Ever been through our Hobart or St. John stores and wandered past the leashes? We have plenty of leashes with bling, colorful leashes, leashes made of leather, superhero leashes and so much more. But, you won’t find a retractable leash on our shelves. Why you wonder? Well, we actually don’t recommend them and in fact they can be downright dangerous!

-Have you ever seen a huge dog on a dinky retractable leash? Yeah, us too. Most retractable leashes aren’t strong enough to hold a large dog should a delicious rabbit run by. Should that happen, you’ll soon be holding a broken end of a retractable leash. Actually, you’d be lucky to not get whipped by the other end of that leash!

-What happens when a (possibly) aggressive dog approaches your dog? It’s MUCH easier to gain control of your dog on a 2 or even 6 foot leash over the 15 to 25 foot retractable leash.

-You’re at a dog friendly event and a dog owner gives his/her dog the full 20 feet of leash…and you get caught in between! Oh no! A number of people have been seriously injured from a thin leash rubbing against their legs – or the back of their legs – some have required surgery, not just serious burns, cuts and bruises.

-It can also be confusing when training your pooch. One second your dog is allowed to be 15 to 20 feet away from you, but then if a dog approaches or you are in a crowded space, your dog needs to be at your side. We especially don’t recommend retractable leashes when loose-leash training Fido.

-Anything with a mechanism is bound to malfunction over time. You wouldn’t want to be caught in a situation where your leash won’t retract.

-Let’s face it, a retractable leash is bulky and hard to hold. We’ve seen our fair share of dropped leashes. Should the leash fall and make a loud noise, it could easily scare your pooch and send him running faster and faster away from the sound. But, the faster they run, the more the leash will bounce!

-If you just can’t rid of your trusty retractable, be considerate of others maintain as much control over your four legged friend as possible and keep the leash as short as possible in public. I know it’s hard to imagine – but there are people in the world that are not dog lovers and in fact are scared by these furry creatures. I’m constantly telling my friendly (yet spazzy) little guy that not everyone loves him like I do. Even if he just wants to greet and give kisses, a timid child or even adult may not think he is friendly.

Need help finding the perfect leash for your next outing? We’ve got one for you. Promise!