[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I just bought a traffic lead. I like the way I can walk the dogs right near me with such ease and be close enough to them without reeling them in like fish.

I was just wondering if this was a safe leash to use on walks though? Is there a reason for the other 3-5 feet of lead on a normal leash that I am not thinking of? Like if a strange dog were to approach are we at an advantage or disadvantage?

Any other safety issues you can think of?

That's always my primary concern. (there used to be a little twitching gramelin that I used a lot!) Thanks!

 

[tracyc]

I have one that's a regular 6-foot leash, but it has a traffic handle down near the clip. So it's two-two-two leashes in one. (Petsmart, nylon web, about $12.)

Most of the time on a walk it's tied to my belt, so Luca has about 4-foot of room--I don't require a strict heel as long as the leash is loose. But if I need to hold him close for whatever reason (passing through a sidewalk cafe) I can grab the traffic handle and hold him right next to me.

A traffic lead would be fine for walks, as long as you want the dog that close all the time. I'm a fan of the hands-free walk, so I like enough length to tie to my belt.

 

[Rugs]

What's a traffic lead?

 

[Chris Wild]

Short leash, about 12-18" in length.

 

[Rugs]

Thank you

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I think I am looking for ease of use/nothing to hurt my back, so I now have the traffic lead and ordered this hands free belt thing to try. http://clickertraining.com/store/?item=traininggear Good thinking, Tracy.

I just find that extra length of lead gets caught up and I am kind of uncoordinated so I end up feeling all discombobulated.

 

[3K9Mom]

I use a 24" lead when we're in downtown and really crowded areas (the mall the day after Thanksgiving for example)

With other dogs approaching on a traffic lead, it's just the same, for us. He's in a heel, and we ignore them. Do you usually let your kids socialize on leash? Do they have leash aggression? Then a shorter leash might be more of an issue. But otherwise, it's not at all for us.

Otherwise, most of the time, I use a lead very similar to this http://www.activedogs.com/default.asp?S=503&A=E&PKV=407501L|0. It allows me to drape the lead over my shoulder and keep my dog quite close (by draping it, you're decreasing the leash length to about 3', but it's about waist high, so depending how tall you and your dog both are, your dog ends up with about 30ish inches of length). And it's hands-free! No discombobulation necessary!

 

[bmass01]

I use my traffic lead for to and from the car and it also attaches to the end of my 33 ft line when we go hiking. I also have the nylon leash that tracy mentioned for neighborhood walks.