Is lead strong enough

[Soulworx]

Hi i am looking to get a new retractable lead for bailey until he gets a bit better at his recalls. We want one that he wont grow out of and were thinking of the flexi 3 long, for dogs up to 50kg (110lbs). Do u think that this will be strong enough given the extra strength a rottweiler would have behind that 110lbs. Both baileys parents were on the large side of standard so we are expecting him to be quite large too.

Any suggestions for a good retractable lead? (remember im in the UK so they would need to ship to europe).
Thanks

[Soulworx]

oh and why am i junior member AGAIN? I earned my stripes long ago!

[RottiMomCT]

Flexi makes an all tape lead - instead of the thin line that most are made of.

I had a Flexi once...until Ben wrapped it around my leg and took off running. Thanks goodness I had long pants on!

With the pup it should be OK - even with an adult dog is you don't let 'em get all the way to the end and yank the heck out of it you should be OK. besides, by the time he gets bigger you'll be able to walk him nicely on lead and he won't break the Flexi . Start out small - work up to getting to the full length of the lead when doing recalls - more success that way - happier training!

[Brooke&Ryan]

We actually purchased the Flexi-Leash All Belt 3 which has a weight limit of 150 lbs. We prefered that because as of right now Julius is staying pretty steady at right around 107 lbs. It's nice because instead of the corded leash of the smaller Flexi's it webbed belt. Julius can go out up to 16 ft. (http://www.flexiusa.com/flexi_large.htm)

We use it for hikes & walks out in the country. For town, it's the six foot leash.


Brooke

[Canadianrotti]

/\ I would not use a flex or retracting lead to walk my dogs. I want to train them to stay close by my side at all times. When I am out for a walk with any of the dogs, I find it much easier to controll them when they are right next to me.

Every time I see a dog on one of those things (usually a small dog), it is at the end of the 16' and still pulling. I would just save the money and buy a 16' rope, they are going to be at the end of it anyways.

For doing our recall training, I have a 20' and a 50' rope that I made from bits purchased at a local home building supply store, cost was about $5 for both.

[Soulworx]

thanks for the replies....
We have a normal lead for everyday walks. The longer one is just for in the parks so he can run around in safety. Also on hikes its nice to have the flexibility of allowing him and us to enjoy ourselves a bit more by letting him lag a bit or go ahead a bit without constantly having to keep him right beside us.

We had a flexi but unfortunately he got hold of it while we were out one day and munched it. He walked very well on it and never tugged, he seemed to know where its limits were and came back and heeled with us when we said (most of the time). Its because of the most of the time part that we still need the lead. He's only 4 months.

We are happy enough with his close lead walking to allow him that extra bit of freedom because we know he knows the difference between the two and knows when to walk well.

I was going to get a rope like u said but i think i would just trip over it all the time.

[Wookie'sMom]

The problem I found with a flexi is not that the flexi itself isn't strong enough, but when the dog hits the end of the leash MY HAND isn't strong enough to hold on to it (Wookie took off after someone else's thrown tennis ball once and I pivoted at the waist and hit ground face first before the flexi was torn from my hand. I will NEVER use a flexi again and don't recommend them for anyone with a large dog). Now I just have a 20 ft. climbing rope that I walk her on when in an area where 6 ft. isn't necessary, I never get tangled up in it, but then again I don't care if it drags on the ground either so it just loops behind me on the ground.

[Patty1231]

If you only want to use it to train a recall, I wouldn't bother. You can buy a regular long lead and just pull it back to you as you give the "come" command. You don't have to be 30 feet away when training the recall.

As far as flexi-leads, I do have one that is good to 150# and has a 30' reach. The only time I use it is when I take Rocco to the park to walk so he can stretch his legs and have some fun. Whenever he is on it, I remain on alert to any potential problems and call him back immediately, when necessary, to where he is close to me and under better control. I don't use it with Perle simply because she never wants to walk more than 3' away from me. In-town walks are on a regular lead.