Veterinarians do not recommend the use of retractable belts mainly for pet safety and behavior training and other considerations, the following specific reasons:
Security risk
- Easy to cause physical harm: the traction rope of the retractable belt is usually thin, when the pet suddenly runs or pulls, the owner may not have time to control, the thin rope may quickly tighten the pet's neck or body, resulting in pressure on the neck trachea and blood vessels, causing breathing difficulties, suffocation, and even damage to the cervical spine. At the same time, if the pet is suddenly pulled by the rope during the running process, it may also lead to joint sprains, muscle strains and other problems.
- Increase the risk of traffic accidents: The stretchable length of the retractable leash is longer, so that the pet may run far away when walking, beyond the effective control of the owner. When the pet runs to the road, because the owner's response and control is not timely, the pet is easy to be hit by a vehicle, causing a traffic accident.
- There is a hidden danger of entanglement: During the use of the retractable belt, if the pet runs around the object or interacts with other pets and people, the lead rope is easy to wrap around the pet's legs, body or other objects, which may frighten the pet, fall, and even cause limb damage. And in an emergency, it is difficult for the owner to quickly untangle the rope, which may delay the rescue of the pet.
Behavior training problem
- It is not conducive to establishing a sense of rules: the flexibility of the retractable leash will allow the pet to be too free during the walking process, it may pull and explore at will, and the owner is difficult to give clear and timely feedback and correction through the leash. Long-term use of retractable belts, pets may develop bad walking habits, such as walking in front of the owner, pulling the lead rope, etc., is not conducive to the pet to establish a good code of conduct and obedience to the owner.
- Interference training effect: In the pet's basic behavioral training, such as accompanying training, the length of the retractable leash is constantly changing, which will make it difficult for the pet to accurately perceive the owner's intentions and instructions. Compared with the use of a fixed length belt, the retractable belt can not allow the pet to clearly understand the correct distance and position relationship between the owner and the owner, which affects the training effect and increases the difficulty of training.
The effect on the owner
- Difficult to control the force: The elasticity and flexibility of the retractable leash make it difficult for the owner to master the appropriate force when controlling the pet. When the pet has a sudden behavior change, the owner may not be able to stop it in time and effectively because of the cushioning effect of the leash, resulting in the situation getting out of control.
- Increased risk of injury: The sudden pulling or running of the pet may cause the owner to lose balance, especially for the elderly, children or people with less strength, it is more likely to be dragged by the pet and fall, causing their own injury. In addition, in the process of quickly retracting the belt, the owner's hand may also be scratched by the belt.