For as long as I can remember, retractable leashes such as the Flexi leash have been constantly criticized by dog trainers. It wasn’t long before you heard statements such as: Retractable leashes are dangerous. People who use retractable leashes don’t know how to train their dogs. The owners are lazy. They let their dogs anywhere they want. Retractable leashes are as bad as [insert aversive tool of choice]. They teach dogs to pull. They should be banned! Supported by these powerful statements and the many dog trainers, the advocacy movement against retractable leashes were effective. However, today they are still not banned and continue to be used by a handful of dog owners. Are retractable dog leashes really as bad and terrible as some proponents claim?
I believe some aspects of the arguments against retractable dog leashes have merit, but I also disagree with some of the claims.
Can retractable leashes be dangerous? Sure. There is no denying that. However, knowing how to use the leash (which isn’t terribly hard) minimizes the potential danger of the leash.
Could dogs run up to other dogs or out into the road? Sure. These leashes usually extend anywhere from 12 to 26 feet. This provides a fair amount of leeway for the dog and if the owner is negligent or not paying attention to what’s going on, anything can happen. But this error comes down to the owner, not the dog. I’ve had people let their dogs run up on mine when it was on a 6-foot leash and I’ve seen plenty of owners let their dog wander out into the road on the same 6-foot leash. Even worse, there are people that just let their untrained dogs walk off leash in populated, public areas.
Do retractable leashes teach dogs to pull? Not in my experience. Are they as bad as choke chains or prong collars? No. That is a pretty ridiculous statement. Leashes are intended to be a means of containment not an aversive way to stop a dog from doing something.
I do, however, have a few rules on the type of dog that I will use a retractable leash with and when/where I use the leash.
Rules for using a Retractable Dog Leash for the Dog
1. The dog must not be able to pull me off my feet if it hits the end of the leash at a full run. Mileage may vary depending on your dog(s). However, for most, it’ll mean using the leash only with small and medium sized dogs.
2. The dog must not be a dedicated puller. Dogs will pull every now and then, that is fine. However, the retractable leash is pointless if the dog constantly pulls and is always at the end of the leash. In that case, I would only use a 6-foot leash until he/she has learned not to pull.
3. The dog must not have unpredictable bolting tendencies. Essentially, if the dog is a squirrel chaser but provides no warning signs that they’ve seen the squirrel before giving chase, then a retractable dog leash is not the right leash for this dog. Our dogs love to chase squirrels, (A) but all of them have given plenty of warning signs (e.g. freezes in place and stares at the squirrel first) and (B) have been trained to only chase when we give the commands to do so—this has interestingly caused the warning signs to become more pronounced over the time.
4. The dog must be trained to audible control. All you need is an audible command that the dog reliable obeys. I personally use “wait”, but “stop” and/or “come” are also good alternatives. If he/she breaks, you will want to be able to control the dog with your audible command.
Rules for using a Retractable Dog Leash for the Owner
1. I will pay attention to my dog. If he/she is wandering too close to the street or another dog is nearby, I will reel in the leash and/or utilize the locking mechanism. If the dog is known to chase certain objects (cars, squirrels, cats, etc.), I will make the decision to allow the dog to chase after it if it’s safe or I will reel the leash in and/or lock the leash.
2. I will pay attention to my surroundings. I will be aware of where cars, people, and other dogs are. The dog will not precede me around the corner where I cannot see what is coming first. I will not talk or text on the cell phone because it is important that I am aware of what is going on around us.
3. I will not use the cord type of retractable leashes. I have always only used the flat belt or tape types of retractable leashes because they are less dangerous and not as likely to break compared to the corded leashes. There are just too many dangers to the cord types including but not limited to amputation, rope burn, and laceration. In my 10+ years of using the tape type of retractable dog leashes, I have never experienced any injuries or mishaps. Besides, can you imagine a 80 pound dog held by a thin cord bolting off on a 6 foot leash, much less one that is even longer? A recipe for disaster!
3. I will not use a knock-off leash made by unknown companies. I only use Flexi brand leashes. Unlike most brands, Flexi leashes are assembled by hand and must pass about 100 different quality tests before they leave the factory in Germany. Many other retractable leads are manufactured in China being promoted by an American company and does not have nearly as much quality control.
4. I will make sure I know how to use the leash and ensure that it is kept in good operating conditions. I will keep my thumb hovering over the locking mechanism to be able to use it at a moment’s notice, if needed.
Rules for when to use a Retractable Dog Leash
1. I will not use the retractable leash in places where the dog must be kept close to my side. This includes walking in the city, public events, and other heavily populated areas.
2. I will not use the retractable leash in classes or at dog events. Again, he/she will need to be kept close to me during classes. At dog events, the dog will likely be excited at the ‘new’ dogs’ or prepared to “work” (at trials), and retractable leashes should not be used in this way.
Reasons to use a Retractable Dog Leash
Retractable leashes are not for everyone. However, they aren’t necessarily the devil of dog leashes either. If you use it wisely and responsibly, I believe it can be an outstanding and versatile leash to use for a variety of purposes. Your dog will also appreciate that extra freedom for sniffing that the leash will allow him/her to have! As a fun twist, I’ll conclude with a summary of a discussion where three professional animal behaviorists who were once against retractable leashes, but are now advocates for the use of them.
In a webinar held by the Animal Behavior Associates in their June 2015 CAAB (Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists) Chat, Suzanne Hetts, PhD, Dan Estep, PhD and guest “chatter” Nancy Williams, MA, RVT, ACAAB discussed Pet Behavior Wellness that included the topic of retractable leashes. Interestingly, all three veteran trainers had started out as proponents against these retractable leashes because so few people seem to employ them properly; however, they now advocate the use of retractable leashes for their wise and limited use. The panel discussed how not all dogs were good candidates for dog parks and doggie day care, but the retractable leash offered an alternative for the dog to receive both mental stimulation and some control over their environment.
Dogs prefer to walk ahead of us. On a shorter six-foot leash, the resulting pulling can make a pleasant walk into an uncomfortable outing for both ends of the leash. The experts highlighted the characteristics of beneficial leash walks obtained by the use of retractable leashes: they “allow for ample sniffing, physical exercise, ability to control their own experience, and lack of restraint and pulling against something.” All three panelists agreed that the use of a retractable leash would not cause a dog to learn to pull harder on a standard leash, nor will it encourage the dog to believe he/she is in charge because it is walking ahead of you. According to the trainers, dogs tend to forge ahead of us because of a natural instinct to play “scout”. Therefore, the flexibility provided by a retractable leash allow the dogs to explore a bit ahead of us without venturing too far away or needing to pull to get even further ahead.
They cautioned that retractable leashes may not be appropriate for all cases and many dog owners lack the skill to use them properly. Retractable dog leashes should not be used on city streets, in confined areas, or on dogs who can be aggressive to other dogs or people, by kids, or people with physical disabilities.
11 Comments
Thanks, this was a good presentation of a reasonable, sensible view on retractable dog leashes.
From my standpoint, buying into reasons for why not to use certain products – due to hype that tends to invoke fear, rather than sound thinking – can be just as unwise as ignoring them.
I use a retractable leash specifically because I can lock it off shorter than a standard 6- or 4-foot leash. 100% of arguments against retractable leashes ignore the fact that they can be locked to a fixed length, and that full length tape (no dangerous cord) versions have been available for years. I wouldn’t use one for a larger dog, personally – there are other, better options for them – but four feet can still be far too long a leash to control a small dog, and a 16” traffic leash can be too short for the human to stand up straight and still leave the dog on the ground. Unless 3-foot leads become available, there aren’t really other viable options for walking a very small dog under close control.
You list the reasons not to use retractable dog leashes then tell the reader to go ahead and use them. You can not be 100% aware of your surroundings 100% of the time. Anything can suddenly happen and if your dog is 20 ft or more away, it can be too late to protect him or her. Dogs naturally pull on a retractable leash which leads to the dominant behaviour of them walking ahead. This ruins the training that went into teaching them to walk properly on a standard leash. The MAJORITY of skilled dog trainers tell you never to use a retractable leash. It is dangerous, promotes dominant behaviour and destroys the training gone into walking properly. You will end up having to retrain your dog to walk which is difficult now that they believe pulling is a positive thing. Regarding dog personalities, almost all dogs will pull ahead on a retractable leash almost all the time. Just watch anyone walking their dog on one. As far as aggressive or dangerous dogs, how many people tell you there dog is friendly until they’re not? All it takes is one aggressive “friendly” dog to lunge at a tiny dog and you have a severely injured or worse tiny one at the vets OR they lunge at a small child who may end up with life changing injuries and or scars.
Don’t use retractable leashes!
This is exactly the kind of fear-mongering that most people fall prey to when discussing retractable leashes, and the article actually talks about locking off the leash at a shorter distance when appropriate. Can you be 100% aware of your surroundings 100% of the time? No, but that applies regardless of leash length. When walking your dog, you should not even take your cell phone with you (or at least don’t take it out of your pocket except for emergencies); you should minimize distractions, and keep your eye on your dog at all times. If you can’t, lock the leash off while your dog is at your side, and keep it that way until you can give your dog the full attention it deserves.
As for dominance of the dog, animal behaviorists disagree with you, but apparently, you didn’t get that far in the article. Maybe read it again and see why several of your arguments are actually wrong or were otherwise addressed. Also, most dog trainers are just normal people who have no training in actual animal behaviour, so I discredit completely what Joe Blow at the local dog training center says UNLESS Joe also has an actual certification in animal behaviour. Dogs show dominance when the owner fails to train them otherwise or sometimes just because it’s that kind of day. Pulling on a leash is possible regardless of whether the leash is retractable, and it’s not my experience, nor the experience of most, that an otherwise well-trained dog will be affected in any way by allowing it to lead.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definite issues with retractable leashes that owners should be aware of before choosing one, but most of what you see on the popular websites is straight-up fear-mongering that gets spread from one site to the next, one person to the next, because people don’t take the time to understand the issues properly.
I have read the whole article. A great article and I totally agree with you. Retractable leashes are not for everyone. However, if used properly and responsibly, they are still great tools. It’s undeniable that the retractable leash carries a lot of risk for both the owner and their dog, but that’s when they use them indiscriminately and without understanding. And I think the fear has been exaggerated. I still use them often when walking my dogs off the beach and I love them. One more thing, retractable leashes have a locking button and I use them often. In the debate, it seems that some people deliberately forget this.
Thanks Nancy!
I agree. My go-to method of “reeling it in” is utilize the lock button prior to tugging so it can create that ‘tension’ to initiate the process. At that point, you would repeat until you’ve retract it back to the desired length.
Great article! Thanks for the advice!
If 95% of people don’t know how or care to use a retractable leash properly, that to me is a pretty good reason for them to be banned.
I have a leash-reactive dog, in other words she reacts aggressively on the lead if other dogs invade her space. Flexi leads strike fear into my heart because all the times when my dog reacted badly to another dog, they were either off lead or on a flexi lead. Even when I’ve warned the owner that my dog needs space, they don’t reel their dog in. I’m very careful to walk my dog in places where leads are compulsory and wish other dog owners would respect our need to be left alone. Every time my dog has a bad experience with a dog invading her space it sets her training backwards.
Hi Laura!
I can definitely see the Flexi being a bad choice (and danger) for some owners and/or dogs.
Yes, once it’s extended, it’s very challenging to reel in quick enough in those kind of situations. On the other hand, I’ve seen many people walk their dogs without a leash and it’s been fine 90% of the time….until their dog react to an uncommon stimulus and then there’s no ‘leash’ to help control in that situation–but that becomes a different issue to discuss.
I would think common sense would encourage one to utilize the full length of the Flexi when there are minimal people/dogs nearby and control the length to typical 6′ length in more populated areas. But again, similarly to your opinion, if people don’t follow this logic…it’s a bad look for them and Flexi leashes when their dog don’t behave properly.
In my opinion, I do absolutely dislike the cord Flexi leashes similar to your reasoning. In addition, when wrapped on things like fingers, there is a much higher chance of injury with that type. Even though I haven’t used any retractable leashes lately, when I did; it has always been the belt-type which I found safer and easier to control/reel back.
Reasonable presentation- for a seller of retractable leashes. the KEY part being PROPERLY USED BY THE HUMANS. I have yet to see any human use them “properly’. and ..define ‘properly’ if you are supposed to be in control of your dog at all times.. a retractable leash is not effective. Why are you allowing your dog to run ‘loose’ up to 26 feet away? YOU are not in control. It isn’t the Dog’s Fault! it is the human’s fault. The retractable leash is an invention for lazy dog owners to be lazier and treat their little fur baby like they did their children..
This is the most balanced article I’ve seen on the topic. I used Flexi retractable leashes with my last two dogs, spanning 25 years, with no problems. I adopted Sam, an active four-year-old 45-lb PWD, in 1995. She had a bad habit of trying to drag me on the leash, so first I taught her to heel and to walk on a loose lead. With the Flexi, I taught her to slow down whenever I made a short, gentle tug on the leash, so she never pulled no matter the length. I used the Flexi whenever we went on walks, as she could walk a lot faster than I could and it gave her pleasure to sniff around. When she passed away in 2007, I adopted Dusty, a 17-lb one-year-old Lhasa Apso, and we went through the same training. Whenever I needed him to stay close, I would slap my left hand on my thigh and tell him to heel. Then I would lock the leash short until we were past the situation, and say “okay” when he could move along again. He passed in 2020 and now I’m buying a retractable for my recently adopted 12-year-old miniature Poodle, now that he’s become trustworthy about walking on a loose lead. I would never use a retractable on a puller, a large or powerful dog, or one who is prone to excitable or aggressive behavior, but with some training and common sense I think they can be appropriate for small or medium-sized dogs.