable leads in the dark, the dog was on one side of a bridge, the owner on the other. The owner literally didn't give a toss.

I'm not a dog owner but I agree with you OP. I think they're a fucking menace to pedestrians, cyclists and other dogs.

The leads aren't the problem, nor are the dogs, it's the useless owners who cba training the dogs. I've had many dogs over the years, use extending leads a lot of the time and haven't had any issues

A friend of my had a degloving injury from an extendable lead... dog bolted towards something and the lead literally ripped all the skin from her fingers and it was very nasty. I don't use one and never would . My dog is large and strong (and terrified of small yappy dogs like Jack Russels) and a good harness and shortish lead means she is fully under my control in public! I use a long line in fields if she's likely to see something to chase!

I haven’t tripped anyone over or had my dog tear up to another dog while wearing an extendable lead.

The problem is not the size of the dog, nor the use of extendable leads. It's poorly trained dogs of all sizes. FWIW, most of the little dogs in our area are well trained and walk to heel off lead. It's the big dogs that owners can't control who go bounding around terrifying people and other dogs that are the problem. So irresponsible.

Me neither and have used the exact same extendable lead for four of my Shelties. It is nothing to do with the leads and everything to do with the owners who do not control their dogs.

I wish they'd just ban dogs completely. We shouldn't be breeding them. 😞

The lead isn't the problem here, it is the useless knobs on the other end of it!
I absolutely agree that the situations you have discribed shouldn't happen, but removing rhe extendable lead wouldn't prevent it.
I would never have a dog on any kind of extender near a road where it could veer out, or with a big strong lungey dog however there have been occasions when walking with my older dog or puppies (usually in remote areas) where an extendable lead keeps them safe and allows some more freedom to mooch and sniff, and also practice recall. I do also use longline for this sometimes but I am not very dexterous and I find them hard to reel in fast enough to work. Also no good around bushes!

ZERO. Train your fucking dogs.

Amen. For a whole host of reasons. I am so sick of badly behaved dogs, I don't care what size your animal is, I don't care how "friendly" it is, I expect you to do your bare minimum as an owner and keep it under control and away from everyone else.

I know this is more about people not training their dogs properly, but it's always bloody extendable leads these little buggers are attached to. I'm so fed up.

I understand your frustration with untrained dogs and owners who don’t care. Those are the issues, not the extending leads. My dog walks to heel on a short lead anywhere busy / where there are people or roads, but I use an extending lead for her once we get out into the fields. She is a rescue and her recall can be unreliable or she can get spooked, so I don’t let her off the lead generally but the extending lead gives her freedom to sniff around and explore a bit more. It’s also much easier than a long line when carrying my baby at the same time.

For that reason I think you’re being unreasonable to want a ban. Like any tools, they can be dangerous if misused, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their uses.

Really, and then where would folks with assistance dogs be? Blind people for example.

We shouldn't be breeding more dogs when there are many in rescue shelters that need homes, but dogs are part of life whether you like it or not. Greedy breeders are a problem that needs dealing with.

We had one of those when our puppy was small. (He’s too big now for one).
But you just press a button to lock them and then they retract.

i can’t see it’s a lead issue.
little dogs do yap.

I’d rather be attacked by a little dog I can kick rather than a big one.

Lead isn't the problem it's the stupid dog owner thinking it's ok for their dog to do whatever it pleases. Owner had a bouncy lab on a normal lead at the vets - twirling around, finding his strength amusing - my dog was very ill and I moved out of the way so she moved towards me - I had to shout at her to control her dog - the owner is the problem. Happens again and again - selfish owners.

Agree about nasty, untrained little dogs. There’s a chihuahua x near us which chases and tries to bite if you walk past its garden. If a German shepherd behaved like that the owners would be in serious trouble but because it’s a tiny little thing they get away with it.

Unpopular opinion; extendable leads are used by people too bloody lazy to properly train their dog in basic recall (too many people only walk their dogs on them) OR by people too cheap to pay for a secure field to let their reactive or aggressive dog into.

Either way, they’re used by people failing their dog.

They're idiots
It's not the leads.

I walk my small dogs on a normal lead then swap to an extendable in the park so they have a little more freedom

I'd dont allow them near any other dogs, especially large ones, unless it's a small, calm dog
I'm the one telling people with their off lead dogs to stay away from us.

I use an extendable because twice in my lifetime my small dogs have been attacked, unprovoked and ran away in fear. No amount of training is going to override the fear of just having been shaken in the mouth of a large breed.

There's not a problem with the leads. That is handler error you describe there. The leads should be kept locked and short for pavement walking.

Actually, i use a fixed lead for pavement walking mostly.

I have 2 dogs. One has never had an extending lead because he is perfectly fine off lead in country areas. For town walking - fixed lead.

The other - very high prey drive and can only be off lead in a select number of areas. So the extending lead is a Godsend in places where she cannot be let off - she gets to sniff her wildlife smells in safety without bogging off.

She never bothers other dogs when on the lead and will return quickly to my side if i see a cyclist or someone like you coming along.

So - no - i do not agree the leads are an issue.

We were out in the woods yesterday with 2 huskies (on very short lead) when a tiny yappy thing came running over full pelt barking and jumping, (not in friendly way) ran in between them and they instantly went into pack mode. Luckily there were 2 of us to pull them apart but could have ended very badly for small dog....elderly couple owners other side of car park, absolutely no recall, no apologies. Walks are increasingly anxiety inducing due to owners having zero control.

I might have agreed with you before i got my Brittany dog! Had her since a puppy. She is now 7½ years old. Still training.
Done a bit of gundog. Many rally competitions. Progressed well in obedience. She is trained to the whistle and will turn on a sixpence in many environments.
She will sit at distance on a whistle. I have had many "wow!" That is a well-trained dog comments.

BUT - when she gets on a scent - she will go. And 30 miles an hour is the speed. She is a Susan Garratt Recaller Alumni member. We train recall in many different ways. But, when i cannot control environmental distractions like deer and hare - she has to be on a flexi.

I don't think the problem is necessarily small dogs or extendable leads, but how people don't train dogs with manners, don't pay attention whilst walking and don't care!

We always used an extendable lead for our very well trained parson russell, and we'd always wind him in near other dogs.
So despite your premise that the problem is using extendable leads I sympathise with you op, it's not fair that your senior dog is now anxious on his walks.
As our boy got older he became anxious at dogs off lead and on extended extendable leads running up to him and not being recalled.
He particularly didn't like bigger dogs hovering over him and I constantly had to tell people "he's old and going blind, please keep your dog away".

He was never a yappy small dog unless he felt threatened by a hovering bigger dog.

I disagree. You don’t need a flexi.

She could be on a short lead and you could use a field to exercise her a few times a week. You’re choosing to use it, you don’t have to use it.

Flexi leads snap, cause injury and very often distress to other dogs when the mechanism fails and you can’t real your dog in in time.