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Comments 22

crysania4 September 9 2010, 19:00:45 UTC
Was this some sort of cheap knock-off of a Flexi lead? I find them pretty much not trustworthy but have had no problem with the real thing on my 50 pound dog. Also, tape leads. I never use those corded things and I don't know why anyone does! Sorry about your hand. That sounds painful.

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the_british_one September 9 2010, 19:05:04 UTC
Surprisingly it was the actual real deal flexi lead! I've known people who've had bad experiences with them before from what I just had happen to not being able to grip the lead properly and generally they aren't good for those who dont pay enough attention how long the let the lead go hehe but that bits obvious.

It was the right weight-size lead for teddy too!

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crysania4 September 9 2010, 19:07:39 UTC
Weird! I've used the real deal for the past two years and never had a problem with the lock down feature, even when my dog got all reactive and lunged and stuff. That sucks!

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teahound September 10 2010, 00:27:46 UTC
I've had problems with the lock on the one for our family's Schnau before. Either the button sticks in the loose position so I can't click it locked, or I'll lock it and it'll spring loose if she lunges. And she doesn't weigh nearly as much as your dog. @_@ We started using a non-flex leash pretty quick since she's excitable.

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doodykrista September 9 2010, 19:16:33 UTC
Something similar happened to me once, my boyfriends dog took off and I couldn't reel him in fast enough so I grabbed the rope not thinking and gave myself a good scar across my fingers. I HATE those leads and I will never ever use one again.

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notgarystu September 9 2010, 19:19:41 UTC
ow

Good thing you were able to slow down your dog and the driver was paying attention, but still . . . ow. That sucks. D:

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talonvaki September 9 2010, 19:33:15 UTC
Wow, I've never had that problem with a Flexi...although I've only used them on cats. Though to be honest, I prefer the Planet Dog Zip Lead; it only extends 6 feet, it has a strap to put over your wrist, and it fits in the palm of your hand, which makes it easier to control with your thumb.

But that's my biggest issue with the Flexi-Leads, they're hard to keep a hold of if you need to use your hands for other things.

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maenads_dance September 9 2010, 21:29:20 UTC
Can't say I understand why you'd use a short retractable leash with a dog, though - a regular one would be better for teaching manners and keeping control, imho. I get it with cats, because they're so low to the ground and I suspect would get tangled more easily (though I've never walked a cat on leash before).

BTW, totally off-topic though this is - you appear to be the resident leash-cat expert. I have two fat old males who have no desire to do anything but find sunbeams, and one WARRRGARBLE year old female. She's got, like, three times as much personality as required for any creature and is scared of nothing. And I have this persistent idea of walking her on a leash, if my fingers could survive putting a harness on her.

How did you go about leash-training your cat?

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crysania4 September 10 2010, 01:22:11 UTC
I can understand why someone would use a short retractable, especially with a dog who already has manners. If I'm not paying attention Dahlia will sometimes trip over the leash because she's too close to me and the leash hangs down beneath her feet. Any dog can get tangled up in a standard leash (and remember, some dogs are even smaller than the average cat!).

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goddessdi September 10 2010, 19:55:06 UTC
My older dog has this problem, he steps over his leash sometimes while I am trying to make the younger one actually go to the bathroom on our walks and he has arthritis so it is harder for him to untangle himself. I used flexi leads until recently because we lived on 10 acres and I didn't care if they ran around a little, just didn't want the little one to take off.

Since I moved in an apartment I actually use my regular 6' leads because of busy roads etc.

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maenads_dance September 9 2010, 21:24:22 UTC
I like flexi leads for some things - walking a dog who isn't yet proofed off-lead in open fields, for instance, or in pretty parks where dogs are required to be leashed. Gives him more of a chance to exercise his hound nose.

They're terrible, however, if you're walking in the woods (get tangled in everything) and I can think of no earthly reason you'd want to use one while walking near roads or along paths. It irritates me to no end when people will be walking MULTIPLE DOGS on flexi-leads - what kind of control do they expect? And anyway, I really do think it undoes good loose-leash walking skills.

I also have had a flexi lead crap out of me out of nowhere - the catch mechanism just broke, and so I spent the next mile walking back to my car manually adjusting the length of a lead no more than an eighth of an inch in diameter. Suuuucks.

I'm sorry you burned your fingers! So glad puppy's all right - and I hope you found your regular leash. ;-)

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the_british_one September 9 2010, 21:37:40 UTC

Thanks for the sympathy! Heh :)

Puppy is fine, seemed very worried at my yowling on our way home but once he found a stack of bandages I got from the chemist for my burn he soon went back to his playful ways...

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crysania4 September 10 2010, 01:24:08 UTC
And anyway, I really do think it undoes good loose-leash walking skills.

In my experience, no, it doesn't. I actually pretty much taught my dog proper leash manners on a flexi and the trainer I once studied with teaches dogs how to walk properly on flexis. Dahlia knows where the end of the leash is because the tension gets stronger the further out the leash is. She never pulls on it or on a regular leash.

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maenads_dance September 10 2010, 01:49:25 UTC
I suppose; but in my experience my dog reverted to a lot of his bad habits after I spent a couple of weeks with him on a flexi lead. It seems counterintuitive to me that a lead which promotes a dog pulling against pressure in order to move further out would be good for a dog with a pulling problem already - something that my dog and I need to work on.

Like I say, I think they can be good for some things and I don't have anything against someone using them provided they're not letting their dog run to the full extension on sidewalks/roads etc.

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