I’ve seen probably hundreds of claims about how flexi leashes “make your dog pull”. Unfortunately, universal statements without caveats are easily falsifiable… you only need one black swan to prove not all swans are white, so I wanted to show that a retractable lead does not automatically make or teach a dog to pull and what my approach to training that behaviour is.
This is our 5 month old Polish Hunting Spaniel puppy, who has done most of her outdoor adventures off- leash in forests, fields, etc. since since she was 8 weeks old. We did not really walk her on leash at all until she was 13-14 weeks old (because the last of her siblings left us at 15 weeks) and even after that her leash walking is minimal, with probably 20% of the leash time has been on a fixed lead and the rest on a retractable. Miraculously, she does not pull and occasionally even chooses to heel even though I don’t request it.
Instead, we’ve trained her to walk near us/by us as well as to listen to us and respond to cues without a leash. On the video you can hear me recall her, ask to sit in front of me, and when she moves in a direction I don’t want her to go I use a marker word “pip” before she has a chance to reach the end of the lead.
Will it work for every dog? No, nor will it suit every circumstance, but it’s inaccurate to claim that retractables categorically MAKE dogs pull – lack of training, on the other hand, has a big influence on that. We also do self-control training and other exercises that the behaviour you see on video builds on.
I wanted to record and post this so that maybe a few people who are curious and whose circumstances are appropriate can see what this training can look like. Appropriately used, they can be great tools to allow dogs more freedom in safe environments. If that doesn’t apply to your situation, it’s better not to use it.
As many people tend to suggest, I have also tried a long leash but unfortunately, my flavour of neurodiversity also includes dyspraxia which means I’m quite clumsy with my hands. For me, long leashes actually create more dangerous situations in my hands than a flexi because grip is simpler than handling metres of leash. Not everyone is similarly abled, something that often gets forgotten in these conversations.
Also, this is only about the claim that they make dogs pull – the other claims are a post on their own but I can say that 6 years of using them with 4 adult spaniels and a few puppies, I’ve never had a breakdown or the button getting stuck with the real flexis but knockoffs are not as good quality. Also not a single burn or a physical injury despite regularly walking two spaniels on them, but if that’s a concern, they also have flat ones that are identical in texture to fixed leashes.
NOTE: When you watch the video, keep in mind the context that we live in a quiet neighbourhood so I can hear traffic, and I can see more than the camera.
BusyDoggie 