Extendable dog leads

[CandidaAlbicans2]

Due to their popularity I suspect most people will say I'm being unreasonable to dislike extendable dog leads but here are my issues:

When they're used near roads, unless the user has them short the dog can easily go into the road. It's as though owners think they have control because their dog's on the lead but in reality... I'm extra cautious driving past a dog on a flexi lead for this reason.

Similarly, when used long on pavements the dog can go around a corner way ahead of its owner and straight into a pedestrian or another dog (I've been in the receiving end of inattentive owners with their dogs on long flexi leads a few times!)

They easily get wrapped around people and other dogs and are difficult to use safely. The thin cord can cause nasty injuries

Using a long line for teaching recall, or allowing a dog with poor recall some freedom, is better IMHO.

The constant tension on the lead isn't ideal from a dog training view point apparently (which I can understand)

What do you reckon?

They should be banned in my opinion, they are really dangerous and can cause serious neck injuries to dogs. Not to mention how they can fail or the line break really easily.
Long line for training only for all my dogs.

I don't let the lead go all over the place. He knows when it's fixed and there is a tension in the leash he is to walk close, he recognises this by the fact the lead is shorter and by the verbal commands I use. When we are away from others and roads then he has a more relaxed length of lead to allow him to have a good sniff around. If I see people I say "close" and he stops and waits for me to get closer to him. To be honest hes pretty good in a field and will respond off lead but I have to have a lead on him as a sign to other dogs users that he isn't a fan of big dogs bounding up to him (he's been attached three times by larger dogs) and I can say he's on a leash, please can you not allow your dog to come over.

Personally I hate them.
I can't really control my two dogs on an extendable lead in the same way I can on a short lead or even off lead it's the worse of both worlds imo.
And I find other people.using extendable leads a menace, it's a trip hazard and they don't really have control of their dogs.

Hate them. Had a near miss with one recently and saw a horrible incident with one a couple of years ago.

a couple of months ago, I was pulling off a car park at the local woods. To my left were a family with a dog that I assumed was off lead just behind them. To my right was a man walking alone. Luckily I’d slowed as you can never tell how good an off lead dog is. I got within inches before I had to break sharply as it suddenly became clear the dog was actually with the man on an extendable lead stretching across the car park road. The lead was completely invisible against the road colour and I’m guessing as my car is electric the man didn’t hear it? If I’d have been going any faster they’d have both been slammed into my car.

The other one: We live by a long stone pedestrian bridge that has sides that are only about two foot high. Quite often dogs will put their paws up on the sides to have a look at what’s going on in the river about 20ft below.

My dog was swimming with other dogs and I was throwing his ball for him. I noticed a dog paws up watching. I threw the ball and next minute the dog jumped off the bridge!

He was on an extendable lead and was dangling like a swinging pendulum mid air making the most godawful choking sounds. The woman owner was frantically trying to retract the lead and pull him up. Gravity meant this didn’t work. Me and other dog walkers were screaming at her to loose her dog, but she kept yelling she didn’t know if he could swim and was trying to get people on the bridge to help her pull him up. We were shouting the river was low and fine and we’d be able to get him, but she was in a blind panic. Then the dog went completely limp. A man waded out underneath the dog and the owner finally dropped him so the man could catch him. We assumed he was dead.

Luckily, by the time the man waded back to the bank the dog came round but his neck had all the fur ripped out, his collar was sort of embedded in his neck and he was really bloody.

It was just horrific.

I sustained a painful injury to my ankle, but from a long lead, not an extendable lead!
I think there is a time and place for standard, long and extendable leads. I use whichever is most suitable for the walk we are having. I always use a standard lead for walking near roads and decide which other lead to use if we are in the woods or fields.

horrific indeed but all incidents were down to stupidity not a lead .
an extendable lead used responsibly by decent owners is no more dangerous than any other type of lead

I’d definitely agree the car park man was.

The problem is they give people a false sense of security of being in control of a dog.

With the woman, I imagine never in a million years would she guess her dog would leap off the bridge for a ball many metres below. If it had been on a normal lead it wouldn’t have panned out how it did. I’ve seen lots of people walking the bridge with dogs on long extendable leads since and cringe every time.

I currently use one with my dog, but do actually agree with you that many owners use them poorly - too extended near roads, in busy areas with lots of other people etc.

I hate the damned things. Have had dogs 20+ years and refuse to use an extendable lead. If I really had to, it would be locked so as not to extend beyond a short lead.

I wouldn't ever use one for a big dog. I've seen too many break when a big dog pulls hard enough. I do use one for my small 7kg dog though because although her recall is 99% brilliant she is a rescue dog and can be reactive so I need to know I can quickly have her under control.

Most of the issues raised here are due to them being used badly which is not the fault of the lead! I find it much easier to use than a long line. I keep her close by roads or on busy paths or when I see bicycles or joggers or dogs coming. Usually she comes back to me with a verbal command and she will come to heel when asked to.

My problems are people who run or cycle up from behind with no warning, so I've no time to prepare her (have her sitting nicely at the side of the path so they can pass easily), and people who let their large, off lead, "don't worry he's friendly" dogs come and bounce all over her so she's utterly terrified, undoing all our hard work on her reactivity. They should be on a lead if the owners can't control them.

Most of the examples here are because the owner is an idiot, and they'd still be an idiot with any type of lead. I've come across them myself and they don't bother to interact with, or train the dog regardless.
I have a theory that this type used to be one of the ones that let their dog off with no recall or training, and ignored it and then spent a few hours looking for the dog after it's buggered off because of lack of training or interaction and it's a way they can avoid that yet still not have to interact with or train the the dog. Apart from holding the handle they have no awareness of what the dog is doing, whether it's on a short, extendible or no lead. That's the problem.

I use one, but apart from the handle, you wouldn't know I was using one unless you saw us from afar, because around roads and other people it's locked as probably shorter than many fixed leads. Reeled in on corners etc, basically only at length when it's safe, I wouldn't dream of having it extended near a road, any more than I would have a dog off lead near a road.

Banning them would just mean these people use long lines - with exactly the same issues as described here, or even more dogs let off that can't be controlled and therefore piss off and do what they want.

My Sheltie is deaf and I use a retractable lead all the time. It's short when we are near roads or other people and long when there is no one around.

Why do we always have to talk of banning everything because someone uses it badly. Should we ban cars because some people drive badly etc etc.

Used correctly they are fine.