You will be surprised by the sheer number of different types of dog leashes that are available in the market. We live in a golden age where many types of dog leashes are invented to serve disparate purposes under different scenarios for various activities. Let me go through them one by one.
The list is broken into 3 different parts.
The first part contains standard dog leashes made of different materials or different way in construction. They are merely a variation of their constituents. The second part consists of dog leashes that were made with a specific feature that allow them to better serve what they are made for. The last part is made up of dog leashes that are, well, not exactly leashes. They may be a misconception of what people commonly call it or a metaphor for something else. They are:
- Standard Dog Leash
- Paracord Dog Leash
- Braided Dog Leash
- Leather Dog Leash
- Bungee Dog Leash
- Climbing Rope Dog Leash
- Chain Dog Leash
- Reflective Dog Leash
- Rope Dog Leash
- Carabiner Dog Leash
- Hands Free Dog Leash
- Dog Bike Leash
- Dog Leash Umbrella
- Retractable Dog Leash (Or Flexi Dog Leash)
- Retractable Dog Leash With Flashlight
- Double Dog Leash
- Double Retractable Dog Leash
- Service Dog Leash
- No Pull Dog Leash
- Instant Trainer Dog Leash
- Seat Belt Dog Leash
- LED Dog Leash
- Guide Dog Harness With Handle
- Long Dog Leash
- Harness Lead
- Martingale Leashes
- Invisible Leashes
Standard Dog Leash
First up is the standard dog leash. It is the most simple of dog leashes, which basically is a long piece of fabric material that connects to the dog collar or harness. It fulfils the general purpose of a dog leash and many other new inventions of dog leash take after this structure.
Leather Dog Leash
The leather dog leash is made of leather. Leather is organic and it comes from the cows’ hide. Leather material is regarded as a premium material and they ten to have higher cost. They even have a grade system to differentiate the superiority of the material.
This leather dog leash from ADITYNA can easily cost 5 to 6 times that of a standard dog leash. And the material of this dog leash is not even in the league of the high end leathers. You can check the price of this dog leash on Amazon and compare. In my opinion, a leather dog leash does not fit its practicality as a dog leash, especially its rugged functions that involves lots of pulling, by virtue of the property of its material. It does add a stylish factor that appeal to certain communities, but as a person who prefers function over fashion, so a leather dog leash is not for me.
If you are going to get a leather dog leash, I will advise you to invest in a top-notch one that usually accompanied by a higher price tag. There is no point to skimp here since an inferior leather gets damaged very easily.
Money is not the only thing that will guarantee a good leather dog leash. Avoid getting the leather dog leash if you also do not have the patience to take care of the leash. Anything that is made of leather requires as much care as you give to your pet to preserve its material properties. Be sure of what you are investing in.
Paracord Dog Leash
Paracord derives its name from parachute cord. It is made from nylon string strongly intertwined in a particular manner that amplifies its strength by multiple folds. It is therefore a mesh of material that is so immensely robust that it is used for parachute to withstand not only a person’s weight, and also the bully of the wind. This is a technology that the military had invested in, and has found its way into many everyday items in the civilian world, the paracord dog leash being one of them.
The BAAPET Strong Dog Leash is a very good product in this category. You can see that its reviews were all praise for its strength and durability. It does not cost a lot either as it is afterall made of nylon, a cheap material. It also has a reflective property, which is the next type of dog leash I will be talking about.
Reflective Dog Leash
The reflective dog leash’s main feature is its namesake. It is made of material, or given a coat of material that reflects light, thus making your dog visible and safe during night walks around your neighborhood.
Note that it does not produce light; it reflects light. Therefore, it is not the best leash to take on your camping trips with your dogs, as there might hardly by any light from any cars or lamp posts to live up to the functionality it boasts. The LED Dog Leash is what you are looking for, and we will talk about it in a minute.
Braided Dog Leash
The signature feature of this dog leash is the way the leash is made. It is made of string of materials that are entwined in a certain way that is characterized as and given the name “braiding”. The paracord dog leash is actually a kind of braided dog leash, but at a much granular level, and thus much stronger in comparison.
They are a popular DIY project that you can probably take up. Note that a paracord require a specialized machine to do the weaving and there is not such thing as a DIY paracord dog leash that some websites advertise.
Bungee Dog Leash
Climbing Rope Dog Leash
Chain Dog Leash
Unlike the others predecessors in this article so far, its metallic material does not contain multiple thin fabrics coming together, the downside of which is that once any of the thread gives way, the lifespan of the dog leash will start to deteriorate. It is impossible for a dog to be able to break the chain with their teeth. I even have problem cutting a metal chain with a plier, let alone the teeth and the strength of a dog.
Carabiner Dog Leash
Nothing much for this dog leash. It simply has a carabiner attached to the end of the dog leash. I can’t really understand the purpose of it.
Some of the dog leashes sold on Amazon come together with the carabiner, like the Mountain Climbing Rope Dog Leash by Kula Co. With just a carabiner, some manufacturers may jack up the price when it could have been cheaper buying the leash and the carabiner separately on your own.
Rope Dog Leash
Yet another alternative to the braided series of dog leash, the rope dog leash is made of, well, rope. It gives a rustic feel to the leash and I consider this a better option that the leather dog leash to balance out function and fashion in a dog leash. Just look at the FAYOGOO Rope Dog Leash above. The hues of blue and yellow blend in beautifully to give you a product is very much pleasing to the eyes. Isn’t it charming?
Hands Free Dog Leash
The first of the next category of dog leashes designed with a specific function in mind is the hands free dog leash. This leash is attached to your waist, freeing up your hands for taking photos on your hiking trips, or for engaging in your social life on your mobile while walking your dogs.
I personally recommend the TaoTronics Retractable Hands Free Dog Leash, which is an Amazon favorite. It has the features of a reflective dog leash as well as a bungee dog leash.
Another subtle advantage is that you are now using your weight to counter the force your dog will exert on the leash. This gives you more stability if your dog suddenly springs into a run so that you will not lose balance and end up being a meme.
Dog Bike Leash
The dog bike leash is a legendary design mean for folks who love the outdoors and cycling combination and are looking for a way to take their dogs along. The Walky Dog Dog Bike Leash, as depicted in the picture above, has a rod attached to the bicycle, with the leash protruding from it to be locked onto the collar or harness on your dog. It frees up your hands to control your bicycle and keeps the dog in the same “stride” as your bicycle.
Dog Leash Umbrella
This dog leash has an umbrella installed along the leash to provide your pooch some cover from the rain. It consists of a solid part of the leash that cannot be bent or stretched, running from the handle to the umbrella, and a shorter but flexible part from the underside of the umbrella to your dog. The shorter part of the leash does not have much slack for the dog to roam free to the outside of the umbrella. While this keeps your pooch dry, it restricts its freedom during a walk, which makes me genuinely question the purpose of taking a walk in the rain with your pet if you are not going to let it experience rain.
Anyway, if you plan on getting one, my recommendation will be LESYPET Dog Umbrella due to their design. The solid part of the leash is ergonomically constructed at an angle such that when we hold onto the dog leash handle with our arms and hands in their natural position, the umbrella is placed at a distance away from our legs. This prevents the umbrella from hindering our legs while walking without having to tire out our wrists or our arms by placing them in a constant awkward position to keep the umbrella away from our legs. The amount of thought the manufacturer gave for this design is underrated. It should have more positive reviews on Amazon than what it has now.
Retractable Dog Leash (Or Flexi Dog Leash)
This dog leash allows you adjust the length of your leash to your liking, comfort and control. This gives you freedom to decide how much space you are going to give your dog. I find this especially important when you bring your dog to unfamiliar places during your travels. Dogs tend to get excited and their explorer instincts get triggered when they enter unknown territories. To prevent unforeseen circumstances from happening under heightened tension, the retractable dog leash serve as a reliable insurance against causing undesired damage to people or properties.
The Retractable Dog Leash by TUG is top of my recommended list of retractable dog leashes as it has a patented mechanism that prevent entangling of the leash, something which you do not want happening when you are retracting the dog leash during an emergency. However, this still happens sometimes, as some of the customers mentioned in the reviews.
Retractable Dog Leash With Flashlight
This is an add-on to the retractable dog leash. Manufacturers install a flashlight to the body of the gadget that holds the coil of the leash, and turns out it is a popular feature. This is only found on the retractable dog leash as it has the gadget to provide a platform or a body for the flashlight to be built inside of or attached to.
Sammi’s Choice has seen an impressive number of positive reviews and purchase for its idea, as you can refer in this link.
Double Dog Leash
A two in one dog leash, the double dog leash allows you to leahs onto more than 1 dog with just 1 handle. If you have more than 1 dog, and you should if you can afford it because companionship is really crucial to the social mentality of a dog, you will find the double dog leash very useful in more ways than one. For example, you can walk two dogs and still have a hand for, say, coffee.
I personally suggest the U-pick Double Dog Leash because the part of it that is attached to the dogs is a bungee dog leash. If you can recall, a bungee dog leash is elastic and generate a pulling force against the dogs when it is stretched. This is especially crucial for a double dog leash as it is more difficult to control 2 dogs with just one leash as you can only tug the leash in 1 direction. But with the bungee leashes, it would be as though you have grown 2 pair of hands to pull the dogs to a central location, giving you more control and feel like the boss in your walks.
Double Retractable Dog Leash
This is a hybrid of the double dog leash and the retractable dog leash. The Dual Doggie Pet Leash from WIGZI for instance has 2 buttons for you to press to retract the different leashes that you choose.
Should you get this product? Well retractable dog leash have a tendency to get entangled at the mouth of the retractor while retracting, especially if the leash is not taut during the retraction process. And this happens most of the time as the dogs are very mobile creatures. The risk of entanglement is high when there is slack in the leash, and having 2 dogs is not going to help as the chances of the 2 leashes intertwining is going to be pretty high. However, while these are just my opinions, there are many customers who find that the dual retractable dog leash has sparked joy in their lives. You can read their reviews here to learn more about the product.
Service Dog Leash
The service dog leash is characterized by the words “SERVICE DOG” on it, like ALBCORP Padded Service Dog Leash. As you know, certain places forbids dog except service dogs, who are well trained and whose main purpose is to guide their owners who are down with certain disabilities.
Some service dog leashes have features specific to the disability of the owners. The Activedogs Service Dog Leash Hands Free Leash for instance, has the handle of the leash wrapped around the body of the owner. It is most suitable for people with a handicap in their sense of sight or in their upper limbs. Being wrapped around the body, it increases the sensitivity of even the slightest movement of the owner to the dog, allowing it to better anticipate any movements. This works vice versa too for the owners to feel any pull from their canine guides.
No Pull Dog Leash
A no pull dog leash is characterized by having 2 leashes on the same dog, one at the back and one at the front. This leash is devised to counter dog that like to pull. The mechanism works based on the fact that applying a force against a dog’s pull at its chest, which is its center of gravity and most effective spot to get the dog to stop pulling. The other leash attached to the neck or back allows for the owner to give a certain degree direction control on the dog when moving off in another direction, much like riding a horse.
The leash is usually sold together with the harness as it requires a dual-clip harness for the leash to clip onto at the front and the back. The 2 Hounds Design Freedom is a highly popular example on Amazon.
You might find other products labelled as a “no pull dog leash” if you do a search on it on Amazon but having only 1 leash. That is because the manufacturers categorize a dog leash as a no pull dog leash as long as it has the leash attachment at the front of the dog, not at the back. And if you think about that, it simply implies all dog leashes are no-pull! Which does not make any sense to me. I think this has something to do with marketing and consumerism but that is besides the topic here. So I personally label a no pull dog leash as a genuine “No Pull Dog Leash” only if it has 2 leashes to be attached to a single dog.
Instant Trainer Dog Leash
On the backdrop of the no pull dog leash, I will like to quickly introduce this the Instant Trainer Dog Leash. “Instant Trainer” is a brand name, not a category name for the dog leash. This is a special leash that has a standalone category in this article because of how ingenious it is designed to create a self no pull mechanism. As you can see from the picture, 1 part of the leash is attached around the waist of the dog near the hind legs, the other at the neck, with a strap connect both attachments. This creates a self pulling force by the attachment at the back on that at the neck as the dog stretches its body to break into a run. It is a simple design with resounding effect.
However, it might not be ideal for male dogs as the strap at the back might be in the way of the dog’s penis. I guess I don’t have to describe why this would make the dog uncomfortable, or maybe comfortable. Nonetheless, it depends on the body structure of your dog.
Seat Belt Dog Leash
These leashes have the male part of a universal seat belt attachment at the end of the leash. It only use is in a car. It relieves you from the chore having to tie knots the head rest of your car to secure your dog. Just clip and move on. You can consider Duke & Dixie’s Dog Seat Belt. It is sold in packs of 2 at an affordable price with quality vouched by many of its previous customers.
LED Dog Leash
As its name implies, the dog leash shines at night and is meant for night activities. It not only illuminates the dog and the path, but also signals to oncoming vehicles of the presence of your dog.
Some LED dog leash run on batteries while others are more conveniently USB rechargeable like the Amazon’s Choice from Illumiseen.
Guide Dog Harness With Handle
Now this does not have the word leash in its name, but I am going to classify it as a leash nonetheless as it does have the features of a leash!
The Dean and Tyler Guide Dog Harness example shows a handle attached to the dog’s harness. The handle serves as the leash for the owner. It is made this way because it is solid and will hold its position in a certain area above the dog with a small deviation, making it easy for the owner to retrieve the handle, as compared to a loose leash.
Long Dog Leash
These dog leashes are literally long.
The Amazon best seller, the Hi Kiss Long Dog Leash, can run up to 100 feets for example. You may start to ask why and when do you need such a long leash, just like I did.
Well, this kind of dog leash is meant for practical training purposes only. It is generally used when you are training your dog off the leash. It gives you that extra bit of control while your dog is running around freely without the tension of a leash on him. Before you are confident that they can be unleashed in public areas without causing harm and still obey your orders, that is when you use a long dog leash for practice.
Another use is to allow your dog dog run freely around in your backyard but not escape the boundaries. A long dog leash will keep the dog at bay but still allow it to enjoy freedom within the compounds of your house.
Harness Lead
This is not exactly an official standalone category of a dog leash. It the name of the Harness Lead brand. Because of its uniquity, I consider this as a different kind of dog leash, but in the grey area between what defines a dog harness and what constitutes a dog leash.
The harness lead is both a harness and a leash, made up of a single piece of material that goes around the dog’s girth and neck to form a harness, and extends a number of feets to form the leash part of the entire device. The [Harness Lead Escape Resistant] is a 2-in-1 device that is convenient and very ideal for traveling where luggage space is scare.
Martingale Leashes
Now these are born from a misconception of the martingale collar. The martingale collar basically consists of 2 loops of different sizes, with the smaller one completing the larger loop around the collar of the dog and attached to the leash.The idea behind it is that it stays loose and does not choke the dog when there is no pulling from the owner or the dog itself, and squeezes tight when there is an opposing force in the leash from either end. The small loops will be pulled by the taut leash and in turn tightening the larger loop around the dog’s collar.
The differentiating features actually lies in the collar but not the leash. But people have created names out of these vague definitions and I hope this article will address this issue.
Invisible Leashes
These leashes have an interesting name, but they refer to anything else but a leash.
One definition is purely for comedial sake. This invisible dog leash by Loftus is solid and stays afloat in the air when wielded at its handle, making you look as though you are walking your dog, except there is actually no dog. This is something you will probably get for halloween to pull a trick on your neighbours or the traffic in your neighborhood.
The other definition of an invisible leash is a technique to get you dog to stick around you when unleashed. It is part of a training, for the dog owner, to follow certain discipline and actions match a dog’s school of thought and keep it from wandering too far. This is best explained by the video below.
Final Thoughts
Did this comprehensive long list of dog leashes surprised you as much as it did to me? It is quite hard to believe that there are so many leashes out there in the market serving different purposes for different people.
Hopefully you have learnt a thing or 2 from this article, have a better knowledge about dog leashes, as well as know exactly what kind of dog leash to get to solve your problems.
