People ask me all the time: "Are Flexi Leads good?" And most resources will tell you 'no', but then why do so many people still use them? Why do so many shops still sell them?
Well, the short answer is that they are an easy solution: You don't feel your dog pulling as much and honestly... it's a lazy way to walk a dog. They can be useful, in very few situations, but owners should be aware that they are dangerous for you, your dog, as well as other people and their dogs.
Injuries:
The most common injury occurs when owners grab the lead as a reflex, which causes burns and deep cuts. Fractures are common too.
Wrapping the cord around either you, your dog, or another dog is another way to cause an injury.
A sudden tug when the dog has a good run and then suddenly reaches the end of the lead is common and causes damage to the neck.
Having a dog constantly tug on a stretchy lead which is bound to snap sooner or later. Cords snapping and flinging back into the owner can cause all kinds of injuries!
Training:
Because the lead is retractable, there is always tension there on the harness or collar. This means that when the tension is not there (such as when walking on the lead in a locked position, or on a Normal lead) your dog may pull to find that tension.
Your dog will be used to running on lead - that’s not appropriate, nor is it going to encourage nice walking or checking in with you.
Because of the lead handle being so big, it’s common for it to slip out of owner’s hands, especially when wet or cold. When it hits the floor, it makes a loud crash which is very startling and can cause fear issues. In addition, if the lead has a particularly strong retractability, when you let go, it can end up retracting itself and injuring the dog.
Danger:
There is no control. I don’t like the word ‘control’ in terms of training, because I am not my dog’s boss, however sometimes control is necessary. One of those times is to provide safety, such as near a road. I cannot provide safety with a flexi lead.
In addition to the danger near a road, there is also the danger of your dog running up to other dogs. How do you know that dog is friendly and safe? You cannot take your dog away from and aggressive dog using these leads.
Even if they are safe, these leads getting tangled up is a nightmare and it puts both dogs in a vulnerable position as they cannot get away from each other. When dogs feel vulnerable, the survival instinct is fight or flight. With leads tangled, they cannot flight, so are more likely to fight.
Reliability
These leads are prone to snapping, even with smaller dogs. Unfortunately I’ve heard so so many horror stories of dogs running out into the road because of snapped leads.
It’s not always the lead snapping either, sometimes it’s the lock failing to click into place and your dog keeps running.
It’s also very common for these things to happen due to human error. As much as we think ‘it’ll never happen to us’, I can’t tell you how many people it actually has happened to. Either from the lead slipping out of owners’ hands or from them forgetting to lock the lead near a road.
To summarise, avoid these leads at all costs!
The only time I would use a flexi lead is in an open space where there are no roads or other dogs. In which case, you’d be better off having your dog off lead, or if you can’t guarantee a recall, on a long line instead.
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