Is a retractable lead the universal sign for foolish dog owners?

[MrsJoeHart]

I appreciate I'm generalising, so probably being unreasonable it just seems to me that every time I encounter a foolish dog own they're using a retractable lead.

I use a long line with a harness if I'm near roads although don't walk in parks, do not trust the brake on retractables near roads. I've seen them fail especially with a strong dog.

I met a behaviourist (APDT) who recommended a retractable lead. I would not have any limbs left had I taken his advice. I also would not have had a dog left had I followed his instructions.
Retractable leads are the Devil's implements I think.

I've had dogs with good recall...(sighs wistfully) they still went on the lead near roads.

I use a retractable lead over a longline because in a worst case dog is trying to bolt scenario I can hold the retractable one with both hands and manage to keep hold if it, with a longline, he pulled me over even though I was standing on it and holding it at a knot with both hands. I've also had a longline snap on me.

I can also coordinate reeling him in better than with a longline, but I know that's just me, lol.

He has issues, so it's not actually just about recall - but he can't be off lead, so the retractable one is the only way he can get a bit of running about in a walk.

But using it round roads or other people is just stupid. (Unlocked I mean, though actually I swap it over so he knows when he's allowed further away and when I expect nice loose lead walking)

A long line is up to about 10m long, a thinnish nylon lead. I use a lunge line for horses as some are made from cotton and less likely to give you rope burns. Lunge lines are probably a bit heavier than the dog version. Even if the dog does run off with a line attached it probably won't get far before the line gets caught up in something.

A foolish dog owner is someone who wears black on a dark night and walks up and down an unlit road pretending to be basil fawlty

My Dad uses a flexi lead for his fear-aggressive dog. The dog has a huge prey drive as well as an unreadable issue with other dogs (sometimes wants to play with them, sometimes wants to kill them, so we always assume the worst) the only way to safely walk that dog is with a flexi lead. To my knowledge he's never tripped anyone over or let the dog run out into traffic.

However, I do agree that poor usage of the flexi lead can cause more trouble than it's worth, so am not completely disagreeing with you!

Slight derailment (another one! sorry!), but are there any good training videos on how to use a long line? My pup has terrible recall when other dogs are around. I know how to fix it - make myself be more interesting than the other dogs; happy excited voice and some liver cake. So I'm all ready to go out and start putting it into practice. It's just that the few times I've tried to use the long line it's ended up a completely tangled mess and I've been more distracted by gathering up swathes of webbing than paying attention to what pup's doing.

Fortunately, we have very few of those. A non florescent, non glitch carrying dog walker on our road would be scared to death, hopefully and not do it again.

Even driving very sensibly, our lanes are awful in bad light because the leafless beach hedges are so dark.

I use a retractable lead as its the most versatile. It allows me to keep my dog on a short leash on roads and pavements. A longer leash in situations where i feel I need some restriction on his movements and then it comes off altogether in places I'm comfortable that he can roam freely. It drives me crazy when I see them used as a long leash by busy roads and its clear the owner has no control over or interest in the safety of their dog

I hate flexileads. Have seen one pup's leg broken when it got entangled in one and two dogs hit by cars when they ran into the road still attached to their owner. I cannot think of any siutation when I would not rather have a normal lead, or a horse lunge line, or even a length of decent ordinary rope very securely knotted onto the collar.

They are lethal...my dog jumped out of the way of an uncontrollable dog on the end of one and ended up in the vets with a 6 inch gash which needed many stitches.I also know of many dogs that have run into the road,when owners had forgot to lock the lead,including one poor dog that was dragged under a car and skinned alive..poor thing had to be put to sleep.They are dangerous and should be banned.
I also see alot of "lazy" dog owners using them...put your dog on a proper lead and go for a proper walk !!!.

And don't wear a olive green flat cap, barber jacket, wellies and dark trousers on our very narrow lane when it's almost dark, while walking an equally invisible dark muddy dog.

I really don't want to squash you!

To be fair, as posted above most of our dog walkers are very sensible, but this idiot might as well have been in camouflage.

No, I find the most foolish dog owners are the ones who let their dog off the lead despite their dog having no recall.

Maybe we have the same neighbour star ball ;)
Yet I was always a good girl and it was my dog that got run over :( it's the law of sods isn't it

"the ones who panic and pick up their dogs because another dog is nearby"

I will pick my dog up if necessary to save him from being mauled by one specific aggressive dog. Why does that make me foolish?

No. I use a flexi lead and consider myself a very good dog owner. Far better than all the total idiots I see walking their dogs alongside the ring road off the lead. That is a foolish dog owner, for believing that the dog is so well trained that they could never be distracted or spooked by something and run into the road.

I am in complete control of my flexi lead, as I've been using one since 1984...

I think your statement is a little offensive to be honest.

Interesting thread.

Am trying to teach my pup (5 months) to walk nicely on the lead, and the flexi lead seemed to confuse her, she kepf taking off, then getting "strangled"

On a short lead she understands how close to stay to me to stop herself from getting her neck pulled.

She is only allowed off lead in garden as we are still working on recall.

Cannot see me going back to the flexi.

I use a retractable as we have a bolter
I keep locked on short when on the road etc but let her have more freedom when we are on the heath or beach. Means she gets to play without the danger. I shorten it when other dogs are around which is fine as she tends to stick close then anyway. She escaped from the house once and ran into a car, it makes me paranoid and just can't get her to recall reliably.

The only lead injury I've come across was when a non neutered male on a normal lead tried to get to my girl and took my legs out in the process, cutting me and giving me a wacking bruise. It hurt and my dog was scared in the process (mad as shes a huge gsdx)
As for going for a proper walk... I'm not sure what an improper walk is but I'm pretty sure I don't do them.

We actually have a longline too which I've used for many hours of recall practice but found it a nightmare on walks. It was needing to be coiled up and would go slack getting caught on stuff when she walked close then I would have to let it out again as she walked further always. I also found it harder to hold at a certain length. I can't see how they are safer to be honest.