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Long leash / check cord / tie out recommendation for leashed park play

881 views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  oldNgray 
#1 ·
I have a really nice 15' leash that is great for attaching to a park picnic table. It keeps my girl secure and nearby while I enjoy a outdoor meal. But it is much too short for a rousing game of Frisbee fetch. Not having experience with dogs on a long lead, I'm a little unsure of which direction to go. Check cord, flat leash, plastic-covered tie-out wire? Cotton? Nylon? Polypropylene? or ?????

**I think I'll be looking for something in the 50-foot range so she can play Frisbee or ChuckIt fetch without hitting the end of the rope during a run.
**I don't want something that will constantly tangle during play or become badly tangled while stored in her to-go bag.
**Nothing that is known to cause injuries during playtime. Currently, she only plays fetch. But when she is older, I think I'd like to see if she can learn to catch a Frisbee in the air.
**Strong enough to hold a full-grown border collie should she decide to run a direction opposite me. My girl is 7 months old and about 28 pounds now. Not sure how much more growing she has to do. I've read the breed generally tops out between 30 and 45 pounds.

Note: She chewed through a leash a couple months ago, but I think she's grown out of that phase. I have no plans to use this leash as an unsupervised tie out. What I'm looking for is something that will be used strictly for park play or other wide open outdoor areas with her people nearby.

Any suggestions and/or anecdotal information you all can provide will be helpful.
 
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#2 ·
Any long line has the potential to trip or tangle and cause an injury. But assuming you are using it on a harness and mostly as a drag line or check cord (as in, you can grab it if she blows off a recall) and not for play around other dogs or people where it could tangle their legs, then i would recommend a Biothane long line aka biothane drag line.

Biothane is a material, not a brand. Totally waterproof, very tangle resistant, very strong for its width, and doesn't pick up brambles and mud being dragged in the ground.
Pick a bright color for safety like orange or pink so that other humans can see from a distance that the dog is on a line.
 
#3 ·
I have never heard of Biothane until your post. I found a bright orange biothane line on Amazon with excellent reviews. From the picture, I can see why it won't tangle. The longest I found was only 33 feet but I think it might suit our needs.

BTW, we would absolutely use it with a body harness and not around other dogs. One of our local parks has a wide open area where there are no tables, benches, walkways and far away from the children's climbing toys. It's a nice big grassy area that most people ignore -- which made me think it would be a great away-from-home place to make her feel that she has a bit of freedom, without actually running free.
 
#4 ·
What you have purchased is a tracking line (10 meters).

Can you teach your dog a Really Reliable retrieve and lose the line altogether? I know you are in Southern California and you probably have to drive a ways to get away from the city landscape to work your dog. Just a thought..

I do use an E Collar for off leash work if I have a dog I am concerned will not recall or might not recall if prey drive kicks in on wild game (I have a LOT of deer where I live). While I have taught the dog about the e collar and recall (months ago in an enclosed space) and he wears it when there is any possibility of wild game, I will also add that I have successfully called him off game and have not had to "hit him" once (yet.. always it is 'yet' with a high prey drive dog). He is so focused on the ball and wants to have the ball I have (I always have two) that he is not even thinking about anything else, so I have that going for me as well.

Just a thought. I hate using a line (though I have several of different kinds, including a horse lunge line and ones that I have made). As you note.. they can be tangling and the dog can get wrapped up in them.
 
#7 ·
Well, my pup was chewing on a Benebone while I was busy on the computer. I took a break from what I was doing and noticed that she'd switched from the Benebone to her nice 15-foot leash. She chewed clear through it, not to be untethered, but just because she could. Argh! So, tonight I ordered a 20-foot plastic-covered, wire cable (what people call a tie-out) that I will use to tether her at the park and other non-fenced areas. I also ordered a 20-foot, bright orange, biothane leash that I'll add as an extension to the cable for distance playtime.

Can you teach your dog a Really Reliable retrieve and lose the line altogether? I know you are in Southern California and you probably have to drive a ways to get away from the city landscape to work your dog. Just a thought.
To be honest, I don't know if I'll ever trust my pooch to have a truly reliable recall. I live on a fairly busy corner and if my dog wandered into the street she'd likely not survive the experience. There are a few undeveloped areas in my city where I could probably practice and not get ticketed. But there are strict leash laws in my county. The law states that a dog must be physically restrained and that voice restraint is only acceptable on the dog owner's property.

While I might never have the opportunity to venture out with girl off leash, I still plan to work on her recall skills--just in case of an emergency. She does well in the house but is not good in the backyard. Our dog training coach offers a 4-week, reliable recall class twice a year. Maybe my girl will be mature enough to partake in the fall class or maybe I'll wait until next spring. For now, I'm more concerned about getting her to walk on a loose leash, settle, stay when told and greet people without jumping on them.
 
#5 ·
In considering whether to use a tracking line, ecollar, or rely on a well practiced recall; make sure to check local laws. In many urban and suburban areas like municipal parks or public greenspace there are leash laws. Some leash laws specify 6 or 10 feet max but depending on local dog culture and police attitudes, often simply having a visible lead is sufficient to avoid a warning or ticket. Some places allow ecollars as "leashed or controlled"

I will say that if there are people around even at a distance, MOST of the time a line being dragged on the ground will be enough of a visual security for them to not be bothered.

Pros and cons to everything. I myself have been stopped by a police officer who said that she stopped to check on the leash but once she saw the bright orange line in the grass with my hand on the far end, that we were OK under the leash law as far as she was concerned.
 
#6 ·
What Shell said is correct. This is why I live in a rural place and own 5 acres surrounded by another 100 acres (and many acres past that).

I really like NOT having people around. Even with leash laws a LOT of people disobey AND do not have control of their dog preferring instead to yell "He's friendly" as their beast comes up snarling at your leashed dog. Our group have all gone to carrying cattle prods and letting people know in no uncertain terms they better collect their dog.
 
#8 ·
I love biothane leashes - that is all I use for my dogs! However, I don't like using them as a long line or drag line. They tend to catch easier and don't break free easily if they do catch on something (which is why they're good for leashes).

I have this one that I used for recall training: https://www.dogsportgear.ca/1-RedLine-K9-Nylon-Long-Line-_p_3876.html and it worked great.

Whatever you use, I would suggest either dropping the end or holding it in your hand rather that securing it to something. That way if she does get to the end you can let go and she won't get jolted back. Even on a harness I'm sure that's unpleasant.
 
#9 ·
From the responses you've gotten it seems like this might be just me, but 50 feet is actually not as long as it seems. If you're just using it as a drag line that's probably a perfect length, but if you're planning on holding it while throwing a ball, I think you'll find your throws have to be very short. I had a 50 foot and switched to a 100 foot and I much prefer the 100 foot, even though it's quite cumbersome until you get used to it. Although again, I hear most people use the 50 foot so I'm probably just weird about it. I did consider using one of those things you wind a garden hose up on to put my 100 foot line on to keep it from being tangled and unroll/roll it back up as necessary. But I'm able to manage it pretty well just looping it and holding it in hand.

My line is not biothane as I couldn't find a 100 foot line. It does get wet and dirty but once it drys I can just knock the dirt off.

I also wanted to add that teaching a command (I use "heads up") when the dog is about to hit the end of the line. I always use a harness, but I still don't like him to hit the end of the line at high speeds. He's learned that heads up means he's about to hit the end of the line and get jerked around if he doesn't slow down.
 
#10 ·
From the responses you've gotten it seems like this might be just me, but 50 feet is actually not as long as it seems. If you're just using it as a drag line that's probably a perfect length, but if you're planning on holding it while throwing a ball, I think you'll find your throws have to be very short.
I play "Frisbee" with my pup using a Kong flying disc in the backyard. Without straining myself, I'm able to toss it about 30 feet (to the fence). I was hoping to get more running distance and saw some leashes as long as 50 feet. Unfortunately, we'll only be at 40 with the two items I just ordered. But if things work well, I can see about adding another 20 feet of extension.

My girl is only 7 months old. I don't want her tether to be too long until I have more confidence in both our abilities to deal her being on an extended lead. She loves meeting people but has not yet learned good manners. I'm concerned about her jumping on some unsuspecting person who might wander into our big circle of control (40 feet means there is an 80-foot circle). I probably need to advertise for a training buddy.
 
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