I’m here to talk long lines for anxious dogs in general, but FYI this article does contain an affiliate link at the end. I am only using this because I bought the product and would be suggesting you take a look at it anyway. People like to have a suggestion, somewhere to start their own research. But I want to be upfront that if you use the link and buy the product because you think it’d be good for your dog too, then I might get some pennies 🙂

If you have access to secure fields then that is absolutely great! Off lead is sort of the gold standard! If the space is safe then this is a really wonderful way of providing exercise and freedom to your dog. But what if you aren’t able to get to a secure space like this every day?

Well, some dogs are sociable and navigate coming across new people and dogs really well. But many don’t.

Maybe your dog has a fear of something, traffic, loud bangs.

If you have an anxious dog then they may bolt when they see something or hear something that scares them. They could get lost, or cause an accident.

Alternatively your dog might behave in a socially inappropriate way with other dogs, maybe aggressively, or perhaps over-exuberantly.

Maybe they chase cyclists that they spot on the horizon? Or just a particularly interesting scent!

My own dog, Max, pictured, is pretty deaf now. If he was off lead he might go chasing a crow and I can’t call him back. He might end up chasing it into the road, or a jogger might suddenly appear behind him and spook him because I haven’t been able to “make contact” with him to prepare him if he’s too far away.

Keeping your dog under control to prevent incidents is paramount.

Keeping your dog on a short lead at all times is one solution, and it may be the only safe and appropriate solution for you and your dog. But it often doesn’t give your dog so many choices in regards to their pace, stepping off the track to follow a smell, or playing some games they enjoy.

A long line is a great compromise to give your anxious dog a little more freedom, in appropriate spaces, whilst still maintaining control. You can reel the lead in and out as appropriate to give your dog space, but keep that connection with you and reel them in closer as needed.

A note on your dog’s safety: long lines should only be used with comfortable and well fitting harnesses. Never attach a long lead to your dog’s collar or head collar. If they run and come to the end of the lead they could do themselves some serious damage if it attaches to their neck, or pulls their head around. Doesn’t bear thinking about.

In broad terms I was in the market for a new waterproof long line after leaving my last biothane long line in a car park *sigh*

I had been using a rope one for a while but in the winter it’s been getting soaking wet and then invariably sits in the car contributing to the car’s musty, doggy, damp aroma! Mmm!

I picked this lead in particular because I was looking for the following:

• Not going to absorb water and mud, will dry quickly.
• Comes in colours that will stand out so I am less likely to trip over it.
• Has good grip so if Max decides to rush off when I need him to stay with me, the lead isn’t slipping through my fingers easily.
• Is nice to hold on to so I’m not getting rope burn if Max spots a crow and fancies his chances.
• The reviews had others’ experiences of dogs lunging and the lead surviving.
• It comes in various lengths for different environments.

A word of warning. I bought the 15m version. That’s pretty long! You can see below how long…

That’s pretty long, right?! It’s longer than I thought anyway – maybe you have a better brain for these things.

Great if you really do have plenty of space, your dog is reasonably calm and has good recall. It pretty closely mimics being off lead.

Your dog has lots of freedom and can exercise lots of choice, which is one of the biggest plus points of using long lines for anxious dogs. It’s why I think they’re a great idea.

But if there are other people around it might be hard to stop your dog from taking them out, or for other dogs not to get caught up in it.

If your dog is reactive then you have a lot less control, and that freedom could soon leave you and your dog (and others around you) in a sticky, unsafe situation.

So you have to be at the ready to reel it in. And reel it in. And reel it in some more!

Then when you do reel it in, for the love of all that is good, do it carefully so you don’t spend most of the next walk untangling it! Learn from my mistakes.

However they also come in 5m, and 10m (they also come in 20m if you really do have a lot of space!). I am about to buy another, actually probably a 5m and a 10m one so I can use different lengths in different spaces. And a different colour for each so I know which is which at a glance!

I think keeping each in a separate box will help to stop them getting tangled together. If any of you find a long lead that never tangles then I would love to hear about it!

The handle is pretty comfortable, and pretty grippy which is great.

You can see here a close up of the material, and the thickness. I think being flatter and wider would be better for your skin than narrower material.

If you think this lead looks like it might work for you too, you can check it out here: https://amzn.to/3xkfJDz

But of course there are a lot of different options out there. This seems like it could be a good place to start.

• Using dog cams to monitor your dog
• What is a threshold and how do we stay under it?