Pros & Cons of Retractable Dog Leashes
People asking themselves “Are Retractable Dog Leashes are Better?” should start their investigation by reviewing the pros and cons of retractable leashes, and especially by comparing those pros and cons vs traditional, fixed-length leashes.
Even Benjamin Franklin understood the benefits of weighing the advantages and drawbacks of your options before coming up to a final decision, and that strategy is every bit as useful today as it was 200+ years ago.
With that said, let’s look at the strengths and weaknesses of using a retractable dog leash. Additionally, we'll find out why this accessory is so popular these days and explore some common questions about retractable leashes for dogs.
For those who need an immediate answer right from the start, we’ve summarized the key pros and cons, reviewing each of them in detail one by one.
Major Pros of Retractable Leashes for Dogs
- Retractable dog leashes provide more freedom
- Retractable dog leashes help your four-paw friend to burn more calories
- Retractable dog leashes can be useful for training
- Retractable dog leashes are easier to use
Possible Drawbacks of Retractable Dog Leashes
- Retractable dog leashes could be more dangerous (but let’s look at that in detail!)
- Retractable dog leashes could cause injuries (but again, that needs to be reviewed in detail)
- Retractable dog leashes may not be ideal for puppies
Pros of Retractable Dog Leashes
The biggest advantage of a retractable dog leash is that it gives both you and your dog more flexibility during your outdoor activities. In other words, it allows you to have nearly seamless control and much more comfort while walking your dog on a leash.
But that’s not the only benefit of getting a dog leash that retracts, so let’s look at the other advantages of retractables in more detail:
Retractable Leashes Provide More Freedom
Using a retractable dog means comes with one major pro compared to traditional fixed-length leashes: it allows your dog far more room to explore the world while walking. Therefore, you're able to provide more comfort to your four-paw friend while still having enough control over their movements.
Fixed leashes typically feature 3, 6 or 10 feet in length, which is not always convenient, especially for the leash reactive dogs. Retractable leashes, however, can easily go 15, 20 or even longer, meaning that if you want to let your furry best friend wander around with additional room to explore, then a retractable will certainly be your best bet. Similarly, if you're crossing a high-traffic place or any other zone that requires more control under your canine, an extendable leash allows adjusting the lead length to ideally meet the situation.
This is absolutely ideal for anyone who walks their dogs in open environments, free of obstacles, people, cars, or other potential dangers that would make using a long leash difficult, or dangerous.
Retractable Leashes Allow for More Exercise
Since the retractable leash offers your dog more room to roam, that means they can also get more exercise during your walks, burn up more calories, and probably both have a better time, but also be calmer once the walk is over.
After all, at the end of the day, walking your dog isn’t just about getting them exercise. It’s also about letting them burn up all that excess energy they DON’T use when sitting around your house, and especially in a smaller house, or an apartment, and critically, in a home without access to a backyard.
Dogs who don’t get walked often enough, far enough, or for long enough can display all sorts of behavioral problems, and oftentimes this is tied to the fact that they’ve simply got too much energy to burn. So, making sure your dog can put in more distance during your walks is a really good idea.
Retractable Leashes Can Be Used for Training
When it comes to teaching your dog some important, but more advanced training techniques, like “Heel”, “Come”, “Back”, etc., a retractable dog leash offers several advantages.
First, these “tricks” require allowing your dog to get some distance from you before issuing the command to return. If you’re trying to teach with a short, fixed-length leash, you simply may not have enough space in the length of the leash to get the job done.
By using a retractable leash, you can give your dog more room to range before calling them back, teaching them to follow commands at greater distances, making them much better trained and far safer on the road when it comes time to need them to follow commands.
Second, the gentle reminder of the tension from the leash, which the retractable managers entirely on its own, helps the dog to learn to feel resistance, pay attention to resistance, and essentially listen for the cues you offer both verbally, and physically, via tugging the leash.
This makes it easier for them to understand that, yes, they are being allowed to roam a bit, but that yes, too, they will need to return to your side once requested to do so.
Retractable Leashes Are Easier to Use
Probably the most important pro to using a retractable leash and the reason why so many pick dog owners choose to use them for their daily needs is that they’re simply easier to use and manage when you do hit the road with Fido.
Why? Because traditional leashes have to be folded over, scrunched up, adjusted from hand to hand, etc., etc., in order to prevent from giving the dog too much space to roam, which could cause them to get wrapped around objects, obstacles, people, or other dogs.
Traditional leashes don’t offer that option to provide automatic tension on the line, ensuring that the dog only gets as much room as you want them to have, and as they need, which is why you’ll so often see people walking dogs with fixed length leashes having to pull the leash from under their dog’s feet.
Fixed-length leashes don’t offer the tension retractables provide, which makes them far more likely to end up offering too much slack, and getting caught up under the dog, wrapped around their legs, which becomes a significant safety hazard!
But when it comes to retractable leashes, it’s not all good, as there are several cons worthy of your consideration as well.
Cons of Retractable Dog Leashes
If you’ve read some of the negative articles about retractables, then you too might be wondering “Are Retractable Dog Leashes Dangerous?”, but we’re here to dispel those notions.
While there certainly are people out there claiming that retractable dog leashes are bad, this simply isn’t the case, as they’re no more dangerous than a traditional, fixed-length leash, and they offer a ton of benefits that static leashes simply can’t offer.
With that said, let’s look at the cons of using a retractable dog leash:
Retractable Leashes Could Be More Dangerous (IF they aren’t used correctly!)
If you’re not going to use a retractable dog leash responsibly, meaning that you’ll pay attention to what your dog is doing and whether or not it’s actually safe to give them more room to roam during your walks, then yes, it may be more dangerous than a shorter, fixed-length leash.
Trainers don’t recommend using a retractable dog leash if you’re not willing to be a responsible dog owner and walker. If your goal during walks is to play games on your phone, send text messages, or do something other than watching your dog and maintaining a safe leash length, then you may want to use a shorter, fixed-length leash instead.
Retractable Leashes Could Cause Injuries (Just like regular leashes!)
We’ve researched a bunch of articles saying that retractable dog leashes could cause injuries to dogs and people, including walkers and innocent bystanders, but this aligns with the first con listed above; it’s only likely to happen in a situation where the person walking the dog isn’t paying attention.
As long as you’re watching your dog, maintaining a safe leash length, avoiding obstacles in the surrounding environment, you shouldn’t end up having any of the issues some of these articles professing that retractable leashes claim make them so dangerous, like friction burns.
We’re all dog owners here at Pet&Cuddle, and we’ve all got thousands of walks under our belts. We ALL use retractable leashes and none of us have ever had any injuries as a result of using a retractable dog leash. So, don't hesitate of getting a retractable dog lead for your four-paw friend!
Retractable Leashes Probably Aren’t Ideal for Puppies
It’s commonly said that it's not a great idea to use a retractable dog leash with a dog that doesn’t already have good walking manners. While walking with puppies, if you give them too much room to roam, it's more likely that they end up getting injured.
However, it's even more important to start using a retractable leash for dogs not after your pup reaches a particular age limit, but once your dog knows how to properly walk with its owner while leashed. The ability to change the leash length could be confusing if your dog hasn't adjusted to sudden changes from having a free-range full-time, to sometimes having only 2-3 feet of length, and sometimes having 15 feet of space, all within a few seconds.
If you already know how to use a retractable leash, because you’ve done it before, understand how to manage its length, know when to set the brake, when not to use it, etc., then you’d likely be fine using one with a puppy or a dog learning to walk properly. But, if you’re new to them and you’ve got a dog that still hasn’t learned good walking manners, then this could be a less-than-ideal option.
When You Should Use a Retractable Dog Leash?
This one’s easy to answer: under most conditions, most people should use a retractable dog leash, as for the majority of situations; the pros of retractable leashes outweigh the cons. After you explore all the ups and downs of extendable dog leashes, the next question you'll probably ask is when exactly you can start using these.
Overall, we recommend using retractable dog lead if you walk in good weather, have a dog that behaves at least reasonably well on your walks, you’re going to pay attention to your dog and the environment when walking them, then you’d do great with a retractable, and the many benefits they offer will make your walks far more enjoyable for both yourself and your dog.
Most people and most dogs, under most conditions, are going to have better walk thanks to a retractable leash. And, once you give it a try, you'll definitely realize that the pros of retractable leashes outweigh the cons.
How to Use a Retractable Dog Leash SAFELY
Before we offer advice on picking the right retractable for your needs, let’s first explain how to use a retractable dog leash PROPERLY, as this will address all the cons, safety concerns and other potential issues that people think come with retractable leashes.
Here’s a simple guide which can definitely help you to avoid all the dangers of retractable leashes for dogs:
1. Inspect the Leash Before Each Walk
Before you hit the road, please make sure to inspect your retractable leash to see if it shows any signs of damage, like a fraying leash, a brake that no longer functions properly, or any other physical or mechanical issues, In such a case, it's essential to get your extendable dog leash fixed immediately before you start using it again or else get a new one instead.
This needs to be looked at each and every time you go for a walk. Otherwise, the failure could lead to an incredibly dangerous situation of seriously injuring you or your four-paw friend.
2. Make Sure It’s Strong Enough to Fit Your Dog
This is the most important concern for anyone using a retractable dog leash; if your leash isn’t powerful enough to hold up against the weight of your dog, then of course it won’t be safe. Make sure you’re using a leash that is rated for your dog’s weight and strength, and get a new, stronger leash, as your dog gets larger and more powerful.
3. Opt for a Leash With the Optimal Length
Another great point to consider is the proper length of a retractable leash, and here we suggest choosing the traditional one that is no longer than 15 feet. Overall, getting an extendable leash that is too long impacts the size and weight of a handle, yet are less likely to be used at their max length. In some cases, it simply doesn't make any sense: if you do want to give your dog more than 20 ft room for roam, you'll just unleash it.
4. Pay Attention to Your Dog At All Times
If you’re thinking a retractable leash is great because you can simply let them roam at the maximum length while staring at your phone, or watching the clouds, or doing something other than monitoring your dog, then it’s time to think again. Using a retractable dog leash while not paying attention to what your dog is doing, what the environment is doing, etc., is a bad idea.
5. Don’t use a Retractable Leash with Untrained Dogs
As we mentioned in the cons section above, we don’t think it’s a good idea to use a retractable leash with a dog that doesn’t already have decent walking manners. If your dog doesn’t know how to walk, at all, or if it lunges at other people, or animals, starts fights, chases squirrels, etc., then a retractable leash probably isn’t your best option.
How to Pick the Right Retractable Dog Leash
When it comes time to choosing the right extendable leash, you’ll certainly want to review our guide on choosing the best retractable dog leash for detailed instructions on shopping. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick bullet-point list of the most important elements to consider:
- Get the right weight rating
- Pick a leash that’s durable and strong, from a company you can trust
- ONLY use a retractable with a multi-cord leash, ideally, with “ribbon” or “tape-style” leashes (NOT a single fiber, which is far more likely to break!)
- Pick a leash length that you’ll actually use – very few people need 25 foot+ leashes, for most situations, 15 feet maximum length is going to be perfect
- Get a leash with a “tangle-free design”, otherwise you may end up having to take the entire unit apart to fix knots in the internal workings
Get Your Best Retractable Dog Leash From Pet&Cuddle!
As you can see, a retractable leash today is not simply an option but rather a necessity for any dog parent. With the right dog leash, you and your fido will always have secure, comfortable yet effective activities!
Ready to purchase your best dog leash right now? To make your shopping experience as easy as possible, we suggest getting a retractable dog leash from Pet&Cuddle. Our dog accessories are reliable, affordable and perfectly safe - and that's why dog parents love them!
Questions About Retractable Leashes for Dogs
If you still have a few questions about choosing the best dog leash, we’ve got you covered! Below are some of the most commonly asked ones about putting your dog on a leash.
Is it really good to have my dog leashed?
Leashing your dog is one of the best ways to improve obedience, impulse control and teamwork. Moreover, proper leashing enhances your dog’s safety and security during walks, eliminates the risks of accidents and improves training efficiency.
Is it okay to keep dogs leashed in the house?
You should leash your dog only in cases when you’re able to supervise it. However, if it's out of your sight even if it's just in his crate or pen, you must take it off for safety reasons.
Should I use retractable leashes for reactive dogs?
Absolutely! A retractable leash is an excellent tool for reactivity training. But it's essential to keep the length locked during training, so you can fully control your dog’s movements.
Can a dog stay leashed 24/7?
Any leash should be worn only if needed, ideally - for outdoor adventures, and removed once you return home from a walk. Also, wearing leash before you're going out will help your dog to learn that when the leash comes out, it’s time for a walk.
