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Reviews > Animal Companion Gear > Dog Wear > Shockles Petkeeper Pet Leash > Owner Review by Amanda Tikkanen
Shockles Petkeeper Pet Leash
Tester Information
I have been hiking and backpacking since 2000. Always with a dog by my side, my current trail companions Ranger and Halo (both Louisiana Catahoulas) are helping me cover ground in southeast Indiana, southwest Ohio, and northern Kentucky. I've previously tramped around the upper midwest, mostly in lower Michigan and northern Indiana.
My base pack weight runs around 16 lb (7 kg). My goal is to carry as little weight as possible without sacrificing comfort. My trips are typically 10-15 miles (16-24 km) per day, be it day hike, overnight, weekenders, or week-long treks. Lately I've been doing mostly day hikes, squeezing in longer trips as possible.
Product Information
Manufacturer: Shockles (now Davis Marine)
Field Use
I used this leash over the last five years with three different dogs of my own, plus a few dogs owned by friends.
The loop handle is my favorite part of this leash. It easily passes around my pack's hip belt without my having to unbuckle the pack to put it on or take it off. I like this as it allows me to hike with a leashed dog while also keeping my hands free to use trekking poles. With the leash attached to my belt the dog is pulling (if it is pulling like Ranger does instead of walking politely as Beau did) I'm less likely to be pulled off balance. The shock-absorbing feature helps on hills when the dog bolts to get up the hill and I'm still plugging along behind him or her. The leash being able to extend and contract takes away the jarring I get with a fixed-length leash in a similar situation.
The handle loop also clips around a small tree, post, bumper, etc. for a temporary tie-out while I'm using a restroom, loading my vehicle or something similar. I would not recommend this as a long-term tie-out or with a chewer on even a short break as the leash is fabric and therefore not chew-resistant. The carabiners are easy to work with gloves on and they attach to anything in my setup--my dogs' collars, harnesses, and the assistance handles on the Ruffwear packs I used to use. They have scratched with use, but have not bent, broken, or deformed.
Despite these good points, the downsides to the leash are enough to make me not use this as anything other than "oh, hey, I have a spare leash in the car!" The minor con is that there is no place to grab the leash that doesn't stretch. As it is if I need to firmly control a dog in traffic, when passing on the trail, loading into a car or something similar I need to grab my dog by the collar or harness, which is harder to control a dog than by guiding with a leash. The big failure in the Petkeeper is the carabiners. The way the carabiner on the dog's end of the leash sits on the ring on the dog's collar makes it easy for the dog to turn its head and shift the carabiner to a position where the collar ring presses on the carabiner gate to open it, allowing my dog (or in one case a friend's dog) to escape. This pretty much defeats the purpose of a leash. It's something I watch for when using the leash, but I've had it happen in seconds. Thankfully I've never had this happen in a situation where the dog was put in danger as a result, but if I were in a heavy traffic area and the dog bolted it would be a serious safety issue. I would replace the keychain carabiners myself if I could find locking carabiners small enough to fit through the tiny nylon loops that hold the carabiners. Summary I want to like this leash more than I do due to the good features. The main issue for me is the carabiner on the dog's end of the leash coming undone when the dog twists its collar against the carabiner. This could be remedied by putting in locking carabiners in place of the keychain clips. A small loop or flat area somewhere to allow physical restraint of my dog without grabbing his collar or harness would be a great improvement. This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.Read more reviews of Davis Marine gear Read more gear reviews by Amanda Tikkanen Reviews > Animal Companion Gear > Dog Wear > Shockles Petkeeper Pet Leash > Owner Review by Amanda Tikkanen |