Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
Being tethered to a dog inextricably is an absolutely terrible idea. I didn't even have to hear that story to form that opinion. I also do not like those long cable or rope leashes that retract like a fishing line, those suck. Also dangerous.
When I had my dog, I only had a 4' leather or woven nylon leash. He never needed to be further from me on a walk and if we were somewhere dog safe, I'd let him free range.
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My guess is that it should have been pretty easy to squeeze a clip and release the dog. The problem is if you're suddenly pulled off your feet, and you panic, you may not think about "pinch the clip" as much as your brain going "FACK! FACK! FACK!!!!"
I also don't think that the retractable leashes are a problem as long as you get the right one. Some (many/most) have a short nylon web ribbon connected to a metal ring that then connects to a relatively thin line. I think those are a bad idea even for someone like me with an 11# mini dachshund. There are also models with various lengths of extension (10', 16', 26' seem to be the most common).
In my opinion, the best bet is to get one where the entire reel is a flat nylon ribbon, basically just a flat nylon leash on a spring loaded reel. And don't get one too long, especially with bigger, stronger dogs.
It drives me nuts when I see someone being pulled along by a dog. I've also seen where a family has something like a 10 year old girl walking a 50, 75, 100# dog. That seems like an accident waiting to happen. I'm sure there are some dogs that mind well enough to be perfectly safe under those circumstances. I suspect those dogs are the minority, like comparing HS rock bands to the Stones or Aerosmith.
I had an retractable leash for our dachshund. It was a 16' leash. At 11# I could have let him get a running start and run to the end of the 16' and not lost control, but if he did start to run, I was also able to squeeze the trigger and lock him up before he built up a head of steam.
with our 35# dog, I had something similar, but it was only a 10' model. She was fast, and I didn't want her to have much runway if she spotted a squirrel or whatever.