Controversial opinion – Extending Leads Can Be Great!

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I know that the received wisdom is that extending leads are terrible. But wait – they aren’t all bad. In fact, they can be great!

Case in point – our dog walk today. Ella is lame on one of her back legs so is on restricted exercise. Lead walks only. Ettie is not on restricted exercise. So I chose a walk where Ettie could run and play while Ella could sniff and explore. Even on a grassy path there will always be more interesting scents off the path. By walking Ella on an extending lead she is able to move off the path into the long grass. Ettie can join her or rush on to find new places to investigate and bounce around.

You make be thinking, “Well, you could have used a long line instead of the dreaded extending lead.” And you’d be right. But here’s why I chose the flexi over the long line.

• 1. I can use it with one hand making it easier to reward Ettie for recalls and check-ins, or to pop her back on lead if required
• 2. It’s easier for me to lift so that Ettie doesn’t get caught up in it as she runs around freely
• 3. It’s raining and the grass is long. The long line would get very wet and could get tangled in the grass

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of long lines. In fact I’ve dedicated a whole section of my upcoming course Savvy Scentwork to long lines. But like every tool, there’s a time and a place to choose to use them, or not.

Don’t use

Of course, this applies to extending leads too. Some examples of when I wouldn’t use one include:

1. 1. With large or strong dogs, they’re just too easy to let go of. A sudden pull and that handle will be out of your hand in a second. Trust me, I’m talking from bitter experience!
3. 2. Unlocked on a street walk. Letting the dog move to the end of the lead or even a meter away means she could run onto the road or jump in front of a car. This happened to me recently, dog suddenly dashed in front of my vehicle. Luckily for him I’d seen him notice me as I drove up the road so slowed down. Even so, I nearly hit him. Dog walker had him on an unlocked extending lead. Even though he was walking beside her, he was able to move quickly into danger. And even locked I would only use one near quiet roads as those locks can break.
5. 3. To teach recall. There’s always a tension on lead which let’s the dog know she’s not free.

But they are great for walking small or elderly dogs. Or for exercising dogs recovering from surgery, illness or injury. They give that extra bit of freedom to access better scents off the path. Remember, dog walks should provide mental not just physical exercise.

Tips

I thought I’d end with a few tips for using an extending lead:

• 1. Choose one that has a tape rather than a thin rope line. The one I use is ancient, must be 20 years old at least. It’s the ‘cheese wire’ type. And I have to tell you, that should that line catch you on the legs, behind the knees or even worse, if you grab it, it will cut you up! Which leads me on to tip 2 . . .
• 2. Never grab the line with your hand. Instead, ask the dog to return close to you or to stop moving, wait is a super useful cue, and let the line retract itself.
• 3. Pick the correct size of extending lead for your dog. One designed for a small light dog will not reliably hold an excitable cocker spaniel.
• 4. Don’t let your dog run to the end of the lead. Hitting the end and so jerking the dog can be painful to both dog and human. Teach your dog to wait or slow down when she’s coming near to the end of the lead. You can even use the ratchet sound of the retracting mechanism to alert your dog that she is coming close to the end of the line. You can use the same cues to teach your dog not to pull on the lead whatever the length.

So there it is. Extending leads are not all bad. They just have to be used with due care and attention.

Hop on over to Instagram to see me talking about this. And to see the girls enjoying their walk during a Scottish Summer.