Hello again everyone. Does anyone use retractable leashes with their huskies? I want to take Kaya on some hikes up in the hills, and think it would be cool to let her roam a little more while up there without dragging me into bushes and what not. Does anyone use one of these? IF so, any recommendations? She used to pull like crazy on our walks, so I used to be afraid that she would break one. We now have her using one of the easy walker harnesses, and she's not pulling at all, so I feel a little more confident with that.

Any suggestions?

I don't like them and personally can't stand people who use them on trails. I'd much rather see someone use something like Ruffwear's roamer leash to give them a bit extra. Not to mention they can snap and wear down, had it happen to me with Koda 3 years ago on a walk and he doesn't pull.

Personally, I'm not a fan of retractable leashes, especially for a husky... I took a peek at the Ruffwear's roamer leash and it seemed like a good product - would be something to look into.

Also not a fan. I'd look into long hunting training leashes or the roamer leash by Ruffwear as well. Kale, obviously , likes to put everything in his mouth and eat weird things, so I have always kept him on a 6 ft leash on hikes, and the long training lead when swimming. I use the Ruffwear one with a carabiner locking mechanism on hikes, and a Lupine one for walks.

hypers987 wrote:

, likes to put everything in his mouth and eat weird things,

Really?? Kidding! =P

But seriously, you wouldn't know what she could get into and if you're taking her into a wooded area, there's a higher chance the retractable leash (cord part) could get tangled / break

I use the heavy duty Flexi for potty walks in my yard (isn't fully fenced), but I would not use it on hikes or to walk around the neighborhood. It's too easy to get tangled up in bushes.

Retractable Leash + Cali = long hour+ search for her once. She snapped the rope/material clean in two pieces, and she wasn't pulling that much, she went to see something in the brush and then snap! Never again! If you want one, I might have one around still I will donate, but I don't use them. I use 1/2 thick rope with 2200 lb Test (220 lb working load) for my dogs...haha. Never again. All my connections on it are the screw close link like a chain. I trust my dogs for sure, ...trust that when they get loose, they are GONE

I really don't think I would like the retractable leashes never used one. We use 6ft leashes that I make and the ruffwear roamer leash.

Roamer leash is also nice wi the loop near the front so you can hold them close when needed. Though you can "retract" the leash and pull back, sometimes it's not that easy and if you grab the retractable cord, enjoy a burn. Much nicer to be able to tug your leash back easily and not get hurt.

Well I am a fan of retractable leashes. Have always use them and probably always will. I have a 26 ft retractable Flexi lead for up to 110 lbs and it is my all time favorite, and most used, lead. Granted, my husky walks like a dream thanks to lots of loose leash training in the beginning. I use my retractable for daily walks in the neighborhood as well as when we hike trails, never had a problem. I like to let him roam on walks but always reel the dogs in when we are passing other people/animals, takes a few seconds tops to reel mine in. I've had the 2 flexis (a 16 ft and a 26 ft) for 5 years and they are both still going strong and my boy has definitely put them through their paces.

We have one and use it for potty walks around the yard. I prefer having Sabaka close on walks and hikes. Our trainer in puppy class is also a nurse and has seen some strange personal injury to dog owners that happened when their retractable broke or came loose and flew back hitting them.

I'm not a fan - but mainly because irresponsible people are the ones I always see you using them. Now, if all the people using them were like val, It wouldn't be so bad - but a chihuahua bit cato's face once. The Chi was on a retractable and the mom thought "it was funny, how cute" I chewed her as out. The little shit actually drew blood.

Sorry about that rant!!! Now, if you can be responsible with it and get a strong one, I'm sure it's fine.

Not a fan either! I could go on a major rant about my dad and his beloved retractable leashes, but I'm too tired to type it up I hated them before and when Brandy (my parents golden) ran and wrapped around my leg i was PISSED!!! Had the leash burn for days

Okay so speaking of retractable leashes I just ran into a neighbor's girlfriend and their boxer mix puppy, who isn't really a puppy, she is 9 months but already full grown. Anyways the pup was on a retractable leash and loves people and dogs, so she drags the lady across the patio to Anna and me. Long story short we are standing here talking as they are playing on leashes and I'm moving to avoid getting tangled in Anna's leash and their pup's, lets just say it didn't last long. Well their dog was chasing Anna in circles around us too fast to get untangled. The poor lady was on her knees on the ground with her legs wrapped up with mine. Now we both thought it was funny and she didn't seem to mind getting her nice clothes all dirty. We ended up getting untangled and I walked with her to her door since their dog would just drag her back towards Anna. She was really nice about it and like I said we were both laughing, it happened so fast. I might actually be able to remember her name since this was the first time I met her, I am very bad with names. But anyways back to my point it's hard to handle a dog with one of those things. Whenever I babysat a friend's lab puppy it drove me nuts because I couldn't click it fast enough. It probably takes a lot of practice but I know that if Anna caught me off guard and dragged me towards someone it might take me awhile to click the stupid button. So I will just stick with a normal leash.

Nope. Hate them. For many many reasons.

They're just dangerous and anything could happen. I've seen a dog rub the line on a sign post too long and it popped.

Seems like most of the hate comes from misuse of retractable leashes which is sad. Granted there is the occasional break story but there are also breaks and mishaps with non-retractable leads.

I use one when we go to the beach with the girls. Works well there cause there's not much to get caught around. My big problem with them are the leash burns they can give you. Got a bad one on my leg once. Other than that, I think they work fine if used properly.

Don't like them because it always ends like the Star Wars scene with the Walkers.

I don't mind them for small breed dogs that are leash trained. I use one with my Doxie Violet for walking everyday, but she walks right next to me or kale and comes right to my side with a gentle tug or if I ask her to. I don't like it with kale though. I just don't trust it enough for him. If he sees a bird or squirrel, his lunge would snap the one I have for sure and it's pretty sturdy.

when we want to give our pups some extra room, we attach a line to our leashes we already have. give a dog a 6ft leash add about 15 feet of a braided rope(Climbing Rope if you can find it cheap)... and BANG, more than enough room to roam

I use a heavy duty Flexi since I got Anubis, they are great for walks, but I would never use them on hikes. It is too dangerous. Keep the range of the leash in mind and imagine the dog run into the end of it, this will definately cause a nice flight you won´t forget for a long time

SiberianAnubis wrote:

Keep the range of the leash in mind and imagine the dog run into the end of it, this will definately cause a nice flight you won´t forget for a long time

Very true! I will never forget when I had just brought my boy home from the shelter (he was NOT good on the leash yet) and I had him out on a 16 ft flexi. He took off and hit the end at a pretty good clip and sent me flying. I landed head first in a pile of rocks and didn't even have my cell phone on me to call for help (I had forgotten my cell at home). Add to that my sibe continued running like a typical crazy husky on the lead while I was desperately holding onto the other end so he wouldn't run off and get hit by a car since this was not far from a fairly busy road. I still have scars from that day. Moral of the story, retractables should only be used on dogs that are properly leash trained and under voice control.

I just went ahead and made a couple short lease's for our two last night.
one about 4' the other about 3-3.5' (as we use a easy leader on one pup)

~$8 - Diamond Braid Poly Rope 3/8" x 100' (rated for 220lbs, various colors available)
~$6-20 - Carabiner (make sure you get a locking one, I didn't.... rated with 240lbs limit but 30lbs pup got off).

make your lease as long as you feel comfortable with using, and make sure you attach a handle and the carabiner in a fashion not to slip when pup is pulling.
If anyone is interested in seeing how I made ours, let me know and I`ll post a couple photos... but there all kinds of resources online for creating dog leashes.