How do you decide which leash is best for your dog?

which leash is best?

With so many choices out there, how do you decide which leash to use for your dog?

When I adopted my first dog, Spot, I got him from the dog pound in West Los Angeles. This was in approximately 1995. I knew nothing about rescue groups. I just knew that I wanted to rescue a dog rather than buying one.

So, I went to the West Los Angeles Dog Shelter and fell in love with a crazy Jack Russell terrier named Spot. After paying the $30 adoption fee, a lady brought Spot to me with a rope tied around his neck as a leash. The first stop I made on my way home was at Petco to pick up a few essentials.

When I looked at the wall of leashes, I had no idea which one I should buy. There were SO MANY CHOICES. I was overwhelmed. I ended up buying one that I thought looked super cool. It was a smooth black leather leash with a matching collar. I didn’t think about what features I might need. I didn’t think about what length would be best, or if it should be retractable, stretchy, etc. I chose that leash because of the way it looked.

As you may have guessed, the leather leash I chose turned out to be a major fail. After I had Spot for a couple of weeks, my friend Leonard was dog sitting him for the day. Leonard brought Spot to his office with him. Every time a customer came in, Spot ran out the door and down the hall of the office building where Leonard worked.

Leonard was worried that Spot would get outside the building and end up lost. So, he put Spot’s leash on, and put one end of it underneath a heavy box. This seemed to do the trick. Spot was very quiet and Leonard was able to do his work on the computer. After a while, Leonard looked and realized that Spot was gone! He had chewed through the leather leash and slipped out the door. Luckily Leonard caught Spot as he ran through the building. I never bought a leather leash again!

My point in telling you this story, is that there is not only one “Best Leash.” Your dog has his own size, shape, habits, and lifestyle. It’s best to take these things into consideration when deciding which leash to buy. You will probably have to try a few before finding one that works out for your pup. For Spot- I asked my veterinarian as well as a dog trainer for advice on what leashes would be best.

One thing that the vet and the trainer agreed on, was that retractable leashes can be dangerous if used in certain settings. When used correctly, these leashes can be great. At the dog park or at the vet’s office for example, the nylon lead can get tangled with other dogs’ leashes, and can even cause injury.

For me, a lot depends on the dog’s size and strength. I recently found a great leash for my 30 pound hound dog mix, Ellie. This heavy duty, double handle leash by Joyride is perfect for her. It has two handles - one at the end of the leash at 6ft and another 1ft from the clip. It’s great because the second handle offers way more control when you need it.

When it comes down to it, there are almost as many types of leashes as there are dogs. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get my point. Be sure to think about your particular dog when you choose his or her leash.