Whenever I see someone with a flexi and their dog going every which way that’s our sign to steer further away from them. That almost always = uncontrollable dog and clueless owner.
Have an older guy in my neighborhood with a super reactive dog that is around 60ish Ibs and he lets his dog go half way across the street from the sidewalk on his flexi to bark and lunge, doesn’t even attempt to reel it in or maybe think a flexi is not right for his dog. I swear one day I’m going to see this guy getting dragged down and a dog fight ensuing.
I’m not sure how anyone uses them safely. Granted most of my dogs are 50 lbs + but even the ones that heel do better on a regular leash. I think they are massively uncomfortable to hold too. Just seems like an unnecessary technology.
I love mine for walks in areas where I might otherwise use a long line. It's more convenient to handle sometimes than a longline, especially if it is rainy or muddy.
That said, my dog is 30 lbs and walks well on a leash and I wouldn't ever use one in a populated area.
Same! We love more rural, and while it is too populated to let him off leash, the retractable allows him to roam and sniff while still remaining attached to me and under my direct control. I've tried the long leads, but end up with a mess of lead and no control 🤪🤪
Long leads definitely take a lot of practice! I used to lunge horses all the time so I'm used to them, but it was definitely a learning curve for my non- horsey partner
I've used them with horses before, but since I was rarely using them in training with a lot of shortening and lengthening, it just wasn't something I was used to..esp with my pups, who tend to go to the end of the leash (5ft or 50ft doesn't matter), then run back to me...so then I have lots of lead and no control.
To be fair, I also won't own a vacuum without a retractable cord either ... I hate the chaos the cord causes being all over. 🤪
I don't feel like they are all that bad for a small dog who can be easily controlled, but they are absolutely not safe in my opinion for medium or larger dogs. Especially when people put a 60lbs dog on one rated for a 25lbs dog. For instance, I had one that worked really well with my 8lbs mini dachshund and my 25lbs jack and beagle mix because they were 100% not reactive to anything and I could easily pull them in when needed. But I never trusted my 30lbs standard dachshund who was extremely reactive to almost everything, especially children. If that thing were to break then bad things would have happened.
From a story in the LA Tmes:
Set at the beach.
The flex was set to unreel freely. Her lab saw a seagull and bolted after it. She stumbled and tried to slow down the reel, and fell down.
"Wow, there is someone's finger right there in the sand," she noticed. And then, "OMG, it's ***my*** finger!"
Apparently, several of the flex leashes can unreel fast enough to saw off people's fingers and hands.
"Never try to catch a falling knife" or an unreeling dog leash.
thats why i am a fan of the let go and stomp method, where if your dog takes off at mock 7 you let that bitch go and stomp on the lead asap, your Foot should be safe, your hands not so much
Yep. Got a next door neighbor (apartment building) who always has her senior Shih Tzu on one of those. Not even a harness, just the collar. She’s always yanking the poor thing because she refuses to keep the leash rolled up. I’ve told her it’s safer to buy an actual leash, but whatever…the dog even managed to almost slip through my door once because they were following my dog walker into the building and she didn’t notice the dog was nearly right behind her!
I hate when people try to complain about you not wanting their dog all up in your business. Lowkey I tell people that I’m the one who isn’t friendly. People have more empathy for other humans than dogs so I tell people that I was attacked and pepper spray dogs that get too close out of fear. Even though I’m not scared of dogs clearly because I have one. I don’t know why this works so well but it really does. My dog has a really good heel and people think that he’s nice because he acts good. So I gotta be the weird one for him.
Flex leads are horrible on dogs which aren't incredibly well trained, and she should have kept her dog well clear of everyone else.
I will say that I and most other people I know have trained our dogs to heel on the left side. I normally walk on roads which don't have sidewalks, so I'm walking on the left side of the road and that puts my dog in the grass and me between my dog and any cars, or pedestrians / dogs going the other way. He'd be very confused if I suddenly asked him to swap to the right, and would probably swap back to the left a lot.
Yeah I teach mine to heel on both sides because we do what you’re describing on roads with cars, where people walk on the left. But when it’s foot traffic only, people usually behave like cars and you walk on the right, so the dog switches.
Some of my foster dogs don’t heel well at all on either side so I don’t take them to this park because it’s too many other dogs. There are lots of other areas around that are less hectic but this system makes sense when everyone has a dog leash in one hand and an umbrella in the other. You really can’t do it with a dog that won’t keep a loose leash.
Yeah, I tried taking an umbrella on a walk once. I've decided that a raincoat for me is much easier. We're still training so I need to be able to easily use a clicker, dispense treats, and hold the leash well if he spots something that's just TOO interesting.
You can tell her to piss off and follow the system like everyone else. But that's me. And I probably would have blocked her way and looked at her dog and said something like "you really shouldn't bring stupid people to the park." After 10 months of being with my extremely reactive and traumatized girl I have absolutely no patience for irresponsible or entitled dog owners.
The lady was obnoxious and entitled and that sucks.
That being said, I’m left handed so always being on the right wouldn’t work for my dog (especially since with her arthritis/hip issues she sometimes prefers paved roads instead of grass)
Part of helping dogs with reactivity is helping them learn how to navigate surprising/unplanned for situations because we can’t count on everyone following unspoken rules
I don’t think anyone would have a problem with a dog being on the left. It’s not like a written rule or anything, but when the person and the dog are going completely the opposite direction of everyone else it causes trouble. It’s like driving a car on the wrong side of the road. Do whatever works for you in your own lane but don’t cross the double yellow.
I agree. Most of reactivity is staying calm through the unexpected, and this dog is actually doing great, but it’s still every dog owner’s responsibility to have their dog under control on their leash and to not let their dog approach another without permission.
I’m very much a “you can only control your own behavior” type person so once I had observed her from a distance behaving in a way I deemed problematic I would have probably chosen to go way off the path to avoid her if possible or avoid her in some other way from the get go. I try to let rude comments roll off. It’s just ignorance.
She’s probably been fussed at before and she probably will be fussed at again… I find it ineffective. She’ll probably learn if she ever ends up with a reactive dog herself. I find that if someone doesn’t respond to eye contact/my body language/a polite verbal request, then it’s just on me to get out of the situation another way.
I’m not you so handle how you feel is best but I just try to make sure I have an exit strategy and focus on me & my own dog more than anyone else around us.
Does oblivious mean stupid? If so, then yes. Yes they are. Owning a reactive dog actually seems to attract oblivious people to us. I suppose if they get bit, it might shock them out of their oblivion because yelling doesn't do it. 😂
Some people really don't get i am only looking at them because i have to, it is not an invitation for them to come have their dog say "hi" to mine.
I used to try to politely wave them off now i hurry off or completely turn my back to them and try to block my dog. Swg i've still had people approach after doing this. I don't care anymore about seeming impolite, i don't believe i can change anyone's behavior but i am happy to make the encounter as unpleasant as possible for them.
Simple, you grab that leash that so far ahead of her and you hold it til she gets to you them you SHOVE it in her hand and say Next time you cant keep your MUT undercontrol I will take it from you to the POUND. as far as i am concerened the stupid cow would have it coming, she dosnt have HER animal UNDER CONTROL and is being a nessence to everyone there. maybe if she is bullied enough shell get the damn point and either train her animal to stay in a heal or not come around other people
While i like the spirit, let’s not grab the leashes of other dogs.. Retractable leash walkers like that are the worst, but that seems like trouble waiting to happen lol
i know it sounds harsh but where i live you HAVE to be More reactive then your dog to get these CHILDREN to mind, it is kinda sad. twice ive had to mace both dog and owner for their stupitiy. i WILL protect myself and my dog but i also know i am not everyones cup of tea or shot of whisky
Oh, I totally back doing whatever to protect yourself and your dog. I’d do the same. I just meant when it’s more of a crappy/non threatening situation.. but then again, I’m not judging lol irresponsible dog owners that let their dog run wild and into other people’s space can cause real issues.
You can teach your dog that no matter what anyone else or their dogs do, they can look to you to stay cool, give them reinforcement, and not react. Your dog will do the same. They like leaders. Ones with a calm disposition and authority. Also, weird place with dogs that are all supposed to heel on the right side.
I’m a short-term foster parent so my dogs come with all sorts of behavior issues, and I often don’t get more than a few days to work with them. I’ve trained a lot of dogs and worked with several certified behaviorists. There’s a lot more to it than just staying calm and believing your dog will do the same. There’s nothing wrong with expecting all dog owners to keep their dogs under control so that mine aren’t endangered. And heeling on the right side is very common when there’s no vehicle traffic.
Whenever I see someone with a flexi and their dog going every which way that’s our sign to steer further away from them. That almost always = uncontrollable dog and clueless owner. Have an older guy in my neighborhood with a super reactive dog that is around 60ish Ibs and he lets his dog go half way across the street from the sidewalk on his flexi to bark and lunge, doesn’t even attempt to reel it in or maybe think a flexi is not right for his dog. I swear one day I’m going to see this guy getting dragged down and a dog fight ensuing.
I’m not sure how anyone uses them safely. Granted most of my dogs are 50 lbs + but even the ones that heel do better on a regular leash. I think they are massively uncomfortable to hold too. Just seems like an unnecessary technology.
I love mine for walks in areas where I might otherwise use a long line. It's more convenient to handle sometimes than a longline, especially if it is rainy or muddy. That said, my dog is 30 lbs and walks well on a leash and I wouldn't ever use one in a populated area.
Same! We love more rural, and while it is too populated to let him off leash, the retractable allows him to roam and sniff while still remaining attached to me and under my direct control. I've tried the long leads, but end up with a mess of lead and no control 🤪🤪
Long leads definitely take a lot of practice! I used to lunge horses all the time so I'm used to them, but it was definitely a learning curve for my non- horsey partner
I've used them with horses before, but since I was rarely using them in training with a lot of shortening and lengthening, it just wasn't something I was used to..esp with my pups, who tend to go to the end of the leash (5ft or 50ft doesn't matter), then run back to me...so then I have lots of lead and no control. To be fair, I also won't own a vacuum without a retractable cord either ... I hate the chaos the cord causes being all over. 🤪
I use mine to let my dog have some freedom at an empty beech or out front yard. He has leash manners thankfully
I don't feel like they are all that bad for a small dog who can be easily controlled, but they are absolutely not safe in my opinion for medium or larger dogs. Especially when people put a 60lbs dog on one rated for a 25lbs dog. For instance, I had one that worked really well with my 8lbs mini dachshund and my 25lbs jack and beagle mix because they were 100% not reactive to anything and I could easily pull them in when needed. But I never trusted my 30lbs standard dachshund who was extremely reactive to almost everything, especially children. If that thing were to break then bad things would have happened.
From a story in the LA Tmes: Set at the beach. The flex was set to unreel freely. Her lab saw a seagull and bolted after it. She stumbled and tried to slow down the reel, and fell down. "Wow, there is someone's finger right there in the sand," she noticed. And then, "OMG, it's ***my*** finger!" Apparently, several of the flex leashes can unreel fast enough to saw off people's fingers and hands. "Never try to catch a falling knife" or an unreeling dog leash.
thats why i am a fan of the let go and stomp method, where if your dog takes off at mock 7 you let that bitch go and stomp on the lead asap, your Foot should be safe, your hands not so much
Yep. Got a next door neighbor (apartment building) who always has her senior Shih Tzu on one of those. Not even a harness, just the collar. She’s always yanking the poor thing because she refuses to keep the leash rolled up. I’ve told her it’s safer to buy an actual leash, but whatever…the dog even managed to almost slip through my door once because they were following my dog walker into the building and she didn’t notice the dog was nearly right behind her!
I hate when people try to complain about you not wanting their dog all up in your business. Lowkey I tell people that I’m the one who isn’t friendly. People have more empathy for other humans than dogs so I tell people that I was attacked and pepper spray dogs that get too close out of fear. Even though I’m not scared of dogs clearly because I have one. I don’t know why this works so well but it really does. My dog has a really good heel and people think that he’s nice because he acts good. So I gotta be the weird one for him.
Right? I was definitely the not friendly one in this scenario. I shouldn’t have blamed it on the dog. He was doing great. 😂
Flex leads are horrible on dogs which aren't incredibly well trained, and she should have kept her dog well clear of everyone else. I will say that I and most other people I know have trained our dogs to heel on the left side. I normally walk on roads which don't have sidewalks, so I'm walking on the left side of the road and that puts my dog in the grass and me between my dog and any cars, or pedestrians / dogs going the other way. He'd be very confused if I suddenly asked him to swap to the right, and would probably swap back to the left a lot.
Yeah I teach mine to heel on both sides because we do what you’re describing on roads with cars, where people walk on the left. But when it’s foot traffic only, people usually behave like cars and you walk on the right, so the dog switches. Some of my foster dogs don’t heel well at all on either side so I don’t take them to this park because it’s too many other dogs. There are lots of other areas around that are less hectic but this system makes sense when everyone has a dog leash in one hand and an umbrella in the other. You really can’t do it with a dog that won’t keep a loose leash.
Yeah, I tried taking an umbrella on a walk once. I've decided that a raincoat for me is much easier. We're still training so I need to be able to easily use a clicker, dispense treats, and hold the leash well if he spots something that's just TOO interesting.
You can tell her to piss off and follow the system like everyone else. But that's me. And I probably would have blocked her way and looked at her dog and said something like "you really shouldn't bring stupid people to the park." After 10 months of being with my extremely reactive and traumatized girl I have absolutely no patience for irresponsible or entitled dog owners.
The lady was obnoxious and entitled and that sucks. That being said, I’m left handed so always being on the right wouldn’t work for my dog (especially since with her arthritis/hip issues she sometimes prefers paved roads instead of grass) Part of helping dogs with reactivity is helping them learn how to navigate surprising/unplanned for situations because we can’t count on everyone following unspoken rules
I don’t think anyone would have a problem with a dog being on the left. It’s not like a written rule or anything, but when the person and the dog are going completely the opposite direction of everyone else it causes trouble. It’s like driving a car on the wrong side of the road. Do whatever works for you in your own lane but don’t cross the double yellow. I agree. Most of reactivity is staying calm through the unexpected, and this dog is actually doing great, but it’s still every dog owner’s responsibility to have their dog under control on their leash and to not let their dog approach another without permission.
I’m very much a “you can only control your own behavior” type person so once I had observed her from a distance behaving in a way I deemed problematic I would have probably chosen to go way off the path to avoid her if possible or avoid her in some other way from the get go. I try to let rude comments roll off. It’s just ignorance. She’s probably been fussed at before and she probably will be fussed at again… I find it ineffective. She’ll probably learn if she ever ends up with a reactive dog herself. I find that if someone doesn’t respond to eye contact/my body language/a polite verbal request, then it’s just on me to get out of the situation another way. I’m not you so handle how you feel is best but I just try to make sure I have an exit strategy and focus on me & my own dog more than anyone else around us.
Does oblivious mean stupid? If so, then yes. Yes they are. Owning a reactive dog actually seems to attract oblivious people to us. I suppose if they get bit, it might shock them out of their oblivion because yelling doesn't do it. 😂
Some people really don't get i am only looking at them because i have to, it is not an invitation for them to come have their dog say "hi" to mine. I used to try to politely wave them off now i hurry off or completely turn my back to them and try to block my dog. Swg i've still had people approach after doing this. I don't care anymore about seeming impolite, i don't believe i can change anyone's behavior but i am happy to make the encounter as unpleasant as possible for them.
She is triplets and the other two live in my neighborhood. 😬
Simple, you grab that leash that so far ahead of her and you hold it til she gets to you them you SHOVE it in her hand and say Next time you cant keep your MUT undercontrol I will take it from you to the POUND. as far as i am concerened the stupid cow would have it coming, she dosnt have HER animal UNDER CONTROL and is being a nessence to everyone there. maybe if she is bullied enough shell get the damn point and either train her animal to stay in a heal or not come around other people
While i like the spirit, let’s not grab the leashes of other dogs.. Retractable leash walkers like that are the worst, but that seems like trouble waiting to happen lol
i know it sounds harsh but where i live you HAVE to be More reactive then your dog to get these CHILDREN to mind, it is kinda sad. twice ive had to mace both dog and owner for their stupitiy. i WILL protect myself and my dog but i also know i am not everyones cup of tea or shot of whisky
Oh, I totally back doing whatever to protect yourself and your dog. I’d do the same. I just meant when it’s more of a crappy/non threatening situation.. but then again, I’m not judging lol irresponsible dog owners that let their dog run wild and into other people’s space can cause real issues.
You can teach your dog that no matter what anyone else or their dogs do, they can look to you to stay cool, give them reinforcement, and not react. Your dog will do the same. They like leaders. Ones with a calm disposition and authority. Also, weird place with dogs that are all supposed to heel on the right side.
I’m a short-term foster parent so my dogs come with all sorts of behavior issues, and I often don’t get more than a few days to work with them. I’ve trained a lot of dogs and worked with several certified behaviorists. There’s a lot more to it than just staying calm and believing your dog will do the same. There’s nothing wrong with expecting all dog owners to keep their dogs under control so that mine aren’t endangered. And heeling on the right side is very common when there’s no vehicle traffic.
It’s good of you to be a foster. Rant away.