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Transcript from this week's episode of The Web-DVM:
My
report this evening concerns from my view, one of the most abysmal
inventions in the history of pet products: the extender leash. Oddly,
too many pet owners do not agree, and much to the dismay of those that have
fallen victim to the shortcomings of these leashes, many continue to use them,
and for some odd reason, even like them. For
those not familiar with the extender leash, it is a type of leash that has a
loaded spring/cartridge handle that allows the leash to be as short as 3 feet, or as long as 15
feet, some even extending to 20 feet. It
can lock in place at whatever length the dog owner wishes it to be. Sounds convenient, right? WRONG!
The
first problem we see with this kind of leash, is that once it is extended, if a
dog needs to be reeled in for whatever reason, it cannot be. So here you are, a car or another dog is
approaching, perhaps it is cyclist or a small child you do not want your dog to
scare or boulder into. Well good luck
with an excited dog with 20 feet of slack you cannot reign in! What’s more, after the first few feet, the
leash narrows from a nylon strap to a thin braided nylon rope, perfect for
getting the pet owner, approaching cyclist, other dog, or small child tangled
up in and riddled with painful rope burns.
This
is even more fun when the pet owner thinks that the lock mechanism is place,
but it is not; or when the dog is about to take off and the pet owner tries to
engage the lock too late, the dog is already pulling too hard and it will not
lock down, giving the dog 15 – 20 feet of freedom, with a dangerous, taught
rope in between. Yes, this is a most
wonderful surprise for all parties involved.
Just
2 days ago, a client had her Chihuahua in my waiting room on one of these genius devices. She had forgotten to engage the lock
mechanism and her Chihuahua, like many others of her breed that rarely see
another dog they do not want to attack, went after a boxer sitting across the
room. The boxer and his owner were
minding their own business, boxer kept at bay with a short leash, when along
comes an angry Chihuahua bounding across the waiting room poised to
attack. The boxer outweighs the
Chihuahua by 60 pounds, so naturally, the Chihuahua’s owner is mortified. Left with no other recourse, she grabs and
pulls on the thin, braided extender portion of the leash, trying to reign in
her determined, angry little dog, meanwhile suffering rope burns on her hands. Another client, an innocent bystander who had
simply come in to pick up medication, ended up tangled in the leash as the
Chihuahua circled around her, gifting her with rope burns on her legs – it’s
shorts weather year round here in Florida.
My waiting room descended into utter chaos. Luckily for the Chihuahua, the boxer was a
gentle soul and despite being provoked, did not retaliate. Folks, this is not an uncommon consequence of
these horrible leashes.
From
a training perspective, a dog walked with one of these leashes, never learns
leash manners. Teaching a dog to walk
along with the owner on a short leash at his side, makes the walk pleasant and
productive for both dog and owner.
Giving the dog 15-20 feet of slack to take off, jump out into the road, go
after squirrels, meanwhile tangling up the owner and other poor souls that may
pass by, teaches the dog no walk discipline.
The
vast majority of pet professionals whether on the health care side, grooming, or
training, detest these kinds or leashes.
I am sure that I speak for most when I urge all of you to say no to
extender leashes.
This
is Roger Welton reporting, for The Web-DVM.
Dr. Roger Welton is the President and chief veterinarian at Maybeck Animal Hospital in West Melbourne Florida, as well as CEO of the veterinary advice and health management website Web-DVM.net.
