Thursday, September 5, 2013

ThunderLeash Helps Dogs Who Pull | Pet Product Review

You've most likely heard of a product called the ThunderShirt by now. Recently, the same company who makes ThunderShirts has designed a patent pending leash that is meant to safely discourage dogs who pull on a leash while walking. We were asked to take the ThunderLeash for a spin and let our readers know how it works.


The design of the ThunderLeash is very simple. When I took it out of the box, I thought it just looked like a regular leash. But after carefully inspecting the directions on the box, I learned that it's actually designed to fit around your dog's chest just like a harness.

Here's how it works. First, you need to attach the ThunderLeash to your dog's collar. Then you should adjust the "safety buckle" and "slack buckle" according to your dog's size. The buckles are there to make sure your dog doesn't get squeezed too hard basically. Afterwards, just wrap the leash around your dog's chest and slide it into the "harness slot" between the two buckles. Putting the ThunderLeash on my dog was pretty easy to figure out.


So after you have the ThunderLeash on your dog properly, you can go for a walk! Shiner is pretty good on a leash. I have seen her dart off after rabbits or start pulling if there is something exciting around like a good sniff spot or another dog. Pretty typical dog stuff.

My safety buckles are a little loose in this photo. Had to adjust them after learning more about how they worked. 

The ThunderLeash is made to apply gentle pressure against your dog's chest to prevent pulling. It works similar to choke chains, prong collars, and martingale collars except for the squeeze is not around the dog's neck. I like that idea personally because I've noticed a lot of dogs will start hacking if they pull too much while on a collar, including Shiner. I'm happy to report that Shiner did not start coughing or hacking when she got squeezed by the ThunderLeash. I know there are some people who are not comfortable using choke chains or prong collars, so I think this might be a worthwhile alternative for them.

The ThunderLeash appears to be very sturdy and the handle area of the leash is very comfortable. I think it's padded a little bit which is nice. And if you don't want to use the ThunderLeash as a harness, you can always easily convert it to a regular style leash. Some people like to have both harnesses and leashes so I love the versatility of it.

I don't think the ThunderLeash is a miracle for dogs who have serious leash-pulling problems. Of course, training is still necessary especially if your dog is naughty on the leash. Shiner was a little easier to control with her ThunderLeash during our walks. If she began to pull, I noticed that she would usually stop when the leash was putting pressure on her for a few seconds. I took a video of her walking on the leash which you can watch below.


The ThunderLeash comes in two sizes - Small and Large. They are priced at $29.99. For me personally, this is a little more than I might want to pay for a regular leash. But considering you wouldn't have to purchase a separate leash and harness, I think the price makes sense. In fact, you might end up saving money with this two-in-one product. Plus, it does safely help with slight leash-pulling issues.

I had been using a retractable leash with Shiner lately (I know, I know! I misplaced her regular leash.) and am much more happy with the ThunderLeash we received.

Thunderleash is available for purchase on Amazon. 

How does your dog do on a leash? Are they a leash-puller?

Disclosure: I received a ThunderLeash at no charge to review. I received no other form of compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we make a small commission. 

44 comments:

  1. Cool review. I think your conclusion is great - after having tried many, many kinds of leashes I realized none of them are magic solutions. Some are definitely more helpful but it ultimately comes down to the dog's training and respect of the walker. Kayo reminds me daily of the need to work to improve that relationship!

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  2. What a great review - love the video.

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  3. great review. I wonder if this would on cats?

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    1. Thanks! I think cats are more sensitive and fragile, so I wouldn't think a device like this would be recommended.

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  4. Oh I am a leash puller! Mom uses a pinch collar on me (she knows!) because I won't pull when I wear it so she feels it protects my neck, no gagging. I walk very well until I smell something then I'll just jerk & she gets so mad at me! We tried the gentle leader, ha! but when she heard about this it sounded very interesting. Thanks for the review, what's another $30 when it comes to me, right? Love Dolly

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    1. I have nothing against pinch collars Miss Dolly. $30 is nothing for such a cute doxie! ;) lol

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  5. That looks a great product. I pull Mom all over the place so she got me a NO PULL harness, pretty much like that one. I walk like a dream on it :) xx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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    1. Cool Mollie! Glad you are well-behaved on the leash!

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  6. Great review and I really enjoyed the video!

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  7. My dad is always the humanoide kite, I think we should give it a try :o) Thanks for a great review and a great video.

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  8. Titan was never really much of a puller but if he sees something he wants, if he has on his nylon collar, he will pull. I always use a prong on his and that's what he was trained wearing, however it was more or less like wearing a necklace. He's never pulled with it on. I never liked them until our first trainer turned us on to them. Anywho, Thunderleash looks pretty nice but a lil pricey imo. Good review!

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    1. I personally have nothing against prong collars, but I know there are people out there who don't like that sort of thing. I agree about the price, but when I think about how much a good harness alone costs it doesn't seem too bad.

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    2. I think used properly, a prong can be a good thing but I've seen them used incorrectly too many times. I used to think they were horrible, however again, I saw them used wrong. When I first got Titan, we had a harness. I hated the way it rubbed under his arms. This one, Thunderleash, looks nice.

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    3. Oh yea he does have that big boy chest. I know you sometimes have trouble finding coats to fit him right?

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    4. YES! What fits his chest is too big on his neck. And I wasn't a fan of one of those nose leader leashes. His nose is too short and thick for my liking. ;)

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    5. I've never tried a gentle leader before.

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  9. Nice review. Looks like a good product to me. Gracie is a puller, and had even slipped out of her collar a couple of times, so when my husband and I walked into a lovely pet store in Fredricksburg Texas several years ago, we purchased her a very pretty harness. No more pulling and choking, and just as important no more slipping out of her collar when frightened by another dog! It's the only thing we use now for her walks, and it seems like it works very much like this product does. I do like the added versatility of the Thunder Leash, though.

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    1. That's good. I like harnesses myself. There are many dogs who wear collars that they can slip out of. I saw a dog slip out of her collar in the vet clinic lobby and almost run out onto 183! I've never seen a receptionist run so fast before.

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  10. Wow my peeps would want one of those so I am not telling her. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  11. I don't pull on the leash, but I took a lot of convincing!

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  12. That looks like a good leash, and that was a very thorough review! We know some dogs who like to pull -- maybe this would help them.

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  13. That's one gorgeous dog! :)

    Thanks for the info on the leash. We're about to invest in a training program for Nike; it'll be interesting to see what kind of leash the trainer recommends for her. I'll ask him about this one.

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    1. Thank you Christina! Hope the training goes well for her.

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  14. That looks like a great leash. If only Cocco would go for walks :-) Head in the grass is enough for this lil piggy...

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    1. Are mini pigs not good walkers? Looks like he has a nice yard to walk around in anyways.

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  15. That looks cool but I would think the booming sounds from the thunder would scare them.

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  16. I love how you point out the importance of training! In the beginning I have bought so many "equipment" that says that they will reduce, or stop pulling. All this stuff might work in the start, but it takes just a little while for the dog to get used to it to then start pulling again. Training is the only way to teach a dog to stop pulling. I can understand that sometimes a person needs help with equipment because they might find themselves handling a aggresive dog, in the need some control, but that is a diffrent case.

    I'm just pretty Turid Rugaas when it comes to these things... I rather just use a regular harness and go with the training. :) Anyways great post! Love the video of Shiner!!! Wishing you a great weekend! Hugs, Francesca

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    1. Thank you Francesca - training is super important!

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  17. Sorry, all I saw in the video was just another leash. I guess I missed something. :-(

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    1. It clips to her collar like a normal leash and then wraps around her body like a harness. Just like in the diagram.

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  18. Excellent review!! And Shiner's so good walking! So relaxed.
    The wiens are so excited about walks that they don't want to walk, they want to run... and PULL!! And even though they're small, they can pull very hard, especially Austin. Walking him feels like walking a bigger dog. And if he sees a cat, get ready for a real ride.
    They wear harnesses because they'd gag themselves to death with collars only. Plus, the harnesses are much easier on their necks/backs. However, the harnesses also make it easier for them to pull harder since they can really put their chests into it.
    Needless to say, they're not trained (our fault!). Hmmm... might be able to use the ThunderLeash along with their harnesses... maybe the squeezing from the ThunderLeash might deter them from their usual pulling. It's a little pricey... maybe wouldn't be too bad for one dog... but for two, it's a little more ouch. However, it might be worth it not to be pulled down the street. Or MAYBE... we could just get our woof together and work harder at training them out of pulling :).

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    1. I know how it is, I've walked plenty of dogs who were excellent pullers! Of course, I usually walked them with clinic leashes and hacking was almost inevitable. Honestly, I'm not sure if this would work with a harness. I mean you could use it as a regular leash with a harness, but there really is no need for an extra harness. If you do try it out, they have a 45 day satisfaction guarantee.

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  19. Interesting. I feel like I have seen a similar product/mechanism elsewhere, but cannot place it. I may have to try this out.

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    1. Some other commenters say they have used a similar product as well. This is the first time I've seen anything like this, but there are so many things out there.

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  20. This sounds great! One of my daxies likes to pull on occasions... aren't they all a little like that from time to time? It must be with being so close to the ground. Might have to give the thunderleash a whirl!

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    1. Yea the dachsies can be little pullers hehe :) But my dog is the same way sometimes.

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  21. My dog is good on a leash but sometimes he wants to chase running kids or bikers. I need to try this out.

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    1. Good luck if you do! Thunderworks offers a 45 day money back guarantee so there is not much risk.

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  22. Love the review and would love to try a small leash on Cappy. You saw how he is all over the place and pulling is one thing he does do. Being a doxie he has little man syndrome and pulling, barking at everything and pushing the other dogs in the house (who are larger then him) around, are some of the things he loves to do. Maybe this leash can help one little symptom of this problem.
    Thanks
    Liz

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    1. Aw cute little Cappy... good luck to you if you decide to try it out Liz. I hope it works for you!

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  23. I agree.....a very balanced review. I have used my regular leash with a link clip from the hard wear store to simulate the Thunderleash and it gives me more control with my husky cross. He actually seams calmer and less distressed when we approach other dogs (he is anxious/dominant). We recently tried the Thundershirt with good results too.

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