SociaBulls: On Leash Safety and Preventing Equipment Failure

Mr. B rides to SociaBulls in style

Though we are nearing the 2 year anniversary of our SociaBulls walking group, we are always a work in progress learning what works well and always working to improve comfort and safety for all of our pups.

As some members have been sharing their experiences of leash equipment failure on their personal walks, we decided to make some changes to the group to prevent the chance of equipment failure.

Replacing Equipment

Much like bicycle helmets can deteriorate and need to be replaced every few years to function, the same is true for the clips and buckles on collars and leashes. We know a lot of people who have had their leash clip come undone (it even happened to us a few times!) so we are now asking members to make sure they are using current equipment.

Double-Securing in Two Places

Between stories of latches falling off of leashes, prongs popping open, and dogs wiggling out of harnesses, we are asking members to begin double-securing their equipment in two places.

-We are all using carabiners as a way to double latch our leashes. You can see the example here.

-Prongs are backed up using a carabiner to attach it to the harness.

-Halters are double-clipped using this example here.

Recommending The Double Elbow-Hand Hold or Additional Waist Leashes

We've had at least two incidents when we were on our daily walk and a dog came running up to us because the owner had happened to drop the leash. We know how easily dogs can get excited and cause any of us to lose hold of their leash.

I like using the double elbow-hand hold we wrote about here. 

Plus we know a leash with a double loop on the end or even a knot tied towards the bottom can give extra grip.

We also know some members who have been successful double-leashing using a handheld leash in addition to a handsfree waist leash like this one. 

Using a 4-foot Leash

While dogs can get a bit further from us on our standard 6-foot leash, we like how the 4 foot leash gives us a greater awareness and a reminder to keep our dogs close to our side.

While nothing is foolproof, after hearing so many stories we wanted to make sure to create the safest environment we could for our group.

Has anyone else experienced equipment failure or had success with other techniques?

Join our Chicago SociaBulls  Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.   
Please Note: As the weather has warmed up, bikers, runners, dogs, and kids have come out in full force in many of the areas that we walk. While we had previously been introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, we've decided that in order to continue to keep our group safe and make our walks a positive experience for everyone, we are putting new members "on hold" for the summer. You can still submit an application, and it will go on our wait list in the order it is received. Once things quiet down a bit more in the fall, we will resume introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, and will be contacting people on the wait list in a first-come, first-served manner.

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