Dog Owner Chat v4

[taurus ;]

What are all of your opinions on retractable leashes? They're a bit of a pet peeve of mine, haha.

Retractable leashes are soo good with Vashti, she's blind and will wander, so the retractable leash gives me great control on how far I want her walking and when I want her near me. Plus she isn't a puller at all, so they're great when walking Vashti.

For Spade and Xeno, I just use a regular standard leash w/ loop at the end. Spade is actually a little scared of retractable leashes, don't know why. Xeno still tugs a bit when walking, I feel like he could just snap the retractable leash line if he wanted to.

[awakening souls.]

@halogen.

Have you by chance dropped the handle of the retractable leash around Spade? I've heard those can scare a dog. Or maybe a while back she tugged too hard while on one and hurt her neck? Not sure.

[.Middy.]

My dog might be a seamonster... That is all...

[leiawolfe]

My dog might be a seamonster... That is all...

Ah, her body is so graceful when it's wet~ XD

[fluffycat6]

What are all of your opinions on retractable leashes? They're a bit of a pet peeve of mine, haha.

I think they're good for some dogs, but not that durable. My dog would break them so I just use a normal leash.

[Imzadi83]

What are all of your opinions on retractable leashes? They're a bit of a pet peeve of mine, haha.

Hate 'em. Personally, they're better for cats than dogs if you tend to walk your cat lol. I find that they don't give me enough control over my dogs, because for one, the leash part is usually thinner compared to normal leashes (not very sturdy), and on another point, they tend to jam a lot. I'd prefer my dogs to be beside me at all times, not running ahead of me (it's just how I trained them and it provides me a lot more control over the dog, and it shows the dog who's alpha), whereas a retractable leash would allow them to walk me, not the other way around. They can also put the dog in danger if it's way far ahead of you, not giving you enough time to pull your dog out of that situation. Just my opinion, anyway.

There is no "alpha" in dogs, dominance theory is a myth, debunked by science. Having a dog next to you as opposed to walking in front does not show him you are the "alpha", "boss" or anything like that. It's fine if you want to train your dog to walk in that position, but he won't "respect" you more because of it, and he wouldn't "respect" you any less if he was trained to walk in front. Obviously a dog shouldn't be pulling when you don't want them to, but that has nothing to do with you being an "alpha", the dog is either trained properly to walk on a loose leash or is not.

I also hate retractable leashes. They train the dog to pull, degrade and can malfunction over time posing a hazard. If they break and the cable snaps they could injure the person or the dog. If they are pulled out of the person's hands the clatter of hitting the ground then winding up towards the dog giving the dog the feeling of something chasing him can cause him to bolt. Not only is this an immediate hazard as the dog can run into traffic, is loose, etc.; but it can cause a phobia about being leashed in general. For these reasons I think if you want to give your dog more leash, it's much safer to use a long line.

I also hate the people who use them without concern to the safety of others. The people who refuse to use a safety strap which makes it easier to have it pulled from their hand by the dog. The people who refuse to lock it in a store, or when they see someone/thing approaching, etc. I also hate the stupidity of people who complain their dog pulls on leash but don't realize they're training their dog to pull by using a retractable leash. Or worse, they use a prong collar with the retractable leash And of course so many have the leash attached to the collar causing damage to the dog's neck, spine, etc.

@.Middy. - Oh wow, it's a rare sighting of the Kesness monster You're so lucky.

[Flossie]

What are all of your opinions on retractable leashes? They're a bit of a pet peeve of mine, haha.

I personally don't like them that much. I do have one, which has come in handy when we visited a beach that dogs were not allowed off leash on. Lacey wasn't too sure what to think of it, but it was a disaster when she tried to socialise with other dogs. She usually has a perfect heel when she's off leash at the beach, but the leash just wasn't working for us. I can't see us using it again, except for a quick night potty break.

[awakening souls.]

@Imzadi83

Nonetheless, having your dog walking you instead of you walking them, and having them always tugging you ahead, does not show a very well trained dog. It definitely doesn't promote good manners lol. But I suppose you're right, I should've worded it differently. I didn't necessarily mean "alpha" as most people talking about dogs do, I meant is as a way to describe my control as a dog owner. I guess what I'm trying to say is I didn't mean to say I want to be the leader of my dog, I just want more power, which a standard leash would give me, not a retractable leash.

All your points make a lot of sense!

[friends dønt lie.]

We're picking up our foster puppy today! Any tips? I already have two dogs, a Teddy bear (Biscon+Shih Tzu+poodle) and a Yorkie. We don't know what type of dog it's going to be, but we think the puppy will be a chiweenie (idk how to spell anymore haha) any advice would be very appreciated! Thanks~

[Imzadi83]

We're picking up our foster puppy today! Any tips? I already have two dogs, a Teddy bear (Biscon+Shih Tzu+poodle) and a Yorkie. We don't know what type of dog it's going to be, but we think the puppy will be a chiweenie (idk how to spell anymore haha) any advice would be very appreciated! Thanks~

Introduce the dogs off your property, on neutral territory. Introduce one of your dogs at a time to the foster puppy and do some parallel walking before bringing the puppy onto your property and then with all three dogs in the yard then in the house. Once your in the house keep the first meeting short, then put the puppy away. No matter how well it goes do no leave the puppy alone with the other dogs.

Personally I would feed them separately too. Really with a puppy I would be doling out their food either as training treats and/or in puzzle toys to burn some energy and do alone training.