Dog Tipper Reviews the Wacky Walk'r

A recent review from DogTipper.com

Product: Wacky Walk’r Leashes and Couplers

What It Is: Tubular rubber leash system designed to relieve kinetic stress on the animal and the walker

Manufacturer: Wacky Walk’r in Hatfield, Pennsylvania

DogTipper Review: Along with all the other benefits, walking our dogs twice a day is great exercise for Irie and Tiki and for us as well. When working on DogTipper along with some of our other writing projects, some days it’s the only physical exercise either of us gets away from the keyboard. Sometimes, though, it can be a little too much exertion when one or both of the dogs lunge without warning toward some sight or smell they encounter. Although they are not huge dogs, they can exert some major torque.

I have had a chronic shoulder injury for years now, ever since I spent two whole days brush painting a balky polyurethane finish onto our living room and dining room ceilings. Or, maybe its due to years of playing racquetball. Anyway, those old injuries are easily awakened by the stresses and strains of a sudden leash tug.

So, we were intrigued by the promise of the Wacky Walk’r products. These leashes are made of heavy-duty 100% rubber tubing and are designed to function like shock absorbers, minimizing the jerk factor. The first thing you’ll notice are the colors. The Wacky Walk’rs come in a choice of 12 different hues from bright red to camo. Our review leashes are bright neon orange; no problem finding them in the closet as they practically glow in the dark.

In addition to the “look at me” and safety factors, Wacky Walk’r colors have a secondary purpose. The company donates 4 percent of each sale to a beneficial organization such as the Defenders of Wildlife, the Fund for Animals, and the U.S. War Dogs Association. Each color represents one of those causes, so when you choose your color you are also designating which organization will receive the benefits of your purchase. You can see all the “inspiring missions” (as they term them) on the Wacky Walk’r website.

The second thing you’ll notice is that the leashes are very substantial, (ours are about .75 inch in diameter) which gives them a comforting, hefty feel. The ends of the leashes terminate with woven fabric straps and heavy chrome hardware.

The leashes come in a variety of lengths to accommodate different walking conditions. Our samples included the original Wacky Walk’r (about 4 feet long overall, recommended for rural walking) and the Urban model which is about 31″ long overall and designed for more control. We also tried the the Crazy Coupl’r for hooking up two dogs to the same leash:

The company also sells the Stubb’r model for more powerful dogs, and the X’Tension, designed for use with retractable leashes. All are made with the same basic materials: 100 percent natural rubber, chrome hardware and woven straps.

We tried out both review models and can report that the Wacky Walk’rs perform much as advertised. They do allow a certain amount of stretch which mitigates the effects of sudden lurches and jerks. As one might expect, the longer version allows quite a bit more stretch than the Urban model. We noticed right away that these leashes are not prone to tangle; the rubber has enough “backbone” to maintain semi-rigid even when there is slack in the leash. The Wacky Walk’r is easily cleaned but should be stored away from direct sunlight.

The only concerns we noted was that in certain situations, the leash’s stretch factor might prevent the walker from being able to quickly turn a dog from a trail side hazard (yes, we have seen the occasional rattlesnake on our jaunts). Of course, that would mainly apply to the longer model. Also, if your dog likes to gnaw on soft, “chewy” objects, he might consider the leash good chewing. I’m thinking about how much our dogs liked the garden hose when they were younger. Thankfully, they seem to have grown out of that stage!

If you have joint issues or shoulder problems that require you avoid sudden leash jerks and lunges, the Wacky Walk’r is an excellent choice! – John

Price: The Wacky Walk’r leashes start at $24.99 on wackywalkrstore.com.

For More Information:

• visit WackyWalkr.com

Disclosure: We received complimentary Wacky Walk’rs for this review; we were not paid for our review and all statements and opinions are entirely our own.