Extendable dog leads

[StillMedusa]

Are they so bad?
My puppy is nearly 5 months old now. I have had her on a standard short lead (and have a long line too) for 'business ' walks and at the mo, before she hits her adolescence, we have lovely off lead romps in the meadows near us.
But just about everyone I see in the street has their dog on an extendable lead, which makes me feel a bit mean to my girl.
However the FB training group doesn't recommend then, neither does the puppy class trainer.

Her walking isn't perfect but it's not bad either.. first walk of the day is a quick wee/poo one before I got to work (she's at home with my son in the day) then I take her for a nice long off lead walk when I get home and he goes to work. Last thing at night is another wee walk and I thought it might be nice to let her have a bit more freedom on her sniffs.
I'm not sure why the trainers are saying they are bad...can anyone enlighten me as I'd like to try one!

They’re not safe used like that either. Dogs and pedestrians can get wrapped up in them. Dogs can get hurt if they run to the end of the lead. Really bad idea.

I do use one. Mine is on a bungee cord which is then on a harness
It’s also a tape not a Rope, if for any reason the lock failed I can grab it without hurting my hands

It’s like a lot of things. They have their place.
I use one with my blind dog (we do believe she can see shadow and light to an extent) obviously she cannot run without a lead anywhere except the back garden which is all one level. So obviously if I’m taking all 3 a walk over the woodland/play fields near our home I use a flexi lead (designed for a dog 10-20kgs and she weighs 3.7kgs) her recalls good she’ll follow my voice but obviously if it suddenly gets loud or there’s an obstacle in her way she’s stuck or could injure herself.

I would however never use them for a large breed dog or a sledding breed, anything that could pull me off my feet I’d say they’d be more likely to break the mechanism or cause it to fail/fly out at speed. I’d also say they need to be not reactive so won’t fly after a squirrel/leaf/other dog again a quick yank n run leaves you tangled up trying to get them back.

I know someone else who uses one for a deaf elderly dog, I know it because I’m always shouting ahead “the white ones blind” incase the other dogs bouncy and she gets a fright, obviously that dog can’t hear but if it’s owners give a click n tug against it on the lead it waits or waddles back.

They’re not a training tool but a good aid.

I never let my dog off lead. He is quite small. I try to walk in non road areas, the tape is neon yellow.

I have other leads but I tend to find he wants to go off sniffing in undergrowth and a long line/training lead gets tangled up in bushes and I have to reel it back in by hand anyway, an extendable is easier to reel in. When I take him to an open flat area he would go on the 10m long line (non extending) so he can explore but even then, this gets constantly snagged on shrubs and knotted up often. I take a short 1.5m normal lead when we are near roads

Why does being small mean your dog can’t be off lead?
Please don’t use an extending lead by a road. At all.

I don’t use an extended lead by a road. As I already said. Im not an idiot.

I live in a rural area with lots of fields and woods etc

In the woods, there are a lot of barbed wire in the undergrowth. Why? I don’t know. But a lot of dog injuries caused by this, so he is not allowed off lead there so he does not chase something into there and get hurt. Also cows and other livestock around.

Also when you live rurally this doesn’t mean no roads ever. None of the places are fully secure, despite not being ON a road, there are roads nearby and no fences. Again, he could run out into a road chasing something.

Essentially he is walked down a very very long track most of the time, but the track has exits along it leading to roads and houses. The track is straight so I can see other people coming if I needed to retract him. He is totally fine never being off lead he doesn’t know any different. I cannot guarantee his recall if he saw a rabbit or squirrel and it’s not a risk I want to take. He’s a terrier

In all the years I've used an extending lead with my dog I've never had one snap, nor the locking device fail, but then I don't use a metal one, which do tend to snap.

My dog doesn't pull on the lead whether she's on a normal fixed lead or on the extending lead, it makes no difference because she's been trained not to pull.

We have lots of fields with high banks and deep water courses, in our rural surrounding where I sometimes walk her so in those places I need to keep her on a lead. If she wasn't on an extending lead in these places the walk would be very boring for her and she wouldn't get to explore.

I find in certain circumstances an extending lead is a great tool.

The trouble is that some people don't use them correctly, which is when problems occur.

We use a lot of things in our lives that used incorrectly can cause injury or death: e.g. knives, cars, hedge trimmers, irons and so on, we don't tend to claim they're a terrible idea because some people don't know how to use them in a correct and safe way.

It's the same with extending leads, some people won't like them, but that doesn't mean they're generally bad or dangerous. They just need to be used safely and properly and in the right environment, which is probably not a busy city street.

I agree, Pigs.

I have had one snap though; 20 odd years ago my Large dog took off after another dog. I held on and braced myself; dog hit the end..... TWANG and i was left holding an empty cartridge while my dog gaily gallivanted off trailing the lead part.....

Which is why I use one designed for a large dog with my terrier.

I never use it near a road. I never use it around people or other dogs. I always use it with a harness; never a collar (I’ve seen people using them on a Halti - yes i told them off). I make extensive use of proper long lines when recall training my puppies but there is a place for Flexi’s.

As for Loose Lead Walking - both my dogs know the rules:

Lead attached to back clip of harness = stay within the diameter of the Flexi and actively pull if given the cue (lots of hills round my way 😁).

Lead attached to collar or the front clip of the harness = keep the lead loose by walking with me.

Beautiful pup...to echo others..they have their place. I have a collection of leads for different things...soft lead for training, 2 handled lead for pavement/controlled walking, long training leash for recall and an extending lead for areas I need to keep her within reach. I cant use it if she is likely to bolt, she is a large strong dog and could hurt herself by running full pelt at the end of the lead or the lead being wrenched from my hands and hurting me.