Dog lead safety strap?

[Valentine1]

Hi all,

 

I've been looking at some type of safety strap for a dog we're getting soon, who's a bit nervous, so if we did accidentally drop the lead or retractable lead it would still be secured to our hand. It looks like the links below. Have any of you got or seen one of these? I can't find one to buy anywhere!!! Thanks for your help

 

https://goo.gl/ZlbDDX

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FreeHand-Freehand-Safety-Strap/dp/B001TOSTO0

 

 

Nevermind I've just taken the safety strap off the wii remote and put in on the lead instead. I've been looking for days and ones been under my nose all this time!

Edited October 24, 2015 by Valentine1

[ccit]

Flexi Leads usually come with a safety strap included in the pack. However, please, please do not use these leads when walking the dog on a road. If it is incorrectly locked or the ratchet breaks you could well find your dog underneath the wheel of a car. I know of a dog that was killed due to the owner using one of these on a road.

 

They are fine on open ground but in this situation always team it up with a harness, never a collar because if the dog bolts it could damage it's trachea.

 

The first thing to do with your dog is to spend time getting it to walk to heel on a loose lead so obtain a good strong collar and lead (or harness and lead). This could take a few weeks to perfect but it is time well spent.

[rubydo1]

Flexi Leads usually come with a safety strap included in the pack. However, please, please do not use these leads when walking the dog on a road. If it is incorrectly locked or the ratchet breaks you could well find your dog underneath the wheel of a car. I know of a dog that was killed due to the owner using one of these on a road.

 

They are fine on open ground but in this situation always team it up with a harness, never a collar because if the dog bolts it could damage it's trachea.

 

The first thing to do with your dog is to spend time getting it to walk to heel on a loose lead so obtain a good strong collar and lead (or harness and lead). This could take a few weeks to perfect but it is time well spent.

 

Yeah glad you mentioned that . Sometimes it is safer to drop the lead . Plus the strength of the dog is also a consideration, being able to switch hands very quickly could save you from a sprained wrist .

[Valentine1]

Flexi Leads usually come with a safety strap included in the pack. However, please, please do not use these leads when walking the dog on a road. If it is incorrectly locked or the ratchet breaks you could well find your dog underneath the wheel of a car. I know of a dog that was killed due to the owner using one of these on a road.

 

They are fine on open ground but in this situation always team it up with a harness, never a collar because if the dog bolts it could damage it's trachea.

 

The first thing to do with your dog is to spend time getting it to walk to heel on a loose lead so obtain a good strong collar and lead (or harness and lead). This could take a few weeks to perfect but it is time well spent.

 

We have a harness for her, which is what we use for our other dog. It is a flexi lead, and did come with a thing on it but I didn't realise it was and I don't know how it works??

 

I've just looked on flexi website and it says it's a safety collar for the dog, not for your wrist.

 

Also, I know you say not to use an extending lead, but I'd feel bad letting my dog go exploring while she can't. Then again, she's never actually been walked, her current foster carers are taking her and said she's slightly nervous of new sounds etc so maybe she wouldn't want to go off exploring for a while anyway. (exploring when we reach the park I mean)

 

I can't see being able to train her to walk next to me will be anytime soon, what with just trying to get her to being comfortable going at all?

 

---------- Post added 25-10-2015 at 17:45 ----------

 

Yeah glad you mentioned that . Sometimes it is safer to drop the lead . Plus the strength of the dog is also a consideration, being able to switch hands very quickly could save you from a sprained wrist .

 

It's not our wrist we're worried about, it's if we dropped the lead and the retractable part zipped towards the dog which could scare her and make her bolt that we want to avoid. So I've put the safety catch off the wii onto the handle so it is still attached to our hand and couldn't go zipping after her.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Valentine1

[vwkittie]

Those retractable stringy leads are awful. You'd be better off with a proper safety harness for the dog and a good quality webbing long line to use for training, and a separate proper short, fixed lead for normal walking, which you could use with the harness or a collar.

 

Get a lead that has a loop at the end, put your wrist through the loop, loop the lead around your hand and hold on to where the loop meets the lead. It's very secure that way but you with a flick of your wrist you can still quickly drop the lead in an emergency. I was shown how to do this by a specialist lurcher trainer, obviously it's important to have a secure but safe hold for lurchers as they can have a very high prey drive...

[ccit]

Flexi Leads with cord can be quite risky as they can easily cut into someone. The tape ones are better. However, as has been said a long training lead such as this one is a good option when on open ground. Not so good when in woodland as the dog can get tangled up around a tree. Of course they should never be used near a road.

 

As vwkittie says, it is best to have a short lead for normal walking. Your dog sounds like it has a few problems with walking so it may be best to concentrate (initially) on getting him to walk properly in just one situation rather than confusing him. Dogs tend to fee more secure in a situation that they understand. Flexi Leads can give them too much freedom and they can 'teach' a dog to be a puller if you are not very careful.

[Chez2]

I haven't read through the other posts but have you considered a strong leather lead you can wear across your body? I prefer to walk our German Shepherds like this as I can't accidentally let go if the see something I don't or if another dog starts bothering them. You can alter the lead with a clip to have it longer if you want them to be able to walk some distance from you as you would with an ordinary long lead rather than just a couple of foot away.

 

Its a much stronger and longer version similar to this but at least this will show you what I mean about cross body lead.

http://www.heartpup.com/products/cross-body-hands-free-stud-leather-dog-leash-adjusts-by-slidding-logo-up-to-hold-as-regular-leash

[ccit]

Because you didn't read the other posts, you will have missed this comment by the OP: "I can't see being able to train her to walk next to me will be anytime soon, what with just trying to get her to being comfortable going at all?"

 

The arrangement that you describe might be alright for a dog that is trained to walk properly. However, the OP's dog clearly needs some work doing with it. The first thing to do is to gain it's trust and then to concentrate on getting the dog to walk on the left, to heel and on a loose lead. This can only be done with a proper collar/harness and lead. Sometimes Halti collars or similar can be used and these are particularly suitable if the dog is large and a puller. Most dogs object to head collars at first but soon get used to them. As well as stopping the dog pulling, they can reduce anxiety, making the walk more pleasant for dog and owner.

Edited October 27, 2015 by ccit

[Chez2]

Because you didn't read the other posts, you will have missed this comment by the OP: "I can't see being able to train her to walk next to me will be anytime soon, what with just trying to get her to being comfortable going at all?"

 

The arrangement that you describe might be alright for a dog that is trained to walk properly. However, the OP's dog clearly needs some work doing with it. The first thing to do is to gain it's trust and then to concentrate on getting the dog to walk on the left, to heel and on a loose lead. This can only be done with a proper collar/harness and lead. Sometimes Halti collars or similar can be used and these are particularly suitable if the dog is large and a puller. Most dogs object to head collars at first but soon get used to them. As well as stopping the dog pulling, they can reduce anxiety, making the walk more pleasant for dog and owner.

 

Was that verbal abuse really necessary? Its clear you have no understanding as to what I have written. I read what the op had written otherwise why would I have know what to write about? I skim read the other posts enough to realise nobody had suggested the type of lead we use.

 

If you read my post I state the leads can we worn across the body or the clip altered to make a long lead. When its worn across the body the dog still has a few foot of lead so its not pulled tightly to heel. This is a much better solution that a halti. I hate them and would never use them, especially for a dog with any strength. Its better to encourage a dog with training rather than pulling its face /head with a halti.

 

Three of our five Shepherds have not been bought as pups. The last one was just over a year old and approx. 35kg when we got him. He would have been seriously injured had we used a halti to get him used to walking nicely. He jumped and pulled because he was excited. He was absolutely crazy and too much for me to walk at first. His previous owner never trained him so they went out less frequently until they gave up and got rid of him. I'm talking from fourteen year experience with big strong willed working dogs not pet dog strains. Its better to train a dog gently than force them, hence me suggesting the lead I did. It gives you flexibility and security, especially if you are not a large or physically strong person. I'm not happy with a hand held lead on such big powerful dogs which is why I suggested that type of lead. Its also useful for someone that want to have their hands free on a more relaxed walk where the dog has a bit of freedom but not too much.

[Valentine1]

Those retractable stringy leads are awful. You'd be better off with a proper safety harness for the dog and a good quality webbing long line to use for training, and a separate proper short, fixed lead for normal walking, which you could use with the harness or a collar.

 

Get a lead that has a loop at the end, put your wrist through the loop, loop the lead around your hand and hold on to where the loop meets the lead. It's very secure that way but you with a flick of your wrist you can still quickly drop the lead in an emergency. I was shown how to do this by a specialist lurcher trainer, obviously it's important to have a secure but safe hold for lurchers as they can have a very high prey drive...

 

Oh that's how we've always held those type of leads, I wouldn't feel safe just holding it by the loop bit!

Oh and it's not a string one, it's a tape one. Although I didn't realise they could cause burns (the string ones) until after I'd read about them!

 

I haven't read through the other posts but have you considered a strong leather lead you can wear across your body? I prefer to walk our German Shepherds like this as I can't accidentally let go if the see something I don't or if another dog starts bothering them. You can alter the lead with a clip to have it longer if you want them to be able to walk some distance from you as you would with an ordinary long lead rather than just a couple of foot away.

 

Its a much stronger and longer version similar to this but at least this will show you what I mean about cross body lead.

http://www.heartpup.com/products/cross-body-hands-free-stud-leather-dog-leash-adjusts-by-slidding-logo-up-to-hold-as-regular-leash

 

It's only a shih tzu, I bet they're amazing leads for big or strong dogs but I don't think she'd be that strong! I think our worry was more if we were the clumsy one who dropped the lead, which obviously you have to be careful not to do but I do like worrying about what ifs apparently!

 

Because you didn't read the other posts, you will have missed this comment by the OP: "I can't see being able to train her to walk next to me will be anytime soon, what with just trying to get her to being comfortable going at all?"

 

The arrangement that you describe might be alright for a dog that is trained to walk properly. However, the OP's dog clearly needs some work doing with it. The first thing to do is to gain it's trust and then to concentrate on getting the dog to walk on the left, to heel and on a loose lead. This can only be done with a proper collar/harness and lead. Sometimes Halti collars or similar can be used and these are particularly suitable if the dog is large and a puller. Most dogs object to head collars at first but soon get used to them. As well as stopping the dog pulling, they can reduce anxiety, making the walk more pleasant for dog and owner.

 

A halti wouldn't be any good anyway what with her having a flat face and being a shih tzu, but I'm not fond of the idea of them anyway. Although I can see why it's important for some dogs to have them.

We thought a harness would be better, not just from the neck point of view, but also that I thought it'd be a bit more of a comfort, kind of like the thunder shirt? I don't know, I thought it might help a tiny bit anyway. And we'd read that rescue dogs are better with harnesses.