I just wanted to diverge a bit, on the topic of flexi leads.

I have found my flexi to be quite a wonderful thing. My Lab is recovering from surgery, so his activity has to be carefully monitored and timed. With the flexi, I can let him get a little more exercise while still on a leash. I use the 16' model, as I think the 26' is way too long. I dont see the point.

We often practice recalls, heels, and the like, all while walking the city streets. If we are on a busy street, I keep him at my side, with the lead retracted all the way. When we get off onto a side street with little traffic, I let him out some. For me, it's just common sense that you don't let the dog out on the line when you're on a busy street. I do alternate and use his 6 foot leash every now and then, as I agree that it's important that a dog be trained to walk properly on a regular leash before being allowed on a flexi. Walking an unruly dog with a flexi is just plain dangerous.

But, we really love our flexi, and think it's the best thing since sliced bread! It really allows for a lot of communication to happen between us, and I think our relationship has improved tons since we started using it.

Out of all the things I have learned from Ed over the years the one thing that will stick with me throughout my dog training life is the statement: If you run into a problem with training just use common sense.

About the Flexi. I mentioned it in my previous post because I see too many owners using it as a regular lead, and using it poorly at that. It is very annoying to be walking your own dog nicely at heel and then you see a dog coming towards you that is 10-feet ahead of its owner. While I do agree that it has its merits, it did not work well for me.

Once my dog learned his "how to walk on a leash manners" there was not a thing I could do to convince him that forging ahead on a lead was OK. If he's on a leash he's right beside me. If I want him to have fun, he's free running.

I gave the Flexi to my neighbour who has a Siberian husky. Now there's a dog you never let off leash!

I just had an encounter the other day with a woman who was using her flexi wrong! It was SO irritating! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I was walking my dog down the bike path, when I saw the woman heading in our direction, with her dog (a young male husky type) all the way out at the end of the flexi, pulling her down the bike path in our direction. Well, I didn't like the looks of this, so I just turned around and started walking the other way. We were walking at a good clip, but still she managed to overtake us, and it got to the point where my Lab was turning around and pulling me toward this other dog, feeling uncomfortable that there was this dog coming up behind us, intently staring at him. I would have had to go off the path, into the mud in my good work shoes, probably a good 30 feet, just to avoid this situation, so I simply turned around and let my dog meet the other dog. I reeled in my flexi to a manageable length, while this woman just stood there. The dogs postured head to head, and were just about to go head to butt, which would have tangled our leads in a hurry, so I just said to her in a very irritated voice that I didn't want their leads to get tangled, as I reached in and grabbed mine close to my dog's collar. She just said "Oh" as if she had never even thought of such a thing, and then started to walk on. I put my dog in a sit as I stood there on the bike path just fuming at this idiot. She, of course, continued down the path with her dog all the way out on the end of the lead on his buckle collar, just completely oblivious to the fact that she had no control over her dog, and that she was imposing her dog on everyone who happened to be using the bike path, minding their own business. Needless to say, I had to stand there and breathe deeply for several minutes before I could continue walking. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Now there's a perfect example of the type of idiot I *frequently* see using a flexi. I know people who don't have dogs, who hate flexi leads for this very reason. They feel that they should be able to walk down the street without being imposed upon. It's also because of this kind of thing that maximum leash lengths are imposed in areas where dogs are required to be on leash. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

OK, rant mode off. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

this post is a little late, it dealt with
"why are you in such a hurry to prong", its not that I am in a hurry at all, its rather I dont want my puppy to fall into bad habits early (this being my first puppy, which I am trying to train), from everything I have learned, it is easier to not reteach a bad habit ie. not recalling etc.
Since this thread has started I have taken the advice of using a better reward (sausage)and using it intermittenly, which has worked great, but i know that I will have to use a prong at some time , just curious when most people found it appropriate by age.

Hey Vince.....Your posts are getting a bit long lately. Two sentences, sometimes three. What happened to the "master of the one line response?"LOL <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Take my wife...please. LOL.

AZ TROOPER,

so are you saying that no corrections should be used at this young of an age? i have a 4 month old gsd right now and she is pretty good with her recalls. I use food treats, and some times her favorite toy. but there are times when it takes me to call her 3 times for her to come. what do you suggest?? i don't use any type of physical corrections for her not coming, just verbal. but there are times that i do need to physically correct her and the scruff of the neck thing still works with her. but i guess my question is just this simple: we all want our dogs to be 100% trained sooner than later, with out messing up their nerves and making them fearfull of us and other people, what is your suggestion?

one mre question for you guys...............
everyone is talking about the flexi being used wrong. what is the propper use of a flexi?
i have never used or owned a flexi, but now that i think about it, it sounds like it would be great for teaching and correcting when you start the "come" command with a puppy like mine (4 months) please give me some feed back
i would never use a flexi on walks because i also bbelieve walks are for walking and not wandering 10 feet ahead of the owner. i think the dog should be on heel during walks... but i would appreciate the input of anyone who has some <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />