Dog Community

Just a rant about improper use of flexi-leads

Posted : 11/9/2006 2:10:50 PM

When I'm walking Marlowe only, my set up is probably the exact diametrical opposite from a retractable leash--I use a one-foot traffic loop! But every morning we pass the same family--father walking his kids to the bus stop with their smallish black lab mix, on a flexi. And unless I actually cross the street (not always possible with traffic) Marlowe and I invariably get tangled in this guy's flexi which is, every single morning, out at it's maximum length. On a city sidewalk! With kids and other dogwalkers and people waiting for busses! WTF?!?!

Usually I'll step off the curb and walk on the street to pass them but even when I do that, every single morning, the dog also goes off the curb and insists on stopping us to greet. I can't go right because the flexi is there at shin-level, and I can't go left because then I'd actually be in traffic.

Meanwhile, the guy is like trying to give the dog some kind of recall command because he himself can't reel the dog back in. And the dog is blissfully ignoring him. And he doesn't like move closer to the dog in order to reel the lead in that way, he just stands there, smiling stupidly like "oh well, ha ha, dogs, what are ya gonna do?"

In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal for me and Mar. He's friendly and while I don't really like having to stop when my whole goal is to get this dog walked, briskly, and cover as much ground as possible in the 40 minutes alloted to the task, it's not that big of a deal for me. But this dog is at serious risk and this guy seems completely oblivious to that fact. If you've got a dog on a flexi that you can't recall or reel back in and allow to take it to it's full length routinely, you've got a dog who could easily dart out into traffic or get tangled up with a not-so-friendly dog.

I'm sort of wondering if I should start saying something to this guy. He's always with his kids, so I don't want to make a scene with them there, and I never see them any other time. But I worry about the dog and I'm irked that every single day I have to dodge these people unless I want to get tangled in a flexi and have to stop for the meet n sniff.

Anyway, just wanted to rant. I find flexis are misused about 95% of the time and the people on the other end of them seem to be completley unaware of the risks involved in having their dogs on them. Like just because a dog is on some kind of leash, that magically protects them from the rest of the world. Once when I was driving, I saw a woman walking a large dog on a flexi a block in front of me. They went to cross the street and the dog was on the opposite curb before the woman had even stepped off and started walking. That is dangerous!

Though I think the grand champion of misused flexi sightings was when I saw a guy trying to walk an absolutely wild and crazy lab, on a gentle leader, attached to a flexi. Talk about totally mixed messages, and also talk about serious risk of neck injury to the dog!

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Posted : 11/9/2006 2:23:39 PM

ORIGINAL: houndlove

Though I think the grand champion of misused flexi sightings was when I saw a guy trying to walk an absolutely wild and crazy lab, on a gentle leader, attached to a flexi. Talk about totally mixed messages, and also talk about serious risk of neck injury to the dog!

He he, that is hilarious. Maybe approach him in a way "I used to have one of those and see you struggling the same I way I did" and offer alternatives. Does it look like he is frusterated with it was well cause that would make it easier. I once saw a lady walking her lil toy something or other with a huge flexi, when she reeled the poor thing in its lil front feet went off the groud because it was too strong for him. I tried so hard not to laugh because it was cruel but it would make a great cartoon, hehe

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 11/9/2006 2:39:56 PM

That's great advice, Crystal. It's a good way to offer the poor guy some help (which he obviously needs) without putting him on the defensive. I used to use a flexi with a small dog that didn't pull, but I can't imagine having a big dog on one.

Joyce

Scout in Canada

Posted : 11/9/2006 3:32:38 PM

The problem with people who misuse flexi's, is that they don't usually think they are struggling! They think it's just fantastic!

I had a similar experience when I lived with my mom. I was walking Sophie, long haired chihuahua in the park on the path. A man with his golden retreiver on a flexi was coming towards us, so I moved off the path because Sophie is generally nervous around large dogs. The man continued to let the golden extend the flexi, while saying "she loves little dogs". Only to have the golden clamp down on poor Sophie's back. I scooped her up and shot him the dirtiest look and kept walking.... what an $#%! Thank god she wasn't hurt.

Mark

Posted : 11/9/2006 5:25:40 PM

i use one with my puller huskies..

the tool is only as smart as the person on the other end...its not rocket science..

there is a ban on flexis in my local village because of a few dummies who dont have common sense.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 11/9/2006 8:16:08 PM

Sigh[&o]

cyclefiend2000

Posted : 11/10/2006 8:52:29 AM

i recently got amelia to walk sans flexi. she used to refuse to be walked on anything but the flexi. i hated the darn thing. it may not be rocket science to use, but it sure is inconvienent when trying to walk two dogs at once (at least it was for me).

our walks have been much more enjoyable since i have both dogs on the same kind of leash. [

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denise_m

Posted : 11/10/2006 9:51:23 AM

I use a flexi about 95% of the time. On the other end is a 80lb Aussie. IMHO a flexi is a great leash but like any other tool it has to be used properly. When locked the leash can be anything you want from a 6" lead to a 40' lead.
When I hear complaints about the leash, I am reminded of the often used argument for right to own a gun - "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." dito

mudpuppy

Posted : 11/10/2006 11:10:21 AM

how exactly does one use a flexi properly?
around here, there is a 100% correlation between badly behaved dogs and flexi use. You see a dog on a flexi, you know immediately the dog has never received any training and that the owner is clueless about dog behavior and got the flexi in order to avoid having to teach the dog to walk nicely on or off leash.

Aina

Posted : 11/10/2006 11:36:58 AM

I use a flexi-lead with Maggie, but she doen't pull, and stays close to me most of the time. If we are approaching humans or other dogs then she knows to drop back to me, and if she doesn't, it is just like any other leash, and I can gently pull her in. She also knows heel and all that good stuff.
My friend has a cocker and they have a normal leash, but her dog has horrible leash manners. We were walking them together, and Maggie stayed near me, without pulling, and her dog apparently thought it was on a sled team. Everyone wanted to walk Maggie and give the cocker to me to handle. It would have been the same if we switched leashes. The only diference is that Maggie wouldn't be able to go very far, and the cocker would be 15 feet away, still pulling like she was on a sled team. But, you could still pull the cocker back and lock the leash so she had the same amount of leash as my dog.

TAOofGoldyShep

Posted : 11/10/2006 1:06:29 PM

I want to add another improper use of flexi-leads. Our first Golden died of a horrific accident involving one at the very young age of 10 1/2 months. He was under the care of a family member (doggy-sitting for us) that had him on the flexi-lead, too close to the road. Something startled him - the wind combined with trash barrels I believe - he ran around tangling the human up into a knot and then bolted into the street. As fate would have it, a car was speeding along too fast on a residential road...he got hit and dragged down the street...all the while still attached to the human via the flexi-lead. Tragedy. Complete improper use and responsibility on the human's part.

Took me a LONG, long time to choose to use the flexi-lead ever again (and to forgive my family member but that's besides the point). We only use it when we are not anywhere near a road.

houndlove

Posted : 11/10/2006 1:21:50 PM

Oh Tao that's awful! And I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often, the way most people use those things.

As far as I'm concerned, the only appropriate usage would be for a smallish dog (larger dogs are strong enough to break them, even the ones that are supposed to be for large dogs), out in a field or somewhere far from pedestrians, other dogs, and cars. Walking a dog through the city on a flexi is just courting disaster and really irrirting to every person and other dog you come across. I've seen a number of flexi/flexi entanglements at the very popular city park we use, and then there's the dreaded flexi/bike or flexi/jogger entanglement. Clotheslining joggers is really not a great way to make friends and influence people.

And the people who use them at PetCo/Smart?!?! What is even up with that? I saw an employee trying to convince a couple who had a very large, very strong, very ill-trained lab to please NOT replace the flexi they had that broke with yet another flexi, which will also break under the force of this dog. They were having none of it and kept insisting they had to have a flexi.

Me, I'm sticking with the one-foot leash/comfort harness combo unless we're at the park or I'm walking both dogs together (then it's 2 four-footers). My dog doesn't need to explore every single inch of sidewalk and lawn as we're out walking, nor do I think the homeowners really want him to do so given his propensity to walk and pee simultaneously and thereby destroy a nice long swath of grass.

Julitza

Posted : 11/10/2006 1:31:54 PM

Plain and simple I think that the person who does not know how to properly use the Flexi is an idiot. How many brain cells do you need to know that the top button will lock the lead temporarily and the side button will lock it into place? I mean come on, I used to walk my dominant, horribly behaved Cockapoo as a kid, and the only way he would behave was on a Flexi. I was about 8 and I knew how to use it.

I think the Flexi is somethng wonderful that can be used in open spaces to give the dog the illusion of being lose, or in a semi populated area where there are very few people. The thing is you need to know that when people approach lock the da** thing!

Its not a science [8|]

sierra2002

Posted : 11/10/2006 1:48:49 PM

I use a flexi [

] and I love it
However, I never use it in highly populated areas - like stores or busy sidewalks.

I use it as sort of a training tool... when she is about to reach the end (or if she does reach the end and I feel a 'jerk'), I call her back to me. She always comes and sits in front of me.

Other times, I simply call her name and say 'sit'. In which case, she'll sit on the spot until I have caught up with her, and she will heel beside me, and then we continue our walk.

Both these commands are very useful if I see that someone is walking towards us in the opposite direction. And since I use them so often - like every 1-2 minutes, it works very well to reinforce her obedience training.

Also, since she runs to the end of the leash only to have me call her back, she gets twice as much exercise as I do [

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Stef w

Posted : 11/10/2006 5:17:49 PM

I have 2 and they are for out of town / field use only. I hate it when people use them in town and it scares me silly when I see them on the sidewalks that are right beside the road with the dog at the maximum extension ...

I've been wrapped up jogging by people's dogs who have run at me or around me. It hurts like heck when it rubs against skin and I've got a burn scar on the back of my knee from a particularly bad incident.

I agree that they're great for letting the dog have a sniff or a bit of a run - but I really don't think they're appropriate for in-town use. JMO