Be sure to check your collars and leashes


  • We had a scary thing happen this morning.
    We were walking the nature area, close to a busy hwy.
    Course, both b's were on a leash.
    Shasta, my girl suddenly was not on a leash and loping to toward a hill with the hwy behind it…
    My heart just dropped, I called her name, no response, I then called her and started running away from her with Cody...
    She finally looked over and decided we were going someplace fun, and ran to us.
    I just about had a heart attack...
    Seems someone with a curly tail did some damage to the leash when I was not paying attention.
    So, one little tug was all it took for the dog to be off.:eek:
    I hope this doesn't happen to you...I am too old for this type of stress.
    So today, we are doing leash/collar inspections followed by a major bitter apple dosing.


  • We were leaving the dog park several months ago, and since we were outside of the fence headed to the car, Booger was already back on his extendaleash. He saw another dog get out of a car & he took off running. He got to the end of the 16 feet & it just snapped! He kept going & the I was left holding a spinning extendaleash handle. Fortunately he was only interested in meeting the dog, so once he got to the dog he stopped & I just picked him up & threw him in the car.
    Worst feeling ever. Now we just use regular 6 foot leashes and make sure they stay up & away from basenji teeth.


  • Yes, its awful…just makes your stomach drop...
    OFf they go and you just stand there.
    Glad your scared turned out well.


  • This is why I walk my dogs using a Premier brand martingale collar. If properly adjusted, they simply cannot back or twist out of it. I do leave their regular collar with tags on while using the martingale also…just in case.


  • I also use martingale collars…
    They are great and don't hurt the dogs necks...
    But they have to have a functioning ie, together leash to put them to...
    So, make sure you check both, collar and leash.
    I don't want anyone to have the scare I did.


  • I had a similar experience a month or so ago, realizing suddenly that I was holding the leash and Fiji was trotting down the sidewalk without being attached. My heart just dropped. I clucked at her like I do if I stop when she's pulling and she turned around and looked at me like I was nuts: "I'm not pulling!" but came back to see what the heck my problem was. Whew!

    Good advice Sharron, to check them regularly. Mine was weakened by curly tailed forces as well. :o


  • Thanks Catt…its scary when they are out in the "world" and your holding a damaged leash...
    Glad it all worked out for you as well..


  • I have had many experiences like that with my "Mickii" the leash and/or collar chewing machine (that she so kindly passed onto her son)…. she can be though a lead of any kind of material in under 20 seconds. For her son, Tego, his flexie was replaced with "chain" that is the only thing that stops him... Mickii can bite through a leather lead in one bite... the little brat, even at 15 1/2!


  • Oh, that type of chewing is scary…
    I am so very lucky my girl came back.
    I just can't imagine how I would react if she had been hit.
    I pray all our b's are leashed and loved.


  • Oh, how terrifying! I'm glad everything turned out alright. It's sometimes hard to remember in that situation to turn and run the other way. My first b snapped his flexy once, and started toward a main street. I remember someone had told me about calling them and turning and running…I held my breath and did just that. I ran into the closest yard and he followed.


  • I just went out and bought all new harnesses and leashes { witch my husband thinks is crazy} But i am moving cross country next week and taken them with me. The old ones where good but i just wanted to be alittle extra cautious where i am going to be driving 2400 miles with them. The lady in the store gave me a look like i had 6 heads because i was standing there in the idle and pulling as hard as i could on the leashes and harnesses to make sure they where strong and tight.


  • We have been using Martingale collars sometime now. Of course I do worry about the collar breaking because Roo's neck is still small and we have not been able to go to the 3/4 inch width yet. I am currently walking Roo with a Nylon type leash, but I use a genuine leather leash for Bonzo. I do wonder if the leather type leash would be harder for the Basenji to chew and break?

    Jason


  • @ComicDom1:

    We have been using Martingale collars sometime now. Of course I do worry about the collar breaking because Roo's neck is still small and we have not been able to go to the 3/4 inch width yet. I am currently walking Roo with a Nylon type leash, but I use a genuine leather leash for Bonzo. I do wonder if the leather type leash would be harder for the Basenji to chew and break?

    Jason

    The answer to your "leather" question is "nope"….;)


  • I think it takes about 2 chews for a b to go through a leather leash.
    It can happen so very fast…


  • we had this type of collar on rocky.

    ( http://www.petsmart.com/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3762698t400.jpg )

    one day i was walking him home and he went to chase Max, my boyfriends aunt's dog that is in the pasture across the street, and the collar came back on the extendaleash things and he TOOK off. hes always interested in Max, so i could grab him, but i guess the part that hooks had worn down and wasnt catching anymore.


  • Glad you were able to catch your b'.
    I had forgotten to check my dogs leashes before she took off.
    So, glad your story ended well.


  • we had a horrible thing with those leashes as well. The hook of the snap was in the ring of the collar and so the snap opened and Vega, the Galgo was off the lead. You really don't know what happened then…..

    About chewing leashes, we had a chewer as well and therefore I changed the leash to a chain-leash which is definetely Basenji-resistant.

    And if your dogs run in harnesses as well as in collars, there are harnesses where they cannot get out of. These are often used for the rescued sighthounds from Spain which often are horrified to death. There are of course other varieties of these types but I give you this link, sorry text is only in German.... http://www.kraxel.com/detail_1495_sad7ab3dceca13ba6e6f50f7f34701715.html?PHPSESSID=ad7ab3dceca13ba6e6f50f7f34701715

    Regards,
    Esther


  • @hdolbow:

    we had this type of collar on rocky.

    ( http://www.petsmart.com/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3762698t400.jpg )

    one day i was walking him home and he went to chase Max, my boyfriends aunt's dog that is in the pasture across the street, and the collar came back on the extendaleash things and he TOOK off. hes always interested in Max, so i could grab him, but i guess the part that hooks had worn down and wasnt catching anymore.

    We used to have a clip-buckle type of collar on Jazz as well,until she also gave a good pull one day and off she went! Fortunately,we were at my mom's who lives in the middle of nowhere on 30 acres, and Jazzy came right back.
    I bought her a new collar with a real buckle the next day.

    Now I use a martingale style collar for walks, and leather leashes. The leather leashes were never a problem – I used to be able to toss Jazzy's in her crate with her when we traveled. Then we got Keoki.... his leash has chew marks in it, of course, and I have to keep them put up away from him at all times, LOL.
    At home they both wear rolled leather collars with their tags on. I won't let them go collarless even indoors because there's always the danger that some num-nut will open the door.


  • @soulmate:

    we had a horrible thing with those leashes as well. The hook of the snap was in the ring of the collar and so the snap opened and Vega, the Galgo was off the lead. You really don't know what happened then…..

    About chewing leashes, we had a chewer as well and therefore I changed the leash to a chain-leash which is definetely Basenji-resistant.

    And if your dogs run in harnesses as well as in collars, there are harnesses where they cannot get out of. These are often used for the rescued sighthounds from Spain which often are horrified to death. There are of course other varieties of these types but I give you this link, sorry text is only in German.... http://www.kraxel.com/detail_1495_sad7ab3dceca13ba6e6f50f7f34701715.html?PHPSESSID=ad7ab3dceca13ba6e6f50f7f34701715

    Regards,
    Esther

    This is the Ruffwear Webmaster harness, a great harness, especially for those that slip harness and for those that bike with their dogs or such. It is almost impossible for a dog to slip this harness (when fitted correctly)


  • When we moved out to Boston a year ago, we inadvertently left Jack tie-out lead in Pittsburgh (oops) so all we had was a retractable leash and his buckle collar. When we got to a friends house that night, DH, the friend, and I needed to get a few things out of the truck that we would be leaving at the friends house.

    "Just use the leash to tie him out" DH says

    "I really don't think that is a good idea" I said, with visions of retractable tragedies dancing in my head.

    "It is only going to be 15 minutes, he'll be fine" He and the friend convince me. They take the leash, wrap it around the stair rail, and we head over to the truck.

    5 minutes later, Jack comes bounding across the driveway, severed leash trailing. I was lucky that he wanted me, so he came right to me. I picked him up and glared at DH.

    "I told you it wasn't a good idea."

    Hey, at least it got me out of moving all of DH's heavy equipment. 🙂

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