Location

Bookstore

Testimonials

Links

Newsletter

“My dog is not friendly.”

“What?” She says, giving her dog more line as it approaches mine, straining at the end of the retractable leash from 30 feet away from my dog. Now 20 feet away. Now 15. Now 10.

Max lunges, hackles up, growling and barking.

She frantically and repeatedly presses the “brake” button on the handle of her leash trying to reel in her dog. Finally, she gets control of her dog and walks away...very quickly.

Reading the above, you might think my dog is a horrible, vicious beast. After all, her dog just wanted to say “Hi”. It’s true Max is not friendly with strange dogs. However, he does not lunge at every strange dog he sees – only when he feels threatened. This dog was not barking or growling at Max. So, what made Max feel so threatened that he needed to react defensively?

Retractable Leashes Alter The Signals Your Dog Is Giving To Other Dogs.

Take a look at the picture on the left. This dog is reacting to the sight of another dog. His head and tail are high and his body is rigid. His hackles are raised and his body weight is going forward. If you could get close enough, you would probably even seen his whiskers going forward. [In the dog world, this is a sign that this dog is alert and ready to take on the approaching challenge. Many dogs exhibit this body posture before they attack another dog.]

Now, think about your dog’s posture while he’s pulling at the end of his leash. The constant battle against the leash is pulling your dog’s head up, high and rigid, and his body weight forward. He looks like the dog in this picture, or any other dog trying to communicate a challenge to another dog. Now, if you were a nice, unassuming dog confronted by the dog in the picture, what would your reaction be?

Top Three Reasons Dog Owners Buy Retractable Leashes

1. Retractable leashes give your dog the feeling of freedom of movement it needs
2. The one-hand braking system helps you restrain your dog at all times
3. Retractable leashes will stop your dog from pulling

1. Retractable Leashes Give Your Dog The Feeling Of Freedom Of Movement It Needs: Would you feel like you were on vacation if your boss gave you a bigger cubicle?

Your dog will have freedom of movement for 20 to 30 feet, until it reaches the end of the retractable leash, where it is, once again, restrained.

If you are in a situation where you cannot safely take your dog off-leash, your dog is well-trained, and there are no hazards within the radius of the leash, retractable leashes can be helpful. For example, a long road trip where your dog needs to relieve itself and stretch her legs. You pull off at a rest stop, where traffic is at least 50 yards away. That’s not the same as taking your daily walk with your dog, and, that is still not “freedom.” If you truly want to give your dog freedom of movement, take him to an off-leash dog park or find a remote, safe area where he can run off-leash. To a dog, this is freedom!

2. One-Hand Braking System Helps Restrain Your Dog at All Times: Brakes on cars are great, too. But they are ineffective if applied too late or if you have already lost control of your car. If you are walking your dog on the sidewalk, there is probably traffic much closer than 20 feet away. You may be certain your dog would not wander off into the street in front of a car, but are you as certain she wouldn’t chase a squirrel, a cat or a kid on a skateboard out into the street?
A braking system on your leash will not help you if your dog is seconds away from a dangerous situation. How can you protect your dog from 20-30 feet away? Here’s a word problem: Your dog is walking 30 feet in front of you. Suddenly, you see an off-leash dog, 10 feet away from yours. He’s big, mean, and looking at your dog like she’s lunch. Who will reach your dog first?

Also, dogs’ reflexes are much quicker than ours. If your dog decides to go after that pesky cat, it will only take a few seconds for him to cover the full range of the lead. By the time you are applying the brake, he may have already run full speed into traffic. If you are lucky enough to get the brake applied before an accident, the jerk effect on the dog (who has a full head of steam now) can cause soft tissue damage to your dog’s neck and spine. Not to mention what it is going to do to your shoulder and spine!

3. Retractable Leashes Will Stop Your Dog From Pulling: If you have a dog that pulls on leash, increasing the length of the leash will not stop the pulling. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to simply look at most dogs you see walking on retractable leashes. Usually, they are walking 20 to 30 feet ahead of their owners, pulling all the way.

The problem is not necessarily with retractable leashes. The problem really is with the people who are misusing the leashes. Specifically, using them in ways they were not designed to be used, without heeding the warnings included with the leashes.

The retractable leash is specifically intended for dogs that are well-behaved and under control, not for disobedient or uncontrollable dogs. The manufacturer’s warning says so. The leash is designed for well-behaved dogs that are under control. Those dogs don’t pull on their leash at all, whether it’s a 3 foot, 6 foot or 20 foot leash. Retractable leashes do not stop pulling, training stops pulling.

Retractable leashes are convenient...for us. They allow us to have additional space from our dog, and we can get away with paying less attention. Which is actually part of the problem. When you are taking your dog on a walk, you should be paying attention to him!! You should be alert to potential hazards she may decide to eat off the ground. You should be watching for other dogs or children, or anyone running, on a bike, roller-skating. And, one of the best ways to keep your dog from pulling is to be engaged with her on your walk. If you are more interesting than anything else on your walk, he will be more likely to stay near you.

Retractable leashes also give a false sense of security. They are sold with indications as to what size dog they are appropriate for. This makes it seem as though they will be able to withstand a good hard tug from a dog of that size. One of our students bought a retractable leash for dogs “up to 50 pounds”; her 30 pound puppy broke it. She bought increasingly sturdier retractable leashes, and her 30 pound puppy broke all of them. The leashes were not frayed or in anyway damaged, her dog just got up enough speed in 20 feet to pop them. After three busted leashes in about two months, she gave them up for good and bought a thin, 6 foot leather leash. Two years later, she is still using the same leather leash.

The braking system and bulky handle of retractable leashes are difficult to maneuver effectively. Have you ever had a dog yank really hard on a retractable leash? It is very difficult to keep hold of the handle with just one hand. Particularly, if you have smaller hands, such as many women and children. Frequently, the handle yanks out of your hand and thuds around behind your dog. Now, you have two problems, not only is your dog off-leash, but he’s probably getting frightened by the big plastic thing thudding on the ground behind him. This can result in tragedy if your dog runs out in the street to get away from the menacing handle. This is especially likely to happen when a child is walking the dog on a retractable leash. The manufacturers of retractable leashes specifically state they are not to be used by children. Unfortunately, I frequently see very young children walking good-size dogs on retractable leashes.

Summary

Retractable leashes can be a convenient tool for experienced handlers with well-mannered dogs. However, they are not a substitute for training, they do not give a dog freedom, and there are serious safety concerns for your dog.