The Aussie - Spring 2019

Many of you will know that when you go to dog trainers and
they are not just talking about obedience training, the trainers
are always checking to see if you are holding your lead properly.
Now you know why. As professionals we see the injuries and
have had a few ourselves. Nothing quite as serious as the ones
being highlighted by Surgeons, they probably only see the more
serious ones, but s?ll painful. Experts reckon thousands of
people could be at risk from lacera?ons, fric?on burns,
fractures and ligament injuries.
OK, so we know there can be a problem – what advice can we
give you?
The first thing to consider is the types of collars and leads that
you are using. Or even harnesses if that is what you have
decided to try. Many are more aUrac?ve than prac?cal. Nylon
based materials notoriously can cut into your hand at the
slightest tug. The thickness of the lead is another factor. In the
show world, thin leads to not distract from the dog are part of
the presenta?on. But with a coarse material and a dog needing
checking, or its head being li\ed from sniffing the grass – well –
handlers soon learn the discomfort from some leads. To win the
top prizes, it can be a grin and bear it. But it’s for a short period
of ?me.
A dog walk - hopefully - is much longer than the 3 minutes of
limelight in the show ring. Plus there is the unexpected that
catches us off guard. There is a trend to use retractable leads
also known as extendable or flexi leads. They are popular with
dog owners as it enables us to give our dogs more freedom to
roam, but also with seemingly a level of control. These are
usually long, thin cords (although there are "tape" or "belt"
versions as well) housed into a plas?c compartment with a
handle. The whole thing is spring-loaded and a buUon, which
acts as a brake, controls how much of the leash is extended.
They typically range from around 10 feet to 26 feet in length.
The convenience and flexibility of a retractable lead can actually
work against you in some situa?ons. It takes prac?ce to be able
to use it well, and let's face it, learning how and when to apply
the brake, or how much freedom to give your dog, doesn't
come easy to everyone. Many a dog owner has been seen
struggling to get control of their dogs on an extendable leash.
Obviously, it's harder to control a dog who is 20 feet away from
you than it would be if they're on a standard 4 to 6 foot lead.
Dogs can easily run out into traffic, have uninten?onal or invited
contact with people or dogs, or get tangled up with another
person or dog (which can be dangerous all on its own!).
Many flexi-leads are essen?ally just a thin cord. Like any lead,
they eventually wear out (or can be chewed through or
weakened by chewing). Should the line or clip break, the
tension on the leash can cause them to come whipping back
towards you, poten?ally hiPng and injuring you.
Likewise, if a dog ends up gePng tangled around other
people or dogs, the cord can again cut the skin on legs or any
other part that comes into contact with it. Plus gePng
tangled up is a tripping hazard.
Flexi-leads are equipped with a buUon that acts as a brake,
preven?ng the lead from extending any further. If the buUon
is pressed while the dog is running, or the dog simply
reaches the end of the line, he'll come to an abrupt stop.
This can result in neck and spinal injuries especially if the
flexi-lead is used with a collar.
Many dogs will enthusias?cally greet other dogs; gePng
tangled up with another dog isn't uncommon. The cord
might wrap around their legs, or even around heads and
necks, depending on the difference in sizes of the dogs. Dogs
can get cut by the lead or they may panic if they feel they're
wrapped too ?ghtly and unable to move.
To avoid injury from leads - dog owners should:
avoid hooking fingers under a dog's collar
not wind the lead around their hand
not wrap leads around their wrist
keep larger dogs on a shorter lead to avoid them
building up speed
Think twice when it comes to retractable leads
Dog trainers are very aware of the damage that the wrong
techniques of holding a lead can cause and will guide
owners to the safest ways of holding the lead.
There is nothing like being demonstrated the technique and
this would be the best advice. However, to give an idea of
the right way – these images hopefully will assist and
remind you of the safe way to hold a dog lead.
Retractable leads are also notorious for causing cuts or
lacera?ons. Because it's more difficult to control dogs when the
lead is extended, it's only natural that people some?mes try to
grab the line itself in an effort to regain control. The line cord
can easily cut hands, fingers, and wrists, or cause "rope burns".
Some of these injuries can be very serious - not just a mere cut
that will heal quickly.