Retractable leash?

Fuzzy_dogs_mom,
 
Does Max pull alot when you have the collar the way it is now?  If so, you can change it if you want.  Riley needed to have 4 links removed but it didn't make a difference when it came to his behavior on the leash. 
 
If he doesn't pull alot the way you have it now, I suppose you can leave it if you want.  Just remember, if you do tighten it, DO NOT try to slip it over his head, but undo one of the links to get it off.  This can be a pain sometimes.

I have a flexi lead that got handed down to me from some one whos dog died and I guess they decided not to get another one.  I normally have it locked at a certain legnth, and if a person or a car is passing it is short and Maggie is at a lose heel. The main reason I use it is because it is the only one I can always find, lol. It is very sturdy and was made for a much larger dog than Maggie and Maggie doesn't pull, mostly staying close to me. I think it is useful and gives me more cortrol, but then, Maggie is just a 15 lb dog.

ORIGINAL: cairnterriers

What is your personal opinion on retractable leashes?

1. I have big dogs so I won't use them, but I have seen a neopolitan on one OMG.

2. They do nothing to train heel.

3. IMO I prefer to be able to loop a leash through my belt and go hands free so that clunky handle thing would be a pain in the butt for me.

Paula

I wonder if I should use one or not...
I think I might...
But I'm just not sure...

You certainly have a lot of pros and cons on here of why or why not.  It just depends of what your comfortable with.

I use a Flexi-leash on occasion with my 4 and 11lb. poodles. I also use 6ft. leashes when I'm training them to walk at my side. Once they run and extend the flexi - leash there is no way to reel them in. You have to get them to stop and then walk toward them as the leash retracts into the handle. That is why I don't usually let them have more than 4 - 8ft. I wouldn't recommend them for large dogs.

[blockquote]

ORIGINAL: cairnterriersIf he doesn't pull alot the way you have it now

 
I just saw this comment and it made me wonder - are you guys training your dogs not to pull or is a prong a life-time thing for your dogs?  My friend has been using one on her dog for 2 years and seems to have been lulled into a sense of complacency in that she is happy to keep it one 24/7 because he can't pull with it on. She relies on the prong instead of training (even when they took agility she had the prong on - it makes me cringe!).
 
I do not like retractable leashes. I find it encouraged my dog to pull but knowing someone who's puppy died after it snapped is the main reason why I wouldn't use one again.  I too find that very few people use them correctly and look at them as way to clear their conscience so there dog is "walking further" as they walk 1 block and go home (every single dog owner in my neighbour does this, its so annoying - although sometimes they might go 2 blocks[])! [/blockquote]

I prefer not to use them and agree with many of the previous posters that some folks who use them don't know how to use it properly and don't have good control of their dog. They also don't seem to understand that a flexi may not be good in all situations (unlike Xerxes who choses not to use one in stores, etc. So personally, I don't care for them.
My choice of leash is a "double- grip lead". It has a built in "traffic handle" so that if you need to reel your dog in when crossing the streets or encountering people or other dogs, you can do so with very good control.
After using them I will never go back to any other kind! If you are looking for good options you might try this one. I get them through my greyhound rescue but I am attaching the link to Petco because they carry them as well (otherwise sometimes hard to find!). []

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=7648&Nav=1&N=0&Ntt=traffic+handle+leash&sku=232777&familyID=6316&

I know, I can never make up my mind about anything.

I hate Flexi leashes. The dog always has tension on the leash while they're walking with it, which is one thing I don't like as I like my dogs to learn to walk on a loose leash. I also don't feel I have much control with it, and I don't trust it not to break if by chance, my dog decides to go after a squirrel one day (normally she behaves well, but anything could happen). I always walk my dogs with leather leashes, in varying lengths depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing. I also have a rubbery leash for outings near and in water.

Max pulls like he's possessed if he doesnt have the prong on, but I think that's because I use his regular flat collar to go to the dog park, and if we go out the door with the flat collar he thinks that's where he's going. [] If I had never used a flexi and was wondering about them, I think I'd try to find someone who had one and borrow it a couple of times before buying one.

Joyce

I don't use one with Indy at all, because there's several dogs in our apartment complex that he would like to intimidate/harass/annoy and he knows EXACTLY how long their leashes are- with a normal leash, he can't get a jump on me before I know they're around. (He likes to stand JUST out of range and talk smack at them. He's such a jerk.)
 
Mal goes out on a flexi for potty walks only but I use a regular 6' lead (Nylon until he stops being quite so mouthy with his leash) to and from the potty area, which is officially onleash (many people let their dogs off, but I don't). The 16' is long enough for us to play a ltitle bit of fetch and him to stretch his legs a bit but still be on leash and satisfy the letter of the law as far as the apartment is concern. We don't use it 'in public' though.
 
Cait
(Actually, that's not true. We use it for potty breaks on road trips and occasionally outside in a field behind one particular dog show site.)

I HATE the darned things!  I see people pottying dogs with them at show sites and they let the dogs go all the waaaay out to the end.  Then, if a bitch in season goes by or a dog who is just "on his toes" and a snap fest ensues, it's HELL getting them to retract back.  Oh sure, they are trying to get the things in, but try retracting a dog who is hell-bent on eating the other dog or mounting the cute little Beagle flagging at him!  [:@]

I won't use them with my girl or any other powerful breed.  I have seen them fray and nearly break on more than one occasion.  When we went to the Pet Expo in 2005, there was a lady there with an aggressive Akita on a FRAYED Flexi...who let him PEE on a display[:'(].

I have also heard of hand injuries as a result of a finger getting wrapped up in a retracting lead. 

Flexis?  NO THANK YOU!

I think like most things flexi's have a time and a place.  I have one for each of my dogs, we lived in an apartment it was so much better for them to potty on the fllexi than a 6 foot leash.  I use them for walks if we are going to the park or field, and they both wear harnesses, they know they can pull and go sniff as they wish.  When we are going to stores or walking downtown they walk on 5-6 foot nylon leashes, ruffian on a martingale and tonka on his prong collar.  I use what I need for the control I desire for that situation.  But I absolutly hate the flexi's with the cord in them I only use the tape ones [linkhttp://www.flexiusa.com/images/products/grossdarstellung/Giant.jpg]http://www.flexiusa.com/images/products/grossdarstellung/Giant.jpg[/link] these are so much bettter IMO, but unless the person on the other end has the sence to use it properly it doesnt matter what kind it is they are gonna make people mad.
 
And as the other person pointed out you really have to watch if your dog takes off at a dead run you need to brace yourself.

I think the flexi leads are ok for certain uses and certain dog owners. Honestly I have held a grudge against the flexi for a long time. I know it's just the person using it..not the tool. I can't stand it when people use them in a crowd and I absolutely despise those who allow their dog to run up to mine to "say hello".
I work for a groomer and daily people hand off their dogs to me at the end of a flexi. It's never locked of course and I end up with a dog wrapped around my legs before I can get my hands on the leash. Makes me crazy. These are the same people who shop in the retail section and allow their dog to wander (and pee on things or eat them) while they look around.