You know how it is sometimes when you have to take your dog for a walk, you have to make sure you have everything you need-the dog, the leash, the collar, water if it’s hot, your keys, some treats and as a responsible dog owner, the ever present poop bags. There just aren’t enough pockets to handle it all. Sandy Lewis Duvell, founder of The Shabby Dog, knows what it’s like to juggle everything while walking with your dog and developed the Hands-Free Leash to help with just this problem.
The Shabby Dog Collar with the bone charm that's included.
When The Shabby Dog contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying a Hands-Free Leash, I checked out their website ( which not only features the Leash, but also designers tees, beds and more for your dogs) and I’ll admit it now, I was a little doubtful about it. Images of being dragged down the street by my wrist popped into my head (I guess while I’m admitting things, I’ll admit, my dogs are not as well trained as they could be). Maybe I’ve spent too much time watching out of control dogs in the vet office waiting room and in the training classes I’ve helped with, I do have a vivid imagination. Even with those visions in my head, I said sure. A short time later, I received the Hands-Free Dog Walking Wrist Cuff, the Leather Dog Leash and a medium size Leather Dog Collar. These are made of genuine Italian leather and they are NICE! The set I received had pink stitching and the edges of the leather were hand-painted to match the stitching. The Cuff has heart shaped studs on it; hey, you could even wear on its own as part of your outfit. The leash is convertible; leave it hooked and use it as a regular leash or unhook and attach the leash to the cuff for a hands-free option. And a cute little pink bone charm came on the collar. Not only is the Hands-Free Leash practical, but it’s fashionable.
The Shabby Dog Wrist Cuff (this style has heart-shaped studs on it).
Well, with all the pink, the hearts and the charm, this was definitely an item for the girls to try out (they do have a variety of colors and styles so there would be something for my he-man boy Jack Russells to wear). I put on the Cuff which even fit my skinny little wrist and then put the collar and leash on Mellie before hooking it to the cuff. Because I was leery, I decided we would stay in the backyard while using it. We walked back and forth several times down the length of the yard (my neighbors already know I am nuts, what’s one more thing) and it actually went nice. The cuff wasn’t irritating to my wrist and the leash was right there if I needed to grab it which surprisingly (Mellie was on her best behavior) I didn’t.
The Shabby Dog Leash hooked to be used as a regular leash.
Since the yard worked so well, I decided to use The Hands-Free Leash when I took Malarky for a 2 mile walk along the river dike. The collar was too big for Malarky so I attached the leash to her harness. I was meeting up with a friend and her 3 dogs and since Malarky is not really too keen on other dogs, I was curious as to how this would work. Well, Malarky surprised me by being well-behaved and I was definitely glad to have the Hands-Free Leash because it was 40 degrees, cloudy and damp out. Not only did the Hands-Free Leash work well but my hands were able to stay warm in my coat pockets! Nice!
This shows the convertible leash attached to the Cuff for "hands-free mode"
I think The Shabby Dog Hands-Free Leash is a great product. It worked better than I expected although I wouldn’t recommend it for someone with a boisterous, not well trained dog just because I am the cautious sort. The only drawback for me is the price. With the collar running from $36-$52 depending on size, the wrist cuff at $40 and the leash at $88, it is out of my budget that is for sure. Even for me to purchase just the Wrist Cuff would require a great deal of thought (I could always put the dogs to work, hmmm….). But if you’re looking looking for high quality, fashionable (for you and your dog) and practical, The Hands-Free Leash may just be what your looking for.
Excellent. Thanks so much for the post. -Kate
I was passing through from the Blog Hop and started reading your reviews. With several of my dogs, I used to use a 15″ cotton web training leash in which I tied a slip knot in the end with the loop handle. Then I would slip that end of the leash over my head and wear it around my waist while I took my dog out walking. I was able to walk my dog hands free but still have control of him. Those training leashes usually cost less than $12.00.
Thanks for the comments, that’s a great solution. I’ve recommended it for someone in one of the dog training classes I had taught to use during class. My only issue with doing it to walk my dogs would be that it would be hard to release the leash if I needed to for any reason. Even though we don’t expect anything to happen, things sometimes do (thinking of a friend’s dog who was attacked by another dog during their nightly walk). I have seen waist leashes that can be used to walk your dog or I’ve heard of some people using a carabiner to attach a leash to their belt. The Shabby Dog Hands-Free Leash is very fashionable so it’s made for those not only looking for the benefit of hands-free, but to do it in style!