Quote:
Originally Posted by Liesje
Does the flexi actually reel the dog in? I've never had or used one so I'm not sure how it works. Wouldn't you have to pull back on the dog and the line yourself? I use a long line for pottying dogs and have a knot tied every foot so I can grab it at whatever point or "reel" the dog in knot by knot. Since I live in the city w/ a leash law there's really nowhere I could use a flexi and if we are out roaming they are either off leash or dragging a thin ASAT line which doesn't wrap or catch on anything. I do have a tie-out in my yard so that can be used for a dog that needs to potty but could escape (yard is also fenced but Coke will go over or under).
The main reason I'd never use one is that I cannot hold one the way I hold a normal leash. I don't use handles at all, I cut them off or undo the seam so all my leashes are just lines. I hold them with the line over my index finger gripped in my hand. A show handler showed me this and a dog has never pulled away from me this way, I'm told it's also how horse lines are held.
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It doesn't reel them in like a fishing pole, but as others mentioned it keeps constant tension on the leash unless you lock it. (Main reason it is not good for walking). Think of how a badge holder works. You can pull your badge out to swipe it, but if you let go it will reel back in. Only the badge is your dog and they can resist being reeled in automatically, thus creating the tension.
Mine has a switch that locks it in place, then a button positioned where your thumb naturally sits that only locks it while the button is pressed in. I use this button to reel in the dog, lock, pull, leash reels in, lock, pull, leash reels in, lock... It essentially does the same thing as your long line with knots in it, you just don't have to worry as much about tangles and it self stores in a neat little package.
As for the potty, I use it for the same purpose as a tie out, but it is just more convenient. We have a fenced in yard, and when the puppy is a little older and has a recall and knows "potty", they can have free reign of the back yard. When the dog is little though, I want to be in control of where they go, when they come in... It is just a convenient tool to do that with. If I remember correctly, Bison went out with one of us on the flexi for the first 3 - 4 months.