# 50ft+ leashes for training/exercise?



## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I used a 30 ft lead when training Asta - found it on ebay for a very reasonable price. Worked mostly on recall - training, not play. Play, I found encouraged Asta to pounce on, chew on the lead.


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## EVpoodle (Sep 25, 2018)

I sometimes exercise Evie before training class by putting her on the long lead
and playing fetch with her. My club meets right next to the park.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

50 ft is really long! I think you have a toy? Or maybe I am mistaken. I have a 15ft long leash for my mini. I do have a flexi as well when I train recall in large quiet areas. I know some people are not fond of them but in wide open spaces such as above, i’d Totally use it. I think a 30 ft line is plenty and perfect if you want to train for longer distance recall.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Ghost you don't need more than a 30' long line for working on recalls. If you know what is behind you you can extend the length of the recall by backing away from your pup once you've called her. I think actually a 20' line works just fine for recall work. I think the longest flexi brand line is 23' and I do think if you go that route it is worth it to invest in that brand since I think they are better built. I also prefer the models that have a full length tape type line than the corded ones.


As to using a long line for play like fetch I would use a flexi leash attached to a harness where you clip the lead over her back and which fits low enough to be off her neck. I used to play fetch with Lily at shows like that, but she doesn't have as much interest in it as she used to. With a flexi you let it shorten as the dog returns to you, diminishing the possibility of entanglement in a non-retractable long line. As to using a long line just to allow a dog to run around out at the end of the leash like a fool, there are many better ways to get exercise up close with games that teach impulse control and deepen your bond with the dog. Please note that I hate flexis for neighborhood walks. Many people do not understand how to use them and do not read the warnings that come with them about possible accidents like finger amputations. I use my flexis frequently but only for training distance work activities like dumbbell and glove retrieves. 



It's yer choice is an excellent game that can be played in many ways as a dog learns the main theme which is waiting until I have permission to get a treat is the only way to get the treat. I can sit with cheese on my knees and have any of our dogs sit in front of me waiting patiently with all kinds of chaos going on to have permission to take the treat. My criterion for getting to take it is offered and sustained eye contact with me despite the distractions. This game has taught them all that I will watch what is going on all around us and that I have their backs along with knowing that all good fun things come with my permission. Brain games like this will tire out any dog at least as much as foolish aimless running which does nothing to enhance your dog's trust and bond with you.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

asuk said:


> 50 ft is really long! I think you have a toy? Or maybe I am mistaken. I have a 15ft long leash for my mini. I do have a flexi as well when I train recall in large quiet areas. I know some people are not fond of them but in wide open spaces such as above, i’d Totally use it. I think a 30 ft line is plenty and perfect if you want to train for longer distance recall.





Asta's Mom said:


> I used a 30 ft lead when training Asta - found it on ebay for a very reasonable price. Worked mostly on recall - training, not play. Play, I found encouraged Asta to pounce on, chew on the lead.


Ah good call! She loves fetch at home but I feel so bad when she runs into a wall or something - just not trusting of a 5mo pup doing fetch outdoors without some kind of guarantee. 
I will look for the 30ft, that might be a better size for us. I think amazon has an amazon basics version in multiple lengths... it seemed like 50ft was the most popular so I might have been over estimating lol. Lilah is a mini, but a bit large - already 12” and 9lbs at 5 months.



EVpoodle said:


> I sometimes exercise Evie before training class by putting her on the long lead
> and playing fetch with her. My club meets right next to the park.


Ah that’s nice! We are two blocks from this beautiful park so I feel pretty lucky. She received enthusiastic praise from two elderly gentlemen with golden retrievers today and that made me feel so good that our hard work is paying off.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I've been using a 15' flexi in training my dog. I did have a 20' bamboo leash for training recall when she was younger. I can't imagine dealing with 50' of leash - it would be a nightmare to work with. 

Don't buy bamboo - it absorbs any liquid easily - dew on grass, melting snow etc. and gets soaking wet quickly and when wet is extremely heavy and awkward. Garden debris such as leaves gets stuck to it.

As mentioned above any of the flexi type retractable leashes are really dangerous. Not only can you lose a finger (my daughter's friend lost a fingertip) but they can inflict serious harm to your dog. If you buy one be very cautious. It's much safer to work with a long line, especially with a rambunctious puppy. But the flexi does have the advantage of easily retracting so you don't have a lot of leash to wrangle.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

lily cd re said:


> Ghost you don't need more than a 30' long line for working on recalls. If you know what is behind you you can extend the length of the recall by backing away from your pup once you've called her. I think actually a 20' line works just fine for recall work. I think the longest flexi brand line is 23' and I do think if you go that route it is worth it to invest in that brand since I think they are better built. I also prefer the models that have a full length tape type line than the corded ones.
> 
> 
> As to using a long line for play like fetch I would use a flexi leash attached to a harness where you clip the lead over her back and which fits low enough to be off her neck. I used to play fetch with Lily at shows like that, but she doesn't have as much interest in it as she used to. With a flexi you let it shorten as the dog returns to you, diminishing the possibility of entanglement in a non-retractable long line. As to using a long line just to allow a dog to run around out at the end of the leash like a fool, there are many better ways to get exercise up close with games that teach impulse control and deepen your bond with the dog. Please note that I hate flexis for neighborhood walks. Many people do not understand how to use them and do not read the warnings that come with them about possible accidents like finger amputations. I use my flexis frequently but only for training distance work activities like dumbbell and glove retrieves.
> ...


When I saw the extra long leashes online I thought that might not be a bad idea for us! After reading about the violence in all the dog parks around Austin, Lilah will never go to one. I just saw the 50ft was the most popular and I sometimes have a hard time judging distance (I have no depth perception). I’ll look into a flexi brand - the regular nylon long leashes are on a same day amazon purchase for around $8-$12 and that’s partly why they caught my eye. I don’t intend to let her run around like crazy but I’d really like to work with her on her retrievals too - she finds fetch fun. We wouldn’t use any sort of retractable for neighborhood walks. I have these knots tied into her regular leash so even my daughter knows what length to keep her at that’s appropriate. She’s still pretty terrible unfortunately. Maybe 20% of the time she heels and walks nicely - the rest she pulls to sniff everything. I think it was you who I saw mentioned a harness with a front hook on another post? We may try one of those for neighborhood walks. We do play a lot of brain games at home and will do some practice out on the sidewalk when we are passed by people, - i’ve been looking ideas up on YouTube etc - but I don’t think walks and brain games are sufficient to replace the need to run. I think a game of controlled fetch would be great for that - an end objective, an activity, and a fun sprint.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

So my general idea was to have a leash long enough that would just lay on the ground - whenever she fetched the leash would always remain on the ground at my feet (and give her enough length to run out and back). Is there any reason this wouldn’t be safe enough? I can’t imagine running the risk of tangling, etc as it would be direct out and back and we’d switch to her regular leash when needed. Obviously I way over estimated length ? who knows why all those Amazon buyers needed 50ft-100ft. We’ll probably stick to 20ft-30ft. If we can ever find a properly fenced area that’s private we won’t have to worry so much about it but I want to control the risk as much as possible. I think when she’s older we won’t have to worry so much - but by then we will hopefully be in a house with a yard! 

I am so grateful for all of you here... invaluable advice, always.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

Skylar said:


> I've been using a 15' flexi in training my dog. I did have a 20' bamboo leash for training recall when she was younger. I can't imagine dealing with 50' of leash - it would be a nightmare to work with.
> 
> Don't buy bamboo - it absorbs any liquid easily - dew on grass, melting snow etc. and gets soaking wet quickly and when wet is extremely heavy and awkward. Garden debris such as leaves gets stuck to it.
> 
> As mentioned above any of the flexi type retractable leashes are really dangerous. Not only can you lose a finger (my daughter's friend lost a fingertip) but they can inflict serious harm to your dog. If you buy one be very cautious. It's much safer to work with a long line, especially with a rambunctious puppy. But the flexi does have the advantage of easily retracting so you don't have a lot of leash to wrangle.


How ironic - isn’t bamboo always touted as antimicrobial material etc? What use is that if everything sticks to it! Lol as to the absorbency - we used to use bamboo inserts in cloth diapers for my daughter and they were the most absorbent of all the types we used - so I’m not really surprised there (totally off topic I know)

So when we walk to the park I usually have a messenger bag with water/her portable bowl/treats/etc - so carrying it back and forth won’t be an issue. My idea was just to let excess pool at my feet and just let her run with it along the ground. Usually when we do recall, I have my daughter keep her in a sit position and I call her to me - so we work out the distance between us. But for fetch I just want to have a little extra security against her taking off after a bird, squirrel, random person walking through the field.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

It wasn't me who mentioned a front clip harness. I prefer to take baby steps to get good loose leash and separately good heeling. For teaching Javelin heeling I spent 6 months with him between me and a wall going just one or a very few steps and on a flat buckle collar. It was hard but worth it.


If you go with a flexi just use it for playing fetch and hold the handle up so it stays above LiLah's overall height with it on a back clip harness. If you go with a long line for practicing recalls leave it on the ground and put your foot on it.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

lily cd re said:


> It wasn't me who mentioned a front clip harness. I prefer to take baby steps to get good loose leash and separately good heeling. For teaching Javelin heeling I spent 6 months with him between me and a wall going just one or a very few steps and on a flat buckle collar. It was hard but worth it.
> 
> 
> If you go with a flexi just use it for playing fetch and hold the handle up so it stays above LiLah's overall height with it on a back clip harness. If you go with a long line for practicing recalls leave it on the ground and put your foot on it.


Thank you. The wall idea sounds great I think we could probably find something like that easily near downtown. How long were the sessions when you started with Javelin?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh very short and remember my main goal was beautiful competition heeling. If you have a hallway in your apartment (I think apartment) you can do this in your hallway for several short 5-10 minute sessions each day. I only took as many steps as I could get him to do without putting his head down but if you only want polite, no pulling loose leash you can speed it up a bit.


You may find this thread to have some useful tidbits. https://www.poodleforum.com/24-perf...hunting/265469-how-get-beautiful-heeling.html


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

When I was teaching Milo recall, I clip a long line on his harness and we practice. We live in a rural area, so I got all other safety basics covered.

He runs with this long line attached to his harness. It’s great because if he runs off to check something and not listening, I can step on the line. Not the best method maybe but it worked. He is very reliable with recall now and doesn’t need it anymore. 

Here he is at a year old playing fetch and recall training outdoors. Our landscape has very low lying shrubs, it has never been tangled on any vegetation. I can see this not suitable for an area with tree roots or branches that can snag the line.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

asuk said:


> When I was teaching Milo recall, I clip a long line on his harness and we practice. We live in a rural area, so I got all other safety basics covered.
> 
> He runs with this long line attached to his harness. It’s great because if he runs off to check something and not listening, I can step on the line. Not the best method maybe but it worked. He is very reliable with recall now and doesn’t need it anymore.
> 
> Here he is at a year old playing fetch and recall training outdoors. Our landscape has very low lying shrubs, it has never been tangled on any vegetation. I can see this not suitable for an area with tree roots or branches that can snag the line.


My gosh, Milo is gorgeous!! I love the photo. How long of a long line did you use? How big is Milo? 

Do you have a 52 week thread? I’ll have to go stalk your pics, he is just lovely.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Ghost said:


> My gosh, Milo is gorgeous!! I love the photo. How long of a long line did you use? How big is Milo?
> 
> Do you have a 52 week thread? I’ll have to go stalk your pics, he is just lovely.


Thank you, this was the 15 ft long line. 30ft would have been too long for us. Unfortunately I am very bad at the 52 weeks thread so no updates since forever..lol. He will be 2 in a few weeks. He is about 13.5” at the withers and 13lbs.


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

asuk said:


> Thank you, this was the 15 ft long line. 30ft would have been too long for us. Unfortunately I am very bad at the 52 weeks thread so no updates since forever..lol. He will be 2 in a few weeks. He is about 13.5” at the withers and 13lbs.


I am thinking now of just ordering a couple of options and seeing which one works best. The 20ft and 30ft leads are only $9 and arrive same day. I figure any extra length would just stay under my foot but I’ll have to see what they look like in person. I’m really curious how big Lilah will get - her breeder didn’t think she would be oversized, but she was the largest of the litter. She grew so much in one month. From a little over 10” and 7.5lbs to 9lbs and 12”. 

Your picture makes me feel so guilty at not taking out my “big camera” these days. I haven’t used it to get any pics of Lilah since we brought her home. Do you use a DSLR or a mirrorless?


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## Ghost (Feb 7, 2019)

lily cd re said:


> Oh very short and remember my main goal was beautiful competition heeling. If you have a hallway in your apartment (I think apartment) you can do this in your hallway for several short 5-10 minute sessions each day. I only took as many steps as I could get him to do without putting his head down but if you only want polite, no pulling loose leash you can speed it up a bit.
> 
> 
> You may find this thread to have some useful tidbits. https://www.poodleforum.com/24-perf...hunting/265469-how-get-beautiful-heeling.html


Our apartment is kind of weird. It’s a cool vintage building with 10 units in a primarily residential neighborhood a few blocks from downtown. So there aren’t exactly traditional hallways like modern buildings. There is a little area I can use that might work, but does tend to puddle up in the rains. 

I’ve been reading through that thread you linked - and I’m clearly so oblivious. I had no idea that a “beautiful heel” entailed the dog looking up at you. This is actually how Lilah does it when she’s heeling well and I thought her looking up at me was a flaw. I thought she should be able to follow the command while observing her surroundings and not focused on me - but now I am seeing I probably shouldn’t try and correct that? Clearly I need to do some more reading!

I personally don’t think I will do any competing with Lilah, but my daughter was really interested in watching all the videos - agility trials, conformation, etc. She’s only 7, so she has a couple more years before she can do juniors and I have thought of having Lilah finished or competing before that so she is prepared (I thought it might help Dali) - but I am just not sure. We don’t really have any experience and it would be an entirely new thing for us. It could be fun though - a lot of our hobbies have changed since leaving Montana.

My ultimate goal is to have her a well behaved and socialized dog - focused and trained well to avoid any potential safety issues. I’d like to have her earn her CGCs.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

For well over 99% of dog owners the need is for good loose leash walking which does not have to be heads up. The CGC leash skill skills are based on loose leash, not heads up. Since your pup offers heads up I wouldn't particularly try to extinguish it though since that kind of attention indicates that she trusts you to take care of environmental stuff and that she is trying to be really connected to you. 



If you (anyone) has a puppy that is pulling stopping when tension goes onto the leash stopping the way I did with Javelin when he dropped his head will teach the pup that pulling won't get you anywhere quite nicely.


If your daughter's interest in dog sports persists or grows I would suggest starting with rally. Every summer I see 4H juniors who handle newfies that belong to one of the 4H leaders at a rally trial. Basically when those kids go in the ring with their dogs almost everything else in the building stops and lots of people watches them and when they qualify a big cheer goes up. The young handlers are always very happy. So skills are easily learned and a support network is pretty automatic.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Ghost said:


> I am thinking now of just ordering a couple of options and seeing which one works best. The 20ft and 30ft leads are only $9 and arrive same day. I figure any extra length would just stay under my foot but I’ll have to see what they look like in person. I’m really curious how big Lilah will get - her breeder didn’t think she would be oversized, but she was the largest of the litter. She grew so much in one month. From a little over 10” and 7.5lbs to 9lbs and 12”.
> 
> Your picture makes me feel so guilty at not taking out my “big camera” these days. I haven’t used it to get any pics of Lilah since we brought her home. Do you use a DSLR or a mirrorless?


I don’t take pictures, my husband does...lol. He has a dslr. We take far too many pictures of milo, dare I say, more than my kids! Lol. Milo in turn is really good at posing in front of the camera.

I wrote down milo’s Height and weight up till he was a year old. He seemed to grow a ton between 5-8 months. He stopped growing height wise at 8 months and slowed down with weight. I read this is normal for small dogs. Milo is the runt, funny thing is lilah and him weigh the exact same at the same age!


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