granny

full article here http://www.muttspace.com.au/cms/index.php?...4&Itemid=40 I like haltis and gentle leaders but would never fit one on a small breed. They should simply not be made to fit tiny dogs. This was a very sad story no Child deserves that. I just don’t understand why a 10y.o. was using a retractable lead! I know I would NEVER allow my 10 Y.O. Grand child walk my Swedish Vallhund on a retractable lead even a top of the range well rated for the weight of the dog! I believe the dog has to be trained to a degree before a retractable is even considered that alone a suspect quality retractable. I don’t think letting a 10y.o. walk an untrained dog makes any sense what so ever regardless of the size of the breed or the type of lead. Just because the dog is a SMALL Breed does not mean it can’t misbehave and cause damage to a child by accident, PARENTS have to first take the responsibility of TRAINING the dog and NO there is nothing NORMAL about a small child in sole control of the family pet in this day and age. The collar debate will go on for ever as will the Halti/Gentle Leader debate. In the end it all comes down to personal choice and what works with your dog. The only advice I would offer these days is “try it, BUT get some advice from someone experienced in training your breed of dog first. Then once you have learned to use all of your choices properly THEN decide what works for you and your dog. Unfortunately all of the above means TIME & Effort by the parent and a lot of parents just don’t have that sort of time to commit, I just don’t know where one go’s from here if children are to be trained in the art of owing a family Pet. I can only speak from my own families stand point; My kids and their O.H.’s have decided not to own a dog right now BUT Granny can help teach all 5 grand Kids HOW to act around dogs and how to walk a dog by taking a child on walks with Me & one of my dogs (no not the kid holding the lead) and trying to get the kid to understand just how much work is involved and until Mum or Dad has that sort of time a dog is not an option. I feel sad that my grand-kids will not experience the joy of a family dog in the way my Kids did BUT I also have to respect both my kids and their spouses stand on the subject of TIME to do it PROPERLY, as S.I.L. has said Granny has dogs for the kids to love and be loved by and my dogs do consider the Grand Kids their Kids and boy do they let us know when the car with a grand kid or two in it pulls onto the drive the excitement in their Yip yipping seems to say “look the kids are here the kids are here” or does it mean “look the kids are here get the doggy treats out“ :rolleyes: ...

Absolutely. With retractable lead injuries I was thinking not just of that person who lost an eye from a cheap one flicking back and getting them in the face, but injuries to human shoulders and dog necks when the dog gets up a bit of speed. Perhaps that's more of an issue with my dogs, who are speedy. I earned myself a rotator cuff injury from being yoinked by my first saluki. Definitely my fault for not having her sufficiently leash trained, but the retractable also gave her a lot more scope to get up speed before hitting the end of the lead - something which was bad for her as well as me. And yeah, when I see them attached to haltis it makes me cringe, particularly when they are not attached to the collar. Don’t you just love the way some folk think! A dog got killed by a car so lets BAN CARS around dogs??..... How about banning the Driver NOT the Car? I don’t Understand Stupid Drivers any more than I understand stupid dog owners: OR.. A house burnt down, a child was burnt, Why did the house burn? A stupid person left washing in front of a heater! So do we BAN heaters in a house??? As I have eluded to before CHEAP Retractable leads are a hazard, added to the fact that the folk that buy them have little or NO clue how to use them!!! Haltis! I have not used one but have always thought they were meant to help a person teach a dog to walk without pulling out in front so why on earth would one use it on a Retractable Lead??? Another case of Stupid People!! I think I had better get out of here before I really say what I feel

Rusky Horses for course, and the right lead for the right person with the right dogs ( my O.H. is hopeless with a retractable)! I did once try the long flat lunging leads BUT they are just too messy and hard to keep control of. Give me a descent quality FLAT retractable any day, all you need is to KNOW when and HOW to use it. I would never use one in crowded places or when there are other dogs around. What do you have against a properly used CHECK chain, it is only a choke chain when it is on the wrong way or in the hands of an IDIOT. ???!! edit punctuation

caro; No great coordination just two dogs that do as they are told when they are told and have a lot of respect for me as I have for them but they are also not very young dogs a 2 & a 5 year old, I have never had a situation where we have been tangled. Our walks are long so the dogs are more than happy to just walk with me once they have had their freedom and lots of sniffs. I can’t say I have ever come across other dogs on or off leads when we walk so have never encountered other dogs on retractable leads. I also have 2 other long walking leads that have clips on both ends so I can make the loop as big or as small as I need but most of the time I wear them over my shoulder with a dog on each side and both hands free but close enough to check if needs be, these we use when walking to the local shops as opposed to walking the Stock Routes. No rebellion wanted or needed I do my thing and let everyone do their own thing, I just like my retractable leads and see no reason why a dog needs to be in training mode at all times just as long as they do not encroach on other people and are listening to me then they are as free as I can let them be given the situation, believe you me these dogs KNOW who is the boss and have respect for the Boss Obedience trial material they are NOT ( I gave that up years ago) BUT obedient yes they are and a pleasure to have around.

I have to disagree with most things said here! If you buy the right retractable for your dog they are a GREAT tool if used properly. You can NOT get rope burns if you have the flat retractable Avenue brand and use it properly, yes we are looking at $40.00 plus for a REAL Retractable lead for a large dog and they are GREAT! I have 2 (Avenue brand rated for up to 60KG) one for my adopted GSD and another for my adopted Maremma and and we are all happy with them. I would love to have them off lead at times BUT it is illegal to have a dog off lead here in NSW.(other than in designated areas) and I can’t have them free run in a paddock as there are too many grass seeds right now, so we are restricted to walking the stock routes. Of course I have and use training leads for when we are training but give me an Avenue Retractable every time when we are out on a relaxed 10k walk. Edit spelling :-)

Yes it has been a big shock to hear of Di’s passing! Di give Bass and all my other 4 legged kids a BIG hug for me. Yes the Tears Will Stop BUT the memories will stay with me forever, Goodbye for now Diane. Sue

We use natral yogurt, what ever is cheapest. As it don't last more than a day around here I look for the reduced price ones that are near the use by date. I also use the Easyyo yoghurt maker when I need heaps of yogaurt at times when one of the dogs are on Antibiotics as it seems to stops antibiotic induced tummy upsets.