If you are unfamiliar with this type of lead, they have a solid plastic body with a handle that houses the lead, which can be up to 10m (32ft). As the dog moves away from it’s owner the lead extends out from the body and then automatically retracts back as the dog moves back again. There is normally a push button on the handle that can be pushed which will lock the lead and prevent it from extending or retracting. Depending on the make, some have a small length traditional style lead at the end, so that you can use it as a short lead.

Extending leads will often give the owner a false sense of security, thinking that their dog can’t get into any trouble. This is not always the case. Your dog can move faster than you cover quite a bit of ground before you can react and press the locking button.

Some people have been known to use them instead of training their dog to follow the basic rules of come, sit and stay, thinking they will be able to retrieve the dog before it can get into trouble. This is a false sense of security and could even be dangerous leading to disaster. Before using retractable leads the dog should obey the come, sit and stay commands at the very least.

This type of lead shouldn’t be used to walk you dog in busy areas or along the street. If your dog was to see a cat or another dog on the other side of the road he may be tempted to chase it, and could be half way across the road before you pressed the stop button, which could cause an accident and injury to the dog.

Some retractable leads use a thin cord which can sometimes be hard to see. This can trip people up or get wrapped around their legs, if your dog then pulls on the lead it could cause cuts or burns to the unsuspecting people. Cyclists are also at risk as they may try cycling between you and the dog, thinking that the dog is off the lead, and get entangled in the lead causing injury to both cyclist and dog.

Joggers and children playing can also be a problem, as your dog may decide to chase them. If your dog is close to you may be able to press the lock button before your dog can reach them. But if the lead is extended out you may find he has more than enough lead to reach them, even if you press the stop button. In this case you will find yourself trying to physically pull the dog back by the cord or nylon lead, which can result in cuts or burns to yourself, or maybe worse if the dog reaches his destination.

Another thing to remember is that extendible leads aren’t infallible. Occasionally the locking mechanism can break, especially if the dog is running away from you when you try to stop him. This is one reason your dog should at least have some basic training before using an extendible lead.

Now you may be wondering if retractable leads are of any use at all? Like anything else, if used correctly then they work well, if not then they can be dangerous.

The extendible lead should be used in quite open areas where there isn’t a lot of traffic or people, and will prevent your dog getting to far away from you. Most dogs will occasionally forget themselves if distracted by something, which is where the retractable lead comes into use.

Whenever walking your dog you should be aware of your surroundings and what is going on around you. If you see a cyclist, jogger or group of people coming towards you, you can call your dog to your side and lock the lead, so that it can be used like a conventional lead with 2 hands, allowing you to then walk past the people safely, and then unlock the lead again once it is safe to do so.

The retractable lead should be used in conjunction with good training as an additional safety tool, not to replace training.

You may end up deciding that you need more than one lead for different purposes, for example, if you have a puppy then you will need to train it to walk comfortably by your side on a short lead plus you will want it to sit, stay and when called. For this you will need 2 leads:

• A short dog lead for walking your dog around town or along streets.

• A long lead for training your puppy to sit stay and come. This type of dog lead allows your puppy to get a few meters away from you but not run off. You can then train your puppy to sit and stay and slowly walk away increasing the distance between you and your dog before calling it back.

Once you have decided on the use of the dog lead you are going to buy, the next consideration is the size of the dog you are buying it for. A lead designed for a small breed such as a Yorkshire Terrier or Jack Russell probably wouldn’t be strong enough to hold a Rottweiler.

There are basically three categories of dog leads to choose from:

• Short Dog Lead – This type of lead are designed for walking your dog along streets or any time you need to keep your dog close to you and under control. They tend to be about 1m to 1.5m (3ft to 5ft) long.

• Training Dog Lead – These leads are used, as the name suggests, to train your dog. They allow your dog freedom of movement away from from your side up to a distance of between  1.5m to 10m (5ft to 32ft). They are a single length of leather, nylon or rope that you loop around your hand to increase or decrease the length of the lead.

• Retractable Dog Lead – These are similar to training dog leads, but instead of having to be looped around your hand to shorten or lengthen the distance, the lead automatically extends and retracts into the solid handle as the dog moves around. Retractable dog leads also have a locking mechanism that you can use to fix the length of the lead anywhere along its length so can be useful for both walking with your dog close by side and for training purposes. They range in length between 5m to 10m (15ft to 32ft).

Whatever type of lead you are looking for, you need to check that it has been design for use with your dog breed. Normally there is a size guide on the label that will either tell the type of breeds that the dog lead has been designed for use with, or will state the maximum weight of dog that the dog lead will safely hold.