Julius-K9 IDC Lumino Adjustable Leash - Black - 1.9 cm

Julius-K9 IDC Lumino Adjustable Leash - Black - 1.9 cm is JULIUS-K9's glow-in-the-dark adjustable leash in black, 1.9 cm wide, on a wipe-clean water repellent strap.

Key Features

• Glows in the dark: JULIUS-K9 describe it as phosphorescent. Leave it in daylight or under a lamp and it holds a glow afterwards, which makes it easy to find and easy to see at the kerb.
• Water repellent, and wipes clean: A silicone-like surface over a polyester strap, so mud and sand come off it under a tap and it can be properly disinfected, which webbing cannot.
• Three set lengths off one leash: Clips to 125 cm, 160 cm and 215 cm, so the same leash does the pavement and the park without you carrying two.
• Strong polyester core: The glow and the coating sit on a polyester strap built for the pull of a large dog.

How The Adjustment Works

• The strap runs 240 cm end to end and clips back on itself to give three working lengths: 215 cm, 160 cm and 125 cm.
• At its longest it can go over a shoulder or round the waist, which leaves both hands free on a walk and is the reason to buy an adjustable leash rather than a fixed one.
• At its shortest it is a short city leash with a handle.
• Clip it back to the harness at the middle length and it becomes a tether, for a cafe table or the back of the car while you load the boot.
• Check the length is properly clipped home each time you change it. An adjuster left half engaged is the one failure point a leash like this has that a plain one does not.

Picking A Length

• Around a metre keeps a dog at your side. That is the length for a pavement, a lift, a vet waiting room and anywhere with traffic close by.
• Around 1.2 metres is the everyday compromise, close enough for a street and long enough to let him sniff a verge without dragging him off it.
• Two metres gives a dog real room on a park path or a quiet beach, and it is too much leash in a crowd.
• Width is about the dog, not the length. The 1.4 cm straps suit small and medium dogs; the 2 cm straps are for a strong dog and give a better grip in the hand.
• No leash length makes a recall safe. Off the leash is a training question, not an equipment one.

Looking After It

• Hand wash in cool water with a little mild soap and hang it up to dry out of direct sun. No machine and no tumble dryer, because heat is what stiffens webbing.
• Rinse the salt out after the beach. Salt left to dry in a strap abrades the fibres from the inside and is the main reason a leash here wears out before its time.
• Work the clip if it starts to stick, with a single drop of light oil, and wipe the excess off so it does not mark the coat.
• Look at the stitching at the handle and at the clip every few weeks, and look at it harder on a dog who pulls. Replace it the moment the webbing frays or the gate on the clip stops springing shut cleanly.

Good To Know

• 1.9 cm wide, in black. It clips to 125 cm, 160 cm and 215 cm.
• Our listing gives the length as 2.2 m while the manufacturer text gives the strap as 240 cm end to end. Ask us to confirm the figure if it matters to you.
• Phosphorescent is not reflective. It holds a glow for a while after it has been in the light and then fades, so it helps you keep sight of your dog and it is not a substitute for a clip-on light or a reflective collar on an unlit road.
• The wipe-clean surface is the practical reason to pick this over a textile leash. Sand and mud come off under a tap and it can be properly disinfected, which matters if you walk more than one dog or you have just been to the vet.
• It will clip to any harness or collar ring, not only a JULIUS-K9 one.
• There is a matching Lumino collar in the same glow finish, listed separately.