[harleyboysmom]

I have been reading some horror stories about flex-leashes.
What is your opinion on them, and as I think, they should be discontinued being made?onder:

 

[Gnostic Dog]

I guess they have their uses, but not for me. There is no way I could use one on a dog the size of mine.

 

[Larkspur]

I personally don't like them. I guess it depends on the person using them. The larger ones are too clunky for me to hold; the smaller ones are too tiny to fit my hand. Many of the ones I had to use (for clients) had faulty buttons. If you drop one, especially a larger one, you could (1) injure yourself/your dog or (2) have the noise and movement frighten the dog and have it potentially bolt off. Some people say they tangle less than static leashes, but I have found that dogs tangle me and themselves up more in flexi leashes than with a plain old leather or nylon. Most people also use them improperly... yes a dog needs space to explore, but I don't appreciate it when people allow their dogs to run and jump up on me, especially if the dog is actually aggressive. Might as well allow your aggressive dog to run loose...

 

[Shandula]

I don't use one, have never, nor do I plan to use one. I see way to many people using them to walk their (generally small) dogs, and have their dog be out 16 feet in front of them. I don't really see the appeal to using them in the city, as I would not like my dog to be that far in front of me with all the cars and people.

I do see the appeal to using one in a big field on a dog that doesn't have a great recall, as you could practice recalls without worrying about tripping them up with a long line, but currently I use my long line with no issues.

I too have heard some pretty scary horror stories about them, ranging from cutting your skin or your dogs to having your dog go around the corner before you get there and having the dog be attacked.

 

[cos]

I use them with no issues. My dog knows how to walk on a leash beside me as he is leash trained. He has a command for running ahead and a command for walking with me, which doesn't create any issues. Ours has light reflecting fibers in the leash itself so I feel fine using it at night.

People who don't have leash trained dogs shouldn't use them.

 

[jclark343]

I'm not a huge fan. I think they are horrible for training (dog does not have a set boundary (has no idea what limits it had) and never knows when it will hit the end of the leash.

My biggest problem tends to be with uneducated or unaware people with their dogs on them. There is nothing quite as frustrating as standing in a pet store shopping with your dog when a dog on a flexi leash comes running at your dog with no owner in sight. I have also gotten rope burn from having a dog on a flexi wrap itself around me trying to get to my dog.

I do think they are good for people who walk out their door, potty their dogs, and walk back in. The only way I would ever use one that I can think of is if there is a storm and I am not 100% of the structure of my fence.

 

[Boxerluv]

I don't like them, but I have and do use them sometimes. Mainly to potty Karma in the backyard since she's a fence jumper and will scale the fence even with me standing right there next to her(such a brat). I've also used it for swimming at the lake when I have both dogs and can't let Abby off leash since I only have(actually had because it died) one long line.

 

[KayWilson]

I think the twat that invented them should be forced to endure having one of these things tangled in their legs while trying to part a aggressive yorkie and shih tzu at the end of these things- because this is what I have to endure almost on a daily basis at it ain't fun. I don't just hate them I LOATHE them. I'm sure a well trained dog would walk fine on anything, but unfortunately the average owner with a well leash trained dog is not the general purchaser of those things. Mostly around here, It's the idiots with selective hearing (I say this because they obviously can't hear when I say "please lock your leash at a safe distance for the comfort of the other pet's/owner's") with the dog aggressive or reactive dogs that have them - mostly named yorkie or shih tzus, but I have seen a VERY aggressive German Shepherd on one and ya that appointment was just as fun as you can imagine.

Sorry, I vented

 

[SueM]

I hate them in the hands of "John Q Public". You know- the ones whose dogs are all the way at the end of the leash, not under control, no matter where they are. I also don't like them for puppies because they encouraging pulling. They do, however, have a place- they are great for teaching recalls and go outs and to use during Nosework searches. I find them a little cumbersome to use, tho, so only use them for training and potty breaks when traveling. Oh, I did use one to walk a senior dog with breathing issues who walked very slow. He could toddle along at his own pace without tripping over the leash- usually about 5-7 feet behind me if he wasn't next to me.

 

[Rain]

The ones that I think should be banned are the ones with the cord as the leash rather then the ribbon type. It's the cord that mainly cause the problem with slicing people or giving them rope burn, the ribbon ones are much safer.

As to the rest I think they have their uses and used to use them extensively in the city with my two former dogs. My two were not allowed to run up to anyone on the Flexi, and they never ran into the street on it. I knew how to use the break and the break never failed even after years of daily walks, I think it's because I had real Flexi lead and not cheap, you get what you pay for, knock off brands. They allowed my dogs a bit of perceived freedom and I used the leads responsibly.

My main problem is that people more often then not do not use the lead responsibly, they let their dog run everywhere, run up to people and dogs, wrap the lead around people, and don't seem to know how to control the dog using the lead. I've also witnessed a person I know grab the cord to check the dog, I told her that was a bad idea and that if the dog ran she'd have a rope burn or worse, I then seen her do the same then the next day. Thankfully she was dog sitting and the people she dog sat for have moved so she's no longer endangering herself.

The cheaply made retractable leads are also a pet peeve of mine, the breaks have a tendency to fail, and they can also decide to stop retracting, both endanger the dog. If a person must use one I really wish they'd opt for a good brand.

 

[KatieToth]

I am a traditional owner. I love our leather leashes. If you really want to get a longer leash to give more freedom, I would still buy a leather leash. Maybe if it was a tiny dog I would not mind them because they can't pull as much as a bigger dog would.

 

[RoughDiamond]

If all the owner uses the leash for is to stand in the yard, let the dog romp around a little, potty, then come back inside, flexi-leads are fine. I think they're a bad idea on a normal street walk, and a horrendous idea in a small area with lots of people, like a park or pet store.

When I have people watch my dogs I don't like Skipper running free in the yard because he sometimes doesn't like to come back--and my yard is 8 acres, he could easily stay "free" forever if he didn't return. I have a flexi-lead that my dog-watcher clips to his collar, walks out while he does his business, then brings him back in. I never use the flexi myself, though.

 

[Kyllobernese]

My neighbor walks his Jack Russell on a flexi and I have seen him walking down the side of the road and the dog across the road from him. If a car came around the corner there is no way he could get the dog back to him in time. He has been lucky so far and one thing I will say for him is that he walks his dog every day summer and winter and a good distance.

I have a couple of them but I hate using them and only use them occasionally at an Agility trial when the dogs have to be on leash when I take them out to go to the bathroom and I am not near people or other dogs. The first time I had it on Remmy, I had to pull it out by hand as he would not pull harder enough to get it to go out. Now he knows the difference between it and a regular leash.

 

[Rileysaur]

I don't use mine as often anymore because if I want to give Riley more freedom I'll usually just let him off-leash. I do find it useful for places I'm unfamiliar with though. Like if we're checking out a new hiking spot, I won't let him off-leash until I know the area so I'll usually use the flexi so he can sniff and explore. I'm always paying attention to my surroundings though, and I'm definitely on higher alert than when he's on a nylon just because of that extra distance. I wouldn't use it if Riley didn't have excellent leash manners though, and I also can't see myself using it with a bigger/stronger dog.

I know it's a bit unconventional but I also found flexis amazing for when Riley was still nervous of people on walks. The only time Riley would ever pull was when he was scared. So when we would have to pass by people on our walks he would either halt or pull to the very end of the leash in order to avoid them. I found that using the flexi gave him that extra bit of freedom and made him feel more secure, because he it allowed him to arc around them without hitting the end of the leash so he didn't feel constrained and scared. Slowly that the arc around people got smaller and smaller until he was(/is) confident enough to walk straight passed strangers, bikes etc without a second thought. (Obviously it wasn't just the flexi that improved his confidence, but it helped.)

 

[mathilda]

I hate them because of the danger of injury (look at my thread about that topic).
i wish they were banned in my country.
especially on big dogs.