Big Scare and word of caution!!
 

Tonight when I was walking Kirby I accidentally dropped his leash, it's the retractable type and it was locked at about 6-7 feet long. It's spooked him and he took off running, and I mean he TOOK OFF, he was going full speed and FREAKING out by having this big plastic thing clunking along behind him. He was "yelping" the whole way.

So I took off behind him yelling for him to come back but of course he is much faster then me and he was going as fast he possibly could I think to get away from the scary "thing" chasing him. There is a very busy road in front of my apartments and I was afraid he was going to run right out into the road and get hit. So I was freaking out too and imagining the worst.

Well he didn't run into the street, thank goodness, he ran back to my apartment and up the stairs and was waiting by the door shaking, as I huffed and puffed my way up to him. It's nice to know that he knows where he lives and runs home when scared but this really scared the hell out me AND him.

So, when we got inside and I calmed him down I put the leash on him and left it locked and laid it on the floor so he could drag it around and get used to it and he did the same thing he tore around the apratment trying get away from it, so I took it off but I'll keep working with him to get used to it so this doesn't happen again, so the word of caution is be careful not to drop your retractable leash, it may scare other dogs too, and beleive me, these are fast little guys when they're scared and trying to get away from something.

Whew!

Wow! That does sound scary. I'm glad to hear you're both well and safe but that was a close call. I have heard alot of stories about retractable leashes breaking and locking etc. so I just keep my Badger on one of the conventional ones. I prefer him being close to me anyway in case I need to scoop him up from other dogs or big feet and so on. Glad you're both okay!

So you got your workout in with adrenaline and all! It IS terrifying and they are FAST when they want to be. It is a great idea to train him not to spook, though sometimes when they run away from you (without the scary dragging clunking thing behind them) the easiest way to catch them is to run away from them and they will chase you.

I am sure you'll have a death grip on that thing from now on.

alls well....have a beer.

I've had the same thing happen to me a couple times -- yes - it is scary.

I think letting him drag this leash around your house is a very smart thing to do. He should certainly learn not to be afraid of it this way.

Carol Jaen

I am so glad Kirby is safe! I know how that feels and what a scare it is! I have the retractable leashes too and always have to have a firm grasp on Simon's (he's a runner too) so he won't take off if I drop it.

Again, I'm glad you are both okay! You can sit down and breathe now :)

Running the other direction in this case would have done nothing, he was totally freaked out and was not concerned with where I was, he was trying to get away from this thing chasing him, which of course if he would stop it would stop, but that's totally counter intuitve for them, so the faster he ran the more freaked out he got.

And yes, I will have a death grip on it from now on, I was changing it from hand to the other behind my back, he likes to tangle me up when we walk, I won't do that anymore!

Also, I've tried it a cople more times around the apt. and he absolutely FREAKS out when this thing is dragging behind him. He ran into his crate the last time and I took it off of him and he didn't want to come out of the crate. Then I had the leash laying on the floor and he wanted to come up on the couch with me but he went way around the leash. I might have to get another kind of leash, just the regular kind, so he doens't freak out anymore. I can't take the chance of dropping the retractable kind.

omgosh that exact same thing has happened to me but tripp just turned around and looked at it like it was some foreign object and i rushed over and got it before he realized he should be running lol. im so glad he is safe! thanks for the word of advice!

I am not a big believer of these kinds of leashes for a couple more reasons that it is just scaring the heck out of the dog.

1. When dropped they can bounce back at an alarming speed and I heard of a small dog being killed from one when it hit him in the head

2. When a dog is walking so far from you, you might not have time to react to pull them in if a large dog is going after them or it is to difficult with the wire. Cotton leashes seem to work the best.

3. Coyote bait when they are to far out

Okay now that I have scared you a little more - are you using an harness on him?

i have 3 to walk so i just use the conventional leashes, but this is a good piece of wisdom to know. i bet 9 out of 10 (if not more) Yorkies would react the same way and think it's pretty likely that someone could drop the leash handle.

Glad yours is okay and you probably saved someone else from going through this. so save our money and don't buy retractables - who really wants their Yorkie to far from them anyway.

Yes, he wears a harness and the retractable type is convenient, but you make good points, except maybe for the coyote bait, we live in the heart of Dallas, been a long time since coyotes roamed around here, but I can see that being a problem in the country. I usually keep the retractable locked at about 6-10 feet which I feel pretty safe with pulling hm away from a big dog or other danger but this bolting in a frantic state if dropped is what concerns me most. if he doens't get used to it, I'm definitely getting a regular kind.

That same thing has happened with Oscar and he took off running...but when I yelled at him, he stopped and I was able to get to him. As far as coyotes not being in Dallas, don't be too sure. They are moving into suberbia more and more these days. Some guy posted in the RIP forum about his baby being taken while on a leash in BEVERLY HILLS! And that is a very populated area. We travel a lot and we see coyotes killed on interstates right in big cities...plus there can be big dogs that roam the streets that might decide to jump on little Kirby...you always have to be on your guard. You and Kirby will be just fine tho...sounds like you are learning more and more about each other every day! Keep up the good work.

Did you happen to miss the headlines in New York City a couple of weeks ago where they had a coyote in the city? Seriously they did have one but I get your point. Of course here in Arizona they are all over the place :eek:

Glad you have him in a harness :thumbup: and I know I enjoyed the retractable myself but I dropped it a few more times than I felt comfortable with. Now if I drop a leash they never know and just keep walking along. We use the Lupine Harness and Leash and I am very happy with them.

Do you know what kind of home he came from before? Rescue's do bring a little more baggage than a normal puppy and some of his reactions can be a little more over the top but I know you will change over to a regular leash if you felt it puts him in any danger.

Did you happen to miss the headlines in New York City a couple of weeks ago where they had a coyote in the city? Seriously they did have one but I get your point. Of course here in Arizona they are all over the place :eek:

Glad you have him in a harness :thumbup: and I know I enjoyed the retractable myself but I dropped it a few more times than I felt comfortable with. Now if I drop a leash they never know and just keep walking along. We use the Lupine Harness and Leash and I am very happy with them and they are guaranteed for life - even if Kirby chews it up :p .

Do you know what kind of home he came from before? Rescue's do bring a little more baggage than a normal puppy and some of his reactions can be a little more over the top but I know you will change over to a regular leash if you felt it puts him in any danger.

Im glad that Kirby is safe. Wow, that was very scary. I have a retractable leash also, but hardly use it for the same reason. Gucci got spooked once when i drop the leash by mistake. When she sees it she runs away. SO now I just use a reg leash. Thank you for the warning.

You are exactly right and I do not recommend them ever for the reasons you have given. I have heard of all three things happening with a tragic ending. It is lucky of there wasn't a tragic ending but the potential is very high that there will be. I recommend a 6 ft cotton leash. Long enough to give a little freedom when it is safe, easy to pull up if you want them close, and of course, if you drop it accidently, dog doesn't even realize it and nothing happening to scare it.