Flexi Leash Problem; Equip or Handler?

[jakeandrenee]

that's great BUT you are the exception not the rule....

[dOg]

They can be great, but they can be unsafe too. They do have locks, but that handler was just another non thinking owner, or maybe she read Dayna very well, and knew it would be ok, but more likely, completely clueless and rude not to have asked you if they could meet.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by jakeandrenee

that's great BUT you are the exception not the rule....

So should we ban cars because people kill other people in accidents?

They do have locks,

I rarely use the lock - it defeats the purpose of using the flexi. If I want my dog to stay by my side for a period of time I pull them in and use the button to HOLD the line in.

I will lock the line at about 2-3' if I want the dogs to be close to me for a long period of time but I NEVER lock it with the line further out than that.

[Wildtim]

A couple of flexi spoofs.

YouTube - Flexi

YouTube - Flexi

YouTube - Great Dane on a strong flexi leash

YouTube - Great Dane on a strong flexi leash

[W.Oliver]

Originally Posted by Wildtim

A couple of flexi spoofs.

OMG those were awesome! Thanks!

[Wildtim]

Originally Posted by W.Oliver

OMG those were awesome! Thanks!

Kiki?

[Cassidy's Mom]

HATE THEM! We see them occasionally at Point Isabel - one dog had managed to wrap it several times around a bush and it was amusing to watch the owner try to untangle it. Another time Halo had run up the bank from the channel and there was a guy right in her path with his dog on a flexi let out quite a ways so there was a lot of slack. Halo ended up getting it wrapped around her LEGS, but fortunately we got her to stand still and he immediately dropped his hand so the slack was laying on the ground and we could have her step out of it.

On that same visit to PI we saw two northern breed dogs walking towards us (Huskies?) connected with a coupler, and a man walking about 15 feet behind them. It wasn't until they got closer that we realized they were on a FLEXI!

They are such a hazard at an offleash park where there are dogs running all over the place chasing toys, not to mention all the people. And last Friday we went to the Oakland A's Dog Day event at the ballpark, and in the line to get into the stadium the man behind us had his dog on a flexi. His dog was to my left, and actually IN FRONT of me! Of course the owner was oblivious that his dog was walking 10 feet ahead, with someone else. Grrr.....

I also see them at the lake where we walk on a paved path and dogs must be on leash. The path is only about 8 feet wide - why people can't just buy a regular leash is beyond me. There's no need for that much room to run around when there's a dropoff to the lake on one side, a small rise on the other side, and people with dogs, people with small kids, babies in strollers, bicyclists, skateboarders, you name it, coming from both directions. Most of the time the dogs aren't any further away than the end of a 6 ft leash anyway and it would be much easier to control them if they WERE on a 6 ft leash.

[Castlemaid]

I LOVE the flexi! But never, never NEVER do I use one in busy spots, urban areas, pet store, vets - etc. It is for walking in the middle of nowhere, it is for quick stops at the river for a dip when there are other people around and I need to make sure Keeta does not take off after other dogs - it is for potty breaks in the middle of winter when it is so dark I can't see anything and more than 15 feet away my dogs melt into the blackness, so I want to make sure I see them.

It is NEVER for walking two dogs at the same time, I have never had any problems or issues, but then I don't use them unless I know that I have my dogs under control, leash or no leash.

I think the Flexi's are genius!!! People on the other hand . . .

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Chris Wild

We have a Flexi, and I do love it for some things like on-lead potty breaks when traveling and taking the youngsters for walks down the road and in the woods when they're not yet ready to be completely off leash. It allows so much more freedom than a regular leash and is far less cumbersome and tangle-prone than a long line in those situations. Ours is and older one with 3/4" nylon webbing, not the newer ones with the thin cord, so it is far less likely to cause any damage if we have to grab the line or it gets wrapped around a leg.

But I'd never take a dog walking in a populated area or into pet stores on one like so many people do. I would say that most people using them don't exercise common sense or use them properly. Then I don't think those people would have common sense or courtesy regardless of what tool they were using. Like all tools, there is nothing wrong with the *tool*. There is a lot wrong with a lot of people who use them.

^^ what she said.

We don't own one, but I can see their (occasional) uses if used in the right hands. I absolutely dread them when people use them in petstores. I can't tell you how many times I've had dogs "visit" mine when their owner is on the next isle over.

[Caledon]

I have one and have used it for training purposes. I have also used it for hiking when I want her to explore but want her on a leash. In that case I have a short tab hanging from her collar in case I need to grab her when people or dogs pass, or an animal is around. I have also used it in a campsite.

The majority of dog walkers that I see with flexi leads do not have a clue of what they are doing. These are the ones that makes me wish that animal control would enforce the 6' leash laws.

I meet a woman with a greyhound telling me about an accident she had in the dog park. Some person brought their dog in with a 25' flexi leash, right into the middle of the park. Her greyhouds were running and did not see the leash. The poor dog broke his leg.