We have used Flexi retractable leashes for many years. You just get used to a favorite brand of something, and that’s how it goes. Once we bought a clone but it just didn’t feel right in my hand, and I was glad when it wore out. We don’t live in a city but I still see some good use for this leash in our family, and even more for city dwellers.

We keep our leashes handy by the front door. The little gray one on the right is the new Flexi city leash,and the other two are our longer ones. The black bag hanging above contains dry dog treats and a clicker for the walks where I do a little training.

What is a retractable leash? It’s got cord or tape wrapped around a core inside the handle. You attach the leash to the dog’s collar and there is also a little additional safety collar that comes with every Flexi that you can use. Then the leash gives the dog room to roam around and get a lot more exercise while you walk along. Our black one there is 16 feet long, and it’s the one I always use. The blue one is ten feet longer, and I like having more control with the black one. The cord moves in and out of the handle as you and the dog move closer and further away. If you want to bring the dog in close, you just pull it in and then there is a button you can push to keep the dog at a fixed distance. The cords move pretty fast so you keep your fingers away from them. Also, do NOT attach these to a Gentle Leader or Halti or similar halter on a dog, as it would be dangerous to your dog’s neck to pull on his head from a distance.

So the purpose of the Flexi City is to provide the retractability with a much shorter radius. City dwellers walking in busy areas will like this one a lot, I would guess.

Our situation is semi-rural… we live in a development that has far more empty lots than homes, and has a huge patch of desert nearby, so we can let our dogs roam a lot. I always walk my dogs on leash when they are out of their quarter-acre fenced yard where they can run. I’m about as careful about this as anyone can be… maybe due to the grief I felt when a neighbor’s dog was killed by a car when I was a kid.  Anyway, with the longer leashes, the dogs go sniffing around as they wish.  I keep my eyes out for rabbits and reel the dog in– I walk one at a time–before it can take off in pursuit.

So I’ve walked each dog a few times now with the six-foot leash. LarryDog, now 15 and lazy in the afternoons, is just fine with it. Our walks are pretty much like they always were. He does go bonkers when a car comes by, which is rarely, but when it happened the other day, I liked how quickly and easily I could reel him in with the City Leash, before he got riled up.

I wouldn’t use it on an everyday basis with Lola, our Rottweiler, as she likes a lot more range. Also, this is good up to 77 pounds, which is a tad less than she weighs. (She’s a small Rottie.) But for taking her to the vet or out for a walk in town, it would be great.

And here is a useful and very nicely made video on how to use them: