Longline/retractable

[Hottesttrikeintown]

I have a rescue he’s 7 months old. Generally recall pretty good and we have dog friendly walks off lead but not reliable enough to let him off on bridleways or footpaths through farm.

He’s great on short lead (have done lots of training) but I like to let him have freedom to run and sniff - tend to consider lead walks more training so stick to around 10 mins

When I first got him I was determined to be a “good” dog owner and after a lot of reading denounced retractables and bought a longline. It was hell. I never got the hang of it (I’m dyspraxic and struggle with coordination). I’d end walks in tears with a lead tangled round bushes covered in mud and knotted. In the end I bought a retractable and it was like a revelation and I enjoyed walks again.

Then I read a thread on here about how awful retractables are and around the same time my trainer mentioned she doesn’t like them. By then he was better off lead so I just went to places I can let him off lead and used the short ones along roads etc. But it’s fairly limiting so last week, thinking maybe it was just inexperience last time and meeting loads of people using long lines I bought another one that was recommended by a trainer. Ended a walk today having to take it off to get him out of a bush again stressed and sodden.

Is it always awful to use retractables? I get so worried about being judged but I basically use it as a long line (he’s on a proper lead on roads etc) so it’s just for the bridleways and farms. It’s far stronger than he needs (he’s 12 kg) and already has good lead etiquette

To add I’m also acutely aware that recall can totally go out the window at adolescence so trying to plan ahead a bit!!

Retractable leads are made out to the devil but I think with smaller dogs they can be fine.
The risk are them running and then either getting jerked back and injured, pulling the lead out of your hand or the lead breaking.

All possibly with larger dogs. With smaller dogs you don’t tend to have those problems.

As long as you control the length, don’t let them run amok or trip people up etc then I think it’s a perfectly reasonable way to give a smaller dog more freedom.

I think retractable leads are useful. We had one that was very strong and tape all the way through. We found it best to use a short lead for normal walking and then change to the retractable when we were in an area suitable for a long lead.

Do what's right for you. Every dog and every owner is different. Go with what works for both of you

I relate about long lines, I couldn’t get on with it either.
I am clumsy and my coordination isn’t always great either.

But I hate extendables and would like to see them banned.
I think they are dangerous, go to grab one instinctively if your dog takes off suddenly (as my MIL did) and you can be left with a very nasty injury indeed.
They look flimsy to me and I can imagine them snapping easily.
I have had the extremely unpleasant and frightening experience of meeting a few highly dog aggressive dogs lunging and frothing on them.
They reward tension/pulling which I don’t think is ever a good idea.
The lock mechanism I just don’t understand at all, it seems to lock at the current length the dog has extended it to, what use is that if you need to reel them in quickly?

Is your dog easily startled? One of the issues with retractables is that they can make a loud noise when dropped, which can scare dogs and make them run away in fright with the scary thing clattering along behind them.

Personally, the thought of being degloved by one makes me squeamish.

@Happenchance yes that would terrify him. I would never use it near a road etc. It’s literally just on bridleways and rights of way that run through farmland (in reality he will not go near livestock as he’s too scared but I wouldn’t risk it)

Please don’t feel judged. If someone asks me which is best I will always say longline from our own negative experience but that doesn’t mean I would judge you if I saw you using a retractable. Although am not sure how you can train recall with one?
The way we do it (maybe I’m wrong) is we just let it completely trail rather than all that winding in an out business, and also have a BioThane one which doesn’t get as mucky/ tangled.
But honestly absolutely no judgement - if it works for you it works.

@Claudia84 the one I bought as recommended by my trainer was bioThane. I’m just useless!

Not useless just doesn’t suit you! I say crack on with what works and enjoy your walks!

I wouldn’t use either on a collar. Use a harness.
Retractable leads can break. Other dogs can get tangled in them.

The major issue with retracable leads is that the mechanism breaks. Nothing to do with the size of the dog or how they are used.

The lock mechanism breaks and the dog is on a long lead and can not be called/pulled back by the owner. Dogs are run over, go over edge of cliffs, get swept into rivers etc . All instances I know about first hand.

I am not a scare merchant but dogs die on retractable leads and it is not the owners fault.

Try a training lead instead of a long line.

They should be banned.

Training leads should not be banned! Training leads are fab

Retractable leads should be banned

I have terriers, they can’t go off lead (don’t tell me about training I’ve done 10 years of it!). I use short leads most of the time and extenders when we are going to woods / beaches / parks etc when they might want to stop & sniff every 2 seconds.
They are tape ones and after 10 years I have never injured myself with them

Like kids my attitude is do what works for you and your dog. Mine are very happy with how I look after them and walking on extenders.

I use them for some dogs sometimes, stuff what anyone else thinks, always flexi branded ones, always tape not cord, always much bigger than the size needed for that size of dog and I check them for damage regularly and make sure they’re not left damp when I put them away and I walk them to where I’m going on a normal lead and swap it over. So not beside roads, not where they’re mixing with people or dogs.

They’re much easier to use for dogs that you really need back to you quickly than long lines - because you lock and reel them in a couple of times and then they’re close enough to put a normal lead on.

I’ve never had one break or fail... I’ve had long lines break on me.

But.. tbh, they’re not the greatest for recall training because they can always feel they’re on the lead still, it means you can’t move on to the next step as easily, with a longline you can just let go and it makes a better in between step.

An alternative to a retractable/long line would be a double ended lead. I use one on a dog that I walk. I have it clipped to both his harness and collar when I want a short lead, e.g., near roads, when passing other on lead dogs on a narrow path etc. but have it full length (just clipped to his harness) when I want to give him the freedom to follow his nose and chose the direction that we walk in. This obviously doesn’t give him the opportunity to run freely but in my opinion that’s a small price to pay for keeping him safe and I incorporate running into our walk by using running a few paces as a reward for desirable behaviour, such as calmly walking past an off lead dog on the beach (he’s generally unreactive but I want to keep it that way).

Okay.... I mainly use short leads and off lead as the little fella has good recall - but for two specific situations, I need something different. My inclination is to get a retractable and a training/long line... Which do you recommend?

1. Local park, needs to be on lead at all times, lots of space and trees, I'm going to get a new retractable (my 6 year old one languishing in drawer, pretty decrepit)... he is a titch - just 5.5kg

1. Walking on moors with sheep or cows, he is 98% reliable - but that is not enough as we have found out once to our cost, luckily no one hurt but yes he did set them running... I think a training line or long line is what we should use here

And yes, always with a harness.

Look forward to hearing what you recommend

Sorry - to be clear - I want to buy one of each, and want them to be good quality and reliable and ones that Mumsnetters recommend! Tx

Around livestock he 100% needs to be on a short lead at all times.

Wow - lots of comments

He’s always on a short (non-retractable) lead around livestock. I don’t use the retractable as a short lead at all - it’s in place of a training lead so only in places it’s safe for him to be on the longest part

It’s a training lead (long line) I can’t use

I’m happy to change lead several times in a walk. It’s just I can’t use the long one at all without getting into a state! I think it’s to do with my dyspraxia and can’t see it changing

He’s off lead mostly. There are two specific circumstances I would use this 1. On bridleways, 2) on fields where there could be livestock (if there’s livestock nearby he’s on the short lead)

He’s always in a harness - on the short lead near roads I use the front clip and this works really well for lead training. He never pulls

I like the double ended lead idea and will give it a go.

Thank you!

I have a big problem with long leads/retractable leads - but I do live in London where it's busy in the parks. I've had so many issues with dogs on long leads rushing up to my dog, owner not paying attention, leads getting tangled, sometimes my dogs legs getting tangled.

I think they are dangerous and they really reduce the reaction time for owner.

If a dog needs to be on a lead, it should be short and walk with you. If you want to do training go somewhere quiet and use the long lead or even better somewhere enclosed where they can be off the lead.

I also think the long lead/ retractable can cause training problems further down the line as dog struggles to understand the difference in how to behave on lead and off.

Really good advice @Kally9

www.amazon.co.uk/SNOOT-10m-Carabiner-neon-yellow-resistant/dp/B01M8G6V1C?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Would this help? I’ve tried lots of types of long lines this winter and the getting wet/ tangled thing is so annoying. But this lead has been a game changer for me... wipe clean and with two clips and you can wear round your waist which helps with not getting tangled. Highly recommend.

If you have good control of your dog, retractables are just a safety net to prevent them wandering around in unsafe places.

BUT even with small dogs I have found it difficult to pull them back to my side if I need to get them out of the way quickly (ie. bike approaching when DDog and I were walking on oposite sides of a path). I guess it may be different with a ribbon retractable but the cord ones are nasty to hands when you are trying to pull a dog towards you when the dig is running after anything more worthy to them than a dog treat.

I think, however that they are good provided dog and owner learn how to use them properly. My dog came to me as a rescue but whoever had her on the past obviously walked her properly with a long lead, she NEVER gets tangled on anything and seems to have a sixth sense to consider her position around me so would never even go around a lamplight on the side opposite to me.

Owners need to understand that a retractable lead will not pull the dog back to them when they press a button and start paying attention to everything around them to reduce the distance in time when necessary. A distracted person happily chatting on the phone unaware of their surrounding is just a bloody idiot walking around with a moving tripping danger around them. Those should only be allowed to use a short leash.

Long lines will get covered in mud at this time of year, I take a plastic bag to shove it in. I bought a biothane one too which was easier to clean than the fabric ones. It also doesn't tend to snag on brambles.

Are you letting the long line trail on the floor? You aren't supposed to hold the end, trail it and then you can stand on it if you need to ( it only if essential).

I do expect the get covered in mud on walks though as mine loves mud! Last week I slipped on mud and fell in some brambles, which I just sort of took as part and parcel.