To retract or not to retract…that is the question!

One of my greatest pet peeves in the industry is the evil “retractable leash.” Even before I became a professional trainer, as a jogger, this retractable apparatus was the bane of my existence; the constant entanglement of my feet in the cords of dogs running wild.

Here are five reasons NOT to use them:

Retractable leashes foster pulling!
Teaching your dog to walk properly on a leash is virtually impossible using a retractable. It lends little, if anything, to leash corrections and dogs still seem to want to go further than the retractable leash allows. Using a short leash and teaching your dog to walk by your side is a far better alternative.

Retractable leashes are dangerous!
Recently, on a training session, my client described how she was backing out of her driveway and just missed hitting a small dog on a retractable leash. The dog, of course, couldn’t be seen because the owner was 10 feet behind.

Retractable leashes can kill!
A little distraction can be deadly. Dogs have wandered into the street and been struck by a car as the owner idly chats on the cell phone. My dog was viciously attacked by a dog (suffering from a severe case of dog aggression) because it charged and the owner had no time to put the leash on lock. Dogs can get quite a running start and easily yank that leash right out your hand!

Retractable leashes encourage alpha behavior!
Don’t prescribe to the thought that this sort of leash gives the dog freedom. Whether the dog is 10 feet ahead of you or by your side doesn’t make a difference to your dog other then sending a signal that she is alpha since she is the one always in front, leading the pack. 

Retractable leashes have no control!
I have a wonderful memory of Runyon Canyon where I found myself trying to untangle a dogfight where the two dogs actually tied themselves together with their respective retractable leashes making it nearly impossible to free them.

So let’s toss those retractable leashes, teach our dogs to walk by our side and leave the wandering to off leash dog parks!