How do you rate the extendable leads?

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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I personally don't like them, but they serve their uses. When 'unmanagable' springer youngster comes for her stay, she comes with one. Her recall isn't great, actually, I lie, her recall is fine, but to 'catch' her is non existant. (She comes back to you, but then runs circles and is always out of reach!)
My trouble is, those darn leads get tangles up with everyone, including my dog who is a little dopey now in her older age. And it's like cheese wire?
I thought of a lunge line - ideas on this?
Or anything else.

I'll have young springer for 2 weeks.
 
hate them,
we see dogs with neck and back damage due to them, also see owners who have back and shoulder damage due to them, by the very design of them the teach dogs to pull against resistance.
my lurcher will get her self tangle in them due to other dogs wearing them, have also seen pictures on here of people who have cheese wired legs from them and quiet nasty injuries to hands and legs.
if the dog has recall but you cannot get hold of it you can bet your bottom dollar the dog has been grabbed-I would spend 2 weeks teaching the dog to come back and sit as one command so dog comes back gets treat (ball/food whatever works), then teach the dog to come back get treat then sit and get second treat (no lead or touching involved), the teach dog come back and sit then get treat then be touched whilst being given second treat, repeat with collar being touched whilst getting treat-gradually introduce lead into picture but dont put it on till dog relaxed with it being there. you are working towards calling dog, dog coming/sitting/you put hand (no grabbing) on collar attach lead and give treat-remove lead let dog go off again-on every walk I do with my dogs they get put on and off the lead at least 7-8 times usually lots more than that though.
the hardest thing is not to grab ever ever ever-found it so frustrating trying to get people to understand that at puppy training, by the time they got to the adult classes I had usually managed to drum it into them.
If you dont want to spend your time training someone elses dog (I understand that) then the lunge line or long line is much much safer than an extendable lead
 
I like a good chunky lunge line, it just feels more secure than the 'cheese wire' extendable leads.

You do have to be a bit quick to gather them up to avoid getting tangled in stuff though.

I just feel the extendable can give a very excitable dog a bit of a yank in the throat if they suddenly run to the end of it.

I have seen very sturdy non cheese-wire extendable leads with decent handles, but just stuck with the £5 lunge line!
 
I hate these ****** things! I got a very nasty bite from my neighbour's three legged Romanian rescue dog. He had her on one of these and didn't click the stop button quickly enough! The result was a big tear in my favourite work trousers, and a big tear in my thigh. Neighbour, an experienced dog owner, said "Ooh, sorry, but she's from Romania, and been really cruelly treated". Well, you need to think a bit more clearly about her safety and that of others.
Previous to this, my big old GSD and I were trapped by a fleet of yapping Yorkshire Terriers, all on extendable leads and at full stretch, towing their owner along and circling us round and round until none of us could move without falling over!
I've had some success in your situation, with a harness, and lunge line attached to the metal ring at the centre of the harness, top in the middle. Keep the lunge line in loops and fairly short. Good luck!
 
They have their place, but generally I hate them. I use one on the heeler when walking in open fields as he is a little s*d for going off hunting, it is attached to a harness , I would never ever use one walking on roads, I have heard of too many dogs injured or even killed when their owners have walked them along the road on extendable leads, and have had to brake to avoid one myself on more than one occasion. Have also had the cheese wire round the legs scenario several times with other peoples dogs. For general recall training I use a lightweight long line, you can let go of these and the dog thinks its free but you still have something to catch hold of to reel them in.
 
Personally I hate them, I've seen two dogs killed by them when the owner has let go of lead and it's rebounded hitting dog on back of head.

People also seem to think that because their dog is on a lead it doesn't matter that the dog is 10ft in front or behind them or in one case on the other side of the road to the owner!
 
I hate them with a passion and do not possess one.
I was bitten at a show by a dog on a extendable lead it ran up to me and locked on to my knee the owner just left me with blood pouring out of my knee and my breeches in holes .
They should never be used " extendable " in a busy public place .
 
Love mine when you have to keep your dog on the lead in places but they want a bit if freedom. It's not the leads its the people that use them that have no idea. You need to make sure you get a flexi lead and not some rubbish brand
 
Done the long line thing. Got wet and muddy hands. Use giant flexi.

I rarely meet others on my walks so don't need to worry about that. If I walk on a bit of road then in tight and loop used.

It's called common sense. I love mine but would hate to use it busy areas where lots of dogs are etc.

Also normally use with harness and he knows wait, slow, heel so often not yanked if hrs got excited ( normally at squirrels rabbit deer) it's his uncontainable prey drive as to why he is on the flexi. Open fields, beaches and commons he's off lead anyway.
 
I use a flexi on Amber (retriever) cause she's not good off lead generally but she'll walk on a flexi lead calmly. If I see a dog in the distance, I reel her in and whip out a shorter lead to control her with. They are good but problem is too many people can't use them properly.
 
The more capable a trainer, the less reliant they are upon training aids.

Flexi leads, along with haltis and electric collars, should have no place in dog training.

Alec.
 
i really do not like them but use mine sometimes (with harness) if we are walking in fields where he knows there are rabbits/deer just to give him a bit of length.


I bought mine for my dog when he was a puppy before I had the confidence to let him off-lead but knowing what I do now,i think it encourages them to pull so I had to rework that bit of our training.

I am very much liking my `ruffwear` lead that clips around my waist so I can walk hands free.

I have used a halti (not on a flexi I must add) but have just realised I don't know where it is and not needed it for over a year now :)
 
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I use one sometimes on my lurcher who will go off hunting at certain times of the year, so the flexi lead gives her a bit more freedom without her going missing for 3 hours !!!!!!! and leaving me a nervous wreck!!!!!

its the idiot owners who are at fault and not the leads...however I hate keeping my dogs on leads anyway so only use when absolutely necessary...
 
Alec Swan said:
The more capable a trainer, the less reliant they are upon training aids.

Flexi leads, along with haltis and electric collars, should have no place in dog training.

Alec.
Click to expand...

you can't compare the three together. even professional trainers have to use aids sometimes, headcollars are quite kind to the dog when fitted correctly. I don't agree with electric collars though
 
I use a flexi lead on the JRT sometimes. I lock it on short if we're on the road, or anywhere near other dogs or people, and let him have the whole 26' when we are in an open area.

His recall vanishes when he gets on the scent of a rabbit or fox, so the flexi lead works for us. He gets a decent sniff around, without being able to leg it. We are out in the sticks, though, and hardly ever meet anyone else. I wouldn't use one in a busy area.
 
Wiz201 said:
you can't compare the three together. even professional trainers have to use aids sometimes, headcollars are quite kind to the dog when fitted correctly. I don't agree with electric collars though
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flexi leads can and do damage dogs necks as do haltis-the constant repeated pull to one side of a halti is not good.

a training aid is used for training not daily walks

electric collars, harnesses and long lines all have a place for use in exceptional circumstances to my mind, extendable leads can and do fail/give owners a false sense of security/encourage pulling but teaching a dog there is something to be gained by working against resistance
 
Alec Swan said:
Read the first sentence again. It isn't a case of comparing.

Alec.
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a good dog trainer will also adapt to deal with the dog and situation in front of them though Alec.
I have spent many years training dogs and owners/handlers and the standard 'kit' is flat leather collar and a leather training lead and when needed a long line. but I have used half checks occasionally, muzzles if it makes the owner more relaxed as the dog is more relaxed if the owner is-as are other handlers (understandably), I always try to steer owners away from extendable leads and haltis, an electric collar is something I own but have only used on one dog (to prevent her hunting (not chasing) cats), prong collars are something I have no time for and I would never use or promote but I know people who have used them succesfully.
for me a bad dog trainer will resort to a harsh method or training aids before putting time and effort in before exhausting all other methods.
this applies to horses as well as dogs
 
We have a large dog one or similar. It's great for keeping control of our dog on our local every day walk where we rarely meet someone and let's him have lots of sniffs and wees and a bit of freedom, he also pulls less than on a short lead. I got fed up of having soggy leads when we had him on a long line. I'm careful to not let him run to its extent and get snagged. I don't use it in busy areas, like when going to events etc.

It's preferable to have this on a dark morning, rather than losing the dog in the dark after a deer, his recall is ok, but not when deer are in the equation.

Sadly also he has been more defensive/aggressive since having a baby, and really doesn't like a couple of the local dogs, a large GSD in particular. This lead helps keep him on the straight and narrow. I'm hoping to work through some things with him, and of think I need to go for a walk with the man with the GSD minus the baby, but it's garden to organise, plus said man can be a bit of a plonker.
 
Alec Swan said:
The more capable a trainer, the less reliant they are upon training aids.

Flexi leads, along with haltis and electric collars, should have no place in dog training.

Alec.
Click to expand...
What a load of rubbish a flexi lead is not an aid its a lead like a long lead rather than a short lead my dog has excellent recall off the lead.
 
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Alec, a good professional dog trainer is flexible to what the dog needs to be trained out of a particular behaviour etc. For example pulling on the lead can be made easier for a person to train the dog if they have something like a headcollar (there are many different types, not just haltis) or a harness with a ring in the middle of the chest which pulls the dog round back to you in a safe gentle manner meaning that not only the owner is then able to use positive rewards like treats, it means they are not being pulled into the road.
 
Alec Swan said:
The more capable a trainer, the less reliant they are upon training aids.

Flexi leads, along with haltis and electric collars, should have no place in dog training.

Alec.
Click to expand...
This ^^^^^ I've rescued a dog who at 4 months old would make your hands bleed out walking as pulled so badly, by the time she was pts aged 4 (neurological issues ) she could be walked by children , flexi leads are horrid and dangerousb
 
Flexi leads are only meant for dogs who can walk on lead but if they have recall issues, they can walk with a bit more freedom but the owner still has control. They're perfectly safe with COMMON SENSE like not using them on the roads.
 
Wiz201 said:
Flexi leads are only meant for dogs who can walk on lead
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This. Only graduate to a Flexi lead once the dog is reliable on a normal lead.

The only times the JRT dashes to the end of the Flexi lead are when he takes off on a prey scent. Those are the times that he needs it, as if it wasn't for the Flexi, he'd be off. The rest of the time, he respects it and doesn't pull.
 
We use one occasionally (always with a harness, not collar), and use a wideish webbing one, rather than string one. Used properly there's no reason why it would tangle with another dog/person etc.
 
Wiz201 said:
Alec, a good professional dog trainer is flexible to what the dog needs to be trained out of a particular behaviour etc. ........ .
Click to expand...

Have you ever seen a Police dog handler using such equipment? When was the last time that you saw a shepherd with a dog on a flexi lead, or worse a halti? Have you ever run a dog in a sheep dog trial? Have you ever even attended and watched a sheep dog trial? Have you ever kept a sheep dog and used it for its intended purpose? Do you have any experience with working gundogs? Have you ever watched an obedience test?

I suspect that your experience of 'good professional dog trainers' is limited to those who tell you how competent they are, rather than demonstrating the fact. I'm not having a go at you wiz201, on the contrary, I suspect that you may have been misled, because from the list above which I've given you, I haven't seen one example of a gimmick/training aid being used, ever.

If a dog is to learn to be compliant and obedient, then it's the owner's/handler's persona and voice which is used to form a bond with the animal, and not an 'aid'. Eventually all dogs have to 'listen' to us, so why delay, or even abandon the process by using physical restraints rather than forming a bond of compliance with the dog?

Alec.
 
They should only be used with a harness, IMO, or surely you risk breaking the dog's neck? Zak has one because he cannot be off lead if we go to places where there are other dogs. He can quickly be hauled in using the longline or flexi. He comes anyway, but it allows him freedom while giving us the security of knowing we can reel him in. He also can't be let off with his brother or they're likely to do a runner after a muntjac. I don't fancy another 8 hours in the woods overnight.
 
I have one for my Border Terrier, we currently live in a flat and when he needs a wee in the evenings I can stand at the door and he tootles out onto the grass, the garden leads onto the car park and although he would 'probably' be fine off leads, I'd rather not risk it.

He also gets sent with a flexi lead when he stays with family, actually I normally send him with a variety of leads, personally I like the halti training lead as it's a little longer than a normal lead and i can clip it to my belt, very handy when trying to catch the pony as I don't like him off lead in the 'herd' and he hates getting too close to horses.

99% of the time I just use a slip lead as he usually only goes a short distance before I let him off lead.
 
Alec Swan said:
Have you ever seen a Police dog handler using such equipment? When was the last time that you saw a shepherd with a dog on a flexi lead, or worse a halti? Have you ever run a dog in a sheep dog trial? Have you ever even attended and watched a sheep dog trial? Have you ever kept a sheep dog and used it for its intended purpose? Do you have any experience with working gundogs? Have you ever watched an obedience test?

I suspect that your experience of 'good professional dog trainers' is limited to those who tell you how competent they are, rather than demonstrating the fact. I'm not having a go at you wiz201, on the contrary, I suspect that you may have been misled, because from the list above which I've given you, I haven't seen one example of a gimmick/training aid being used, ever.

If a dog is to learn to be compliant and obedient, then it's the owner's/handler's persona and voice which is used to form a bond with the animal, and not an 'aid'. Eventually all dogs have to 'listen' to us, so why delay, or even abandon the process by using physical restraints rather than forming a bond of compliance with the dog?

Alec.
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whilst I appreciate what you are saying, some of us dog owners are doing the best we can . I don't profess to be any sort of expert but have had dogs all my life and all were excellent on recall so never need to resort to a flexi lead...HOWEVER, my lurcher has a very high prey drive and is my first dog with dodgy recall and I am not confident that I can get her back when she gets wind of deer or hare so I use the flexi lead on occasions.. it seems that you are looking down on anyone who cannot train their dog to police or shepherd standards!!!!!!
 
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