Are Retractable Leashes Helpful or Harmful?

by Heidi Atwood

Pulling is one of the biggest challenges when teaching our puppies to walk nicely on a leash with us. Even a small dog can make leash walking uncomfortable if they are pulling on the leash. Besides, pulling doesn’t align with good leash walking manners. Excited puppies may want to go faster than we are going, or pull to the side to sniff something interesting. When practicing loose leash walking, we work hard to teach our pups that pulling gets them nowhere, and that they get to move forward and even earn rewards when there is no tension on the leash. 

However, there is always a bit of tension when using retractable leashes and a puppy learns very quickly that if they pull, they can go farther away from the handler, and go faster as well. What fun!

A puppy is unlikely to focus on the person walking them if they are able to wander or quickly dart away after something they find exciting, and this sets them up for forming ongoing undesirable habits. When we are first teaching a puppy how to walk on a leash, keeping the puppy close to us helps them focus on the handler, proper behaviors, and earning our positive attention and rewards for walking without pulling. This practice sets you and your pup up for enjoyable leash walking for both of you, and for the long-term. 

My son told me that he met a dog that was on a retractable leash when he was out walking in his neighborhood. The dog was walking with its handler on the opposite side of the street, and the handler actually allowed the dog to cross the street to say hello to my son! This encourages a very unsafe habit of a puppy going into the street by themselves, and being encouraged to greet people they don’t know, possibly even a person who doesn't want to interact with them. Not the best idea.

These leashes can be very dangerous and unpredictable. The person walking the dog or even an innocent bystander could be tripped and injured if the dog suddenly sees something interesting and runs after it without warning, especially if you are walking in areas that might be slippery. I also realize what could happen if two dogs on retractable leashes managed to run at each other, getting tangled or even attacking each other. Injuries to the dog and the handler can result from leash burns, cuts, and even amputations from using this type of leash. A sudden stop when your puppy reaches the end of the leash can also result in neck and throat injuries.

Puppy handlers can easily lose control of their dogs when using this type of leash. Since these leashes actually encourage pulling, your dog will consider pulling normal and the correct way to get somewhere. This is the opposite of loose-leash walking! 

So what can we do instead? If you want to give your dog a sense of freedom and the chance to sniff and play, using a lightweight, waterproof, long leash is a great idea. These come in various lengths of 10, 20 and even 50 feet and you have the ability to give your pup as much or as little of that length as you want in appropriate spaces. You can pick up a leash like this for around $20-25. 

When teaching loose leash walking, a 5-6 foot leash is best to keep your pup close to you and help them focus on the rules and the rewards. If there is tension on the leash, stop moving to help your puppy learn that they don’t get to continue the walk if they are pulling. Start moving again as soon as your puppy puts some slack in the leash, which usually happens when they get bored and move toward you a bit to see why you have stopped. Reward your puppy when they are walking just right. You can also try changing directions a few times, to help your puppy focus on you. Practicing leash walking in a “boring” area such as in a yard, or back and forth in front of your home also reduces some of the distractions that take the puppy’s attention away from the handler. This is a time when you might need to use a higher value reward to keep your puppy’s attention focused on you. 

We also suggest using a “no-pull” harness when your puppy is learning to walk on a leash. The leash attaches to the chest area, which helps reduce pulling and keeps the tension off the sensitive neck area. See our Products page for recommendations.

Do yourself a favor and teach your pup to walk with you without pulling. You can offer separate “sniff walks” when you notice areas your pup is interested in. Stop and give them a few minutes to explore without allowing them to pull you around the area, and then it’s right back to the business of paying attention to their handler. I assign the “Let’s go!” cue to this. 

If you would like help with leash walking and preventing pulling, please reach out to our trainers for advice. A dog who walks nicely on a leash without pulling changes the walk from a stressful “game” of tug-of-war to an enjoyable adventure…for both of you!