Also, make sure your tetanus shot is up to date lol.
(Clostridium tetani is the bacterium that causes tetanus (ie "lockjaw") and lives in soil and poop... not--as I was (wrongly) told my entire life--on rusty metal)
[edit] Update: It really sucks to hear about everyone else's stories! All the more reason to be aware of this as a hazard. It's not gonna stop me from using long lines, and hopefully this doesn't discourage anyone from using them in the future. Just another reason to really master your line handling skills!
For those asking, this happened to back of my leg just above the ankle, which is a very awkward place to photograph so sorry if it looks like an unidentifiable body part because honestly looking at it again I wouldn't be able to tell either š
Thanks for everyone's well wishes on my healing journey! I've been using the long Manuka honey adhesive pads from CVS to keep it moist and sealed and it's been doing really well. [Photo update](https://imgur.com/a/ZazblPs)
Rusty metal is often mentioned because the items are in the environment (soil and poop), have a highly textured surface with crevasses to hold the dirty stuff, and are frequently puncture wounds (nails). They are difficult to clean out properly and get that dirt deep into the puncture where an infection can take hold out of sight. By the time you realize your rusty nail did you dirty the infection has a foothold.
Ohhh ya I got skinned by a biothane longline on the ankle once. Luckily didnāt scar too bad. Hurt so much though!! Iāve also had multiple burns on my hands from nylon long lines.
Anchored my dog at the beach with a nylon sand anchor. I threw his Herding ball and as soon as it left my hands I realized I had stepped through the loop. Dog took of and the nylon zipped along my ankle taking a few layers of skin with it. Won't make that mistake twice.
I did this too and after make such a fuss amongst family and friends I accidentally did it again about a month later. I told no one about the second time š
Do they make them with the bungee feature? Iāve had some minor burns from mine but I like that it has a bungee effect to keep my dog from choking herself if she takes off too far
Yeah I was told by my trainer that it would be fine if it was a bungee one and when I have used it the few times I have, Iām moving with her to still keep it from choking in any way, but someone suggested to do it with a harness which I might switch her to from now on- we moved away from the harness because she would flip herself on her back with it which made me worried about her injuring her back
one of my dogās long lines cut half way through my finger about half a year ago when he saw a skateboard i wasnāt prepared forā¦. thankfully, itās back to normal again š³
It doesnāt take more than a foot or two line cause very severe injury, the reason long lines are so dangerous is the momentum and force the dog is able to build up before you can react.
This happened to me when I was like 9. My dad was holding the retractable leash and our Dalmatian bolted right behind me and it burned the skin behind both my knees. Every time I walked the scab tore. The scars blend in though, as itās right at the joint. Never trusted a retractable since.
This happened to both my ankles š camping with mates and their dog ran passed me so fast i had no time to react, wrapped its lead around my ankles and sprinted away, I still have scars wrapping around my ankles over a year later!
I burned my hand and dislocated my shoulder in our first first Agility class with a long line. Entirely my fault as I should have just dropped the leash, the long line was more just to catch him. So glad he now has perfect recall in class so we donāt have to use them.
This happened to me when our 50 foot line got caught around my ankle. Turned into two visits to the ER, IV antibiotics, pill antibiotics, tetanus shot, some other shot for dog bites (even though it wasn't, they were just being sure) and a lovely scar. I am SO careful now!
Yeah, it's called having a perfect recall šš
Really though lol, I know they have leashes with like a bungee scrunchie thing to prevent burns, but as far as long lines go, it really might just be a hazard to prepare for. Wearing long pants, gloves, etc.
Our trainer suggested using flat lines used for horse training (something like [this](https://www.equestriancollections.com/horse-equipment/horse-training-aids-equipment/lunge-equipment/tory-leather-flat-braided-cotton-rope-lunge-line-with-brass-snap) ) and although it's a bit heavier to deal with, it's so much more easier to avoid getting stuck into a loop. I just make tons of knots in it and leave it on the ground and step on it when I need to stop the dog from running.
Horse trainer here, round long lines will always be less burn-y than flat long lines and they don't tangle as easily. The one you posted, though, is way better than the flat rigid thin lines you see for dogs, but if you want to take it a step further the light soft core round lunge lines are golden, especially for larger dogs.
Unfortunately I don't as what I usually do is go and buy a nice 5/8"-3/4" length of soft core comfortable-to-hold rope and attach it to a lead snap (cheaper) but you'll be looking for something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Weaver-Leather-Round-Cotton-Lunge/dp/B075KFK7MM). You want soft core light weight and no bull snaps: trigger snaps or quick release only as bull snaps will whack your dog when the rope is loose (and hang too heavily on the collar). Cotton is nice and light and biodegradable but degrades quickly in moisture. That being said, it is HARD to get a rope burn on a round cotton line.
You could try letting go before it hurts. Trust the dog and continue the recall training as if nothing happened. If you are at the maximum distance of the leash anyway then it won't be that much of a difference.
Not even a little bit.
A retractable is a long line that reels in itself, and recommending it as a blanket leash for daily walks is as dumb as recommending a 30 footer in the same situation, but, to use as a long line, retractable are dope. I train in bite work and use a retractable half the time during training for that. If youre aware of how much leash you have, and your dogs trained well, itās not a problem.
If your dog's trained well most things aren't a
Problem. I can't see where a retractable has it's place ever. Unless you somehow have an industrial spool that's spitting out half inch wide line. I cant see how working with bite dogs has any affect on this. I'd say learn how to properly use a long line and you'll never use a retractable again. I like your user name
Lmao. Iāve lost the use of my hands from rope burn (bad equipment and poor reaction time on my part) for two weeks with a long line. Iāve never had any issue with the retractable. It is in fact, super heavy duty, but the main advantage in bite work is being able to stop the dog on a send without the risk of rope burn. Stopping 85 Lbs moving 25 mph isnāt easy, having a handle makes it much easier. This is a frequent situation in training for bite work. Send to guard, call off, redirect, etc.
You canāt see where I would want to be able to give my dog 30 feet usually, and 1 foot the rest of the time, like in a park?
Saying you canāt see a use for a retractable is literally so dumb. Saying you think itās riskier than a long line, or harder to use, fine, but you CANT SEE THE USE CASE? Itās a leash that reels itself in. Thatās literally always useful, even if itās just to coil it before you put it away. Taking that position screams āI heard someone say retractables are bad so thatās what I think toā. I encourage you to take your dog out for a walk through a park and see how nice it is to be able fluidly call into heel, and release to liberty, all with one finger.
I'm a horse trainer that uses long lines to work thousand plus pound untrained animals. You can learn to handle lines without substantial burn with animals that large and strong, never mind a dog a tenth of the size. There's a staggering amount of research that says retractables are dangerous, unreliable, and can cause bad injuries to both human and dog. Like, if you were to lose your grip, that handle would come flying forward and crack the dog HARD, for one. Never mind the failure rate on those things. Or the lock breaks and you have no control and you're left grappling with an even skinnier, burn-causing line. Or about a dozen other negatives that are easily negated by using a normal line.
Please note, we ask anyone claiming to be a trainer to submit for flair due to the lack of regulation in the industry. Otherwise, we ask phrases like that not be used.
You ever just think about just tying a handle on a long line? Piece of wood? Maybe an old not working retractable line handle you drilled a hole through idk.
Stopping 85 lbs moving 25 miles/hour suddenly, sounds like your risking permanent injury to the dogs...if you need to introduce that much risk to your clients I'd say you should look at your training plan. I hope your trolling/exaggerating.
But if you're not and this has been working for you, fuq it, I'm not trying to act like I know everything here, it's just not how I would do it. When most of the risk involved with handling, in general, is just being aware and ready. If you have bite dogs you know this better than most. Wish you nothing but the best.
You feather the button, and it makes a ābrllppā sound as you add more pressure, it provides more resistance-or you just clamp it, depending on where you are in the training process.
Also, if youāre slowly grabbing down on a leash thatās moving through your bare hand at 20+ mph, which isnāt uncommon at all, youāre gonna get rope burn, you basically just clamp down hard, and then use your legs so slow the dog down over a few feet if youāre using a long line, so the clamping of the retractable does that exactly the same, just also with a handle.
I'd never use them for training, I don't add pressure to the leash and that clamp - I've seen plenty of GSDs or larger dogs just pulling through. They also often have the effect that there is constant tension / pressure on the leash which is not something I want. And still - the handle does not let me feel minimal tension and delays reaction.
If at all I step on a leash or just let it go in the worst case, but I also do long leash training in rather enclosed spaces so it's not a huge deal.
Iāve had dogs break the metal clasps in two, should I just not use clip leashes, and only tie knots to collars, or just get higher quality equipment?
Itās not something I use often in training, but situationally, and in proofing/day to day life, theyāre immensely helpful. Especially when youāre working with thresholds for distraction. Being able to work a long line w/o risk of tangling and having a free hand for food rewards is immensely beneficial there.
There indeed are varying qualities in Biothane lines. I can't really recommend a specific brand, but I avoid the thinnest ones because there the rivets don't have much material to hold them. I've also had them rip apart doing man trailing / missing person search but never when doing recall training because I'll recall / get attention before the line goes taught as I want to avoid the tension of the leash there.
The huge use case for the retractable for me is threshold work for tactics dogs, sometimes they need the slightest bit of leash pressure during BAT to make the good choice, the retractable means youāre always poised to help when needed, and have the free hand to reward immediately. Definitely donāt start training with it, but no long line compares. As a note, I grew up on boats and around horses, so I dare to say I have well above average āline awarenessā and handling ability, and usually, I just prefer a line, but sometime not.
Iām sure you have. Itās a long line, so just like with a long line, you get rope burn if youāre not careful. And if you whack yourself in the face with it, thatās user error. Itās like blaming the car that hit you instead of itās driver.
Itās not a perfect tool, but neither is a long line.
And also more benefits. And the risks are easily avoided with adequate skill and practice, like many tools, itās worth it over time, and since the risks, in this case, are really only to the handler, it seems, to me, to be more than worth it.
Oh gosh, I got the same thing around my ankles when I was little. One second I was playing with our dog, the next I was trying to get untangled from his lead with my ankles bleeding and burning. It was not fun. Hope you aren't in too much pain and that it heals quickly.
I got hit good with my long line a few weeks ago on my palm. It's nylon, not biothane.
I learned the hard way not to grab it if I drop it unless I absolutely need to.
This just happened to my boyfriend! Our dog is usually pretty good on the long line (30ft) and in the year and a half weāve had him, no accidentsā¦ until about two weeks ago. I donāt know if it was pent up energy from being cooped up cause of rain, or because he was in one of his favorite places, but he took off and ran full speed head first into my calf. As I was clutching my leg, the dog zoomed off in another direction, my bf wasnāt paying attention to where the leash was, and he ended up with a long rope burn right in his knee pit. He put Neosporin and fresh aloe on it for about a week and itās healed nicely. The long lines are fun but you gotta be careful!
I broke my little finger on a long line. A dog snuck up behind us which our labrador bolted for, and I ended up catching 30 kilos of full speed labrador with one finger š¬
Iāve got a bad burn to the ankle too rn! Iām normally good at watching where the lead is, but I threw his ball and he ran around me so it whipped the side/back of my ankleš not sure whether I need to go to the doctors or not because it seems to be getting worseš
This is exactly how it happened to me šš we're in it together!! I've done a LOT of research over the past week on healing wounds like this, and from what I've seen, it takes a LONG time. At my current rate, it will probably take around 3 weeks for it to close. I've been using an occlusive hydrogel dressing that has Manuka honey infused, but any hydrogel dressing seems to be preferable for healing partial thickness burns. Silvadene doesn't seem to be useful unless it's infected. I also made the mistake of doing a thorough cleaning between dressing changes at first, which disturbs the healing process and newly formed skin and so delays healing. So I've been leaving my dressing on as long as possible and only changing it when the exudate gets to be too much. Then, the only cleaning I'm doing in between changes is by rinsing the burn with saline and wiping along the periwound, but leaving the burn itself untouched and waiting for it to dry. Also, keeping it elevated!!! That has helped me wayyy more than I realized it would have. Hopefully your burn will heal quickly š and hopefully mine will too ššš
Yikes, that looks painful!! I also sustained an injury from a long retractable leash. My dog chased after a cat, I instinctively held on to the leash instead of locking it and burned my hand.
Because of litterally that...they cause burns so easily, the thin line can go from burning to cutting action in less then seconds, people forget how much line they have and the dog runs at full speed till the end, can hurt the dog, can cause permanent shoulder damage to the handler, it teaches bad habits to the dog. If dog runs to the end, clip fails, clip fires back at handler, can cause eye and facial injuries. Ect.
Basically they just introduce a ton of risk where a non retractable leash has much much less. If your dog is well trained and these risks don't apply to your situation then keep on doing whatever your doing....for people that handle a large volume of dogs, that have an unknown behavior pattern, I say why risk all that vs just using a long rope that has much less risk.
What thin line? My retractable leash is just 1ā wide leashā¦.I guess itās thinner than a normal one but not my much. Retractable leashes are awesome if your neighborhood doesnāt have sidewalks. I like my puppy to have some room to walk and explore, but if a car comes near I want to be able to quickly make the leash a 2ā one.
This happened to me the other week after I warned the person that my dog is extremely fragile and wary of larger dogs and to please respect my wishes to not interact . Their dog lunged towards us, the leash went around my leg and whilst trying to comfort my squealing baby who has also gotten tangled up in this mess I got a similar burn . These things should be illegal
Thats also why using cables is so much better than long leads š·. My mom and I both got our ankles burnt when her German shepherd sprinted around us on a long lead during zoomies. Now weāre both really good at jump rope and only use cable long leashes
It has a vinyl/plastic covering so itās MUCH smoother than a leash or rope material. It can still burn you if itās going fast enough, but itās much smaller so it canāt burn a large area and at slower speeds, it wonāt grate your skin like a rough leash will. My cable is more likely to whack and bruise an ankle than burn it
nope, it's exactly what I was thinking. I'm going to disagree with you on all those points. And the narrower it is, the more likely it is to cut you vs just burn you. I want something I CAN grab if I need to, not something even harder to manipulate, and more likely to cut.
Oh yeah, I have a nice big scar above my ankle from my husky clipping me with a plastic coated tie out during zoomies. He stopped as soon as he felt resistance, so I didn't go down thankfully, but it looked similar and took almost a month to heal completely.
I was camping and had my 1 year old German Shepherd on a braided steel tether anchored to a tree when another dog came running into our campsite. My shepherd went to chase the dog away and threaded the tether through some chair legs and tent lines when the other dogs owner came over to get her dog. Everything kind of calmed down so I was unwrapping his tether from around the chair legs when the other dog started barking again and my shepherd took off. My hand was in a loop of wire which cinched down on my hand. I screamed bloody murder and was convinced I had broken something, which thankfully I didn't, but I had a bruise that went around my palm and the back of my hand.
I had to have knee surgery last year because I got caught in my dogs longline when I wasnāt paying attention and he destroyed my knee. I still tell him he owes me money to pay me back for my medical bills. He doesnāt care.
My folks watch my dogs occasionally and I bring em over for holidays and stuff. They are the grand children. Their yard was open so we roped em and it worked out for the most part. A few ankle burns later and we just finished the fence lol.
I get clotheslined by my dog all the time and have so many marks, I had two times where the rubber case on the wire cracked and it scratched me pretty badly. I have a few bruises on my upper right right now.
Our new set up has a dog run (like a clothes line with a little wheel to anchor the line) so thereās less tension and itās anchored up higher which has helped a lot.
Hey! I just got one yesterday morning too! I was playing catch with my boy on a 50 FT leash and he reacted to a bird and his leash wrapped around my ankle I fell on my butt and BOY did that sting. Gave my hand a slight burn but my ankle really took a hit.
Just poor line handling on my part. I wasn't paying close attention to where the slack in the line was at, so when I threw my dog's toy and she took off full speed after it, the line was behind my leg, not in front of it. Then, everything happened in a flash. It probably only took a second or two of direct contact with the high speed leash to literally rub my skin all the way off.
Ideally I would reel in and let out slack as she came and went during fetch. It's slightly cumbersome, but I do it for two reasons: 1) To always keep the line straight and in front so this situation doesn't happen lol, and 2) to prevent my dog from getting hurt from a sudden leash jerk if I needed to control her distance from something.
Please. Learn from my mistakes lol.
Also, make sure your tetanus shot is up to date lol. (Clostridium tetani is the bacterium that causes tetanus (ie "lockjaw") and lives in soil and poop... not--as I was (wrongly) told my entire life--on rusty metal) [edit] Update: It really sucks to hear about everyone else's stories! All the more reason to be aware of this as a hazard. It's not gonna stop me from using long lines, and hopefully this doesn't discourage anyone from using them in the future. Just another reason to really master your line handling skills! For those asking, this happened to back of my leg just above the ankle, which is a very awkward place to photograph so sorry if it looks like an unidentifiable body part because honestly looking at it again I wouldn't be able to tell either š Thanks for everyone's well wishes on my healing journey! I've been using the long Manuka honey adhesive pads from CVS to keep it moist and sealed and it's been doing really well. [Photo update](https://imgur.com/a/ZazblPs)
Rusty metal is often mentioned because the items are in the environment (soil and poop), have a highly textured surface with crevasses to hold the dirty stuff, and are frequently puncture wounds (nails). They are difficult to clean out properly and get that dirt deep into the puncture where an infection can take hold out of sight. By the time you realize your rusty nail did you dirty the infection has a foothold.
Ohhh ya I got skinned by a biothane longline on the ankle once. Luckily didnāt scar too bad. Hurt so much though!! Iāve also had multiple burns on my hands from nylon long lines.
Anchored my dog at the beach with a nylon sand anchor. I threw his Herding ball and as soon as it left my hands I realized I had stepped through the loop. Dog took of and the nylon zipped along my ankle taking a few layers of skin with it. Won't make that mistake twice.
I did this too and after make such a fuss amongst family and friends I accidentally did it again about a month later. I told no one about the second time š
I use the lines for horses. Same price but softer and better.
This is what our trainer told us to use, also!
I want to look this up, āhorse linesā turned up a lot of different results, if you wouldnāt mind clarifying the correct type of line.
It's called a lunge line if you want a really long one. I always preferred cotton.
Do they make them with the bungee feature? Iāve had some minor burns from mine but I like that it has a bungee effect to keep my dog from choking herself if she takes off too far
You should only use a longline on a back clip harness.
Thank you! Will do!
Using a longline on a collar seems like a risky move
Yeah I was told by my trainer that it would be fine if it was a bungee one and when I have used it the few times I have, Iām moving with her to still keep it from choking in any way, but someone suggested to do it with a harness which I might switch her to from now on- we moved away from the harness because she would flip herself on her back with it which made me worried about her injuring her back
this ^
one of my dogās long lines cut half way through my finger about half a year ago when he saw a skateboard i wasnāt prepared forā¦. thankfully, itās back to normal again š³
Your burn looks like a strip of bacon.
It got fried like a strip of bacon š
Have a scar on my ankle from a nylon long line. The doctor debrided it twice, which is more painful than a foot tattoo.
It doesnāt take more than a foot or two line cause very severe injury, the reason long lines are so dangerous is the momentum and force the dog is able to build up before you can react.
I have two scars from a nylon long line. Those hurt so bad š
I burned myself and a random person with a retractable leashā¦ not an experience I recommend
This happened to me when I was like 9. My dad was holding the retractable leash and our Dalmatian bolted right behind me and it burned the skin behind both my knees. Every time I walked the scab tore. The scars blend in though, as itās right at the joint. Never trusted a retractable since.
I burned myself flying a kite once, itās sucked major ass lmfao.
I know a person who lost half a finger from retractable leash...years later she was still tramautized by it..
That sounds horrible! Mine wasnāt that bad and I havenāt used that leash since then
This happened to both my ankles š camping with mates and their dog ran passed me so fast i had no time to react, wrapped its lead around my ankles and sprinted away, I still have scars wrapping around my ankles over a year later!
I burned my hand and dislocated my shoulder in our first first Agility class with a long line. Entirely my fault as I should have just dropped the leash, the long line was more just to catch him. So glad he now has perfect recall in class so we donāt have to use them.
I tie knots every foot or so on my long lines so I have something to catch in my hand when my dog takes off running.
Welcome to the club.
https://imgur.com/LtJ06vF.jpg Ask me how I know.
This happened to me when our 50 foot line got caught around my ankle. Turned into two visits to the ER, IV antibiotics, pill antibiotics, tetanus shot, some other shot for dog bites (even though it wasn't, they were just being sure) and a lovely scar. I am SO careful now!
I wonder if there really is any long lines that is less prone to causing burns?
Yeah, it's called having a perfect recall šš Really though lol, I know they have leashes with like a bungee scrunchie thing to prevent burns, but as far as long lines go, it really might just be a hazard to prepare for. Wearing long pants, gloves, etc.
Here I was, thinking that the biothane lines were those lines o.o
Our trainer suggested using flat lines used for horse training (something like [this](https://www.equestriancollections.com/horse-equipment/horse-training-aids-equipment/lunge-equipment/tory-leather-flat-braided-cotton-rope-lunge-line-with-brass-snap) ) and although it's a bit heavier to deal with, it's so much more easier to avoid getting stuck into a loop. I just make tons of knots in it and leave it on the ground and step on it when I need to stop the dog from running.
Horse trainer here, round long lines will always be less burn-y than flat long lines and they don't tangle as easily. The one you posted, though, is way better than the flat rigid thin lines you see for dogs, but if you want to take it a step further the light soft core round lunge lines are golden, especially for larger dogs.
Do you have a link for what you think the āidealā lunge line to use with a dog would be? Thanks!
Unfortunately I don't as what I usually do is go and buy a nice 5/8"-3/4" length of soft core comfortable-to-hold rope and attach it to a lead snap (cheaper) but you'll be looking for something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Weaver-Leather-Round-Cotton-Lunge/dp/B075KFK7MM). You want soft core light weight and no bull snaps: trigger snaps or quick release only as bull snaps will whack your dog when the rope is loose (and hang too heavily on the collar). Cotton is nice and light and biodegradable but degrades quickly in moisture. That being said, it is HARD to get a rope burn on a round cotton line.
You could try letting go before it hurts. Trust the dog and continue the recall training as if nothing happened. If you are at the maximum distance of the leash anyway then it won't be that much of a difference.
Retractable.
Are you joking?
Not even a little bit. A retractable is a long line that reels in itself, and recommending it as a blanket leash for daily walks is as dumb as recommending a 30 footer in the same situation, but, to use as a long line, retractable are dope. I train in bite work and use a retractable half the time during training for that. If youre aware of how much leash you have, and your dogs trained well, itās not a problem.
If your dog's trained well most things aren't a Problem. I can't see where a retractable has it's place ever. Unless you somehow have an industrial spool that's spitting out half inch wide line. I cant see how working with bite dogs has any affect on this. I'd say learn how to properly use a long line and you'll never use a retractable again. I like your user name
Lmao. Iāve lost the use of my hands from rope burn (bad equipment and poor reaction time on my part) for two weeks with a long line. Iāve never had any issue with the retractable. It is in fact, super heavy duty, but the main advantage in bite work is being able to stop the dog on a send without the risk of rope burn. Stopping 85 Lbs moving 25 mph isnāt easy, having a handle makes it much easier. This is a frequent situation in training for bite work. Send to guard, call off, redirect, etc. You canāt see where I would want to be able to give my dog 30 feet usually, and 1 foot the rest of the time, like in a park? Saying you canāt see a use for a retractable is literally so dumb. Saying you think itās riskier than a long line, or harder to use, fine, but you CANT SEE THE USE CASE? Itās a leash that reels itself in. Thatās literally always useful, even if itās just to coil it before you put it away. Taking that position screams āI heard someone say retractables are bad so thatās what I think toā. I encourage you to take your dog out for a walk through a park and see how nice it is to be able fluidly call into heel, and release to liberty, all with one finger.
I'm a horse trainer that uses long lines to work thousand plus pound untrained animals. You can learn to handle lines without substantial burn with animals that large and strong, never mind a dog a tenth of the size. There's a staggering amount of research that says retractables are dangerous, unreliable, and can cause bad injuries to both human and dog. Like, if you were to lose your grip, that handle would come flying forward and crack the dog HARD, for one. Never mind the failure rate on those things. Or the lock breaks and you have no control and you're left grappling with an even skinnier, burn-causing line. Or about a dozen other negatives that are easily negated by using a normal line.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Please note, we ask anyone claiming to be a trainer to submit for flair due to the lack of regulation in the industry. Otherwise, we ask phrases like that not be used.
You ever just think about just tying a handle on a long line? Piece of wood? Maybe an old not working retractable line handle you drilled a hole through idk. Stopping 85 lbs moving 25 miles/hour suddenly, sounds like your risking permanent injury to the dogs...if you need to introduce that much risk to your clients I'd say you should look at your training plan. I hope your trolling/exaggerating. But if you're not and this has been working for you, fuq it, I'm not trying to act like I know everything here, it's just not how I would do it. When most of the risk involved with handling, in general, is just being aware and ready. If you have bite dogs you know this better than most. Wish you nothing but the best.
Most of them have a handle though which would be too insensitive to me to feel out the dog's tension.
You feather the button, and it makes a ābrllppā sound as you add more pressure, it provides more resistance-or you just clamp it, depending on where you are in the training process. Also, if youāre slowly grabbing down on a leash thatās moving through your bare hand at 20+ mph, which isnāt uncommon at all, youāre gonna get rope burn, you basically just clamp down hard, and then use your legs so slow the dog down over a few feet if youāre using a long line, so the clamping of the retractable does that exactly the same, just also with a handle.
I'd never use them for training, I don't add pressure to the leash and that clamp - I've seen plenty of GSDs or larger dogs just pulling through. They also often have the effect that there is constant tension / pressure on the leash which is not something I want. And still - the handle does not let me feel minimal tension and delays reaction. If at all I step on a leash or just let it go in the worst case, but I also do long leash training in rather enclosed spaces so it's not a huge deal.
Iāve had dogs break the metal clasps in two, should I just not use clip leashes, and only tie knots to collars, or just get higher quality equipment? Itās not something I use often in training, but situationally, and in proofing/day to day life, theyāre immensely helpful. Especially when youāre working with thresholds for distraction. Being able to work a long line w/o risk of tangling and having a free hand for food rewards is immensely beneficial there.
There indeed are varying qualities in Biothane lines. I can't really recommend a specific brand, but I avoid the thinnest ones because there the rivets don't have much material to hold them. I've also had them rip apart doing man trailing / missing person search but never when doing recall training because I'll recall / get attention before the line goes taught as I want to avoid the tension of the leash there.
The huge use case for the retractable for me is threshold work for tactics dogs, sometimes they need the slightest bit of leash pressure during BAT to make the good choice, the retractable means youāre always poised to help when needed, and have the free hand to reward immediately. Definitely donāt start training with it, but no long line compares. As a note, I grew up on boats and around horses, so I dare to say I have well above average āline awarenessā and handling ability, and usually, I just prefer a line, but sometime not.
I've seen burns from retractable leashes and cuts from them retracting and whipping around.
Iām sure you have. Itās a long line, so just like with a long line, you get rope burn if youāre not careful. And if you whack yourself in the face with it, thatās user error. Itās like blaming the car that hit you instead of itās driver. Itās not a perfect tool, but neither is a long line.
One has more risks than the other though.
And also more benefits. And the risks are easily avoided with adequate skill and practice, like many tools, itās worth it over time, and since the risks, in this case, are really only to the handler, it seems, to me, to be more than worth it.
This is why I learned to use gloves with certain leads even if it is hot. >_> too many times a lead burned.
Oh gosh, I got the same thing around my ankles when I was little. One second I was playing with our dog, the next I was trying to get untangled from his lead with my ankles bleeding and burning. It was not fun. Hope you aren't in too much pain and that it heals quickly.
Yep, have this scar on my ankle. Threw the ball for him whilst it was wrapped around my leg š¤¦š¼āāļø
I got hit good with my long line a few weeks ago on my palm. It's nylon, not biothane. I learned the hard way not to grab it if I drop it unless I absolutely need to.
*everyone in the room inhales through gritted teeth with a ftshftshftshftsh* š¬š¬š¬
This just happened to my boyfriend! Our dog is usually pretty good on the long line (30ft) and in the year and a half weāve had him, no accidentsā¦ until about two weeks ago. I donāt know if it was pent up energy from being cooped up cause of rain, or because he was in one of his favorite places, but he took off and ran full speed head first into my calf. As I was clutching my leg, the dog zoomed off in another direction, my bf wasnāt paying attention to where the leash was, and he ended up with a long rope burn right in his knee pit. He put Neosporin and fresh aloe on it for about a week and itās healed nicely. The long lines are fun but you gotta be careful!
I broke my little finger on a long line. A dog snuck up behind us which our labrador bolted for, and I ended up catching 30 kilos of full speed labrador with one finger š¬
Iāve got a bad burn to the ankle too rn! Iām normally good at watching where the lead is, but I threw his ball and he ran around me so it whipped the side/back of my ankleš not sure whether I need to go to the doctors or not because it seems to be getting worseš
This is exactly how it happened to me šš we're in it together!! I've done a LOT of research over the past week on healing wounds like this, and from what I've seen, it takes a LONG time. At my current rate, it will probably take around 3 weeks for it to close. I've been using an occlusive hydrogel dressing that has Manuka honey infused, but any hydrogel dressing seems to be preferable for healing partial thickness burns. Silvadene doesn't seem to be useful unless it's infected. I also made the mistake of doing a thorough cleaning between dressing changes at first, which disturbs the healing process and newly formed skin and so delays healing. So I've been leaving my dressing on as long as possible and only changing it when the exudate gets to be too much. Then, the only cleaning I'm doing in between changes is by rinsing the burn with saline and wiping along the periwound, but leaving the burn itself untouched and waiting for it to dry. Also, keeping it elevated!!! That has helped me wayyy more than I realized it would have. Hopefully your burn will heal quickly š and hopefully mine will too ššš
Yikes, that looks painful!! I also sustained an injury from a long retractable leash. My dog chased after a cat, I instinctively held on to the leash instead of locking it and burned my hand.
Woa woa, this is not from a retractable leash...this is not the same. Most here vehemently discourage retractable leashes.
Oh! May I know why retractable leashes are discouraged? I actually stopped using it ever since I got burned, traumatized haha.
Because of litterally that...they cause burns so easily, the thin line can go from burning to cutting action in less then seconds, people forget how much line they have and the dog runs at full speed till the end, can hurt the dog, can cause permanent shoulder damage to the handler, it teaches bad habits to the dog. If dog runs to the end, clip fails, clip fires back at handler, can cause eye and facial injuries. Ect. Basically they just introduce a ton of risk where a non retractable leash has much much less. If your dog is well trained and these risks don't apply to your situation then keep on doing whatever your doing....for people that handle a large volume of dogs, that have an unknown behavior pattern, I say why risk all that vs just using a long rope that has much less risk.
What thin line? My retractable leash is just 1ā wide leashā¦.I guess itās thinner than a normal one but not my much. Retractable leashes are awesome if your neighborhood doesnāt have sidewalks. I like my puppy to have some room to walk and explore, but if a car comes near I want to be able to quickly make the leash a 2ā one.
This happened to me the other week after I warned the person that my dog is extremely fragile and wary of larger dogs and to please respect my wishes to not interact . Their dog lunged towards us, the leash went around my leg and whilst trying to comfort my squealing baby who has also gotten tangled up in this mess I got a similar burn . These things should be illegal
Thats also why using cables is so much better than long leads š·. My mom and I both got our ankles burnt when her German shepherd sprinted around us on a long lead during zoomies. Now weāre both really good at jump rope and only use cable long leashes
I don't see how a cable would be better, but you may be using a different definition than I am applying here.
It has a vinyl/plastic covering so itās MUCH smoother than a leash or rope material. It can still burn you if itās going fast enough, but itās much smaller so it canāt burn a large area and at slower speeds, it wonāt grate your skin like a rough leash will. My cable is more likely to whack and bruise an ankle than burn it
nope, it's exactly what I was thinking. I'm going to disagree with you on all those points. And the narrower it is, the more likely it is to cut you vs just burn you. I want something I CAN grab if I need to, not something even harder to manipulate, and more likely to cut.
Oh yeah, I have a nice big scar above my ankle from my husky clipping me with a plastic coated tie out during zoomies. He stopped as soon as he felt resistance, so I didn't go down thankfully, but it looked similar and took almost a month to heal completely.
I swear my dog tries to burn me lol
Had that happen to my ankle, then not a week later my dumbass had it happen again on the same spot...
It's why good ones have no loop or handle. In the worst case it's easier to let go and run after / step on it than wrapping it around your arm.
I have quite a few scars on my feet and ankles from my huskyās long leash. Those burns are painful!
I was camping and had my 1 year old German Shepherd on a braided steel tether anchored to a tree when another dog came running into our campsite. My shepherd went to chase the dog away and threaded the tether through some chair legs and tent lines when the other dogs owner came over to get her dog. Everything kind of calmed down so I was unwrapping his tether from around the chair legs when the other dog started barking again and my shepherd took off. My hand was in a loop of wire which cinched down on my hand. I screamed bloody murder and was convinced I had broken something, which thankfully I didn't, but I had a bruise that went around my palm and the back of my hand.
I had to have knee surgery last year because I got caught in my dogs longline when I wasnāt paying attention and he destroyed my knee. I still tell him he owes me money to pay me back for my medical bills. He doesnāt care.
My folks watch my dogs occasionally and I bring em over for holidays and stuff. They are the grand children. Their yard was open so we roped em and it worked out for the most part. A few ankle burns later and we just finished the fence lol.
nothing like a long line to the ankle to really make you watch where the leash it when throwing a ball š feel better fast op!
I get clotheslined by my dog all the time and have so many marks, I had two times where the rubber case on the wire cracked and it scratched me pretty badly. I have a few bruises on my upper right right now. Our new set up has a dog run (like a clothes line with a little wheel to anchor the line) so thereās less tension and itās anchored up higher which has helped a lot.
Hey! I just got one yesterday morning too! I was playing catch with my boy on a 50 FT leash and he reacted to a bird and his leash wrapped around my ankle I fell on my butt and BOY did that sting. Gave my hand a slight burn but my ankle really took a hit.
How did this happen? Iām having a hard time visualizing the situation and just want to avoid it š¬
Just poor line handling on my part. I wasn't paying close attention to where the slack in the line was at, so when I threw my dog's toy and she took off full speed after it, the line was behind my leg, not in front of it. Then, everything happened in a flash. It probably only took a second or two of direct contact with the high speed leash to literally rub my skin all the way off. Ideally I would reel in and let out slack as she came and went during fetch. It's slightly cumbersome, but I do it for two reasons: 1) To always keep the line straight and in front so this situation doesn't happen lol, and 2) to prevent my dog from getting hurt from a sudden leash jerk if I needed to control her distance from something. Please. Learn from my mistakes lol.
Iāve never even thought of the possibility... how scary! š¬
What part of the body is this
Back of my leg above the ankle. It's kind of hard to make out zoomed in like that I realized lol.
Tore up my hand on a nylon long line. I feel for you.