The Retractable Leash… The Devil’s Leash?
Retractable leashes, also known as Flexi leads, are the kind of leashes that retract in and out of a bulky plastic handle.
I'm going to come out of the gate to say that I differ from a lot of dog enthusiasts and professionals, because I don't hate retractable leashes. This tool would not exist if it didn't fill a need. When used appropriately, it is a lovely tool!
Personally, I bought my first retractable leash when we amputated my 11 year old dog's front leg. He was tripping on the long line, and I found the retractable leash to be a much better solution for him. When a dog loses a leg, it is actually easier for them to move faster because the hopping takes more energy than running, and especially for front-amputees, there is a lot of pressure that can be painful that gets put on that front leg when hopping around. Cooper runs up a ways, stops and rests and waits for me to catch up. For me, the combination of not wanting him to trip on a leash, and the constant forward motion. This is a pretty specific, personal reason, but if it is a reason that I have, there are no doubt others that make this decision for the same reason I am extra careful about keeping him away from potential dangers. I walk him more often in a field and less on the sidewalks. When we are on the sidewalks, I don't let him get as close to the street as I may have with the long line because I know I won't be able to reel him in quickly if danger presents itself.
There are, however, some very real and serious safety risks that come with the retractable lead. Let's explore the retractable lead together.
What kind of dogs do WELL on a flexi?
These are the kind of dogs that the owners never feel like they need the help of a professional. They don't startle easily. They don't lunge when they see other dogs or people while out walking. Dogs that have never ever ever ever ever EVER put their teeth on another dog, domestic animal or a human's flesh. And I mean never. Dogs that have REALLY REALLY REALLY solid recall. I'm talking about the kind of recall when something wild and crazy and super-exciting is happening, and your dog will still come running when you call. These are the kind of dogs that do well on a flexi. No startle, no teeth usage, excellent recall, no lunging or big reactions to anything - cars, people, dogs, squirrels, etc.
Unfortunately, reactive dogs don't fit this description. If you have a dog that lunges at things (cars, people, other dogs, bicycles, baby strollers, etc.), the flexi gives you very little physical control over your dog's body. Some people may keep it on lock to combat this issue, but this defeats the purpose of using a flexi lead, and a solid leash is still much safer.
The Good
1.) Many people want to give their dog more freedom than a standard 4-6 foot leash. I fall into this camp as well! I desperately want dogs to have the opportunity to move more freely. There is just more ROOM, physically for the dog to move, and more room to make correct choices. When we give dogs more choices that are acceptable to us, they can make more choices that are acceptable to us. Fewer of the dog's choices are seen as bad or wrong in the human's eyes. This leads to a stronger relationship because the human isn't angry with their dog as often, and the dog retains some autonomy, and those are all things that help maintain a stable healthy dog and healthy stable relationship between species. I fall into that give my dog more freedom camp. That is why flexis have a good checkmark in my list of pros and cons.
2.) People like the flexi is there is less tangling. Some folks are concerned about the leash getting under their dog's legs. Luckily, unless your dog has some really sensitive skin or leash sensitivity or phobias, most dogs do not care about the leash getting under their legs. Interestingly, many people will use aversive methods to control their dogs (shock, pinch, choke collars, etc.), but they'll get deeply concerned about the dog's discomfort if the leash gets under the dog's legs, which is very interesting to me. People like the flexi because it doesn't get under the dog's legs very often. I think this is an education thing; the dogs don't really care, so we shouldn't care. While it goes in the pro column for flexi users, this is a non-issue in my book.
3.) Some people find the handle easier to hold onto. I do think that if people knew how to hold a solid leash appropriately, this would be a non-issue. I think if people learn to hold a leash (particularly a long line) and get over the leash-under-dog panic, this would fall away as an issue. So while this goes in the pro column for some folks, it is a non-issue to me.
The Bad
Let's just get it out in the open. There are valid reasons why retractable leashes have a bad rap.
1.) In my opinion, the most serious issue is how difficult it is to "reel in" a dog that's connected to the end of a retractable leash. The mechanism in the retractable lead is built to let line out when there is pressure; as long as there is pressure, the line doesn't come back in. There is no button or motor that physically reels the dog in. If you get into a pickle when your dog is 15 feet away from you, there is no fast way to physically pull your dog in towards your body. You can lock the leash, which prevents the dog from continuing to move away from you, but shortening that leash without the dog's cooperation is just really difficult, and can actually leave the handler with an injury. These leashes can cut into flesh like butter and even sever fingers.
2.) If you drop the handle of a retractable leash, it will make a loud noise. The noise alone can scare many dogs, but if the leash was unlocked when it fell, it will immediately start to retract. Without the tension provided by a human hand, the handle will start to "chase" the dog. Many dogs find this disturbing, and will run away from the handle, which of course doesn't work, and only adds more chaos to the calamity. Depending on your dog's resilience, this could be a traumatic event, and could cause leash reactivity or other leash walking problems. These handles are bulky and easy to drop, so adding a wrist strap to the handle (and attaching that to your wrist every time) increases safety.
3.) Retractable leads allow dogs with less observant handlers to wander unescorted into other people’s and dog's space. The owner isn't paying attention to their dog, doesn't have the leash on lock, doesn't realize that their dog is moving toward another dog or a human. And that human or dog may not want to be interacted with. They may be sick, or have an allergy to dogs. It may even be dangerous. Many people have dogs that are just fine with appropriate distance, but when their space is invaded, they dislike that. And SOME dogs do use their teeth to express their displeasure (and those dogs are not appropriate for flexi leashes). Those dogs SHOULD be wearing muzzles too, but it's also the owner of the dog that is encroaching on another's dog's space to ensure their dog isn't doing things that it shouldn't. It seems like a lot of folks that use flexi leads just aren't paying attention to what their dog is doing. Part of this may be because flexi users tend to have really sweet, easy, gentle dogs, and if you've only every had dogs like this, you may believe that all dogs are like this. If you’ve only ever been exposed to easy, docile dogs, you may not realize that not every dog is sweet and gentle, and you may think that it is fine for their dog to go up to other dogs. But this is rude and dangerous! As responsible handlers, it is always our duty to keep our dog at a respectful distance from others. If your dog is getting into trouble before you're even aware, something bad can happen long before you could ever react.
Once a dog on a flexi is going up to someone or another dog that isn't consenting to be interacting to this, and the owner notices and is like oh shoot, I need to get my dog out of there. Then we are back to that issue of not being able to pull your dog out of there physically, so you have to rely on recall. Which is why in my list of appropriate dogs, I said that dogs with the most solid recall are a good fit for flexi lead usage. You want the kind of dog that will come back even if their favorite thing is in front of them. And this is HARD. This is hard even for the best, most polite dogs. And it can feel impossible for dogs with Issues.
4.) Stopping to tie shoes is difficult with a flexi lead. With the flexi, you can't really do it well. I end up letting out a bunch of leash, lock the mechanism, then step on the ribbon with my foot to keep it under control. I tried to step on the plastic handle part, but the bulk didn't feel safe. If the dog spooked or lunged, the handle could have shot out from under my foot.
5.) Many anti-flexi folks will say that these leashes teach your dog to pull. This just isn't true. It's not factual. Their logic is, “when your dog puts pressure on the leash, they get more line, so it teaches them to pull.” But the amount of pressure required to engage that mechanism is so small that dogs don't even notice. Most dogs that pull are putting way more pressure on the leash without ever even having been on a flexi leash. When you dive into this argument, it doesn't hold water.
6.) The more space your dog has between you and the end of their leash, the more speed they can rack up. This is just physics; it's why we take a running start when we need to jump over something. More speed means harder stopping force. And if you're holding a flexi lead handle, you might drop it when that force is acted upon your hand. But again, this is why dogs that lunge, startle and chase aren't good candidates for flexi leads. I prefer to use long lines, usually about 15 feet. The speed problem is real, but I don't find it to be as big of a deal when we hold the leash correctly. So while this is a valid concern, if we have the right dog using this leash, we should never (or rarely) encounter this issue.
7.) Retractable leashes are not safe for use with reactive dogs.
If you are walking, and a trigger appears, and you weren't prepared, now you've got a reactive, potentially dangerous dog running to the end of the line and lunging at a person (or a dog or trying to chase a car, etc.). You probably would rather have your dog closer to you rather than 15-20 feet out in front of you when they're having a reaction like that. At the very least, you will want to get your dog away from the "victim" so that the person is not afraid. But you have limited options to pull your dog back to you at this point. If you push the lock button, that prevents them from going out further, but that doesn't help if the dog is already at their maximum distance, and it is so hard to reel that in. This is where people often drop the handle, either because the handle pops out of your hand when the dog hits the end hard, or, because your adrenaline is up, your cortisol is up, you're not using your prefrontal cortex, you're using probably your amygdala, which is tasked with getting you out of danger quickly. You're not able to make the best, most rational decisions when the amygdala is in charge. The Amygdala's job is to keep you safe, so it does the fastest, easiest thing it can think of to get you out of danger. You're bypassing your critical thinking skills when you're in this elevated state. So this is when people's hands will fail them, and now the dog is free to run off, attack, chase a car, etc.
AND THEN, to add to this chaos, we have this big piece of plastic that looks like it is chasing the dog from the dog's point of view. Some dogs may not care, but for many dogs, this is the stuff of nightmares. If it is on lock, it stays the same distance from the dog, so they feel like they're never making progress on escaping. It is nearly impossible to catch a running dog because they have four legs and they're just faster than humans. And if it is not on lock... have you ever played with a tape measure? Maybe when you were a kid and you and a sibling were stretching it out and your sibling who had the big metal box part lets go, and you're still holding on, and this big Thing comes flying at you, and it can hurt you when it hits you because it has gained a bunch of speed, reeling itself in. The same thing happens with a dropped flexi handle. When it gets to your dog, it could hurt them because, well physics. It's moving fast, and when things move fast they HURT if they make contact. So then we can end up with a traumatized dog, making them even more reactive or difficult to walk in the future.
Making a purchase
If you have a dog that you think will do well on a flexi lead, and you’re ready to buy, shopping for the right flexi lead for your body is important.Another thing you need to look out for when using/choosing a flexi lead is how easy it is to hold the handle in your hand. I personally have pretty small hands. Some of these flexi handles have buttons that I can't reach easily. You don't want to need to adjust your grip in order to use the button because in an urgent situation, you need to act quickly, your body doesn't work as well especially under stress. I know I've said before, when your adrenaline and cortisol shoot up, your prefrontal cortex (the smart, rational part of your brain) isn't in charge, and you need to rely on habits to get through to safety. You need to choose a flexi lead that fits your hand in a way that your thumb can reach the button without adjusting your grip at all.
So what do you think? Is a flexi lead right for you?