Flexi/Retractable Leads - Yay or Nay?

The question that we get asked so many times:

"What is your opinion on Flexi or retractable type leads?"

And its not a straight forward answer... Do we use them for our dogs? No...

Do they have place if used correctly? Yes...

So what is our concern?

The plus is that these leads could provide dogs who may not be allowed off the lead some type of freedom, more so than being on your standard traditional short lead. So, that is surely good - right?

Yes and No..... We have seen (and had clients) who have experienced the below:

• Lack of control due to the locking mechanism on the leash not working - this seems to be more common for larger type breeds vs. smaller toy breed

• Lack of control as the lead can get tangled if too long - this is can be round other dogs, people, bikes etc (you get the drift)

• Lack of control of the dog due to the lead being too long, so whilst 'freedom' is given, control is lost and this in turn can cause further problems which may need to addressed with training

• Lack of control, as we have seen times where the lead has been pulled out of the owners hands and the dog is then 'free' with minimal control, and a heavy lead trailing behind him/her.

The other points to consider are those which have been reported on from veterinary teams - such as:

• Road traffic accidents where due to some of the issues reported above, the dog has run out in front of car, bus, truck, bicycle etc

• A lack of control in the vet waiting room, where owners have let their dogs use the full extension of the leash to go 'exploring'

• We read previously that over 1000 vet professionals were surveyed and over 92% had experienced issues with dogs on the Flexi/retractable leads

So where do you go from here?

We believe that these leads can be a useful aid if used with care and attention. Every dog owners circumstance is individual and we have seen many owners make a decision which in hindsight may not have been the appropriate for the dog and/or lifestyle.

However its not all doom and gloom :) If you want to use one of these leads, just use with caution near:

• Roads/Traffic

• Public Places with lots of people/dogs etc

• Indoors

• Dog training venues with other dogs

• And be mindful if you have a larger breed that the locking mechanism has been known to fail at times, or if you have a reactive dog you will not have the same control to reduce any lunging

So what do we recommend?

Our preference remains that it is easier to control your dog on a shorter lead with the appropriate on-lead training to help your dog walk to heel. This is especially true for the more reactive dog, where it is essential to ensure adequate control at all times.

As a side note, we have had clients who reported successful with the retractable leads when training dogs with a high prey instinct around livestock and wildlife. Although it is worth noting that this would not have been on a road or pavement due to the concerns listed above.

We hope this helps provide additional clarity about the use of these leads. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if we can help with your lead training in anyway :)