Slip leads

[jonnytrabant]

Whilst talking to a fellow Cocker owner I sometimes meet he told me about his dog getting his collar caught on some rather thick bramble/shrub type of bush and the poor thing was really struggling being quite thick it took a while for the owner to get the poor thing out. No long term damage was done with just a sore neck, sort of whiplash, he said but it's another thing we should consider. Cockers by nature as we all know are nosey little parkers, just doing what they're hard wired to do really and wearing a collar can get caught.

Harry uses a slip lead (not because of this) i had already switched a while back so when he is off lead I can be sure that at least he wont get caught by his collar. Obviously no guarantee he will never get caught in bushes, just reducing the risk. He still uses his collar for example when he's in the car for travelling.

Question is. Does anybody else use a slip lead?

[piph]

Whilst talking to a fellow Cocker owner I sometimes meet he told me about his dog getting his collar caught on some rather thick bramble/shrub type of bush and the poor thing was really struggling being quite thick it took a while for the owner to get the poor thing out. No long term damage was done with just a sore neck, sort of whiplash, he said but it's another thing we should consider. Cockers by nature as we all know are nosey little parkers, just doing what they're hard wired to do really and wearing a collar can get caught.

Harry uses a slip lead (not because of this) i had already switched a while back so when he is off lead I can be sure that at least he wont get caught by his collar. Obviously no guarantee he will never get caught in bushes, just reducing the risk. He still uses his collar for example when he's in the car for travelling.

Question is. Does anybody else use a slip lead?

By slip lead, I'm assuming you mean one with a loop that just slips over their head.  If so then we use one for Ozzy sometimes, although he does wear a collar - the spaniel breeder that grooms Ozzy suggested it instead of a Halti to stop him pulling. Ours is very soft and she called it a gun-dog lead, it goes round his neck, and then we make a figure of eight under his chin and drop the loop around his nose. It does work, but I'm not sure whether it's really ok to do it - the loop over his nose does loosen when he doesn't pull, and it doesn't seem to distress him at all, but it still doesn't seem right!  We bought a Halti as well, as we swore by them for our two GRs who also pulled like trains, and he will also use that without too much fuss, but it's much harder to get on him than the gun-dog lead and loop. We've tried everything we know to get him to stop pulling, harness, loose lead training with treats etc, and we can't seem to get anything to work! I'd be interested on others opinions on this.

Just another point, legislation says that you can be fined if your dog is found without a collar and name tag - what happens in these circumstances, if you've been working your dog, and it gets lost then found - it won't have a collar or name tag?

[jonnytrabant]

Yeah Pat I know that you 'could' be fined for not having a dog tag on, not sure how this works in the gundog world. I think it's one of those wired laws, though I am sure someone will correct me. I was going to add to my post about how to correctly put a slip lead on, there's plenty of YouTube vids online.

Just curious Pat, why does Ozzy wear  a muzzle?

[piph]

Yeah Pat I know that you 'could' be fined for not having a dog tag on, not sure how this works in the gundog world. I think it's one of those wired laws, though I am sure someone will correct me. I was going to add to my post about how to correctly put a slip lead on, there's plenty of YouTube vids online.

Just curious Pat, why does Ozzy wear  a muzzle?

It's Pip, actually, not pat but no matter!!    Ozzy doesn't wear a muzzle, when I said muzzle, I mean his nose!  I'll change it in my original post!

[praia]

We always use slip leads.  They make it very easy to leash a dog whether they have a collar or not.  We use it when picking up our pup after conformation shows and always when we're taking the dogs somewhere for an off leash run. 

Our dogs always have high visibility collars with engraved ID plates on them when running off the lead.  We do this in case they get lost, to avoid county fines, and also to prevent hunters from mistaking the dogs for something else.  Collars are always kept lose so they can slip out if need be.  Thankfully we've never had an issue with the collars catching on anything and I hope we never do.

[Snoo]

I prefer to use a slip lead on Clover for convenience and ease of popping it on and off during our usual field walks but she always still keeps on her proper collar and tag as well. If we are walking down the road I do use a proper lead to attach to the loop on her collar as I feel it is safer alongside the main road and on roads in the village where there are no pavements at all. It did cross my mind that Clover could get caught up by her collar when she goes in brambles etc. out on walks, but so far I guess we have been lucky that it hasn't happened!

[Patp]

I use a slip lead and a close fitting collar with phone number on.

We were recently walking and came across a dog, we phoned the mobile number on the tag and the owner and dog were reunited quite quickly.  There is always the thought that if a dog doesnt have a collar on, some people might not try and locate the owner.

Pat

[Emilyoliver]

I use slip leads sometimes, but my dogs wear ID collars in the house and on walks.  They're very thin plaited leather, and would break if caught on anything. I think the law says all dogs have to wear identification unless working (as on on a shoot).

[Nicola]

I always use slip leads and my dogs very seldom wear collars, they have them but only have them on a few times a year. They are working dogs but obviously not doing that all the time. It's partly because they might get caught up and get stuck and partly because I just don't think they need them on and don't particularly like them. Tilly's 8 now and Ro nearly 6 and I've never had anyone query them not wearing a collar, maybe because of the places l tend to walk them. Also not managed to lose one of them yet, they keep finding me again

I don't use slip leads on young pups though; both Ro and Caoimhe learned to walk to heel on a normal flat collar and lead. I don't use a slip lead until I'm happy they're not going to garrotte themselves on it.

[Sasha B]

I use slip leads with my two, I just find them realy easy to use. Mine don't wear collars either when out for exactly the reason already stated, my brother in law's dog got caught by the collar and he couldn't find him for ages because he was stuck in thick undergrowth, he was quite badly injured as he had been trying to free himself. It just put me off as my two are always running through the undergrowth and I don't wont the same to happen to them. They do though wear collars if walking on the pavements or through the village or at the  etc. They always keep me in sight as I do them although I know that I shouldn't take it for granted that they wont get lost but if someone wanted to keep them they would simply take the collar off.  They are microchipped so would be trackable back to me.

[jonnytrabant]

I don't use slip leads on young pups though; both Ro and Caoimhe learned to walk to heel on a normal flat collar and lead. I don't use a slip lead until I'm happy they're not going to garrotte themselves on it.

And yet, my gundog trainer told me 'get Harry on the slip lead ASAP' and to be fair I also walk him with a normal collar and lead sometimes. Harry isn't really bothered what he has on, as long as he's going out

[Honormum]

What's the difference between a slip lead and a choke chain, in action? (genuine question).

Our lab has always pulled like a train, so always worn a Gentle Leader - would a slip lead choke her?

[piph]

What's the difference between a slip lead and a choke chain, in action? (genuine question).

Our lab has always pulled like a train, so always worn a Gentle Leader - would a slip lead choke her?

Well, yes, but no more than pulling on a flat collar and lead would.  This is why we were advised to make a figure of 8 under Ozzy's chin and pull the loop up over his nose - it stops him pulling.  When the slip lead is put on correctly, the loop around their neck loosens when they don't pull.  A choke chain however, is much more harsh, but is supposed to work in the same way!

[Sarah.H]

Weighing up the risks I know that Millie is more at risk of getting lost and needing an ID tag rather than getting caught on anything so she wears a collar (hope I haven't jinxed her now!). But if I had a dog that was being worked I would probably go for the slip lead in those situations.

[jonnytrabant]

Weighing up the risks I know that Millie is more at risk of getting lost and needing an ID tag rather than getting caught on anything so she wears a collar (hope I haven't jinxed her now!). But if I had a dog that was being worked I would probably go for the slip lead in those situations.

Hence the importance of recall.

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