Instructions
Secure the Flexi leash clip to your dog's collar. Hold the grip handle tightly in your right or left hand. Practice pushing the brake button at the top of the casing. Keep your dog close to you when you begin using a Flexi and add distance when your dog comes when called or stays in place immediately when told.
Restrict your dog's range to 10 feet or less until he is trained in basic leash commands, including "Stay" and "Come." This will prevent exposing your dog to dangerous situations. Use Flexi leashes only as a reward for a leash-trained dog that is not aggressive toward people or dogs, or reactive to his environment. Practice the recall--coming when called--at short distances to reinforce good behavior on the retractable leash.
Maintain a taut line. Slack in the leash tangles in bushes, wraps around your dog's legs and even around people if not carefully controlled. Avoid rope burns from the nylon cord by keeping your dog within 10 feet of you in tight areas. Remove pressure from the brake to retract the line if your dog stops to sniff and the cord goes limp. Press the brake button down and forward again to lock it once the slack is taken up. Keep an eye out for joggers, cyclists and other dogs in tight areas and blind spots like around a corner. If you spot someone approaching, unlock the brake to retract the leash and call your dog to your side. Unlock the brake to give your dog a wider running range in open areas by pushing down and forward on the button.
Avoid letting your dog gain "running momentum" on the Flexi. According to Grisha Stewart, who admits she is one of the rare dog trainers who likes retractable leashes, says dogs pull less on the extended leash, but they can gain extreme momentum running after a squirrel, for example, 10 to 30 feet out. Stewart, a trainer at Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle, Washington, advises dog owners to practice using the brake feature on the leash at short-distance intervals and to train, train, train. "Your thumb should always be ready to lock the leash, your voice ready to call the dog," she says.
Lisa Mullinax, a certified pet dog trainer from 4 Paws University in Sacramento, California recommends fully extending the retractable leash only in big, open areas like a park or beach, not in an area where cars or pedestrian traffic pose danger. "A braking system on your leash will not help you if your dog is seconds away from a dangerous situation," she says. "How can you protect your dog from 20 to 30 feet away?" Use a standard 6-foot nylon leash in smaller areas.
How to Use a Flexi Leash
Flexi, or retractable leashes, have a molded plastic handle, a nylon cord that extends and retracts into the casing automatically from 16 to 30 feet. Its braking feature abruptly stops a pulling dog. Sizes vary from "one-size fits all" to small, medium and large. Although marketed as a training tool that allows your dog greater roaming freedom while keeping his pulling in check, Flexi leashes must be used properly to avoid injury.