Last night, a man was walking his dog when the handle of the
retractable lead slipped out of his hand. It bounced on the pavement and kept
bouncing as the dog ran away from the thing he thought was chasing him. The man
was devastated as his dog disappeared and no matter how fast he ran or how loud
he called, he could not get his dog to come back to him. Why? Because his dog
was running away from the noise that the handle made as it came along behind
him.
Hours later, a young person found the dog in a wooded area. The
plastic had broken off and was no longer chasing the dog. Fortunately, this
person had a treat, and offered it to the dog. The dog took it; the young person
led the dog to her home. The dog had tags with phone numbers, so the family
called the man and he was reunited with his dog. This was a happy ending to a
situation that often ends in tragedy.
Many people use retractable leads,
thinking that these give their dog the opportunity for more exercise. They can
stand on the edge of a field or the walkway of a park and let their dog run in
the grass.
But there are dangers to your dog and there are inconveniences
for other people when you use one of these leads in this manner.
The
major danger is that the dog gets away from you and the plastic holder is yanked
out of your hands. When this happens, your dog is being chased by a noisy handle
bouncing on the concrete or field. The faster he runs, the faster the handle
chases him, and the running dog loses his concentration, ignoring other dangers,
like running into the street and into an oncoming car.
Often, the dog
ends up either dead or lost.
Many people use these leads so that the dog
can control how much lead he has: in other words, the person does not lock the
lead to a set length, and the dog can control whether it is short (the dog is
next to the person) or long (the dog has wandered off). Recently, I saw a dog
and his person at an animal event: the person was looking at the wares of
different vendors, the dog was wandering around and getting his lead wrapped
around people and chairs. The owner seemed unaware of where the dog was until
the dog pulled too hard as the lead ended. This was dangerous for other people
and animals in the room.
I have not used a retractable lead for 10 years.
At that time, a dog got loose at a dog show dragging a retractable lead: he was
frightened by the noise the lead handle made as it bounced behind him, and the
faster he ran, the more noise the handle made causing him to run faster and
faster to get away from it. Unfortunately, he ran through a parking lot and into
the street where he was hit by a car. He did not survive.
I realized then
that these leads are dangerous, and on further reflection, I realized that these
leads deprive both the dog and the person of physical contact on the walk. What
do I mean?
If you use a good leather leash that is about five or six
feet long with whatever collar you prefer, there is a direct connection between
you and your dog. You feel changes in your dog’s attention, and the dog
immediately senses any changes in your direction. You are connected and when you
are connected, you will find that it is much easier to keep your dog’s attention
on you, meaning that both you and your dog will have a pleasant walk. This has
the added advantage of strengthening the bond between you and your dog.
When you use a retractable leash, you have no direct contact with your dog
because the handle takes your place, and the dog does not sense your intention
or your changes in direction. The dog is on his own, and you lose your wonderful
connection. If your dog needs more exercise, either run him in a fenced in area,
like your backyard, or an enclosed dog park, or just make your walks longer. He
will get plenty of exercise without having a 20-foot line that encourages him to
ignore you.
Jubilee