Buying the right type leash for your dog will make walks and adventures more fun. You want a leash you find comfortable to hold and use.
Everyone will have different needs for a leash based on your dog's size, your location, activities, and more.
I sell mostly leashes that are 4 ft, 5 ft, or 6 ft but I can make them in a variety of lengths to fit your needs. Although 4 ft and 6 ft don't seem like a big difference, if you are in busy city streets you'll most likely prefer the 4 ft length so you can keep your dog closer to you.
If you are hiking and want your dog to have more of an ability to adventure, sniff, and explore, a 6 ft leash would be more ideal for you in that case. Another option making a 6 ft rope leash ideal for you is if you live in a quiet neighborhood where your dog can safely have more space to sniff and explore.
A 4 ft leash offers you more control over your dog compared to a longer length rope leash.
The thickness of the rope leash you pick can be important as well. If you have a small dog, you'll typically want a thinner rope leash option so it's a bit more light weight and not as bulky for them. I typically recommend under half inch (1/2 inch) in diameter for small dogs.
As far as larger dogs go, I tend to recommend a thicker leash as it provides more strength and durability. If you have a large dog who pulls or likes to try to chew on the leash, you'll want to go a bit thicker. I don't recommend ever letting your dog chew on any leash though.
If your dog is a puller on walks, I highly recommend you use a knotted rope leash by Kai's Canine Creative over the standard leashes we make as it is stronger and can handle more pulling.
I'll discuss three different materials that are typical for rope leashes. Keep in mind we currently only use cotton rope for our leashes.
Firstly, I'll mention how polypropylene repels water while nylon and cotton absorb water. If you walk often in the rain, or need to keep the leash on your dog while they play near water, you'll need to keep that in mind while making your choice.
Cotton is a great choice as it tends to be softer than nylon and polypropylene leashes. If your dog gets irritated or chafes, cotton will make a better choice for your dog. A good cotton rope also tends to be strong and durable which is great but it can add a bit of weight compared to the other types of rope leashes. That being said, Kai's Canine Creative aims to make strong, durable, and light weight cotton rope leashes. Being that we custom make the cotton leashes, we can accommodate a variety of colors and designs on your cotton leash.
Nylon leashes are the most common type of rope leash you'll see, especially at pet stores. Like cotton leashes, they can be good in water as long as you let them dry between uses to prevent them from stretching. Nylon leashes tend to always be lightweight and are available in a variety of colors too. Nylon options are also more susceptible to destruction bad dogs who like to chew.
The final thing to consider is which style of leash will work for you and your dog. The main two being a slip lead style or a clasp style. I mostly recommend a clasp as when using a slip lead you need to make sure it's used properly on your dog.
If you use a slip lead improperly, it can be quite uncomfortable for your dog, possibly even choke your dog. It's very important you know how to use one properly in this case. Kai's Canine Creative does make cotton rope slip leads but usually at the request of the buyer although I do aim to have a few available on the website at any given time.
The clasp style leash is the standard leash type you'll see at just about any pet store and available on most websites that sell pet leashes. I make and sell these more often because you can use them on a collar or a harness.
I'll now be linking a few of our best selling cotton rope dog leashes that we have available on our website.
1. Unicorn Knotted Rope Dog Leash
2. Aqua Knotted Cotton Rope Dog Leash
3. Rainbow Cotton Rope Dog Leash
4. Solid One Color Rope Dog Leash
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Taking your dog on a hike is great. If you need a leash that can handle the tough terrain, check out these rope leashes that you can have custom made. Seriously, your dog deserves a great leash and your hand deserves a leash that is soft.
Is there anything better than cuddling your dog in bed? Okay, maybe there is but cuddling my dog is currently the best thing because my spouse is on a work trip. My dogs definitely enjoy me staying in bed a bit longer to relax. So if you can, take some extra time to sleep in and stay in bed longer with your dog or cat. Enjoy the extra relaxation and cuddles your pet gives you.
If your dog needs a new toy, Valentine's Day is a great time to sneak in a cute new toy for them. Have they destroyed a bed or just need a bed in another spot of the house or one outside to enjoy the weather (unless you live where it is currently snowing)? Snag one of these adorable beds, we are also adding new designs too.
Okay so this isn't going to work for everyone but even a simple car ride for the dogs who love to stick their head out the window and feel the breeze. You can take them on a short or long ride or actually go on a fun road trip somewhere. See our next tip for a fun road trip idea.
Does your dog have a best friend or do you have a friend with a dog? Get the dogs together as long as they both can play well together. This can be where you take your dog on a road trip to visit their friend. It'll be fun for both you and your dog. Dogs don't need friends but this can even simply be you and a friend grabbing coffee and both bringing your well-behaved dogs along to a pet-friendly place.
Making your dog treats can be fun. You know the ingredients that go in there and you can even shape them like hearts to make them cute and fun. Your dog won't know but you will. Plus I'm sure your dog will give you a few extra kisses to say thanks for making them yummy treats.
Grab your dog and cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. This can be your favorite movie, one you've been wanting to watch, or a dog-related movie. Your dog won't care as long as they are getting to spend some quality time with you. My dogs love cuddling but not all dogs do so be sure to not force your dog to do anything they wouldn't want to do.
What are you doing with your dog on Valentine's Day?
]]>A dog that has plenty of mental and physical stimulation is happier, healthier, and better behaved as well. If you have a well exercised dog they are less likely to chew things up like the couch or your shoes.
A walk on a leash with your dog is a great way to help them get some of that physical exercise. By allowing them to sniff during the walk, that gives them some mental stimulation as well. Many people don't consider a leashed walk an aerobic exercise and definitely recommend swimming, fetch, or simply running as better choices for aerobic exercise for your dog.
One of my favorite ways to work out a dogs brain is using KONGS or the West Paw toppl. I fill these with dog safe food or treats and then I freeze them for a longer workout time. I'll even use the food I feed my dogs (for the ones not fed kibble) so they workout their brain while also getting their meal. If you do feed kibble, there are also plenty of toys out there where you can add the food to so your dog has to work to get the kibble out. One that I can recommend you try out for kibble fed dogs is the Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball. These are great options to have your dog spend their morning learning and figuring out how to get their food and then the next part of their day recovering from it.
Toys create engagement with your dog. Most dogs have a specific type of toy they really enjoy and they may seem to really enjoy one until you introduce a different one that they may show they enjoy more. Trying out a few different toy options will help you decide what toy your dog truly loves the most.
I believe that the best toys for your dog serve a purpose. Simply they make themselves interesting in some way, whether that's a toy that squeaks, creates a a challenge, delivers food, or something else exciting.
Recommended Toys
Create a Plan
One of the best ways to make sure the needs of your dog is met is by creating a plan. If you have other people in the family who can help, that's great but I know not everyone has that ability for extra help with family in the household. Think about the routine your dog has or the routine you want your dog to have and how you can make it happen.
You might need to enlist the help of a family member, a pet sitter, or a dog daycare. If you are in the Crestview area reach out to A&J Pet Services.
Possible Activities List of Ideas
Plan Example
This plan take around 30-35 minutes but also allows you to give your dog to have fun with break between activities.
Take notes of what works best for your dog and what they enjoy the most. You can set a reminder to do this even on the days you don't work. Another thing I tend to do is set a timer for 10 minutes so I don't do one thing for too long and run the risk of being late anywhere (although my dog is the best excuse for being late even if others don't agree).
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