Customer Reviews

Dogmatic FreeLeash Hands-Free Leash System

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am a dog trainer by trade and I own four dogs of my own. I loved the idea of this leash, also because I hoped to get extensions so that I could have all four of my dogs on the same belt and still have my hands free.

Well after purchasing this and trying it out on just one of my dogs I realized that I'm not so pleased with it. The elastic stretches so much that the dog almost comes too far away from your waist.

The adjustment on the belt is not too high-tech and I had to make my own way to keep all the excess belt from dangling and being in the way.

I hate the bungee leash it comes with and ended up using one of my own personal leashes. The bungee allows too much freedom for the dog to "bounce" out and then back. It's more annoying than anything.

I may try the Buddy System and see how they compare. . . .

I liked the idea of what the hands free leash offered but it broke the second time i used it and my dog only weighs 19 pounds. The clips that hold it together aren't made of strong metal and with little tension and pull it snaped at the part that connects your dog to the belt. the belt is quite comfortable and it does have pockets to hold items which is nice. for this product to truly work you have to add your own little upgrads such as putting metal clips on.

1/6/10 Update: So only a couple days after writing this review the thing bit the dust. While jogging along at a rather slow pace I slipped and came to a complete stop and when my dog hit the end of the stretchy leash the metal plate that the swivel is attached to went flying off the belt and smacked into my dog. Like the belt buckle, the edges on this metal piece are pretty heavy/sharp and thanks to the bungy leash it hit him pretty hard. Thankfully my dog has a nice shaggy winter coat so no real harm was done, just freaked him and me out. I can no longer recommend this leash system at all. It could be incredibly dangerous if it had managed to hit him in the face/eye.


I actually picked this up at a discount store for less than 10 bucks, figured I wasn't going to be losing out a whole lot if it didn't work. I ended up chopping off a couple feet of the leash because I intend to use it with a dog coupler that is about 2.5 feet long and it would have been too cumbersome. I find the belt to be more comfortable when I fit it much lower than they are showing on the box; I keep it down on my hips. The clasp for the belt is a very heavy metal one and can be a bit sharp so you want to be careful when clipping it. So far I have found the velcro that adjusts the belt to be extremely strong but I've only been using this for a few weeks. It is nice that the leash clips off in case you need some extra control and the swivel keeps you from getting completely tangled. I have been using it with my two dogs who are about 70 and 80 pounds and haven't had any problems with the belt breaking away or swivels snapping as I've read in other reviews. I probably wouldn't recommend this for someone with a very unruly large dog.

I took my dog out for a run using the new Dogmatic Freeleash for the first time and was VERY disappointed. We didn't make it even a quarter of a mile before the front metal leash attachment completely snapped off and I had to call my dog back to me. I don't recommend this product to anyone who has a dog that will pull on the leash. Even a slightly tough tug and your dogs off and running which could really be dangerous! I don't think the claim the leash can hold a dog up to 80lbs. is true, my dog is only 54lbs. and it didn't hold up at all.

The hands free leash is wonderful. I have a very exuberant mini schnauzer and my mother has a chihuahua, a mini doberman pinscher, and a miniature poodle. The hands free leash makes walking one or more dogs easy! No worries about dropping the leash and much easier to keep the dogs walking in the same direction.

This product was too heavy. It bounces too while running. I love the idea of this but wouldnt recommend this product in particular. The pouch broke not long after having it also.

Just love this hands-free leash that we'd first seen at my sister's house and fallen in love with. I can read the paper while walking our little terrier, jog along, or just detach and use it as a normal leash.. Great purchase and well-worth the money...

I like the product overall. The buckle and quality is the best that I have seen in hands free leashes - and I have tried several. The elastic leash has quite a bit of give and is wonderful if your dog suddenly goes after something. With most other leashes, the dog can pull you off your feet - but this leash gives enough to allow you time for a correction before the dog can drag you.

Would like to see an easier waist adjustment - it is winter now so depending on the size coat I am wearing I have to fiddle each time I use it. The keepers are slightly smaller than the thickness of the belt doubled over so it takes some time to adjust. Because it is difficult to adjust, it isn't snug around my waist which allows it to 'spin' and the leash then interferes with my stride.

Would also like an option to adjust the length of the leash - perhaps some D rings or clips at regular intervals down the length. My dog tends to 'wander' as I run, and the longer length allows him to cross directly in front of my path, which always ends nasty. And I am tall...my daughter is shorter and she finds the longer length more annoying. I find myself grabbing the leash and hauling him back along side of me often. I purchased the extension option, thinking it would be smaller and help this, but it is just another leash, and wasn't useful. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have 2 dogs, and then I would consider jusy 'yoking' them together with a split lead at the bottom, versus the extra leash.

The phone pouch is nice. Suggest added accessories (like water bottle holder) - as I have a separate belt for that for full-day hikes.

Best solution for this type of product that I have seen though.

This "leash" broke the first time I used it. And by the first time, I mean within 10 feet of leaving the house, my dog pulled, and it broke. Now, some critics might say, the type of dog I have is inadequate for the "leash." To those, I say that the PICTURE on the front of the box is of a husky that looks exactly like mine. False advertising? Yes. I read reviews on here from chihuahua owners so perhaps it works for that type of dog. But, considering it broke within the first 5 seconds of using it, I wouldn't trust it for any dog that you don't want to lose. Especially for husky owners, an unreliable leash is a huge liability since they are known to run for miles without looking back, whether they mean to or not. DO NOT BUY THIS LEASH.

I purchased this leash a few years ago when my dog was going through a dog training program for aggressive dogs. For everyones safety, each dog had to have a regular leash, a hands free leash, a muzzle, a Halti or Gentle Leader collar and a martingale collar. After the class, I put the hands free leash away simply because I didn't like the lack of control it gave me over my very large dog. The large elastic waist band is too stretchy, allowing your dog to pull far, far away from you. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR DOG!

Fast forward several years and that big aggressive dog is now a senior citizen and we have 2 younger dogs in the family. Walking all 3 dogs together was like playing chinese jump rope! I decided to pull out the old hands free leash and give it another try. It worked great! My old dog no longer pulls on the leash so that was not a problem anymore and the mechanism that attaches the leash to the belt swivels to keep the leash from getting tangled. Unfortunately, even though the leash has never been used that much (one hour a week for 9 weeks during dog training), the clasp that holds the belt around my waist broke after only 2 weeks of walking all 3 dogs. I would like to be able to contact the manufacture to see if I could buy another clasp rather than buying a whole new system but that seems unlikely. Yet even with all it's faults, this leash still meets my needs better than the competition.

UPDATE!!!!! I just received my NEW FreeLeash and the manufacturer corrected ALL of the products shortcomings! The belt is no longer made of stretchy elastic but tough padded webbing (the belt fits up to a 43 inch waist). The plastic clasp that broke on my old FreeLeash is now a metal buckle. In addition, the cheap pouches that came with my old FreeLeash have been replaced with a compact, zippered pouch that's large enough to hold keys, ID, and a few poop bags. The old quick release bungee leashes also work with the new FreeLeash, so now I can walk 2 of my dogs handsfree. Now, I can say that there is NO better handsfree leash system available. Period!! If you want to walk handsfree with your dog, then do yourself a favor and buy this product. Your dog will love you even more!