It’s a tool like any other. Some people know how to use it appropriately, most do not. And of course it’s the moronic use that gets the attention, not the sane and sensible use.
[QUOTE=Paks;7771721]
I have seen 100’s of dogs on flexi leads. I’ve never seen a well behaved dog on one.[/QUOTE]
Well, I guess you haven’t seen mine then. My parent’s dog is vocally trained and I use a flexi when I go to the Greenway (walking path) with her. I’m also very proactive and can reel her in and use the lock when we come across people or (especially) other dogs. She’s a rescue and reactive to other dogs given the chance, but I don’t give her that chance. That said, I also carry another lead in case it’s busy, and she does just fine on that as well.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7773065]
Maybe the point Jive is trying to make are prong and choke collars are designed to be neutral most of the time when there is no tension and to only engage briefly under tension. A flexi keeps those collars under constant tension, thus constantly engaged…inappropriate use of those training collars that, at best, leads to desensitization and physical changes. At worst, physical damage.[/QUOTE]
Not exactly.
To remind everyone, one can lock the flexi leash, at least the ones I have had, and use it like a traditional leash, thus an appropriate leash for those collars.
The current flexi-leash I use also has a hand loop in the first portion of the leash that does not retract into the handle… such that I can use that to hold instead of the plastic handle if I choose… but I prefer the handle myself. It fits perfectly in my fist and with fingers closed there’s little chance of it getting pulled from my grip should the Beags see that stinkin’ instigator ground hog in the yard and lose her pee-wee mind.
I agree that unlocked a Flexi is not appropriate/useful to use with those collars, but when locked it’s just like a ‘normal’ leash.
[QUOTE=wendy;7772145]
people use Flexi leads because they can’t or won’t train their dogs, pure and simple.
If you want your dog to have a bit of freedom and run about and sniff, you need to teach your dog to come when it’s called, so you can actually let it run around and sniff. [/QUOTE]
Seriously? So you think it’s okay to just let your dog off leash to run even in places there are leash laws? News flash…it’s NOT okay. I don’t care how well behaved you think your dog is, it should be on a leash if it’s the law.
I have two dogs that walk well on flexi leads…a cocker and a collie. They never pull and listen well to voice commands. The hound and lab would be OK 90% of the time…it’s the 10% that’s a problem. So they don’t go anywhere on a flexi lead.
That being said, everyone gets a 6’ lead if we’re going to the vet.
[QUOTE=yellowbritches;7772634]
They should be BANNED from horse shows. [/QUOTE]
I agree with this 100%.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7772626]
Never seen that type and I was just in Petsmart looking at leashes yesterday.
Think how many cats you’d need for the feline sled team… 50… 100 
you know that saying about cat herding…[/QUOTE]
Here you go, vxf111 - just what you need for your 65 lb pulling cats: http://www.amazon.com/Flexi-Comfort-Compact-Retractable-Large/dp/B000LXY6TW
Am I surprised that, when googling Flexi-lead, “dangerous” was the first pop-up? COTH is a trend-setter!
[QUOTE=Big_Grey_hunter;7772449]
How is that the flexi’s fault? The dog is just as capable of pulling a nylon leash out of the owner’s hand.
This is such a ridiculous rant. My dog heels beautifully off leash. “Heel” for the left side and “With me” for the right. He even has a perfect heel/with me next to my horse.
He also knows how to walk on a flex lead, so if we’re somewhere he’s not allowed off leash (road trips, horse shows, some dog parks) he can still run around. I find the flex is better because I can allow him to run around then bring him to the heel (by voice, no reeling necessary) without worrying about extra leash getting stuck around his feet or tangled with my old dogs leash.
I do get a kick out of walking past leashed dogs barely under control, while my dog calmy heels off leash next to my horse.[/QUOTE]
Walk your horse on a flexi when he is doing airs above the ground and trying to bolt and see which gives you better control and is easier to hold onto…a cotton web longeline or a hard plastic handled flexi. If flexis were easier to hold, then lead ropes and longelines would come with them.
Dogs can pull on a flexi leash as well as a regular leash if they are in a collar that allows it.
While I don’t personally like the flexi leash as its just too big a handle for me to deal with, my husband does. My 90 pound Rottweilers go fine in it. Why? Because they have been trained and are in a correct collar that doesn’t let them pull!
As stated earlier-its not the leash problem its due to a people problem.
Dogs at horse shows-again, train your dogs to behave and don’t let them just hang out all alone on the golf cart all day.
[QUOTE=jetsmom;7773681]
Walk your horse on a flexi when he is doing airs above the ground and trying to bolt and see which gives you better control and is easier to hold onto…a cotton web longeline or a hard plastic handled flexi. If flexis were easier to hold, then lead ropes and longelines would come with them.[/QUOTE]
If a 1000 lb horse wants free, it doesn’t matter what you are holding on to. Same thing for the average size/strength owner with a Saint Bernard. I know people who have been badly dragged by both horses and big dogs because they didn’t let go (all with leather/nylon/cotton leashes/lead ropes). Again, that’s a training problem, not a leash problem.
Oh Blinky! Sport Horse Nationals is starting tomorrow in Nampa, ID and there have already been Facebook posts about loose dogs running all over the Idaho Horse Park. eyeroll
[QUOTE=cowboymom;7772723]
So are some of you intentionally insulting the few of us brave enough to speak up and say we use the leashes that you don’t like? I’d really like to know that. I’m a tool? Ignorant? Clueless and inattentive? Have ill-behaved dogs ALL based on my choice of leash?
Be clear.[/QUOTE]
No. But what I am saying is they those who i have seen using them are not the greatest of dog handlers and almost all of them are inattentive. It is a very rare encounter I have with someone being a good dog handler walking their dogs on a flexi. Hopefully, if I were to encounter ou, you would be the rare exception.
[QUOTE=Teddy;7772604]
Am I condemed for using it while taking my cats on a walk?[/QUOTE]
Funny you bring that up! I’ve told this story on here before:
My mom has a cat that takes daily walks on a leash/harness and has been doing so for most of her (the cat’s) life. One day mom (while using a flexi leash) accidentally dropped the handle on the driveway behind the cat. Then the cat tried to run away from the “monster” that was trying to attack her. However, the more she ran, the more leash handle “chased” her. (because it was attached to her harness)
So my mom is chasing a terrified cat, who is being “chased” by an evil flexi leash handle that is clattering along behind her. :lol: The poor cat was so scared that she somehow managed to wedge herself under the garden gazebo - but was caught by the handle of the leash. Mom had to call my dad to come home, and he ended up pulling off all the boards along one side of the gazebo to get to the cat. :eek:
So, yeah. The flexi leash went right in the trash after that! :winkgrin: I highly recommend you get a flat nylon leash for your cats before tragedy strikes and you traumatize them for life.
:lol:
Think I will get one, tie it onto Fat Edo for some exercise!
For all you posters who have the perfectly behaved dog on the flexi-leash, be honest, there are dozens of people with badly trained dogs running all over the place. I just hate it when I have to move to avoid tripping on one of those things because you don’t know where the dog will go next.
Just read Bluey’s thread about her sitting in the vet’s office with her little dog beside her when a large dog comes in with a harness and retracting leash - it chewed her dog up pretty badly.
My cats learned to walk on fixed leashes… Uncooperatively
Wow, not sure I’ve ever been painted with quite so broad a brush.
I take my dog out regularly on a Flexi lead. I live in an apartment with no fenced area, so we go out with a 16’ tape lead. I have a more-or-less JRT/beagle cross. We go for walks with it, including to our local downtown and greenway. I just have the sense to utilize the locking mechanism when we are next to the road or around many people. Pretty much the only time he has free rein on it is when we are at home, and he’s doing his business.
We use a 4’ nylon lead for more social situations (it’s actually the hanger for a Lik-it holder, lol)
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;7773960]
For all you posters who have the perfectly behaved dog on the flexi-leash, be honest, there are dozens of people with badly trained dogs running all over the place. I just hate it when I have to move to avoid tripping on one of those things because you don’t know where the dog will go next.[/QUOTE]
I’ve seen dozens of badly trained dogs running all over the place in lots of different leashes. Personally, I think some of the worst are in harnesses - regardless of the leash. It’s not uncomfortable to pull, and you have no leash control at all. But, whatever…it’s their dog, their arm, and their insurance issue.
Then again - I moved from downtown in a city where dog owners congregated in the “dog park” and all kinds of bad manners were seen – to a more suburban area of the city, where there was no dog park and the poor dogs never got any exercise at all – to the country, where I have no neighbors because I don’t like people anyway. 
My dogs are happy, and no one cares what kind of leash I use.
Obviously, in places like a vet clinic - of course I don’t use a flexi, and agree that they should be banned.
[QUOTE=WNT;7773989]
Wow, not sure I’ve ever been painted with quite so broad a brush.
[/QUOTE] Try this brush http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/retractable-leashes-ask-a-vet
