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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Coupler leads and extendable leads

27 replies

Shoutymomma · 23/08/2011 21:07

Following on from another thread, can I make a plea here.

Firstly, coupler-leads are designed to walk multiple dogs ON THE LEAD. On no account should dogs be allowed to run together off lead, coupled together. Can you imagine the trauma if 2 dogs ran into a toddler with a chain between them? I post this following an incident where my own dog became entangled between a pair of couple-chained dogs earlier this year. Their owner was luck to escape with his balls. My dog was scared shitless.

I also worry about dogs on a long extendable lead, for similar reasons. These leads can become a spaghetti like mess. I wouldn't want to disentangled one from around another dog, less still a child. I have seen severe bruising on an adult's leg because of such an incident.

Please take care.

OP posts:
minimu11 · 24/08/2011 13:38

I hate extendable leads with a passion - having seen a very nasty accident when the lead failed and the dog just walked straight into the road and was killed outright as the owner thought the lead was on lock but obviously was not Sad. Also from a training point of view teaches a dog to pull.

Couple leads I cannot see the point of them. It is so much easier to get two dogs to walk to heel on separate leads - it is impossible to do so on coupler leads.

TheHumanCatapult · 24/08/2011 13:44

hmm use extending lead on our dog as need extra lenth due to the fact nee dhim to walk to the side and slightly in front of me so i can see him and not run him over with my wheelchair

do shorten it roads etc and actually hold the lead part rathe rthan just the handle and shorten it when other people/dogs around

Have ound normal leads not longenough to allow the walk is there a longe rone

diddl · 24/08/2011 15:31

I love the extendable lead.

Means doggy can wander about a bit.

Minimu-did the lead fail, or did the owner think it was locked when it wasn´t?

minimu11 · 24/08/2011 15:39

lead failed - she grabbed the actual lead and had major burns/cuts on her fingers and was off work for several weeks and poor dog died. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

Re using with a wheelchair, with the dogs I train as assistance dogs, they use a slightly longer traditional lead - in case extended lead does fail. Traditional training leads are usually long enough but if not you can get longer leads from most pet stockists.

diddl · 24/08/2011 16:16

That sounds awful.

I don´t always let my dog off, that´s why I have a flexi lead.

Fortunately I´m very close to where I walk the dog.

But if I´m walking just in the streets, I use a normal lead.

How did the dog just walk into the road, though?

From the side of the path?

louisarmstrong · 24/08/2011 17:21

A collegue got a cheese wire type cut round her leg. It was so severe it took months to heal and looked like a botched amputation. That was caused by an extendable lead. Also failed to see one across a path and my twelve stone lady raced into one causing small dog and old lady to fly along. Old lady had great grip and wouldn't let go and small dog travelled some distance on its back dragged by its neck. Both were ok but only just.

I loathe them and use horse leaDs or training leads instead.

cedmonds · 24/08/2011 19:23

I will use the couple leads when training to show as a brace as it is far easier to do and all my dogs are trained to walk to heal of the lead and only have the lead in the show as a legal requiment. I would never use it for normal walking there is a dog walker near us who walks 4 dogs each side of her ie couple lead and then another couple lead cliped to that couple lead.It is asking for problems

TheHumanCatapult · 24/08/2011 21:27

Thank you mini will ahve a look at them need the lenth as i use a power chair and he has now learnt to stay infront at the side away from the wheels

hephaestus · 24/08/2011 22:19

TheHuman - these training leads are excellent, soft on the hands but cheaper than leather, fully adjustable length up to 80 inches.

TheHumanCatapult · 25/08/2011 06:30

thank you

louisarmstrong · 26/08/2011 23:29

Human catapult...Like your name. You know even alongside my generic loathing of them I do see them working well for people. Suppose lots of people use them as a training replacement. Anyway the dogmatic people do training leads in funky colour and styles. Have found the synthetic leather soft, washable and tough...on sale sometimes too.

CalamityKate · 27/08/2011 10:57

What I can never understand, and what makes me gnash my teeth, is when you see someone walking along the pavement with their dog on a flexi and the dog is 10 feet in front of them. Even if the lead is locked, the dog has 10 feet of scope to run into the road/otherwise get into trouble.

Do these people think that somehow the dog is getting more exercise because it's ahead of them? I just don't get it. The dog is walking at the same speed as it would be if it were at heel - it's just under less control!

Baffles me.

Abra1d · 27/08/2011 11:11

I wouldn't be without an extendable lead for my terrier, who has a strong hunting instinct. I know the breed well and know that the chances of training this instinct out of her 100% are remote so at certain times of the year, depending on what is going on in the farms round here, she does not go off her extendable lead. Too risky: she might chase a rabbit into a field of sheep and decide to go for the sheep instead. She would have a dull time she didn't have an exTendable lead.

When we are sure that there are no sheep around we do a kind of interval training with her off the lead, getting her to sprint to and from us, but in a controlled manner to encourage her recall. But there's no way I would feel safe relying on this if a rabbit popped up.

The extendable lead has been a godsend.

diddl · 27/08/2011 11:16

It´s also been good for me for the times doggy stays on the lead.

I don´t let it trail everywhere/have it to it´s fullest extent when we´re on pavements.

"Also failed to see one across a path and my twelve stone lady raced into one causing small dog and old lady to fly along. "

Surely this is the fault of both dog ownwers?

louisarmstrong · 27/08/2011 11:52

Well I did apologise and offer to swop details but with the lead trailing across the path we had no chance to see it until it started to rise up the dogs paws and ultimately to wrap round her chest so not really our fault iyswim. also the dog and lady were on opposite sides of the path, could have been a child on s bike or anything.

diddl · 27/08/2011 15:32

Oh yes, the trailing lead was wrong, but wondered why your dog was going so fast & couldn´t stop/be called back before the lady & her dog were dreagged along.

I do think that that they´re not that good on pavements with too much wandering.

But again-down to the owner to keep control & not to be used instead of training imo!

louisarmstrong · 27/08/2011 17:34

We were plotting to take em down really :)

Nah dog was a goodie and trotting initially but freaked when the lead started creeping up her legs and tried to run. She didn't get up that much speed but weighed much more than either of them... not one of our better outings.

diddl · 27/08/2011 18:11

But you couldn´t hold her either?

Or she was off a lead?

louisarmstrong · 28/08/2011 11:10

Off lead, unfortunately the old lady clung on with a death grip and was the bright coat but little old lady shoes on a country walk variety. Bad shoes and the wrong lead - sucks teeth:)

diddl · 28/08/2011 12:57

I never have mine off a lead on pavements-unless you mean a path as in a quiet country lane.

louisarmstrong · 28/08/2011 13:07

Dear me diddl you expect a degree of linguistic specificity I rarely achieve:) T'was indeed a mud path between two low banks of grass, trees etc and part of a park/field/countryside area. You get mainly dog wakers and a few kids on bikes a good place to go if you are not old lady wrestling.

diddl · 28/08/2011 13:20

Oh it makes sense now as I thought you meant path as in pavement so was wondering why your dog might be racing along unrestrained.

silentcatastrophe · 28/08/2011 19:48

Our lovely pup bolts, so has to be on a lead of some sort. I loathe the extendable leads too. Saying that, I have had a horrible rope burn from a synthetic long line. These days we use a horse lunge line which is cotton. The dog can race around quite a lot on the end of it and we can still play with a ball. I would love not to have this sodding dog on the lead all the time.

Scuttlebutter · 28/08/2011 23:36

Just to remind, if you've got a bolter, it can be handy to find an off lead secure play/training area. Some greyhound charities have them or know of them.

A good place for off lead training/play would be an indoor riding school - very secure, and good floor surface. Have a chat with your local riding school/livery yard.

CalamityKate · 29/08/2011 10:15

I hope everyone who uses flexi leads/long lines uses them with a harness? Worth repeating how essential that is, just in case anyone reading didn't realise.

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