How long a leash?

[icanon]

Ok many CG's allow pets, great. Most if not all CG's state that pets in my case dog must be attached at all times, that I can understand as some people have no control over their dog.
So my question is when not walking with your dog but at the TT site how long of a leash/cord do you attach your dog with? Do CG's limit the length, is there a standard?

Thanks

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

dturm wrote:
Single minded, focused and hard headed, training is a challenge.

LOL! You have my sympathies 🙂 Is she food-motivated?? Many dogs will gladly sell their souls for freeze-dried liver....

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Oaklevel wrote:
Forgot one other thing personally we recommend a harness instead of a collar. They can pull out of either but a harness is less likely to coke them.......

This is a GOOD POINT - it doesn't matter how short the leash is if the dog just pulled out of its collar. I saw the fatal results of a sheltie being taken to a groomer, pulling out of its collar and running into the street 😞

Which is why my dogs wear martingale-styled collars (also called greyhound collars). They're nylon, and work like a choke-collar with a stop on it. You adjust the stop point to be snug around the neck so they can't slip out no matter how hard or what direction they pull; but it doesn't cut off their air. Otherwise, the control loop lets it hang loose enough to be comfortable for the dog.

Now, when I use the dreaded Flexi's, I have to put harnesses on the dogs because they won't pull against the leash tension if it's snapped to their collars.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

rockhillmanor wrote:


Have a family member call, tease, have food, whatever, while the dog is on the flexi at the end pulling toward the family member.

Now try and reel him back to you. You will quickly find how a flexi does NOT work. And IMHO better to find out with your family member than at a CG meeting up with another dog that is wanting to fight trying to kill your dog.

For starters, I have well-trained *herding-breed* dogs. I can call them off a squirrel chase, or a T-bone steak. I have never had a problem bringing my dogs back to me. And if we meet an aggressive dog, they will be at my side anyway - they have no desire to fight with anybody or anything.

Now, if I had a TERRIER (wink!) at the end of my Flexi, the proper procedure would be lock/yank, reel up the slack; lock/yank, reel up the slack, etc. Sort of like reeling in a big bass. If I had to grab the webbing, it wouldn't cut. And the big heavy reel gives me something to smack the attack-dog's owner in the noggin with after the dust-up is over. 😉

[icanon]

Please don't make this thread a Hot topic as I just wanted to know how long a leash when within a CG.

[sue_t]

Well, we've used retractable leashes for a couple of decades now. No injuries, other than a bit of rope burn behind a knee one summer. We use the ribbon type, rather than the string ones.

We live in the bush in Yukon; people often ask why we leash our dogs here when they could be free. Porcupines. Wolves. Coyotes. Mama moose. And more. So the 25' retractable leash lets them explore and play, but they can't run off & disappear for hours, or become snack food for a wolf or coyote.

Yup, they are under our control. The lock mechanism gets used when needed. When we're in a campground, it gets locked at about 10' but might be shortened to a couple of feet if there are loose dogs around.

When they do chase a squirrel or varmint into the trees, they know how to weave their way back out following their leash, so no tangles.

[Oaklevel]

Any tool is dangerous if used incorrectly......... Whether it is a retractable leash or a table saw......

[Desert_Captain]

The retractable leashes are some of the most dangerous consumer items one can purchase. Before you extoll the virtues of your ignorant self absorbed use of these leashes, google them. You will find countless incidents where serious injuries were incurred... Fingers severed, bones broken after getting tangled up in the 30' of line etc. The simple truth is you can NOT control your dog from 30' away... and you know it!

The bottom line is that most CG's require a 6' maximum leash and no one is exempt from that rule! There are lots of very good reasons for the 6' requirement, hence the frequency with which you will encounter it. If you will not comply with the rules of the CG please go elsewhere.

:S

[Oaklevel]

Forgot one other thing personally we recommend a harness instead of a collar. They can pull out of either but a harness is less likely to coke them.......

[Oaklevel]

We use a retractable leash and have had no issues but yes I have seen it. We usually stay at an 800 campsite campground so plenty of dogs.......... If people or another dog is near the leash is retracted to about a foot or less.... If no on is near she gets 10 feet or so.......... The problem we have is the small yappy dogs running up to ours ....fortunately she just looks at them like what?????? The owners usually run up and say "tiny" that dog could have you for lunch ....... hear that all the time Oh our dog usually does run out of our site....... Really ????? Leash you dog.

The other problem we have every time someone will come up to Sadie (Boxer) & put their face in the dogs face with out asking & say we miss ours we left them at home. They will only get a slobbery kiss but ewe poor dog people germs..........

[dturm]

DOTLDaddy wrote:

dturm wrote:
...
Kaylee isn't trained for any recall :), thus is never off leash...

At least, not on purpose. :W

You had to tell...

She's had several episodes of charging out the door. Generally poorly trained as a puppy and she has a terrier personality. Single minded, focused and hard headed, training is a challenge.

[DOTLDaddy]

dturm wrote:
...
Kaylee isn't trained for any recall :), thus is never off leash...

At least, not on purpose. :W

[toedtoes]

My Moose-dog is good with recall - I won't say perfect, he's been known to ignore me when he's getting attention.

But Bat-dog is not a good recall dog. She catches wind of a scent or a lizard and she's gone.

One trick I use is the double leash. As long as Moose-dog comes back, Bat-dog has to follow.

If we're in a place safe for off-leash, I leave the connector leash on between them. That's how Moose-dog learned - as a puppy he was connected to Dog - she came when I called them, he had to come with her, and he learned to come when called. Bat-dog learned that way also, but she never believed it was a requirement - more that Moose-dog is a wuss and won't ignore me. 🙂

[dturm]

One other thing not mentioned is the possibility of injury due to the cord on the flexi. I've seen injuries to both people and dogs, rope burns ranging from minor to pretty serious. I "heard" of a finger being severed, but that could be one of those rumor type things, I have no personal knowledge.

I would urge any of you who do use a flexi to get one that has a flat ribbon type cord rather than the small diameter nylon cord, much less likely to get a rope burn when either tangled or trying to retrieve your uncooperative dog.

I understand the appeal of the flexi, and there are places where they could be appropriate, but a crowded campground or an area where potential dangers to your dog are present probably isn't the place. Most dogs are not trained for a recall when they are presented with unusual stimuli.

Kaylee isn't trained for any recall :), thus is never off leash (6' when in a crowded area). We're working on it, but it's a process.

Doug, DVM

[toedtoes]

No problem, just didn't want to be accused of flip-flopping on my opinions or something. 🙂

I do think that if a dog is easy going, very obedient, etc., a retractable leash appears to work just as well as a regular leash.

However, as Rockhillmanor mentions, when you find yourself in a situation where you have to pull your dog, the retractable leash is NOT going to work.

One time, while walking my 120 lb akita with his shepherd/lab sister, we were walking around a local park. In the park is a built in swimming pool that has been converted into a duck pond. As we approached the pond, the akita saw the water and didn't realize it was different from the river he'd been to. He wanted to wade in the water, so before I knew what he was going to do, he was under water.

I had to pull him up 2 ft from the top of the water to the edge of the pool while he was scared witless. I could NEVER have done that with a retractable leash. I barely did it with a quality leather leash.

Dog fights, ground holes, etc., these are all things that can happen that you can't use a retractable leash for assistance.

[rockhillmanor]

Sorry, I accidentally hit the quote key. edited post.

Didn't mean it to be directed at any specific person. Just stating the facts how a flexi actually works when a situation occurs.