Nearly a nasty accident

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Nettle
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Nearly a nasty accident

Post by Nettle »

Out this morning with my pup (8 months) and her Mum, both offlead in the countryside, we met a lady with a cocker spaniel pup the same age as mine. They have played before, so I said I had time for them to play if she wanted.

Unfortunately I had meant offlead play, which is what we have had before, and the spaniel's owner instead let her dog out on the extending lead - which in no time flat it had wound around my puppy's legs and then pulled! Owner wasn't quick enough or didn't appreciate the seriousness of the situation, so it was left to me to grab the spaniel on her third circuit and untangle my pup before she had a broken leg.

I hate extending leads - they are so dangerous if not properly managed - and this could have been a terminal accident for my puppy. Being a sighthound, if a leg is broken, it is very very serious indeed.

Nice lady - nice pup - but not on the ball. Sheesh.
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ckranz
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Location: San Diego CA

Post by ckranz »

Flexi leads IMHO are more dangerous than choke chains or prong collars for causing untold accidents. The "lock mechanisms" almost always fail with large dogs and I have seen numerous dogs rushing up to greet other dogs or people with no control from their owner's and handlers.

It's quite ironic that they are "acceptible" as a lead in areas where a leash is defined as no more than 6' at length.

There was a canine comic in the US (Pooch Cafe) a few weeks ago which honed in on the dangers of flexi-leads. A dog got away from its owner on a flex lead who drops the heafty handle and fears he has moments to live from being struck by the retractible handle. They ran that theme for a week.
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

Owners think extending leads are to give their dog more freedom, to a point the are right but they should only be used in certain cercumstances, racing round playing is not one of them.

I teach all my dogs how to behave on extending leads because round here they are sometimes necessary, they learn that to hear the lead first before the stop is put on and they have to obey the noise the lead makes. This stops that sudden stop when the dogs are running flat out. They are not allowed to race round like loonies playing when on these, they can on a long line, they know the difference.

Extending leads should only be clipped to a harness, never a collar or headcollar, if they get to the end of the lead at speed, their necks can be broken.

I wouldn't have a pup on an extending lead anyway, there is always tension on these which the dogs can get used to and won't walk on anything else. It is virtually impossible to get a dog to walk on a loose lead with one of these because of the tension always on them.

I hope you said something to her Nettle. :D
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Nettle
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Post by Nettle »

I was amazingly civil given that I had had such a nasty fright. We parted on excellent terms. I truly do not think she had the slightest idea of the danger.
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emmabeth
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Post by emmabeth »

Eeek.. very scary!

I wonder if it is a 'horsey person' thing... more than a dog person thing, this 'tangled things round legs = mega bad' knowledge.

It does frighten me, especially the cord type extending leads. I actually own a tape one, which we use in the garden only for those doggies who for whatever reason are not allowed to play, just supervised on lead weewees..and even then in my own garden I wont have other dogs running around whilst one is on the extendy lead!
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

If I put Merlin on a long line or take the lead off completely he is glued to my side, most of the time his nose is touching me and he panics if he is more than a few inches away. When I put an extending lead on that gave him the confidence to move away and investigate the undergrowth in the hedges. At first he would keep checking back but doesn't now.

I will have had Merlin for 6 years in September and only recently has be felt confident enough to run outside my garden, I suspect with the tension on the extending lead he knows I am there all the time which he doesn't when on a long line or free. Even a normal lead he isn't happy if it is loose but now will walk with it loose. Strange dog. :roll:
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katowaggytail
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Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:37 am

Post by katowaggytail »

I must say, I'm really not a fan of these leads, I only got one in case Kato wouldn't come in after a wee when I first got him.... little did i know that with Mr Velcro i would NEVER have that problem!!! :roll: however I gave it to my mum whose eldery lab has a touch of dementia... such a bonus there I must say!!!!
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