Buddy - Hands free dog leash connector - biking, jogging, hiking, walking

I bought this as a way to take my dogs bike riding. I originally bought one so we could try it and plan on buying a second as soon as I am finished with this review. My main complaint is that it slides forward on the bike frame and hits my heels when I pedal. Annoying but manageable AND I had already considered this when deciding between the arm-style bike leashes and this one.PROS:1) Cost - big factor for trying something new!2) Versatile - we go camping often and I hate having the dogs tied but also need my hands free. So I attach this to a pet hip bag I have a voila problem solved!3) Easy to move from bike to bike. Sometimes my kids take the dogs riding without me.CONS:1) Hits my heels when riding. I may try rigging it somehow so it doesn't slip forward.And that is my only con!All in all it's a great product for the price you pay for it. We've had the one for two weeks now and it has stood against the pulling of a 40lb puppy and an 80lb German Shepherd. Not bad!

Use this for dog activities and even to hold a chain link fence gate closed. It's such good quality it withstands two GSDs and the Wisconsin winters.

I do not like giving negative reviews but this product disappointed me both for jogging and biking with my dog. And my dog is a well trained and well-behaved Australian Shepherd, not a wild beast. Basically, all this thing is is a shock cord with a small carabiner on one end, basically a fancy bungee.As to biking, I already owned a Springer Dog Exerciser for biking, which works awesome but weighs a ton and is incredibly overpriced (like $120). So I was looking for something lighter. I used the Buddy as recommended with the Highland bungee cord with a carabiner on each end. Problem one is that the carabiners are tiny and only open like 1/3 of an inch, and since all the tubes and what not on a bike are larger than that, I couldn't find anywhere to connect it. I eventually ended up connecting it to my seatrail, which is bad because it's up high, whereas a dog connector should be as low as possible from a center of gravity viewpoint. Problem two is since the product is entirely flexible, it allows the dog to go forward, backward, in close, etc., and that definitely interferes with riding, and can even get caught in your pedals, etc. If you look at all the other products out there that attach a dog to a bike, they all have a rigid arm to keep the dog out from the bike and in a fixed position relative to the bike. The Springer, for example, keeps my dog to my right rear as I ride -- her nose is about 2 feet out from my rear wheel.So it was not a success for bike riding. As to jogging or walking, you can hook it to a belt loop or whatever, and if you have a dog that always stays in perfect formation with you, I am sure it would be fine. But most dogs (mine included) like to wander from side to side and stop and sniff the roses, and having a leash attached to one fixed spot on one side of my body was not convenient.That's my experience, thanks for reading.

My dog Chester loves to go running with me (while I bike). I used to just hold his leash, but it got frustrating because the leash would drag the ground and it would eventually make its way behind his front legs while he ran, so I'd have to stop and "untangle" him. What a pain! But speaking of pain...one day the leash got caught around my ring finger, and when he pulled unexpectedly, it nearly broke my finger! To avoid the need for future x-rays, I purchased a product that had a 5-star rating and cost me over 100 dollars. With a good rating and an expensive price tag, it's gotta work great, right?Nope. All three of my dogs were afraid of it, so I never got to use it. It's in a weird crooked "L" shape that that attaches to the rear gear mechanism, and juts out to the side about 2 feet. Since I often ride in my neighborhood or on a greenway path, there are times that I need to have my dog closer to the bike, not sticking out an entire 2 feet and in the path of cars or people. So, back to Square One.I stumbled upon the Buddy Hands Free Dog Leash Connector by accident, and it works perfectly! I put it on the rear of my bike in the same position shown in the last product picture. It's just short enough that it doesn't get caught in the chain. I attached a short carabiner bungee cord (also bought on Amazon) to Chester's harness, and we were off and running without a hitch! No fear, no learning curve, and no broken fingers. And unlike the other product I tried, I can use a longer or shorter carabiner bungee cord, depending on how much slack I want to give him.I'm just sorry that I didn't try this nifty little device sooner. Don't let the price -- or the 3 1/2-star rating -- fool you. It is a MUCH better choice than the more expensive dog walking products, and it has made my bike rides with my dog SO much more enjoyable.

I just rescued a Lab and needed to exercise him daily. I started walking him, but realized he can walk more than me. I decided to use my bike, and for a while, I was using my left wrist to hold the lease. I was looking for a bike attachment and saw this. I saw the picture it was attached to the bike, so I said "what a good idea", and for the price, who could pass it up. Putting it where the picture shows has several potential problems such as lease getting tangled up. I decided to put it on my left handle bars and hold the lease with my left hand when there is slack just to prevent it from getting tangled. But if there is enough distance between my dog "Alabama", then I let the lease go and it is held by my left handle bars.So the point is, it does work for what it is. No complaints so far.