I Hate Retractable Leashes – Dog Training – Dog Trainer – Behaviorist
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Sam Basso
PHOENIX , AZ AREA: (602) 708-4531
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I hate retractable leashes. These are those spring loaded leashes that allow a dog to pull ahead of the owner. In my experience, these types of leashes a.) tend to cause dogs to act more aggressively and to pull hard on the leash; b.) are more likely to trigger a fight with another dog since the dog that is straining at the end of the leash looks like it is in attack mode; c.) tend to be purchased by lazy and irresponsible dog owners who do not train their dogs to obey, and who tend to spoil their dogs, causing more aggression and bratty behavior; d.) undo most of the important aspects of your obedience training and leadership over your dog, especially obeying around distractions and coming when called, and over time they teach your dog to charge after other dogs, animals and even people; e.) are hard to control once the dog is at the end of the line, and can get caught in the leashes of other dogs, increasing the potential for a biting or attack incident; f.) do NOT cause the dog to get more exercise on the walk; g.) can cause a dog to run away from you, because if you accidentally drop the leash handle, many dogs will run from the plastic handle “chasing” them from behind and that could cause your dog to run into traffic and die; h.) have resulted in injuries to dogs and owners. I have seen many, many dogs and owners over the years, and the risks and the downsides far outweigh any supposed benefits. Whenever I see a dog on a retractable leash, I say to myself: there goes an untrained dog; there is a dog that might just attack me or my dog; and there goes a lazy and irresponsible dog owner.
One major problem is legal: most communities have leash length laws. If your dog is on a retractable leash, and it is extended past the legal limit, then there is the potential that you are not only breaking the law, but that your dog will be treated as if it was “off leash” in the event of an accident. That could open you up to some major liability.
Have you experienced the same problems with these leashes as I have? If so, please tell me about your experiences so I can write some further articles.