From the January 1941 edition of Popular Mechanix:
Dog Leash on Spring Reel Plays Fido Like a Fish
A leash attached to a spring-operated reel is a new wrinkle for dog owners. Encased in a light but sturdy aluminum housing, the reel carries twelve feet of waterproofed leash strong enough to hold a great Dane yet light enough for use with a Pekinese. A hook forming part of the housing allows the owner to hold the device securely, while the dog is free to run for a distance of twelve feet. As he returns nearer to his owner, the spring reel winds up the leash cord to prevent it from becoming tangled. A button-con-trolled lock makes it easy to stop the dog at any time as he is running out the leash, and to keep him in hand.
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As a dog walking tool, I consider the retractable leash a nightmare in the hands of most pet owners, but as a dog training tool, the retractable leash is a very good long line, as it's easy to get it out of the way as you teach recall and work with distractors.
Jay Jack has a $10, 15 page e-booklet on how to use a retractable leash that covers how to hold it for control, how to make sure the reel never leaves you even if the dog jerks very hard, why a web retractable is better than a string retractable, and how to use rewards and a retractable leash to teach heel and a few basic commands, etc.
Bottom line: Retractable leashes have a place in dog training.
The "button" that is supposed to stop the leash unreeling, isn't up to a borzoi in full stride and attack mode. When the button failed, like a fool, I grabbed the string. Took a lot of staples to close up my hand. Just lucky there were veterinarians nearby. I have seen people tangled up and pulled down by unruly dogs strung out from clueless owners. Not a fan of this invention.
ReplyDeleteNot a prepared user either obviously.
DeleteHope your hand healed well.
I like a web retractable a lot for walking my own dog, but I know they can be problematic. It's really nice with a small dog, it avoids dragging leash slack through winter muck or tripping over it. When we were training more actively I used it locked short for loose leash walking and for recall work. I hook it to a clip on belt sometimes, otherwise it is easy to drop. We practiced so the dog was used to it skittering towards him.
ReplyDeleteI think if you actively train your dog, teach them loose leash walking, and train solid recall it doesn't matter much if you use a retractable. Like e-collars I feel like it's a useful tool that causes trouble when someone buys a cheap one and uses it badly.