I'm really not sure what to think of this comment
- Thread starter Scooter
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I had a pretty bad experience about five years ago with them, so I no longer use them...
I had a Flexi leash for Rufus, for our walks in the woods, as he liked to go sniffing in the bushes, and I wasn't keen on getting all scratched up...
Anyways, my foster, a shepherd mix, had a really thin leash when I got him from the rescue, and I didn't want to use Rufus's nice embossed leather one (this was before I collected collars.
), so I used the Flexi that night until I could get to the store to buy a new one...the dog wound himself around my leg, and the leash line sliced through, right above my knee, leaving a huge, deep, long wound...and a ER visit and eleven stitches later...I vowed never to use Flexis again...
So now it's six-foot leashes for me...
-Rosefern
I had a Flexi leash for Rufus, for our walks in the woods, as he liked to go sniffing in the bushes, and I wasn't keen on getting all scratched up...
Anyways, my foster, a shepherd mix, had a really thin leash when I got him from the rescue, and I didn't want to use Rufus's nice embossed leather one (this was before I collected collars.
), so I used the Flexi that night until I could get to the store to buy a new one...the dog wound himself around my leg, and the leash line sliced through, right above my knee, leaving a huge, deep, long wound...and a ER visit and eleven stitches later...I vowed never to use Flexis again...So now it's six-foot leashes for me...
-Rosefern
I've heard of a few cases where a dog hung itself while the owner was frantically trying to fight through the brush to save it. But the main problem with them, IMO, is that it makes it so easy for a dog to be hit by a car. Let's say someone is walking with the dog ten feet ahead of them . . . Suddenly the dog sees a squirrel and runs sideways, out into the street. The dog could easily be hit before the owner has a chance to reel it in.
I could see the flexi being useful in an open field with no traffic around, but I wouldn't trust it around cars. I used to walk my grandma's dog on a flexi (it was the only leash she had) and it was a nerve-wracking experience. I hated that thing. (The leash, not the dog. )
I could see the flexi being useful in an open field with no traffic around, but I wouldn't trust it around cars. I used to walk my grandma's dog on a flexi (it was the only leash she had) and it was a nerve-wracking experience. I hated that thing. (The leash, not the dog.
)i have flexis for the chis and love them, however i like to think of myself as one of those responsible flexie owners, when on the street or anywhere there are vehicles the flexi is locked into a 4-6ft lenght, when were in the woods the flexies are locked at the 4-6ft length (i dont liek them sniffing through bushes as theres lots of poisen oak and ivy round here and i have SEVER allergies)
when were in the open feilds or the park they get full lenght so they can run and play, there are no off leash areas around where i live so...
ive NEVER had a problem with them...but as i said, i know how to use the locking feature, im always well aware of where we are and whats around us and im always extra carefull!
when were in the open feilds or the park they get full lenght so they can run and play, there are no off leash areas around where i live so...
ive NEVER had a problem with them...but as i said, i know how to use the locking feature, im always well aware of where we are and whats around us and im always extra carefull!
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YES!!!! they are terrible creations! when Milo was only a few months old, someone i know (from another message board) with a JRT his age, was walking his dog on the corner, and when a car sped around the corner, the dog darted under the wheels, and the leash didn't lock in time.
this is only one of many many stories i've heard.
this is only one of many many stories i've heard.
I don't allow them in class but do talk about them. For walks in large park areas (not off leash parks) they can be a very handy tool for a dog who already has good leash manners. I have a 25 foot one for Sophie that we use every single day in our provincial park. She swims with it and has had it for almost 4 years. I still check it often and I have a backup waist leash in case it does snap. Sophie has a rock solid recall but must be leashed, as all dogs must, in the provincial park. I would also never use one with a collar, always a harness.
I would never use a flexi lead outside of a park area...EVER. They do have a reputation for breaking and the locking mechanism is known to fail among many other faults.
Flexi's have their place (I truly LOVE mine), but only for well behaved dogs in park settings. IMO
I'm amazed at the crazy things that people use these leashes for though. My biggest pet peeve....FLEXI LEASHES ATTACHED TO DOGS IN HEAD COLLARS:yikes: ....I often see this with the dog 10 to 15 feet away from the owner. You can imagine the risk if a dog were to close line themselves like this...awful.
Most cities have a 6 ft. leash law on public streets so I don't know why these tools are so common anyway.
I would never use a flexi lead outside of a park area...EVER. They do have a reputation for breaking and the locking mechanism is known to fail among many other faults.
Flexi's have their place (I truly LOVE mine), but only for well behaved dogs in park settings. IMO
I'm amazed at the crazy things that people use these leashes for though. My biggest pet peeve....FLEXI LEASHES ATTACHED TO DOGS IN HEAD COLLARS:yikes: ....I often see this with the dog 10 to 15 feet away from the owner. You can imagine the risk if a dog were to close line themselves like this...awful.
Most cities have a 6 ft. leash law on public streets so I don't know why these tools are so common anyway.
I used to have one for OC but NEVER the thin ones, I only ever get the tape ones. Those thin ones give nasty burns!!!!! Plus a dog can chew through them in one bite. Alas ours broke (OC went after a rabbit, it extended to the full length and stopped him but something got messed up with the mechanisms and it wouldnt reel back in anymore). Soon after I got Ronan and due to the strength and drive this dog has, I do not trust him with one. So now if I want the dogs to be on longer leashes I just use my two lunge lines. They're longer than any flexi my pet store sells and wayyyyyyyy stronger.
I was walking one of my APBTs past a family that was walking their Dachschund on a flexi-lead. That dog was exhibiting aggressive behavior that in turn got my dog riled up. So I took Rex and jogged well ahead of them. Next thing I know I hear screaming from behind & as soon as I turned around to see what had happened, a Dachshund with a broken lead was headed right at us. I decided to save that dog's life by picking up my dog (under the forearms) & holding his squirming body up in the air. In doing so, I got my legs horribly scratched up by the little turd trying to get at my dog & ended up being bitten by the thing when I tried to kick it off.
Moral of the story:
1. Don't ever trust a flexi-lead. Not just because of that one solitary incident, but because stories just like that are heard constantly.
2. Don't ever expect me to save your (in general) dog's life again by picking my own dog up only to have me get bitten & scratched to have to walk home with blood drippin down my legs. I'm done with that nicey-nicey way of thinking.
Moral of the story:
1. Don't ever trust a flexi-lead. Not just because of that one solitary incident, but because stories just like that are heard constantly.
2. Don't ever expect me to save your (in general) dog's life again by picking my own dog up only to have me get bitten & scratched to have to walk home with blood drippin down my legs. I'm done with that nicey-nicey way of thinking.
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My mother got horrible rope burns from Lilly about 6 years back. The lead was locked in the 6 foot position and Lilly was doing a picture perfect heel down the beach. Then something went off, some sort of gun or firecracker and Lilly freaked out and whipped the leash across Moms legs. So none of those for our familly ever again.
A friends [VERY large 120 pound, same weight as me] dog who I was babysitting, was on a flexi when I took her out to potty one morning, she bolted to chase a critter and hit the end of the 25' flexi [which did not break] and because it all happened so fast, I held onto the leash handle, the dog hit the end of the line full force, flipped me off of the front porch [which I had not yet had time to descend] over the porch rail and shattered my leg. I still use flexi's in the open on my dachshund who will not leave anyway if it breaks or I drop it but never again on a big dog. I do use a 12' horse longe line occasionally in the open away from people, traiffic and other dogs.
I love my flexi; I see it as a loop-whole around the law, because I use it when the dogs are not aloud offleash (AT A PARK, or hiking, etc)...
And that's not always a good thing! In fact, when I see dogs on flexis I automatically assume the worst, and I steer clear.
I've never heard of a dog getting hit by a car while on a flexi until reading this thread! Can you imagine how the owner must feel??
Why anyone would feel the need to use on while walking by traffic is beyond me! Like I said, I only use it when my dogs could be offleash, but the laws prevents that from happening. They both have a reliable recall - and will return to heel on command.
My trainer hates them as well, she says it teaches dogs horrible leash manners, and encourages them to pull. I have to agree, and I wish that people wouldn't even consider having a flexi for their dog until they are leash trained. I made that mistake when Maddie was younger, and ended up having a cocker who thinks she's a sled dog. It took a lot more work to untrain that than it would've been in the first place, but I did it.
And that's not always a good thing! In fact, when I see dogs on flexis I automatically assume the worst, and I steer clear.
I've never heard of a dog getting hit by a car while on a flexi until reading this thread!
Can you imagine how the owner must feel?? Why anyone would feel the need to use on while walking by traffic is beyond me! Like I said, I only use it when my dogs could be offleash, but the laws prevents that from happening. They both have a reliable recall - and will return to heel on command.
My trainer hates them as well, she says it teaches dogs horrible leash manners, and encourages them to pull. I have to agree, and I wish that people wouldn't even consider having a flexi for their dog until they are leash trained. I made that mistake when Maddie was younger, and ended up having a cocker who thinks she's a sled dog. It took a lot more work to untrain that than it would've been in the first place, but I did it.
Yes i have seen the bad results of them in person, as well as well trained dogs that know how to recall can love them to stretch legs.
Personally I feel they are only for dogs that do NOT need to be reeled in to recall back to the owner.
I have switched many a dog owner from a flexi to a double handle leash for safety. From flat collars and harnesses to a martingale type double collar.
I must of had 5 dogs up my dogs butt because the owner was looking one way and the dog was using the flexi to walk where ever they wanted.
This past weekend at the dog walk. .
Have had a JRT bite my huge dogs butt at a dog show in a Pet expo and the owner could NOT recall dog or reel in a attacking dog on a flexi. SO I had to hold my dog off the ground while this little bugger bit his ass . Untill the owner finally got to the end of the flexi.
Walking in streets, or stores they should only be used SHORT on trained dogs.
They are great for parks and camping trips.
They also can break, I have a horse flexi lunge line that can take 1500lbs of pressure it is not a wire but a huge web and does retract.
I have used it maybe 5x in 10 years.
Because my dogs are trained but most are not and i had a dog on this special one far away from any dog in a field, and some idiot lets thier dog LOOSE a sigthound running strait towards me- I yelled NO so loud the owner and the dog stopped in its tracks..
I never used it in public again.
So I dont flip out when someone asks for them in Petco I show them where they are. When they come in on Vet days with out of control dogs on these leashes I give them suggestions.
Personally I feel they are only for dogs that do NOT need to be reeled in to recall back to the owner.
I have switched many a dog owner from a flexi to a double handle leash for safety. From flat collars and harnesses to a martingale type double collar.
I must of had 5 dogs up my dogs butt because the owner was looking one way and the dog was using the flexi to walk where ever they wanted.
This past weekend at the dog walk. .
Have had a JRT bite my huge dogs butt at a dog show in a Pet expo and the owner could NOT recall dog or reel in a attacking dog on a flexi. SO I had to hold my dog off the ground while this little bugger bit his ass . Untill the owner finally got to the end of the flexi.
Walking in streets, or stores they should only be used SHORT on trained dogs.
They are great for parks and camping trips.
They also can break, I have a horse flexi lunge line that can take 1500lbs of pressure it is not a wire but a huge web and does retract.
I have used it maybe 5x in 10 years.
Because my dogs are trained but most are not and i had a dog on this special one far away from any dog in a field, and some idiot lets thier dog LOOSE a sigthound running strait towards me- I yelled NO so loud the owner and the dog stopped in its tracks..
I never used it in public again.
So I dont flip out when someone asks for them in Petco I show them where they are. When they come in on Vet days with out of control dogs on these leashes I give them suggestions.
Flexi's are a fantastic training tool when they are used correctly. Used INcorrectly they are a real danger but when used properly I see no problem in using one. So long as;
a.) the Flexi leash is the appropriate one for the size/weight of the dog
b.) the dog is obedient and well trained
c.) the owner uses it in OPEN spaces and not residential areas
d.) the owner reels the dog back in EVERY time they come across another dog/person
a.) the Flexi leash is the appropriate one for the size/weight of the dog
b.) the dog is obedient and well trained
c.) the owner uses it in OPEN spaces and not residential areas
d.) the owner reels the dog back in EVERY time they come across another dog/person
I met a woman once earlier this year whose JRT lunged while on one of the flexis at a DHL truck and got hit. Her mom was walking the dog and couldn't get a good grip on the lock button. She lost a leg because of it I don't reccommend them for city streets near lots of traffic but hiking they are great for.
I don't reccommend them for city streets near lots of traffic but hiking they are great for.
I've only had minor cuts, some bad scrapes, and many nasty burns from flexis. But I agree--without a well-trained dog and an intelligent owner they are dangerous.
However, they are GREAT for kitties. We love walking in the yard with them. Kitties can go as far as they want and I can just lock the leash if I don't want them going farther. No reeling in crap. But then again I have a large, safe yard and no cars driving nearby so I feel a lot safer than most.