How to Choose the Best Dog Leash
When you’re out and about with your furry friend, it’s important to have the proper gear. A good dog leash is key for a safe and happy outing. But how do you choose the best one? With so many options on the market, it can be tough to know where to start. Fear not, fellow pup parent! We’re here to help. Keep reading for our top tips on how to pick the perfect leash for your pooch.
Classic leash
Did your pooch pass obedience and leash training with flying colours? If so, they may need nothing fancier than an OG classic leash. With these leashes, what you see is what you get. There are no fancy extra features, but it would still be worthwhile spending more to ensure quality. Dollar-store leashes may have affordability and functionality on their side, but their benefits end there. They can be uncomfortable to wear—or to hold—and they may not stand the test of time.
Stylish Hound’s classic leashes will satisfy all of your basic walkies requirements. Down to their clips and buckles, these leashes consist of 100 per cent recycled materials. So not only are they the best choice for Mother Earth, but they’re also the best and most eye-catching choice for your dog. Choose one of the many funky designs and we guarantee your pooch will be the slickest pup this side of town. As a dog owner, it’s a bonus for you, too! Their padded neoprene handles allow for a comfortable grip, running rings around that ‘rope burn’ feeling you’ll get from any cheap, nylon alternative.
One of the classic Stylish Hound leashes in the High Top design (paired with a High Top collar!). Image: Stylish Hound
As the most common form of leash, classic leashes are available in a wide range of materials and tend to vary in quality. If you’re not going to go with a Stylish Hound leash, then tougher-than-tough leather is also a pretty good bet. It takes a lot to break leather, and this is a quality you want in a dog leash. If you’re after a vegan alternative, Biothane leashes are awesome and are pretty much the next best thing. There are so many durable, high-quality, and environmentally-friendly options on the market. Ultimately, a higher-quality investment may be less costly than constantly replacing those dollar-store cheapies.
Obedience leash
You may not have heard the term ‘obedience leash’—and that’s because it neither has official criteria nor an official definition. That being said, the mere term implies that this one’s for dogs in need of some heavy handling. You could even argue that leather leashes are ‘obedience leashes’ because they’re so darned indestructible. In any case, if your pooch is a puller who wants to come out top dog, the obedience leash might just be your match.
The Stylish Hound Cruise Control Obedience Leash in the Evergreen design. Image: Stylish Hound
Stylish Hound stocks ‘obedience leashes’. They’re not unlike their classic leashes, save for a useful twist. Just before the leash buckle, you will find a ruched elastic feature, absorbent of Doggy’s pulls or sudden jolts. How does the bungee bring benefits to walkies? Simply put: the leash absorbs all canine-created tension so that your arm can remain intact. What a simple way to reclaim control over your pulling pooch! For best results, we recommend using obedience leashes in conjunction with a no-pull harness. You can check out Stylish Hound’s impressive range here.
Gus modelling the No-Pull Harness (and his leash) in the Atlantis design. Image: Stylish Hound
Do you love the idea of a harness, but are concerned about fragmenting your walking accessories? You may want to invest in a harness leash, which is exactly what you’d think it is: a harness and leash combined as one. To fit it to your doggo, simply wrap it around Doggy’s torso, and thread or clip the leash through the attachment or buckle. (Please note this attachment method is not universal across all models of harness leash.) Ultimately, so long as you’ve redistributed that pulling tension from the neck to around the torso, you can walk with better control and your dog’s trachea will meet no harm. A dog harness is a great investment in any form and we encourage you to grab one.
Multi-Function leash
For our final trick, we present the multi-function leash: something of a double-edged sword that yet comes with double the benefits. The downside? There is no handle, but rather a clip on each end. The upside? The double clips render this leash a lot more versatile, lack of handle aside. What’s an example of this versatility? Well, in some ways, gripping the middle of the leash can be more stable than merely holding a handle. Attach a clip to the front and back of your dog and you’ll experience control akin to steering as if you’re guiding a reindeer. An easier way to use this is by walking two dogs at the same time!
Stylish Hound’s multi-function leash in the Newtown design.
The other major advantage of multi-function leashes? They let you walk your dog hands-free—provided you’re wearing cross-body or waist-loop attachments. Simply click one end to the attachment and the other to the dog. Now your hands are free to attend to other matters if need be! (At the very least, it will help you better juggle your dog-walking endeavours with your takeaway latte—because you know: priorities.) So if control if what you’re after—or if you want to avoid the tangle inherent to walking two dogs with one leash each—the multi-function leash may be your new best friend (apart from your dog, of course).
Fun: unleashed!
As you can see, there’s more to choosing the best dog leash than meets the eye. There are so many factors to consider. The classic leash is a versatile, easy-to-remove, universally workable solution ideal for park trips or casual walkies. Obedience leashes, on the other hand, are that training tool you may not have realised you needed. These leashes are sturdier and ideal for keeping larger dogs in line. If you have more than one fur child—or if you need both hands free, or better control—the multi-function leash may pique your interest. Browse the range and see what would work best for you and your pooch!
