Product Review: Wacky Walk’r Leash
The Wacky Walk’r is truly a unique looking and feeling leash. The line comes in a variety of stunningly bright colors and is made of a unique feeling stretchable rubber. I received a bright pink Wacky Walk’r to test out on Reef (she has a pink and purple Dublin Dog collar, so it matched!) and I was excited to see how it worked out.
The Specs:
The Wacky Walk’r leash is made from 100% natural rubber tubing. Laymen will probably call it the “bungee” leash, as the 3 foot lead stretches to 6 feet in length.
The Claims:
“The Wacky Walk’r provides force inhibiting flexibility, relieving kinetic stress on both the animal and the walker, offering a welcome relief from the “jerk” of traditional rigid leads.”
Our Findings:
Reef isn’t a big puller, but with a bit of encouragement we were able to “untrain” her for a bit of time and get her to misbehave! Yes, the wacky walker took a lot of the jerking feeling out the pull of a strong dog on the other end of the leash. However, it doesn’t provide control over the dog. The Wacky Walk’r stretches from 3 to 6 feet and there is very little you can physically do to prevent that from happening if your dog is not listening to a command (or is trying to eat a bone or other garbage on the sidewalk). There is a small tab of nylon on the very bottom of the leash (close to where it connects to the dog’s collar) that would be awkward to grab in an emergency situation. In fact, I’m not convinced that the Wacky Walk’r wouldn’t condition some dogs to pull more – the owner feels their dog pulling less, thus fails to respond to the dog pulling.
When you are training a puppy or dog not to pull, one of the key methods is to “make like a tree”, meaning: if the leash is not slack then you stand completely still until some give returns to the lead and the dog is paying attention to you. With the Wacky Walk’r, your dog may be able to pull and reach the object he is aiming for before you can “make like a tree” due to its rubbery stretch.
A Second Opinion:
I consulted a respected colleague who is employed as a pet care specialist with Philapets, a pet care company – this is what Dan R had to say about the Wacky Walk’r:
“It’s fine when your dog stays by your side and there is no tension on the leash but the moment he pulls there is a loss of control. It’s uncomfortable to use. I’m not sure if the leash is designed to correct the dog or the person holding it.”
The Bottom Line:
The Wacky Walk’r is really nice to look at and is a perfectly fine leash for a well behaved pooch. However, it is not going to curb pulling issues – just make you feel them less! You can visit the Wacky Walk’r website here and order a rainbow of colors of Walk’rs on their site.
Popularity: 1% [?]
January 10th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
I agree completely! I purchased the Wacky Walker for my dog as I was told it would prevent pulling. However, not only did it INCREASE his pulling, but it was extremely difficult to control him and keep him away from threats like the street or other dogs. Furthermore, in the event that the owner accidently drops the leash it snaps back at the dog and can cause injury. Do NOT buy this product.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I have a newfoundland and we got him a very short wacky walker that is for dogs 100-200lbs. I found that it helped a ton with controlling him. I would recommend this short wacky walker for very strong pulling dogs. It has definetly been a improvement.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
If your pet even thinks about chewing… DONT GET IT.
Ours had it in her mouth for a couple of seconds and managed to damage the nylon. Forget it for little pups.
Nylon is too fragile.
Really consider before buying. If your dog chews through it…they are off and could be run over.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Regarding the Nylon-it seems that any nylon leash can be chewed – Dylan. Perhaps you should use a chain. My dogs are behaved and don’t chew! I think the WACKYwalk’r is AMAZING! The CRAZYCoupl’r for walking two “non-chewing”
dogs is unbelievable! A note to Dylan / train your dog and you’ll love the WACKYwalk’r! Or don’t and you’ll find that your dog will chew everything!!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:34 am
While this product isn’t going to encourage positive chewing outlets, if training your dog to walk on a leash is a goal, the Wacky Walk’r isn’t the right way to go!
August 8th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I own the wacky walker for my 65 pound dog, due that he has a bad spine the wacky walker helps comfort the jerk if he takes off… which could be bad for him.