FLEXI Vario Soft Stop Belt L

The media could not be loaded.  A soft stop is an absolute must for any long leash. The longer leash allows the dog to gain more momentum if it starts running, and without a soft stop, the dog is much more likely to hurt itself when it crashes against the end of the leash (also, if you have a strong dog, you can injure your shoulder).It doesn't matter how well trained your dog is. Even if your dog doesn't pull, your dog will never be trained enough to avoid freak accidents. For example, my dog doesn't pull, but the other day a bicyclist passed us, and once he was behind us, his tire popped (or some other loud sound), and my dog spooked and tried to bolt. Without the bungee attachment, the impact when he reached the end of the leash could easily have hurt him.To be extra safe, I always use a harness instead of a collar, and I often add a second bungee attachment in the front to give even more elasticity. I would recommend anyone to do this, but if you're not willing to go that far, this soft stop belt is the bare minimum of safety you should get for your dog's sake.To be clear, the soft stop belt is not a training tool. If you have a pulling problem, it is likely to get worse when you use this. The leash will extend when the dog pulls, so he learns that pulling gets desirable results.The best cure for bad behavior, is to just train your dog. No leash can fix a lack of training.

I have had this "Soft Stop Belt" for over a year now, and use it along with a 'Large' ("...Ideal for large dogs up to 110 lbs....") 26 foot Flexi Vario Tape for my 42 lb. Standard Poodle. This belt does have just enough (not a lot of) give to absorb some shock if he takes off chasing something (which, thankfully, he now rarely does). The 'end shock' when he's snubbed short feels much better in my hand (and, I'm sure, to his neck) than the sudden stop-shock when using the original belt with no give. However, my favorite thing about this belt is that, when he's ready to go in, it is long enough for my dog to take this part of the leash in his mouth to lead me home. His teeth will, and have, cut through the tape strapping itself (tape can be clean cut, and new end-loop sewed in for re-pinning to the latch end of tape) if he grabs and chews on it. But this Stop Belt has held up to 16 months of such abuse with just minor damage - and still works.

Better in concept than in practice. Might depend on your dog but I lost all control of my 11 year old border collie with this attachment installed. He discovered that he was able to gain a little extra and this attachment soon began encouraging him to pull constantly. I liked the idea of a smoother transition of stopping instead of him being jerked around but this didn't work. Give a dog an inch...

Love Flexi products. I have a Pocket Beagle, whos main goal is to sniff the ground and pay no attention to wear he is going. If he picks up a scent or sees a squirrel he is gone. I wasn't sure if this was going to make a huge difference but it really does. I hated seeing him get to the end of his leash and getting yanked around the neck. This really eases the yank right down. No more yelps!

The soft stop belt has really made a huge difference when walking my dog. About 10 years ago I had surgery on my right shoulder to repair a torn labrum and bicep tendon and before using the soft stop belt whenever my dog would bolt my shoulder would get yanked often resulting in injury and pain. The soft stop belt + flexi vario has almost completely eliminated pain in my shoulder from walking the dog and seems to keep my pup from getting whip lash when i stop him

The soft stop is a great addition to a leash, but you have to have the right leash that it fits. I lost my original leash that I loved and ordered this to go with what I thought was the same replacement leash. It's not, but someday I will get the right one and I'll have the soft stop when I need it.

When my shiba inu gets scared, she tries to bolt. If I don't apply the brake/clutch on the leash immediately, she ends up with a big jerking stop at the limit of the leash. This should cushion that a bit, which I hope will be easier on her neck, and help prevent me losing my grip on the leash. I've tried it out on a couple of walks so far, and although we haven't had any scares, it does soften the pull a bit. It's very easy to fasten to the proprietary Flexi connector. I didn't realize it before ordering, but it does have retro-reflective thread, so it should be more visible at night than the standard Flexi piece that it replaces. It's well made.

It makes the leash just a bit longer when fully retracted, so it's more like the older plain string type version . I haven't noticed my 12 lb Maltese choking when he's brought up short, nor chewing on the tape when I'm hooking him up. At least it's easily replaceable unlike the lead itself.

I have two flexi leads and changed them both to the soft stop. They feel stronger (dog had chewed through the other ones) and the breaking is so much better, no more sudden jolts. Takes a bit of getting used to but worth it. Recommend. (I’d been struggling to find one for the medium lead until i asked a question on Amazon and someone said the small fitting was the right fit).

I've been using one of these on a vario lead for nearly three years. I love the springy end of the lead instead of it jolting to hard on my dogs neck. I have just purchased a new vario lead for my new dog and wanted one of these soft end pieces. Unfortunately it could not be purchased anywhere except America. I hope that doesn't mean they are not making them any more. Highly recommend

Very forgiving for the dog, can't see why they're being discontinued.

To be honest , it has not made much difference on our dogwalks . When my Jack Russell decides to shoot off , I feel no soft stop ! Possibly when she is calmer and is sniffing around , pulling her away is more gentle on her and me .

Great product much sturdier that the single belt.