Slip lead on a puppy.....!

[beechessam]

Hogwash. It's fine. People who live in town like myself have no choice but to use a lead from day one. Your friend is smoking something

Harsh and somewhat unnecessary.

It would appear that our resident vet disagrees with you.

[Judy]

Along with a few others! If you are unused to pups then a flat collar and lead is much safer. I have seen neck damage caused by slip lead misuse on a Weimaraner, pups aren't as sturdy as adult dogs. Having said this I use slip leads from day one now as my pups only do 40 metres or so before being off lead. I am very wary of how I use the lead though, no jerking nor pulling.

If you expect your pup to walk any distance on lead then use a collar rather than a slip lead.

[trekmoor]

I used nylon type slip leads for years on young pups until I read an argument somewhere between people who said they used pronged choke chains on adult dogs and people who thought these were cruel. The argument moved on into the effects of ordinary slip leads and choke chains V. the effects of pronged choke chains. Some sort of veterinary study done on deceased dogs apparently showed that the dogs that had worn the pronged choke chains had beck bones with less damage done to them.

I still have never put a pronged collar on a dog but I can understand that a dog would pull less against one and therefor suffer less damage to the neck bones. I use a flat collar on young pups of up to about 6-9 months and then change to a slip lead.

Wullie

[Andrew]

Both Judy and Vicky in my view have hit the nail on the head. it isn't the lead its the sudden pressure applied to it that may cause damage.
With a puppy I prefer the flat ribbon lead, about half inch broad, its used for steering and control, it isn't used for harsh heel correction just a gentle tweak.

Checking a dog on the lead to stop it pulling is in my view relatively simple and harmless, but one size doesn't fit all! the dogs weight age and temperament also play a big part in what is acceptable,as does the ability and mentality of the person holding the other end.

[Nellie]

To see how she'd react, I tried a slip lead on Lily for a few seconds. She threw herself about and twisted so much, I could see how she could easily hurt herself. Not trusting myself, I've put on a pup collar and she can have a traditional lead for now. I'll introduce the slip lead at a later point.

[Kaiser]

Hogwash. It's fine. People who live in town like myself have no choice but to use a lead from day one. Your friend is smoking something

Harsh and somewhat unnecessary.

It would appear that our resident vet disagrees with you.

I'm a non smoker so I knew I hadn't been smoking anything herbal.

[Mydogismental]

Used a slip lead on ours straight from the off. She has also been to the vets recently and nothing was said about it causing damage. They aren't that complicated to use.

[Nonehpets]

There other consideration is the Houdini aspect ... if an adult dog manages to escape the slip lead for any reason you have a chance to control it and keep it safe - an unpredictable and excited little puppy not so much.

Dicey could move in such away to secretly unclip a standard lead clip until he was 5 months old so a slip lead was not an option - three times I found myself walking with a detached pup - fortunately since he didn't realise no harm was done.

Cathy

[vicky payne]

Used a slip lead on ours straight from the off. She has also been to the vets recently and nothing was said about it causing damage. They aren't that complicated to use.

They seem to be very complicated to a lot of people!

[Springfield Pointers]

Slip leads are fine for dogs from an early age. However, if anyone is planning to use the lead (any lead) as a brutal restraint, or you think it can used to "teach the dog a lesson", then I might suggest you shouldn't be keeping dogs at all. Any lead is dangerous if youre planning to swing the dog around on it.