Dog leash in one hand, flashlight in the other...

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blinkjr

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Hi all. Looking for help on this.

I walk our dog at night, usually after dark. So, in the left hand is the dog leash. In the right hand is my flashlight (usually a Zebralight SC600 - great flashlight!). The other night my dog kept tugging at something behind us. When I looked and hit the flashlight, I was was shocked to see two coyote pups. :what: Luckily, they shied away from the flashlight and I made it home safely. (I live in the suburbs, but we have all sorts of wildlife roaming around)

But that got me wondering what I would/should do when I finally get my CCW and start carrying. Like I said: dog leash in left hand, flashlight in right. If I would need to draw, what would I do? I'm right handed, so I wouldn't let go of the dog yet. The flashlight in my right hand is strapped around my wrist. But if I let go of it to draw, it's just flopping around. Who knows what that would do for aiming purposes. And how could I aim if the flashlight is just flopping around????? I think I need three hands!

Anyone have experience at this? I'm open to any and all suggestions!

Thanks - I am constantly amazed at the amount of knowledge/experience of the members of this forum!
 
I walk two dogs, one leash in each hand. I live in a rural area so an encounter with wild animals is not out of the question. My flashlight is usually in my pocket, and my .45 is on my hip. I would shift the right hand leash to the left hand, and draw and fire as warranted. The flashlight would be optional. I have however been thinking of getting a "head light" like miners wear.
 
Lower the dog leash, and stand on it, hard.
With both feet if you can.

Now, suddely, you have both hands free and the dog ain't going nowhere.

Did it more then once for 13 years with an 80 pound Boxer that was stronger then I was when he wanted to be and didn't know it.


rc
 
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Get a heavy leather belt and have a leathersmith attach a D ring. Clip the leash onto the belt so that if you should need to turn it loose, the dog can't get away. If the dog weighs as much as 40 pounds...and has the temperament to carry the fight to the enemy... be sure to brace yourself. They're stronger than you think they are.
 
That is a great idea. (I used to attach my work keys similarly so I could never leave them anywhere.)

I always used a short leash with the loop around my left wrist and the flashlight sticking out of a pocket if I needed it. I never used the flashlight as a routine.
 
Wear a headlamp to free up one hand. This has the added advantage that you light up what you look at. There are a lot of good choices at different price points. I've had issues with off-leash dogs while walking my dog and wanted to keep one hand free. So after much research I just bought a (rechargable) Black Diamond ReVolt Headlamp. Works great for my needs.
 
There are retractable leashes with a flashlight built in. or if you are using a regular leash slide the loop up your arm(so it is around your wrist) and then hold the length of the leash in your hand and you should be able to hold the flashlight in your left hand as well.
 
A lot of things going on here. Is your concern trying to shoot while controlling the dog?
Illuminate the target and shooting? Or all of the above.
The size of dog will be the biggest factor along with its training IMO. My old lab would have drug me down the road trying to get at those two yotes but in that case they probably would have been quitting the country as well. If the treat were two legged he would have likely just stayed at heal and barked so letting the leash loose wouldn't be an issue.
Given an attack from either I'd turn loose of the leash and me and the dog would tag team.
I don't know that I'd run a light full time while walking the dog.
 
This is all too familiar to me, as I have a big rottweiler who goes on night walks and can pull me pretty hard when she wants to go check something. I definitely second the headlamp idea. Black Diamond makes headlamps with a beam that throws pretty well. I have both the Spot and the Storm and they blow my old headlamps out of the water in terms of being able to put out quite a bit of light in front of you.

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/headlamps-and-lanterns

Depending on your pistol, your other option is a mounted weaponlight. If you do go this route, Fred Fuller nailed it on the head with getting some additional training on how to use the light effectively and safely, as well as not relying on it as your primary light when you walk. Your Zebralight is an awesome choice for a dog walking nightlight!
 
Headlamps are nice because they can be worn on the head or clipped to a high-visibilty safety vest (which you should be wearing anyway if you're walking in an area that's dark enough to require a flashlight.) I never liked how it felt to have a strap around my head.
 
I've read a dog has approx. the strength of three times it's weight compared to a human, i.e., a 40 lb. dog is equal in strength to a 120 lb person.

However, I think you can reasonably assume a young dog is probably stronger than an older person all things being equal with the above weight formula.

And if there's slack in the leash and they're able to get a running start, forget it. :D
 
Lots of good ideas here.

I frequently walk two (50 lb.) dogs early in the morning before it's light. I usually have both leashes in my left hand leaving my right (strong side) hand free. I carry on my right side and have a Streamlight clipped into my left front trouser pocket. I generally rely on ambient light. When I've felt the need for a light while walking I use a headlamp.

With the dogs I feel pretty safe, even if I didn't carry.
 
I encounter this problem nearly every night with a 60 pound and 100 pound dog that I walk at the same time, on separate leashes. There are a few fixes.

I have seen a combo leash that has a flashlight built in. Usually at places that sell "As Seen on TV" products. I have seen them at Petsmart, Freds, and maybe Bed Bath and Beyond. That will free up a hand.

Another solution is what I use sometimes, buy a headlamp. It will be more expensive to get a high powered headlamp to replace your hand held flashlight though.
 
If you're able to sew, you could try altering a headlamp strap to fit your wrist, and wear it on the same wrist you hold the leash. I just looked at the SureFire wrist lights but the price is purely prohibitive for me to own one.
 
I have no carry options here in the NJ Pinelands and we have plenty of wildlife, so I find a stout blackthorn cane to be an appropriate companion on all walks. I think the headlamp is the best hands-free option - it will always illuminate what you're looking at.
 
The dog shouldn't lunge, at least not seriously, if it is habituated to a slip-chain training collar. My Brittany gets interested in other critters, and definitely wants to go after birds, rabbits, and squirrels, but unless I am running her in a field off-lead, she knows she's probably just not going to get to. Aggressive canines, she's looking to hide behind me anyway, so I have no worries about dropping the leash if I need to deal with a threat - she's not going to get in the way.
 
Living in the rural area that I do, I am constantly encountering wild life while walking, day or night. Everything from coyotes, bob cats, mt. lions, javelina, you name it, we probably got them. So I have been dealing with this same exact issue for a number of years, and as follows.

Although,this might not be the most stylish solution, it has worked well for me for quite some time. I'm right handed, so I usually have the leash slip looped around me left wrist, which makes it less work than having to constantly maintain a hard grip on it. Now, for light, I will carry a flash light in my hand, mostly to scan the area just in front of me for rattle snakes. But my primary light is provided by wearing a decent quality head lamp. This way if need be, I can drop the flash light, or I can put it in my left hand, and still have good lighting in the direction I need to look. This leaves my right hand completely free and ready for draw if necessary. I feel like I get the best of both worlds at the same time.

The head lamp I use has an adjustable beam, going from wide to narrow, and everything in between. I generally keep it adjusted some where in between, that way I get decent wide angle lighting, and some degree of a directional beam lighting also. I don't recall the make or model of my head lamp, but it wasn't expensive, and it functions very well. It's LED, so it doesn't eat batteries, and produces good quality bright lighting.

GS
 
I always walked my 90 pound GSD with leash and flashlight in my weak side hand. Her leash always had a carabiner clipped into the handle so I could clip the leash to my belt buckle, a fence, or whatever was needed quickly to free up both hands. I'm also a big fan of headlights so long as they are small and light. A Petzl Tactikka travels with me nearly everywhere I go.
 
Thanks all for the responses - many more than I imagined.

One point of clarity: I do not walk with the flashlight turned on all the time. It is mainly to make drivers aware of our presence and not run into us. I usually turn the light on full and illuminate us so the driver can see us. So, I would think a headlamp (which I have and love) would be somewhat awkward to use for that. Same with the leashes that have the light built in. If my dog is jerking on the leash, I may not be able to shine it in a direction to warn off the car.

I guess I could start pocket carrying it rather than have it in hand at all times. That would leave my right hand normally free. I'll have to work on that.
 
I would not stand on a dog leash unless you wanted to land on your head when that dog takes off, same for a d-ring on your belt. That's a good way to get hurt. I might work for a toy poodle or a purse dog, anything else forget about it.
 
A reflective vest is probably going to be more useful as a way of ensuring that you are seen by drivers than any kind of flashlight.
 
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