By Mary van Kriedt, CCTA/CCDT Certified Positive Reinforcement Dog Trainer & Founder of FreeRun Leashes™ Inc.
Dog walks should be pretty simple.
Grab the leash, head out the door, and let your dog enjoy being outside.
But for many of us, especially those who like to hike, walk trails, or give our dogs opportunities to explore off leash, it isn't quite that simple.
You're carrying a leash even when your dog doesn't need to be on it. You clip it on when another dog approaches, unclip it when the trail clears, clip it back on when you get near a road or another person, and then figure out what to do with the leash when your dog is free again.
Wadded up in your hand, tied around your waist, or draped around your neck.
Then you do it all over again the next time you need it.
Most of us don't really question it because that's simply how we've always walked dogs.
The problem isn't your dog.
It's the equipment.
The Traditional Dog Leash Hasn't Changed Much
For decades, the basic dog-walking setup has remained pretty much the same. Put on a collar or dog harness, attach a separate leash, hold it in your hand, and head out the door.
For people who primarily walk their dogs on sidewalks, that may not seem like a big deal. But if you're hiking with your dog, walking trails, visiting open spaces, or moving between places where your dog can safely be off leash and areas where they need to be leashed, a separate leash isn't always very convenient.
More importantly, there are times when you need that leash quickly.
A cyclist comes around a corner.
Another dog approaches.
You're nearing a parking lot or road.
Wildlife appears on the trail.
In those moments, you don't want to be searching for your leash, getting your dog close enough to find the clip, and attaching it to their harness.
You want quick control when you need it.
Dogs Want to Explore
Here's the thing: dogs don't walk in straight lines.
They stop to sniff.
They investigate.
They change direction.
They notice things we don't.
They want to move.
And when it's safe and appropriate, I think giving dogs the opportunity to do that freely is incredibly important.
As a positive reinforcement dog trainer, I've always believed that a dog walk shouldn't simply be about getting from Point A to Point B at the end of a six-foot leash.
Dogs experience the world through their noses, their movement, and their ability to investigate what's happening around them.
When they're given the opportunity to move at their own pace, they can stop and smell something for as long as they want, change direction, explore an interesting patch of grass, scan their surroundings, and make choices about where they want to go.
That's something a standard on-leash walk simply can't fully duplicate.
Off-Leash Time Is More Than Freedom. It's Essential to Their Health
Giving dogs opportunities to move freely off leash, when the environment is safe and off-leash activity is permitted, isn't just about letting them have fun.
It can be an important part of their physical and mental well-being.
When dogs are able to explore at their own pace, they're using more than their legs. They're sniffing, scanning, making decisions, problem solving, and taking in information about the world around them.
That kind of mental enrichment matters.
Sniffing and exploring can help dogs decompress, build confidence, and satisfy natural behaviors that aren't always met during a traditional neighborhood walk.
Off-leash time also allows dogs to move their bodies differently. Instead of matching our pace in a relatively straight line, they can speed up, slow down, wander, stop, circle back, and investigate.
To me, that's what a really good walk should allow whenever the situation makes it possible. I get to walk at my pace, and my dog gets to explore at theirs. Everybody wins.
The challenge is giving your dog that freedom while still having quick control the moment you need it.
Freedom When They Can. Control When You Need It.
This is really where the idea behind the FreeRun Leash™ came from.
I didn't want my dog attached to a leash every second of every walk just because I might need one at some point.
But I also didn't want to be caught without immediate control when something around us changed.
That was the problem I wanted to solve.
One example is a dog harness with built-in retractable leash, which combines two traditionally separate pieces of equipment into one system.
With FreeRun, I actually combined those two pieces into one.
The 3-foot retractable leash is built directly into the harness. When your dog can safely be off leash, they can be free. When you need them close again, you simply grab the handle and the leash is right there.
There's no separate leash dragging behind them and nothing extra for you to carry while they're exploring.
Your dog gets to sniff, wander, and enjoy the trail at their own pace. You still have quick access to a leash when the situation changes.
That's the difference.
FreeRun wasn't designed to keep a dog tethered for the entire walk.
It was designed to give dogs freedom when they can have it and give us quick control when we need it.
The Goal Isn't More Leash. It's Better Freedom.
It's easy to assume that a longer dog leash automatically gives your dog more freedom.
But don't be deceived by the length of the leash.
Think about how most of us actually use a traditional six-foot leash. When we're walking down a busy sidewalk, passing another dog, or anywhere we need our dog close, we usually aren't giving them the full six feet anyway. We're gathering much of that leash into our hand to keep our dog comfortably and safely beside us.
That's one of the reasons I chose a 3-foot leash for FreeRun.
Three feet gives your dog enough room to walk comfortably next to you on a busy sidewalk or trail without leaving you with several extra feet of leash to gather and manage.
And when you're somewhere your dog can safely be off leash, they aren't limited to three feet, six feet, or any length of leash at all.
They're free to explore.
That's really the point.
I didn't want to create a longer leash. I wanted to create a better way to move between freedom and control.
When it's safe, your dog can be free. When you need them close, the leash is already there and gives them up to three feet of comfortable walking space beside you.
It's about how naturally your dog can move while you remain in control.
That's an important distinction.
Freedom shouldn't mean giving up control. And control shouldn't mean your dog has to spend the entire walk attached to a long leash.
With FreeRun, they can have both.
Because some of the best parts of walking or hiking with your dog happen when you aren't directing every step.
They're the moments when your dog gets to stop and sniff something you would have walked right past, wander a little farther down the trail, investigate what's around them, and simply get to be a dog.
And when it's time to bring them close again, the leash is right there.
After years of carrying a separate leash and dealing with the same dog-walking routine, it made me ask a pretty simple question:
"Why are we still doing it this way?"
That question is really at the heart of why I created FreeRun.
Walk Freely. Run Freely.
At FreeRun Leashes, we're interested in challenging the idea that dog walking has to be cumbersome or restrictive.
The FreeRun Leash™ combines a dog harness with a built-in retractable leash to give dogs the freedom to explore when it's safe and their people quick control when they need it.
No separate leash to carry.
No choosing between freedom and control.
Your dog deserves the freedom to explore.
You deserve equipment that works with you, not against you.
And your next walk should be about the adventure, not the leash.
It's time to rethink the way we walk.
