As promised, here is my new extension leash blog. I have blogged about these death traps many times over the years. Why do I have to write so often about these leashes? Because they are horrible and cause a great number of issues and injuries. Please if you have one, put it away. The ONE AND ONLY place that these should ever be used is in an area where there is no one else within sight. An open field, beach or parking lot where no one is around. If you don’t trust your dog off leash, the extension leash gives them the feel of being leashless without being leashless. But even when no one else is around, you must take GREAT CARE not to injure your dog with the leash.

So let’s get into why you should not use an extension leash except for being in one very specific situation.

THEY ARE DANGEROUS

Just the other day Elsa and I were out for a walk. Heading our way was a family existing of Mom, Dad and young son with their small poodle mix ON AN EXTENSION LEASH! I smiled and said hello as they passed and cringed as I turned to see how it was going with that horrid leash. It was going really bad as it typically does. The Dad was walking along hanging onto the leash with no regard to what was going on with his dog that was at the very end of the leash and about 15 feet behind him. What had happened was that his son got tangled in the leash. The boy stopped as it tightened and he tried to get out of it; finally getting one foot, then the other out of the leash. His Dad had not even noticed all of this playing out and kept walking. Typical.

In any situation other than the one I mentioned above, DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION LEASH. Why? Read on.

You should never have your dog farther than a few feet from you in public.
You cannot reign in fast enough in an emergency.
Most people can’t reign in in a non emergency.
The leash can wrap around wrists, ankles and other parts of human and canine bodies; leading to small injuries up to and including catastrophic injuries.
Your dog is not paying attention to you on the end of a long extension.
You lose the ability to do training work.
Extension leashes give dogs too much freedom in public.
You should always know where your dog is and have eyes on them. You can’t do this as they round a corner without you.
Your dog should always be close enough in public to grab quickly should the need arise.
You are a team and when you walk, you walk together other than off leash walks.
I could go on and on but these are just a few of the most important issues with extension leashes.
There is constant tension on extension leashes; they should NEVER, EVER be used with choke collar, pinch/prong collars or face halters, EVER!
Is it not easier to pay attention to your dog if they are close by? You know you are not paying attention to them 15-20 feet away. Common, you know it.

I love leashes but I HATE EXTENSION LEASHES

If you absolute have to use an extension, only use it as described above, in an open field where no one else is around (in a safe environment). Better still, train your dog and toss the extension leash.

I have a wardrobe of leashes, all of different lengths and uses. Not in my collection of leashes is an extension and that is the way I like it.

Toss the extension leash