[QUOTE=Paks;7774106]
Try this brush http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/retractable-leashes-ask-a-vet[/QUOTE]
Did you mean this part - from the first paragraph?
“Retractable leashes don’t kill dogs. Inattentive people holding retractable leashes kill dogs.”
Isn’t that what we’ve been saying?
[QUOTE=S1969;7774139]
Did you mean this part - from the first paragraph?
“Retractable leashes don’t kill dogs. Inattentive people holding retractable leashes kill dogs.”
Isn’t that what we’ve been saying?[/QUOTE]
This part
“If you are an attentive person who uses a retractable leash responsibly, then more power to you. I have no problem with you. But one thing’s for sure: I’ve never met you.”
Well, I walk my dog on a flexi lead, and I own two guns and a truck. I’m a genuine menace to society.
The number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs is really disproportionate to the number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs I’ve met out in the “real world.”
[QUOTE=vxf111;7774282]
The number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs is really disproportionate to the number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs I’ve met out in the “real world.”[/QUOTE]
Well, I mentioned that in my first post; this board is not a good reflection of real life dog ownership. It’s like starting a thread complaining about people that don’t spay/neuter and keep “intact dogs” – on this board you’ll find that those of us that have intact dogs (and there are probably quite a few) don’t represent the general population at all.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7774282]
The number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs is really disproportionate to the number of people on this thread with highly trained, obedient dogs I’ve met out in the “real world.”[/QUOTE]
I think partially that’s because we are on a horse forum. Most people on COTH know how to work with animals more so than your average ‘has a dog or 2’ person. Though, again, I don’t think I’d really ever see me getting a flexi myself for one of my dogs, and have seen flexis cause small issues with inattentive/bad owners, this is, again, an owner issue. A flexi CAN be used in a responsible, proper, helpful way by a good owner, but as is the way it is, there are far more bad owners in the world and so you see the issues with flexis more. You also notice ‘bad behaviour’ more than ‘good behaviour’. If someone were to walk by you with a very well behaved dog, on a properly adjusted/used flexi you probably wouldn’t give it one thought. So you don’t ‘SEE’ the good behaving dogs cause you just don’t notice them. Obviously the wild uncontrollable dogs on flexis that nearly trip you or attack your dog, of course you will notice them.
I think it’s because as a group horse people are more animal savvy in general…
But the truth remains that 99% of the time, out in the world, people with flexi-leashes are not in control. They are the thin type os flexi-leash that is most likely to cause a rope burn. Most people with big dogs have a leash rated for lower dogs, probably because they’re lighter and have a smaller handle that fits more easily in the hand.
What people are saying THEY do HERE is not representative of most anything I see regularly when I walk my dog.
I have also seen firsthand the locking mechanism fail/break at the worst possible time. Unlike a regular leash where you’d see if it was fraying/wearing-- the flexi is coiled up inside the handle a lot of the time and there’s no way to see if the lock is going to malfunction.
They have their uses, but I really don’t care for them the way I see them used most of the time. People would be better served to just get a longer traditional leash if they want to give their dog more slack to roam.
[QUOTE=S1969;7774312]
Well, I mentioned that in my first post; this board is not a good reflection of real life dog ownership. It’s like starting a thread complaining about people that don’t spay/neuter and keep “intact dogs” – on this board you’ll find that those of us that have intact dogs (and there are probably quite a few) don’t represent the general population at all.[/QUOTE]
Well, this forum is also a reflection of how well people claim they’ve trained their dogs. That may or may not reflect reality. :winkgrin:
Flexi-leads are OK if you have a chihuahua sized dog, I guess. But there are a significant amount of dogs in my city who get hit by a car or bike because they jump into the road & the leash is too long to stop them. I think it’s unsafe to walk a dog on a leash without a traffic handle (or equivalent ability to hold your dog 2 feet from your body at a moment’s notice) in the city.
I use a lunge line for my dog attached to a harness when she plays in a large area where she shouldn’t be completely off leash but wants room to roam. Like an empty field or our cabin by the lake. She has a good recall but I don’t let her play outside anywhere unfenced.
[QUOTE=arapaloosa_lady;7774416]
Well, this forum is also a reflection of how well people claim they’ve trained their dogs. That may or may not reflect reality. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
True, but there are a lot of people that actively participate in various dog sports on this board, and no matter which one - it requires a level of control and obedience that far exceeds the average pet owner. If I can bring my dog into a building filled with 1800 unaltered dogs and bitches (some in season), and keep him under control on a 1/4" chain…he does not compare to the average pet owner. Does he heel on a flexi? No, but only because I don’t make him.
Actually, it might be fun to do a “roll call” and see who is really here. I’ll bet at least half the active posters have dogs titled in something, and probably most of the posters were the handlers.
We went to our city’s newly opened dog park last evening with our 2, on Flexis. BUT they were locked down to short length until we got in, then let out a bit to check things out and meet other off leash dogs. (We were in the 30 lb and under area.) Once it was determined there weren’t any badly behaving dogs, they went off leash. More dogs showed up and some started playing and running around. Miss Corgi got her bossy out, so she went back on the Flexi, but with some length so she could lay out and watch, but not try to herd. I do have to say there were no other Flexis at the park that I saw, but I was responsible with mine and her bossy self. The other guy stuck pretty close for the most part, but then started to try to play a bit. We mostly went for him but didn’t want to leave the other one a home.
You also won’t see my dog on his flexi ‘out in the wild’ either, if we go to town I use a regular leash.
[QUOTE=Angela Freda;7773092]
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.[/QUOTE]
Very true! But then why use the flexi at all on a prong or choke and not a regular leash, especially if it is going to be locked short the whole time? 
If the flexi is not going to be locked the whole time and will be released to let the dog reel out, I say it being attached to a prong or choke collar is inappropriate and counter-productive.
But then I’ve seen a dog with the prong collar flipped out, so who knows people’s intentions!:lol:
[QUOTE=vxf111;7774400]
But the truth remains that 99% of the time, out in the world, people with flexi-leashes are not in control. They are the thin type os flexi-leash that is most likely to cause a rope burn. …
What people are saying THEY do HERE is not representative of most anything I see regularly when I walk my dog.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this absolutely. Absolutely.
The topic of this thread is “why do people use them” so of course the people that do use them answered, and being in general animal people, many of us who train our dogs for competitions that include lots of off-lead obedience like Schutzhund (now IPO) and Agility, even “regular” obedience trials, do have well-trained dogs and are not like the general public.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7774682]
Very true! But then why use the flexi at all on a prong or choke and not a regular leash, especially if it is going to be locked short the whole time?
If the flexi is not going to be locked the whole time and will be released to let the dog reel out, I say it being attached to a prong or choke collar is inappropriate and counter-productive.
But then I’ve seen a dog with the prong collar flipped out, so who knows people’s intentions!:lol:[/QUOTE]
I don’t know ask the person who suggested that people do this.
My point was, as I’ve said, the Flexi CAN be used like a traditional leash when locked. Therefore, when locked, using it with a prong would not mean it was under constant tension, or therefore ‘harsh’…
If I was out/about and only had my Flexi to use with a prong… who knows why that might happen, life is complicated sometimes… and my dog needed the prong on… it would be possible to use the prong with a Flexi locked without it being under constant tension.
Luckily present dogs do not require a prong [or a choke, I hate the choke collars myself, if your dog gets into trouble, try grabbing that thing and see how your fingers feel- DOH!]
[QUOTE=Anne FS;7774728]
I agree with this absolutely. Absolutely.
The topic of this thread is “why do people use them” so of course the people that do use them answered, and being in general animal people, many of us who train our dogs for competitions that include lots of off-lead obedience like Schutzhund (now IPO) and Agility, even “regular” obedience trials, do have well-trained dogs and are not like the general public.[/QUOTE]
Exactly that was the question, ‘why do you use one’… I think the answers have been pretty clear.
[QUOTE=Angela Freda;7774844]
Exactly that was the question, ‘why do you use one’… I think the answers have been pretty clear.[/QUOTE]
I think the OP was hoping people would say “because I’m lazy, and don’t feel like training my dog.” 
We spend a lot of time training, already…I’m ok with how they walk on a leash at the moment…flexi- or otherwise.
I have a flexi that I use to take my dogs out to potty in my own backyard, because it’s not fenced and the dogs prefer a little privacy to attend their business. We never walk on a flexi. Ever.
Doesn’t this forum get replies according to the title. If the title had been “I love Flexi-leashes, they are so freeeee-ing for my dog”, a whole lot of people wold have come on board praising them, and saying how well trained their dogs are…because the people who can’t train a dog, or have one that pulls, would not answer.
It’s like the crank noseband threads - you would think that nobody uses them here, or at least nobody tightens them up in a ‘cruel’ fashion – but we know a lot of dressage riders do judging by what we see at shows.
How about those who don’t neuter their dog - nobody will admit they have entire dogs and let them run loose, not here, anyway.
[QUOTE=S1969;7774856]
I think the OP was hoping people would say “because I’m lazy, and don’t feel like training my dog.” We spend a lot of time training, already…I’m ok with how they walk on a leash at the moment…flexi- or otherwise. :)[/QUOTE]
No I was hoping maybe one or two people would read it and have an aha moment as to why their dog is pulling on them and maybe just maybe there is a very slight change they would google about how to teach your dog to heal or maybe even go to an obedience class. Lofty goal I will admit.
For a laugh, I present The Dog Snobs .
Flexi-Leash Haiku
By BusyBee
Oh how I loathe you
Small invisible wire
Flexi-leash of doom
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