# Flexi Leash Problem; Equip or Handler?



## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

I am confident most of you reading this have had the same experience?

Out with my GSD after an obedience session and walking out a cool down, so proceeding down the trail at very casual mosey, and a gal in her 30's with her mixed breed dog, a nice looking spaniel or maybe setter cross with something? about 45lbs, maybe 18"....they are coming the opposite way.

As we approach, I move as far right as I can, which should have been sufficient room for two dogs to pass and still several feet between them. As they approach, the spaniel pulls out the Flexi Leash and trotts right up to my GSD, with no real sense of dog etiquette.

Fortunate for everyone, my GSD is pretty OK...but Flexi leash lady didn't know that! 

I think Flexi leashes are a scurge on dog training. The concept is sound if the equipment were to be used properly, as I understand you can control the amount of lead the dog can take? However, in application, I am of the view it simply promotes laziness in dog owners! This combined with the quintessential ignorance of the typical pet dog owner, and Flexi leashes are a train wreck.

From the training side of the equation, I believe the Flexi leash promotes obscene forging in most dogs I have witnessed. One could argue it is the handler and not the equipment???


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## Hunther's Dad (Mar 13, 2010)

I've never used one, and will never use one. If you have to make an emergency grab for the leash, your hand could get cut open by the thin cord being pulled by a speeding dog.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I think it's the handler, but wouldn't be disappointed of flexis ceased to exist. I will say that last night we crossed paths with a reactive little yappy dog on a flexi and the owner DID reel him in and hold him at her side.

I don't like them because they snap so easy. If I need a long line, I use a long line made of appropriate material. I have a German shepherd, not a teacup yorkie. Out on walks, well, the leash law is 6'.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I too hate the flexi leash! I am working so hard with my puppy to ignore dogs as we walk by them and always there has to be someone who has the dog on one and it always rushes us. Depending on the situation I give the OWNER a fast not always friendly lesson on dog etiquette!!! I don't see a need for a flexi unless you are training long lead recalls or really out in the woods hiking and want to the dog to have more room to explore, but I NEVER will see the point when walking loose leash.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Agree. Flexi leads have their uses, but as a general leash they are a disaster. I cannot imagine why you would want your dog 15ft away from you on a walk. 

I do use mine. I find them helpful in recalls, because of the gentle tension and the reeling in of excess line. I also use them when I am feeling very lazy and it is raining so I can stand somewhere and be dry and send the dog out to potty. Likewise, in the wilderness my dogs like to potty off in the middle of bushes and trees, I prefer to stay on the path (Although truthfully in wilderness situations I am infinitely more likely to be using my Ecollar than a Flexi).

I can think of way more Flexi disasters than I can uses. Dogs hopelessly tangled, owners flat on their faces when the line runs out (does no one understand what the button on the FLexi is for?), Near toy dog dinners when they are aisles away from their owners in the Pet Store....

Yep. I'm with you. Get a fixed lead.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I do use one in my AKC obedience training at times. But, I have a specific purpose for it.

Walk a dog on it? Never again. When I didn't know better, I had a rib pulled out of place... a German Shepherd can get up a lot of speed on 23 feet of Flexi. Slow learner.... a dog ripped it out of my hand and it put a big dent in the car. Numerous times dogs have come running at us flying on that long thin line with me advising... "stop the dog no to avail". 

As far as regular use and walking, they are the scourge.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

We have a Flexi, and I do love it for some things like on-lead potty breaks when traveling and taking the youngsters for walks down the road and in the woods when they're not yet ready to be completely off leash. It allows so much more freedom than a regular leash and is far less cumbersome and tangle-prone than a long line in those situations. Ours is and older one with 3/4" nylon webbing, not the newer ones with the thin cord, so it is far less likely to cause any damage if we have to grab the line or it gets wrapped around a leg.

But I'd never take a dog walking in a populated area or into pet stores on one like so many people do. I would say that most people using them don't exercise common sense or use them properly. Then I don't think those people would have common sense or courtesy regardless of what tool they were using. Like all tools, there is nothing wrong with the *tool*. There is a lot wrong with a lot of people who use them.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

The only reason I didn't come unglued and go off on Flexi leash lady is that I was training on a Tuesday morning....hard to be pissed at anyone when your quality of life allows for a Tuesday morning training session.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Flexi is great for retrienve/recall exercises as Jklatsky said. That's the only time I use it.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I own several flexi's and I LOVE them. If they were banned I would be very upset.

It's the USER that doesn't know how to use them that is the problem! Same with choke collars, e-collars, prong collars, etc.



> I cannot imagine why you would want your dog 15ft away from you on a walk.


I can give you several reasons:

1. We are at the forest preserve and I want my dogs to have some freedom but still be under physical control

2. We are at the beach (where they allow dogs but they must be on leash)

3. I can't quickly pull in 15' of long line but I CAN do it with a Flexi


When my dogs are on flexi's they are not allowed to 'get up speed'. The instant they start running at something I pull them back. For the most part they are just walking along, checking out the area and enjoying a nice walk.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

that's great BUT you are the exception not the rule....


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

They can be great, but they can be unsafe too. They do have locks, but that handler was just another non thinking owner, or maybe she read Dayna very well, and knew it would be ok, but more likely, completely clueless and rude not to have asked you if they could meet.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

jakeandrenee said:


> that's great BUT you are the exception not the rule....


So should we ban cars because people kill other people in accidents?




> They do have locks,


I rarely use the lock - it defeats the purpose of using the flexi. If I want my dog to stay by my side for a period of time I pull them in and use the button to HOLD the line in.

I will lock the line at about 2-3' if I want the dogs to be close to me for a long period of time but I NEVER lock it with the line further out than that.


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## Wildtim (Dec 13, 2001)

A couple of flexi spoofs.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Wildtim said:


> A couple of flexi spoofs.


OMG those were awesome! Thanks! :rofl:


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## Wildtim (Dec 13, 2001)

W.Oliver said:


> OMG those were awesome! Thanks! :rofl:


Kiki?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

HATE THEM! We see them occasionally at Point Isabel - one dog had managed to wrap it several times around a bush and it was amusing to watch the owner try to untangle it. opcorn: Another time Halo had run up the bank from the channel and there was a guy right in her path with his dog on a flexi let out quite a ways so there was a lot of slack. Halo ended up getting it wrapped around her LEGS, but fortunately we got her to stand still and he immediately dropped his hand so the slack was laying on the ground and we could have her step out of it.

On that same visit to PI we saw two northern breed dogs walking towards us (Huskies?) connected with a coupler, and a man walking about 15 feet behind them. It wasn't until they got closer that we realized they were on a FLEXI! :headbang: 

They are such a hazard at an offleash park where there are dogs running all over the place chasing toys, not to mention all the people. And last Friday we went to the Oakland A's Dog Day event at the ballpark, and in the line to get into the stadium the man behind us had his dog on a flexi. His dog was to my left, and actually IN FRONT of me! Of course the owner was oblivious that his dog was walking 10 feet ahead, with someone else. Grrr.....

I also see them at the lake where we walk on a paved path and dogs must be on leash. The path is only about 8 feet wide - why people can't just buy a regular leash is beyond me. There's no need for that much room to run around when there's a dropoff to the lake on one side, a small rise on the other side, and people with dogs, people with small kids, babies in strollers, bicyclists, skateboarders, you name it, coming from both directions. Most of the time the dogs aren't any further away than the end of a 6 ft leash anyway and it would be much easier to control them if they WERE on a 6 ft leash.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I LOVE the flexi! But never, never NEVER do I use one in busy spots, urban areas, pet store, vets - etc. It is for walking in the middle of nowhere, it is for quick stops at the river for a dip when there are other people around and I need to make sure Keeta does not take off after other dogs - it is for potty breaks in the middle of winter when it is so dark I can't see anything and more than 15 feet away my dogs melt into the blackness, so I want to make sure I see them. 

It is NEVER for walking two dogs at the same time, I have never had any problems or issues, but then I don't use them unless I know that I have my dogs under control, leash or no leash.

I think the Flexi's are genius!!! People on the other hand . . .


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Chris Wild said:


> We have a Flexi, and I do love it for some things like on-lead potty breaks when traveling and taking the youngsters for walks down the road and in the woods when they're not yet ready to be completely off leash. It allows so much more freedom than a regular leash and is far less cumbersome and tangle-prone than a long line in those situations. Ours is and older one with 3/4" nylon webbing, not the newer ones with the thin cord, so it is far less likely to cause any damage if we have to grab the line or it gets wrapped around a leg.
> 
> But I'd never take a dog walking in a populated area or into pet stores on one like so many people do. I would say that most people using them don't exercise common sense or use them properly. Then I don't think those people would have common sense or courtesy regardless of what tool they were using. Like all tools, there is nothing wrong with the *tool*. There is a lot wrong with a lot of people who use them.


^^ what she said.

We don't own one, but I can see their (occasional) uses if used in the right hands. I absolutely dread them when people use them in petstores. I can't tell you how many times I've had dogs "visit" mine when their owner is on the next isle over.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

I have one and have used it for training purposes. I have also used it for hiking when I want her to explore but want her on a leash. In that case I have a short tab hanging from her collar in case I need to grab her when people or dogs pass, or an animal is around. I have also used it in a campsite.

The majority of dog walkers that I see with flexi leads do not have a clue of what they are doing. These are the ones that makes me wish that animal control would enforce the 6' leash laws.

I meet a woman with a greyhound telling me about an accident she had in the dog park. Some person brought their dog in with a 25' flexi leash, right into the middle of the park. Her greyhouds were running and did not see the leash. The poor dog broke his leg.


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

I think they definitely have their use. Mine is packed away waiting for puppy. I have the leash type that Chris described. It was a God send when potty training Bison in the middle of February. There is nothing worse than having to chase a 9 week old puppy through 2 ft drifts of snow at three in the morning, or try to untangle a long line after he races in and out under the deck. The flexi allowed him to go far enough away to do his business, and allow me to reel him in and get him back inside.

I have never used mine for walks, except for nature trails where there are still leash laws but I want Moose to have more freedom to explore. I have also used them for potty breaks while traveling and want them to be able to stretch.

That said, it does amaze me the people that put their children and animals in reach of a "strange" dog. Bison is friendly, but if I didn't know him I certainly wouldn't chance having him get close I had a baby or little dog.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Does the flexi actually reel the dog in? I've never had or used one so I'm not sure how it works. Wouldn't you have to pull back on the dog and the line yourself? I use a long line for pottying dogs and have a knot tied every foot so I can grab it at whatever point or "reel" the dog in knot by knot. Since I live in the city w/ a leash law there's really nowhere I could use a flexi and if we are out roaming they are either off leash or dragging a thin ASAT line which doesn't wrap or catch on anything. I do have a tie-out in my yard so that can be used for a dog that needs to potty but could escape (yard is also fenced but Coke will go over or under).

The main reason I'd never use one is that I cannot hold one the way I hold a normal leash. I don't use handles at all, I cut them off or undo the seam so all my leashes are just lines. I hold them with the line over my index finger gripped in my hand. A show handler showed me this and a dog has never pulled away from me this way, I'm told it's also how horse lines are held.


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## valreegrl (Nov 11, 2009)

Flexi's have their uses. From what I have read, they were originally developed for dogs when swimming. The lead having that type of movement prevents it from getting stuck on brush under the water. 

They are more often than not used inappropriately and unfortunately that is the reality we live in. 

If you can control your dog in any situation then what others do is not so worrisome. That is what we strive for each and every day. 

(Although I think Timber and myself are a little slow in this area!!)


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Liesje said:


> Does the flexi actually reel the dog in? I've never had or used one so I'm not sure how it works. Wouldn't you have to pull back on the dog and the line yourself? .


No, the flexi does not reel the dog in. It retracts as the tension is reduced on the line. My Capstone project was evaluating and redesigned a broken flexi. The lab lunged for a rabbit, took the owner unaware, and just tore the flexi apart as she tried to set the lock to stop him.

Basically, it is like having a dog on a long line that never has slack. Only the people that most often use them don't have a clue.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

I stopped using a Flexi when my last GSD took off explosively after a rabbit in City Park - the line broke and I was left nursing a sore shoulder and the plastic casing.:wild: One of the pitfalls with this type of leash, though most of the people I pass on walks are using them and I can't recall seeing anyone in difficulties. Still, I won't go back to it - I use a 15ft RamTech leash (looks and feels like soft leather though it's a synthetic) and that works just fine. I like the fact that my dog can run out a bit - I am not a person who insists that they walk at heel unless it's absolutely necessary.
_________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

valreegrl said:


> If you can control your dog in any situation then what others do is not so worrisome.


Conceptually I agree...Live and let live. Along that line of thought, I am confident in my GSD with just about every setting, where the only possible exception may be the trial field for a BH! LOL

For me, none of that is really the concern...the problem I have is this Flexi type pet owner with the dog aggressive companion who still allows this dog to approach innocent passerbys on the trail, or unaware shoppers in the pet store. The spaniel mix in my origianl post was fine, but I have had experiences where pet owners allow snarky dogs to freely approach on the Flexi...makes me nutz!:hammer:

Don't get me wrong, I am not antisocial. As long as my dog and I are not working, and not in a location where we typically train...I am all for play dates and socializing, but not spontaneously...planned, discussed, controlled introduction to minimize snarking/fights. I do not understand simply allowing your dog to approach a stranger and their dog randomly. Some folks just shouldn't own a dog...that is really the bottom line.

So handler not equipment, but I still hate Flexi leashes!


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Jax08 said:


> Only the people that most often use them don't have a clue.


Very elegant statement of the truth!


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

Liesje said:


> Does the flexi actually reel the dog in? I've never had or used one so I'm not sure how it works. Wouldn't you have to pull back on the dog and the line yourself? I use a long line for pottying dogs and have a knot tied every foot so I can grab it at whatever point or "reel" the dog in knot by knot. Since I live in the city w/ a leash law there's really nowhere I could use a flexi and if we are out roaming they are either off leash or dragging a thin ASAT line which doesn't wrap or catch on anything. I do have a tie-out in my yard so that can be used for a dog that needs to potty but could escape (yard is also fenced but Coke will go over or under).
> 
> The main reason I'd never use one is that I cannot hold one the way I hold a normal leash. I don't use handles at all, I cut them off or undo the seam so all my leashes are just lines. I hold them with the line over my index finger gripped in my hand. A show handler showed me this and a dog has never pulled away from me this way, I'm told it's also how horse lines are held.


It doesn't reel them in like a fishing pole, but as others mentioned it keeps constant tension on the leash unless you lock it. (Main reason it is not good for walking). Think of how a badge holder works. You can pull your badge out to swipe it, but if you let go it will reel back in. Only the badge is your dog and they can resist being reeled in automatically, thus creating the tension.

Mine has a switch that locks it in place, then a button positioned where your thumb naturally sits that only locks it while the button is pressed in. I use this button to reel in the dog, lock, pull, leash reels in, lock, pull, leash reels in, lock... It essentially does the same thing as your long line with knots in it, you just don't have to worry as much about tangles and it self stores in a neat little package. 

As for the potty, I use it for the same purpose as a tie out, but it is just more convenient. We have a fenced in yard, and when the puppy is a little older and has a recall and knows "potty", they can have free reign of the back yard. When the dog is little though, I want to be in control of where they go, when they come in... It is just a convenient tool to do that with. If I remember correctly, Bison went out with one of us on the flexi for the first 3 - 4 months.


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

Don't like them. Like the reasons and purposes that Chris and JKlatsky pointed out, and we do use them in the beginning classes at our club with some dogs on the recalls and sit/down-stay exercises. In public, the majority of users simply do not use them properly.

This is an area where for me, the party is guilty until they prove otherwise. When I see someone using one of these, I simply conclude that they don't use it properly until they show otherwise. And prepare to move in another direction if we're going to cross paths or put my dogs in a sit and wait until they do pass.


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## Moonlight (Aug 13, 2010)

The worst thing to hear about a flexi-leash "Oh, it's broken but we use it anyway." As in, it won't lock and you have to manually jiggle the line back in to make it roll up. This was noted to me after three days of dog sitting. After which, I still have scars from having to grab the line. Never having used one before I couldn't imagine why anyone would want something this ridiculous, I still think they're ridiculous even with a working one. I dread going out for a walk anytime my friend grabs the flexi, last time it was my ankles that got the cuts.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

I know Flexis have their purposes and are fine when used properly, but...

...every time I've seen them used, it was not the appropriate situation!

I see people with their dogs on Flexis walking through the middle of town, their dog several feet out in front of them, peeing wherever they please and making people go out of their way to step and weave around the line trailing behind them. What would happen if that dog decided to take those few steps into the street? The owner would be too far away, and probably at the wrong angle, to properly pull the dog out of the way. I've seen people using them at the pet stores that are browsing and not even paying attention to their little creature as they go bug everyone around them. (Yes, it's usually the little dogs in a harness that are on a Flexi leash... not very many big dogs on Flexis. The big dogs are usually in an improperly fitted, oversized prong collar...)

I hate it when people still use a broken Flexi, too, except I've seen people use them even after they don't reel in anymore. What's the point of having a Flexi that doesn't retract??? :shrug:


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I love my Flexi. I've had it for at least 15 years, used it for many dogs and it's still going strong. 
They are very useful _*if used properly.*_ Now some people might want to ban them because of misuse, but how many times have you heard this about a dog product? For example, choke collars can be VERY dangerous unless used properly, so why not ban those too while you're at it? Other training devices often have the same caveat.

I used one a lot when walking my well trained dog, Ginger. She understood the Flexi's limitations and would not try to run to the end. If she seemed to be getting near the end, I'd skim the lock over the leash which made a noise and vibration of the leash and reminded her that it was getting close to the limit. Ginger did not need a leash for control, she was off leash trained, but we had a leash law so I had to have something. 
Even if I walked her only on the Flexi every day for weeks, I still had no problems with her loose-leash walking when I switched to a regular lead. 
She was trained to stop and sit at streets so I never had to worry about her wandering into streets just because of the longer leash. She would stay at the curb until I released her into a heel, and then heel across the street. I only used the Flexi for regular walks (or potty breaks on trips) NOT if we were going to be in an area with a lot of people around or other dogs around, and I would never use one in a store. If we were walking and saw a person approaching, I always called her back and had her heel next to me until we passed them (whether or not she was on a Flexi.) 

I started using the Flexi for Ginger when I was training my terrier, Pooch. I was working on his loose-leash walking and I did this by backing up when he pulled (well, that's a simplified explanation of it). For this method to work I had to use it EVERY time he pulled, including when I was walking both my dogs. When walking both, Ginger did not understand this sudden backing up and could not move as quickly as Pooch, so would either just stop or would slow me down and hinder the process. I started using the Flexi so I would not have to pull poor Ginger backwards every time I backed up with Pooch. I continued to use the Flexi for Ginger fairly often because it allowed more freedom and I didn't have to worry about the leash getting tangled. I would not use a Flexi for any dog who thinks "off leash" means "free" because a lot of dogs think they are off leash when they get on a Flexi. I would also not use one on any dog who still needs the leash for control.


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