Why Retractable Flexi Leashes are Bad - Robert Cabral - Dog Training
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2018
- Flexi Leashes and retractable leashes cause immense injuries to people and dogs every year, but most are unaware of them. People let their dogs walk at the end of a long line and can't control the dog or the leash and serious injuries occur. Flexi leashes are particularly dangerous for small dogs and dogs that are high energy.
In this video I give examples of what a flexi leash can do to the skin on your body - You can see the line cut right through a steak in the middle of the video.... not for faint of heart. This could be your finger or leg - and it happens all the time. Retractable leashes cause countless injuries to people and their dogs. They can be a good tool under certain conditions, which I explain in the video, but for the average dog owner, I don't recommend flexi retractable leashes.
Be sure to subscribe to my channel and follow me on instagram and facebook as well.
#flexileash #retractableleash #flexileashinjuries #retractableleashdangers 
Животные
I use a short lead while walking him and take the flexi lead with me, once we get to our designated “play” and training spot I switch him out and let him do his thing for a while.
It’s a huge open area and our lead is 10M.
It works great for us.
I also suffer from bad anxiety and panic attacks and I know how unsafe it can be to completely let a dog off so I’ve always opted to use a flexi lead with my GSD, it helps a lot with my anxiety while also giving my dog freedom
Great idea. It is always best to know your limits/expectations.
Totally agree Robert. I see so many dogs on flexi leads with their owners buried in their mobiles and their dogs lunges to one side or the other causing major problems. I have a long scar down my forearm because of grabbing one to stop another dog attacking mine.Great point on the spook factor. Great video. I fell out big time with a person on my channel on this exact subject. Thank you for addressing this : )
You realise you can simply lock the flexi lead right? Or no?
Leave the mobile at home or in your pocket. That's not the fault of the leash, it's user error. I have a flexileash and it's great. Just lock it when appropriate. I have a terrier so her instinct is to chase. Flexileash allows an element of freedom in an appropriate place
@@posteveryside-beatsnews Well he can‘t lock the leash if it is not his dog running around in the flexi leash, and the actual owner is totally unaware of what is happening. And you wanting to stop a stranger dog on a flexi leash attacking your dog on a regular walking leash, is where the accidents happens because we don‘t have anything else than this thin line to hold on to because the owner is 20‘ or more away. So I totally agree with Rob. Using a flexi line for training 1:1 only yes! But for anything else than that a huuuuge NOGO!
We have never had a problem with ours, but I do see the potential difficulties.
I would rather use a regular long leather or nylon leash. When I was in middle school, my best friend and I took our dogs out for a walk; mine was a husky and she had a chow chow. She had her chow on a retractable leash and I had my guy on a nylon leash. The chow was staying pretty close to us since he was playing with my guy who was on a 4 foot leash. All of the sudden another person came around the corner with the small dog the chow took off toward the small dog, my friend tried to lock the leash but the lock failed. The chow ended up biting the small dog. I will never use a retractable leash, even for recall training. Not only did I witness these failing miserable but I have heard so many other horror stories with these leashes.
So it's not the leash but the people . I walked my previous dog for 14 years with a flexi but it does take constant awareness and forward thinking.
But having said that, now using a regular leash with my present dog, I do feel I have more control in situations things get tricky.
What I hate about the flexi leashes is that people will let their dog walk at the very end of the length of it and not control their dog who is not trained and will watch their dog confront another dog and do nothing to reel them in but laugh at their dog's "play". Or, the dog comes around the corner of an aisle and the owner is clueless as to what their dog is doing.
Love you're boy just patiently waiting, chewing his ball. Good advice for new owners!
Just about to go and buy one you talked me out of it I will take your advice as always
THANK-you! I was cynophobic for years, but I beat it, and now I'm a dog-lover, but you can imagine how I felt about these 'leads'. They're a nightmare! Training-tool, yes. Lead, they're not. 🙂
Many thanks and god bless you for every thing you do for dogs
A small dog I used to walk for my elderly neighbours was always handed to me on a flexi lead. One day, there was another dog across the road and my neighbour's dog went flying over to it (despite me having the lock on!). Since then, I keep a regular lead with me just in case I have to walk a dog with a flexi lead.
Also, I was training my dog in the park and was talking to an old couple. They said they walked their dog on a flexi lead, but one time he ran out onto the road and they couldn't pull him back. Unfortunately he was hit by a car and died in front of them. I don't know why they don't sell those leads with a big warning sign on them, explaining all the risks. They clearly have the potential to cause a lot of damage. Great video, couldn't agree more with everything you said
Thank you for this wonderful information!
this is a great video. when i was little, i used to play outside when it was pretty dark with friends. i was riding on my scooter with them on a mostly clear sidewalk. i was in the front, ( not to flex B) ), and this mom had her dog. the dog had a retractable leash as thin as a pencil, and ran across the sidewalk, right in my line of fire. Tripped right over, fell right on my chin, got a huge cut. the mom started screaming that I hurt her poor dog.
Hope you were ok!
This is a great video and very thorough. Thank you. Too many people misuse these leashes, and I'm always shocked when they defend their misuse and think they're giving their dogs more freedom. As you said, the dog doesn't have more freedom. They're still on a leash, just a little farther away and harder to control. People don't need to get so defensive. Just get a regular leash. It's a few bucks, and you and your dog will be safer for it.
My wife and I have used the flexi leash for over 11 years in 2 dogs for walks never a problem but obviously you if you have never been cut by a fast spooling line then you might not be aware of the potential. Like driving one needs to think about what they are doing. I can walk my dog with my eyes closed and be aware of what is happening by just listen to the leash spool in and out. I also know when he has decided to take off and hit the end of the line and be prepared for the tug. I believe that Roberts recommendations are for people that don't use there brain as there # 1 tool to think about what they are doing.
Yeah I learnt the hard way of grabbing onto it and had a pretty deep cut
I use a flexi leash on my old corgi for most our walks. She's slow, and sniffs a lot. If she does try to take off after a cat or towards another dog, I have decently good reflexes and my finger goes to the lock before I even realise what happened. When bringing her in, I pull her, release the lock and move the handle part towards her, lock again and pull. I never touch any other part of the leash than the very end that I connect to her, which has the little loop. She's not the biggest dog in the world tho, so she can't pull me anywhere. I would not feel comfortable doing this with a bigger dog. I have also seen the flexi leash rip, and dogs getting lose..
Yup, I use one but only with my old dog that will kinda walk off lead anyways.
Definitely not with the shepherd puppy.
Thanks for the insight. I was just thinking about getting a retractable leash. I'll consider your thoughts first.
True!!! Thank you!
Thank you. V helpful!
I recently tried walking my 20 lb terrier on a Flexi lead. Although she’s not strong enough to pull it out of my hand, I did worry that she might break the device or snap the lead if she bolted. Because of the many dogs and pedestrians in my neighborhood, it required too much of my attention to keep adjusting the distance and locking/unlocking the thing to avoid problems. I went back to a standard leash so I can relax. I wish I had seen your video beforehand.
thank you!!! Robert👍👍👍
Another great tip
Thank you, very good explanation! Amazing content as usual👍🏻
Yeah its a people problem I agree. I have a flex leash and i keep my dog on a short leash had it for a year and neve had a problem until it broke. I had no problem with a flex leash because I keep it at the same length most of the time and my dog is use to the length and I learned how to use the flex leash especially in the locked position The retractable leash eliminates excess leash when taking my dog on everday walks. At the park I let it extend for more freedom but to a certain extent. The dog is use to it at the park. A non retractable leash can also pose problems. I seen folks with long leashes and seen their dogs run and cause the leash to extend and then watch the owner try to uncontrollably try to pull the dog back. I ordered a nylon leash. The chorded leash as he mentioned can hurt a person. So I would say that it will depends on the owners leash discipline and proper training.
finally a video explaining the dangers or retractable leashes! my amstaff mix mauld a little pomeranian that was being walked on one of these, we were playing catch when the woman walked into the park with her yappy dog. called my dog back three times before he had, had enough of this little shit. as I was trying to grab hold of my dog I kept getting tangled up more and more in the retractable leash, to the point where both my legs were tied together, needless to say it didnt end well with the pom. the owner of the pom did absalutly nothing to help, what made it worse is she was on her phone the entire time her dog kept yapping at mine. apparantly this was the second time a dog of hers had been mauld to death. go fig.
I feel the same way. I always have a 6ft. leather led in the truck in case I have to walk a client's dog and all they have is a flexi. Two other things: I've had to use one a few times and locked it so the dog walked next to me and he tried running a few times and the lock eventually "gave". Didn't break, just stopped working. Also, I fell with a flexi keeps constant tension on the dog and he will never get the loose leash walking you want. Just switching from a flexi to a regular leash, I've seen dogs change the way they walk with you.
Good basic information for all pet dog owners.
You’re right my dog ran around me and I got cut on the back of my leg behind my knee it hurt really bad but glad it wasn’t too bad
Ill stick to my 4ft leash and keep my dog’s walks structured and disciplined out and about.
Almost lost two fingers because of this leash. My dog was walked in my yard because of New fence was being installed. As soon as we we out the door, my dog saw a squirrel and bolted, retracted the lead to full length within a few seconds, had no time to press the button, cause it happened so fast! As soon as the line retracted all the way the plastic handle ripped out of my hand. The handle tore into two of my fingers twisting them and almost breaking them. Everything happened within a few seconds. What a nightmare. Two fingers had cuts in them and both fingers and my hand were swollen black and blue very painfull. Please learn from other people's mistakes, don't use a retractable leash!
That thing you talk about a dog getting spooked and running in the middle of the road hash just happened to my friends puppy.
This makes perfect sense. Most of the issues seem to be a person issue rather than a dog issue. I guess not also makes a difference of your level of training and where you walk your dog.
I only use flexi leashes. I've got two large dogs and they are excellent. I do however wear gloves Incase I do need to grab the line which is rarely.
We had a terrible experience with that. My daughter was on her roller blades in the park. A friend of hers came up with a brand new puppy on retractable leash. The puppy ran around my daughter and wrapped the leash around her pulling her down right in on top of the puppy. The girl holding the leash could not control the puppy with the leash fast enough. to pull him in or adjust to his movement. The puppy died on the way to the vet of internal injuries. Thank you for the warning.
Omg! How traumatizing!
Everything you warn us about in this video has happened to me at one time or another. Thankfully I haven't lost any fingers. My dog DOES spook easily and has quickly run away from everyone as this MEAN scary clunky thing is chasing her. She is so much easier to walk now that I have been giving her a bit more structure than the retractable leash provided (the way I was using it).
🤣
I agree, I only use my flexi then i take him to an open space park but not fenced so he get's a bit of freedom but never for normal walking, even the 6ft nylon i have i never use the whole leash, like you said he'll use the max distance he can get, so if i keep him next to me , he'll feel the tension, not pressure, just a bit of tension and he'll stay next to me.
Nice video!
Very nice sir
I feel like this leash is just like anything else, it’s only as good as the person on the end of it. Pay attention and use proper training, I love this leash for my SD we just bought one of these.
They work well with french slip lead on recall correction
When I worked at a doggie daycare these were my most hated types of leashes. I think they should be banned.
Why? What didn't you like about them?lol you think they should be banned. 😂
There is a video on youtube granny walks great dane dog that cracks me up even though granny probably ended up in the hospital. I have never been a fan of these leashes and would rather use a long lead.
I agree with the video. I only use it to comply with dog must me be on lease area. I have a well trained dog and I still always have E-collar on him as we never what might happen. I am always concerned dog not on lease and no e collar be there dog is considered small and friendly but yet don't go back to their owner when called.
In other words, like any tool, you are supposed to use it in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and common sense. I don't walk our dogs, we have 3.5 acres of wooded property. We have 3 kennels adjacent to the house. In the nice weather, our dogs would rather be outside than sitting with me in my home office ... (hayloft in a 200 year old dairy barn). While most of our dogs will stay on the property, some breeds are wanderers and escape artists and will endeavor to dig under the fence.
For those we would occasionally use a 100 foot cable dog run that runs between our home and a tree. I can see the entire run from my sitting position at my desk and keep and eye on them from where I sit. When these wandering breeds would get out of sight when not leashed, I'd be outside calling them in. The more common 10 of 20 foot cable leashes that attach to the pulley can get tangled on obstacles, get between their legs whereas the retractable leashes do not. It works out fine in this situation.
good advice to consider. but with all those facts , i understand .extra care needed. i've been using flexis for 20 years. no problems. i have 3 dogs and they already know the drill.flexi is amongst the very best and made in germany. not like the crap that comes from china. those qualities you mentioned earlier,a real dog person should consider and learn but it works to walk my three dogs.regardless of what training you do,its not the last word pal!
gut demonstriert.genau meine meinung!!!!
for training or going to the bathroom--that's what retractable leashes are good for. Regular 6 ft leashes are best for walks, and being out in public.
I share your rage with these leashes.
Yes! You are 100% right. My little chipin as a puppy got rope burned on this leash, I thought it would be fun for him to explore so I got this leash and a stick on the ground moved as he stepped over it and spooked him and somehow it rapped around his leg (my fault of course for not pushing the buttonin time) and hurt him. So now he is terrified of any kind of leash on him so I'm having trouble leash training him.
I just wanted to ask people, "Do your dogs always walk at the end of the leash?"
Our dogs always left slack in it.
The dogs we had when I was a kid always walked right next to us, unless my mother or father asked them to give us more room, in which case they walked in front of us leaving slack and I don't think I ever saw them more than 5 feet in front.
They'd sit down if we were too far behind or turn around and come back to check on everyone.
I walked later dogs as well and they almost always left slack and would come back if they reached the end of the leash or got more than a few feet away.
Thank you for this video, I just got a new puppy yesterday and picked up a flexi leash for her, but I’ll make sure to get a regular one for walks. She’s still small and I worry she might be able to get through the fence and onto the road when playing in our garden. Obviously she will always be supervised, but do you think it would be ok to use while playing with her in the garden? Any advice would be much appreciated!
Although this is many, many years after the video, I feel it should be added that the buttons have a tendency to malfunction with dirt or water contamination which can cause catastrophic failure depending on your use of them. I have used them for recall training as well as hiking, as it is easier for me to coordinate creek jumps without accidentally getting pulled in (this has happened...oops). I do find it easier now to use a longer leash, because the button lock would stick on.
I once saw a dog chew through one of those cords in a second or two while the person was distracted and the dog took of after a squirrel at a park full of people, including kids.
Also, wouldn't it be better to use a 20-30 foot, standard style leash instead of a retractable leash? I feel like those give you more control in emergency situations, while still having the same benefits of the retractable.
What do you think on adjustable leashes? Those with the D rings on them that allows you to change the length
I use these but didn’t start until my pitbull was elderly. I take him where there aren’t any other dogs but recently have gotten concerned that if we did pass a dog and he ran too hard it might snap from wear and tear. So far hasn’t been an issue but the leash is a couple of years old now and we have moved to an area with more dogs around
Wow. I was about to order a couple Flexis. Not now!
Best response ever. Good choice, Douglas.
Never a problem with mine.
Ok
If they will " pull " THEY HAVE A BUTTON! That's what the button is for! You press the button for a custom length! That's how we walked ours
So they start running and then you click and then the damage their necks or die.
Thank you for telling folks about this!
He is spot on with that. on a side note i have seen one dog that got so spooked by a dropped retractable he refused to walk on leash thankfully the dog is glued to her dad and will follow him anywhere as long at there is no leash involved.
Operative phrase, " cannot control their dog." I trained my 160 lbs Bullmastiff full obedience using a Flexi. Great Product. German Engineered. Give a Porsche 918 to an amateur and they might wrap it around a telephone pole. Does that mean the car is at fault? Learn to use the product and you will get great results. Covers all the areas of walking. City Lead. Long Lead. As they say, " There are no bad dog leashes, just bad dog leash owners."
wow that raw meat slice really drove the point home!
you're easily pleased I wasn't so excited that raw piece of meat if he had shown the demonstration where it actually cut through it then it would've been impressive anybody could show you two pieces of meat you are easily pleased
This is one of those simplicity is key type of things
Hard to take them seriously they look like they are weak. 😊
Agree.
Those things break easy too
I agree with the risk of being cut with these leads. Also that people who are not looking and thinking ahead will run into problems with the lead getting tangled or the dog getting into trouble.
But you are using a small size housing case which is made for the smallest dogs on your large breed dog here. When you are holding the handle on the case you can't even get all your fingers in the grip. Then when you let the dog run off you left your hand open which of course meant that the handle slipped off.
If you have a problem with the lead then fine. But you don't need to set it up to fail to prove your points.
Never in 20 years we had an accident with these leashes.
In places where it is required to have your dog on a leash I find the 26 foot cord useful. My dog is well behaved and I do not let it reach the end of The cord nor do I ever push the break button, I act like it’s not even there and discipline my dog accordingly. But in places where you are required to have your dog on a leash like campgrounds and the such I find it useful if used properly.
Love it.. How some "Dog trainers" have made retractable leashes the issue, not the person or the Dog's Training. If the dog is pulling or out of control it does not matter what kind of leash you use. If you use a fixed lead 6ft or longer you have the same issues arise with use of fixed leads also. (Personal injuries to you or the dog.) Leashes are nothing more than tool for the dogs owner to use... Some cases the owner is the tool for the dog to use and in that case it doesn't matter what lead they use..
I agree these things are bad I always use 8 foot leashes.
Im only using this leash when im in forest with my dog(tape version).My dog is medium sized (12kg).I will never use it on casual walk
i used a 30ft leash that isn't a cord one was playing fetch and made the mistake of thinking i could grab it got a nice friction burn never did that again i use a glove when i play fetch now the leash was in case i needed to get him back and he decides not to listen at that moment
All your points comes from using it wrong. They are great for walking your dog, especially the tape type, if you use it like they're ment to. I've used them all my life with small dogs, they're easy to fish in if they happen to be at the end when encountering g a bigger dog. It never once occured to me to grab a tiny rope that's fast moving, in any situation. Any idiot knows it will burn. Most of the time I have my leashes locked at the shortest lenght with only the most solid part in use - you cannot say there's any difference at all to a "normal" leash - except then I can give the dog some more freedom in situations that call for it. I've actually never seen anyone leave their dog at the end of a 5m leash and lock it there, what would be the point of that? If you did, I see your potential for accidental strangeling etc. that you find to be a major mortal problem
Robert, what watch are you wearing in this video?
I hate flexi leads. I recently had the back of my legs sliced open by one of the cord ones, because someone's dog saw mine and wanted to say 'hi', so raced past me to get to him, slicing open the back of my legs in the process. I ended up grabbing the leash because it was cutting my legs, but thankfully at that point the dog had reached mine and they were sniffing so it didn't cut my hand.
I've accidentally grabbed the band out of reflex a time or two while training and I gotta say, not fun lol.
Like for the infomative video and one more LIKE for the GSD
I tried one of those flexible leashes years ago. Over time, the locking mechanism failed. I tossed it and haven't gone back since.
I just had a dog bit me that was attached to one of these. The dog appeared to be at the full extent of the leash. The owner had no control over the dog. It ran around the walker, who ran after it in an attempt to stop it which inadvertently gave the dog more room to go after me, and bit me.
Makes me squeamish because I almost cut my finger off this way with a kite string.
I'm using a flexi leash (standard 5m 50kg tape) and am very happy with it.
At first I think a harness is the correct way to use any leash. A collar like you're using is a no go with longer leashes.
Any walk I do with my dog I'm the one in control, allowing him his space, depending on circumstances.
The small vibration while walking away is enough to make him follow me.
And while he walks away, lightly pressing the blocking button gives him the signal that he's on the end of the limit I'll allow him.
If your dog is scared by its leash. Just let him get used to it.
The Flexi handle has a great grip. And are actually better. As you cannot loop it over your wrist. Creating dangerous situations while loosing balance.
And the new model with a stretchable end is just perfect for me and my dog.
I wouldn't say they're 'bad'. They're only bad if you're the type of idiot who's constantly glued to their phone during a dog walk. If you concentrate and actually look ahead when using them, they're great. My dog, who always used to pull, has stopped pulling since getting him a retractable lead. As long as you're not stupid, they work.
Damn, I see these everywhere. A lot of people use them. Can say the %, maybe awareness is spreading since I don't think I see them as much as I used to.
Hi Rob, is a 2m / 6.5 feet lead long enough for training?
Yes
I have been on green lines riding my bike at a high rate of speed and I see people with these types of leashes. The owners never control the dog. I have almost crashed or wrapped up the dog in my bike because of these leashes. They are horrible. I totally agree with you on this.
Is there alternative to retractable leash if one wants to give dog more lead while walking.
For my 20 month gsd every outing is pretty much a training outing.
Thanks.
Long line!
They break really easily if your dog decides to just go. Mine was the newer tape version.
i got nasty rope burn trying to save a runaway st.bernard grabbing that very leash....
Demonstration made it clear. 👍👍👍👍 My GSD is hyper active when he go out for walk...
Can you help with a 20 or 25 foot line? Lightweight for a walk in the woods?
check my online store at: robertcabral.com/shop
I still have a scar on my leg 10 years after getting a burn from one of these wire flexis after my dog took off and it got caught around my leg
God I hate seeing people use these things in general, especially since I'm a small dog owner who's already been attacked and had big dogs try to approach us on these types of leashes.
So my golden doodle is trained to heel so I Wald on retractable leashes
the tape cut my fingers pretty badly.
Just train your dogs!
I have a German shepherd and a Blue Healer and both knows if she pulls me at all I’m going to yank her back (which is uncomfortable for her) when she tugs on me she will slow down, or maybe walk more to the side and sniff around to wait for me. What I suggest is every time your dog start to pull you, yank them back or buy a dog chain so the more they pull the tighter it gets and eventually they will learn to stop pulling. That being said my dog also knows if she sees a cat running or anything, not to chase it because she knows if she tries to I will yell at her/grab her by the collar and scold her. I know scolding is hard to do to your dog but it’s necessary (NEVER hit them in any compasity) if your dog is timid/scared after you scold them that’s a good thing, you want them to be scared of being scolded just like kids! Just wait about ten minutes and pet them and act like nothing happened and they will perk back up :). I like these leashes because if you live in a small neighborhood with small yards dogs have little to no freedom and this gives them the chance to choose where they want to sniff around. But I don’t suggest you teach them how to walk on a leash with this device that would be messy. And make sure you hold the handle tightly! Not like he did 6:05 😂
Anyway I hope I helped anyone!
Living in a dog friendly apartment complex, theres just so much absurd dog owners using these leashes to walk their dogs. Mind you this complex has busy parking spots, reactive dogs, dogs that just want to be left alone, and pedestrians. I swear, owners walk their dogs with their dog fully out at 25-30 ft away from them. It’s absurd. Better than the incompetent off leash dog owners though which is another mess in itself.
I agree but my little 2 year old Yorke that weighs 8 pounds it works fine
basically, people need leash trayning themselves
I've been telling this to people for 3 years, but it's hard to tell people how they were wrong in buYING THE MOST EXPENSIVE LEASH THEY COULD FIND BECAUSE CAPITALISM
Capitalism is a CHOICE. Communism is NOT A CHOICE. See the difference? Having a choice versus not having a choice. Capitalism produces wealthy citizens, while communism produces wealthy leaders only.