A Bungee leash works like any shock cord. They are meant to absorb the resistance of a motionless object attached to a moving one. In this case, with a bungee leash the moving object is your dog that you resist by trying to keep it in place with you.
Shock-resistant bungee cords behave similar to retractable leashes. The dog learns to move up to the point of maximum resistance by pulling on the cord until it yields no more. If this pattern of resistance is regular for the dog, the dog will instinctively consider it as natural and will learn to remain only at a given distance from you.
Bungee leashes are excellent tools for training strong and alert dogs that love to dart away from you if they spot something attractive in the distance. If tethered to your hand or waist, the shock cord will absorb the initial rush of energy that dogs use to dash away, minimizing any impact this has on you. This is particularly valuable if you walk strong dogs that can pull your arm out of its socket.
How Strong Are Bungee Leashes?
Bungee cords can handle extreme forces. Industry-leading strength and resilience are not uncommon in rubber core cords wrapped inside Polyester sheaths which are then braided together and powdered to keep them from rubbing and sticking to one another as they’re being pulled. The braid of rubber cords is then placed inside a weaved fabric exterior patterned with colors or designs. And this forms the final string product.
Unlike simple elastic cords, shock cords of which bungee leashes are made have an elongation that stretches longer, even twice as long as that of a mere elastic cord. The strength of the shock cord depends on its diameter.
Obviously, for large dogs it is best to use thicker bungee leashes. And an elongation of 100% the cord’s original length would indicate it is a shock and not just an elastic cord, as this much stretch is definitive of a shock chord product. This means that a 5-foot bungee cord could conceivably stretch up to 10 feet long. Here’s a demonstration of a bungee leash stretching twice its length and of its tension strength.
Bungee leashes can be dangerous if not handled with care. They can hold great amounts of stored energy. If released from one end, they can strike the other in a snap and cause severe damage. This will happen if the hardware at the end of the leash fails. So, it’s important to buy the best quality product possible because of the inherent danger that a poorly design product may pose to you or your dog.
How Does A Bungee Leash Work to Keep Dogs From Darting Away
It is also critical to know where to latch the leash onto the dog, since the dog will have continuous tug on the bungee leash, and you want the dog to stop pulling as soon as it meets resistance rather than build up energy in the leash by elongating it to its maximum capacity.
The key to making a dog stop pulling if you have it wear a harness with a bungee leash it by latching the leash onto the dog’s front ring (see video below). This will ensure the dog’s legs change direction the moment it suddenly launches away from you, even while the shock cord takes the main burst of energy away from your body by stretching to absorb it.
Bungee leashes can be an ideal tool for walking, jogging, or skating hands-free with your dog. They’re useful if you attach it to a seat bar on your bike and teach your dog to run next to you within the leash’s range of elongation.
The Cycleash in particular is especially designed to allows the cyclist safely to hold the bicycle handles with both hands while letting the bungee leash work hands-free with up to two dogs secured to the bike. Click the image below to check pricing at Amazon for this product.
