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Flexi City Retractable Leash {Product Review}

I was never a fan of retractable leashes, so when we were asked to review Flexi’s ‘City’ one, I almost said no. I’m very glad I didn’t, because after this experience, my opinion has changed.

My first concern was whether or not the leash was going to be strong enough. This particular leash says it’s safe for dogs up to 77 pounds.

Toby tends to pull when he gets excited, which is every time we walk down my driveway for the start of our walk into the village. It seemed to hold him perfectly fine even with his pulling.

As soon as I put the leash on Toby, he started to chew it. It’s a habit he’s been doing since he was a puppy, so I was a little concerned that the leash might have been compromised, but he quickly stopped and the leashed seemed OK.

As we started to walk down the street I noticed Toby had a lot more ability to roam, which for me, was a little weird, because I’m one of those people who keeps a short, tight leash when we walk. At first he was all over the place, but he quickly started to walk beside me like he does on his regular leash.


Once I got the hang of how to shorten the leash — by pressing the button and then pressing it again to release it — if I didn’t want him going further than where he was, it was pretty easy to control him.

Since it was the first time we used this type of leash, I also brought a regular leash with me “just in case.” Once we got to the village area where there were a lot of people and Toby was way over stimulated, I switched to the other one.

And this is exactly when my opinion of retractable leashes changed.

I was never a fan of them, because I always saw the dogs attached to them running all over people’s lawns when walking down the street, weaving in and out of crowds almost tripping people and simply being rude by roaming everywhere they please.

It annoyed, and worried me. What if someone put pesticides on their lawn and you’re letting your dog run all over it? What if there are cars coming and your dog is running in the middle of the street?

What I realized at that moment was it’s not the leash’s fault, it’s the humans who may not use it in the best situations.

The leash’s design makes holding it very comfortable and natural, and although, I switched back to Toby’s regular leash when we were in a crowd, the Flexi City retractable leash is perfect for hiking,  walking in less crowded places or when taking your pup to a dog party or event where you want them to be able to have some freedom, but not run wild.



Flexi sent us one of their leashes to be reviewed. This is our honest review of the product, and we were not compensated in any other way.

6 thoughts on “Flexi City Retractable Leash {Product Review}

  1. Ive always been scared to use if on Fred my 100pd pulling bloodhound – I would love to try one but dont want to waste the money if it doesnt work. Glad to read about your review!

  2. I've always hated Flexi leads, but the thin ones more than the flat webbing ones. I even have a picture of a friend's dog's broken leg, caused by a flexi lead.

    However, the ones with flat webbing are great in situations you might otherwise use a long line in, as it makes it much easier to reel the line in.

  3. we recently won one for Dakota and I am happy to read this review. My husband is against retractable leashes but I agree with you that I want to use it in a less crowded area and somewhere where Dakota can have more freedom. Thanks for this review.

  4. I use a retractable leash all the time and greatly prefer it. For me it gives me the option of having the long leash without having to then bundle it up again when I need my dog to walk close.

    When my dog is meant to be at a heel, I set the leash length to about 2-3ft and then lock it. We use this for the vast majority of our walk and certainly anywhere I'd be concerned about people or traffic. When it's safe for a longer line, I'll tell her "Free" and release the lock on the leash. My dog recognizes both the command and the tell-tale 'click' and will immediately take advantage of her new freedom.

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