[alaskayorkie]

I initially hated them but have come to see there's a place for them in the right circumstances.

The main thing is you have to have control over your dog. If your dog is on a 15-foot retractable leash and there are things 10 feet away that can get him or her into trouble, then no. In fact, several years ago, a guy riding a skateboard behind a pitfall on a retractable leash attacked my short-leashed Chessie. Animal control cited him for not being in control even though the dog was "on leash." At my insistence, the dog was classified as Level 1, which brought them all kinds of restrictions for at least a year. They also paid my $1,800 vet bills.

That said, I dogsat a Havanese puppy who was WONDERFUL on a retractable. I only used it in wide-open fields when no one else was around, but what a great way to get a puppy some exercise without having to jog with it or risk going off-leash. On a short leash, he pulled and whined and needed serious training that I didn't have time to do while dog-sitting, but on the retractable he ran to his heart's content and switched directions when he got to the end.