Long Line/Recall Leads

Because your dog deserves more than a 1.2m radius, but their recall isn’t strong enough to let go yet. A longline (also called a recall lead) gives your dog the freedom to sniff, explore, and act like an actual dog, while keeping you in control until their recall is genuinely reliable. It’s your training safety net. We’ve created our longlines with heavy-duty webbing with reinforced hardware, so when your dog  clocks a squirrel and goes full warp speed, the lead goes with them. Not to pieces.

Let your dog wander off - yes, really. Once they're a good distance away, call their name followed by your recall cue in your happiest voice (not the one you use when they've done something awful). As they come back to you, gather the line hand-over-hand to keep it off the ground. This stops tangles and, crucially, stops the line running through bare hands at speed which can leave rope burn. Reward generously when they reach you with high value rewards, like our natural treats. We're talking proper celebration, not a grudging biscuit. Start in low-distraction environments and build up gradually. Our longlines give you up to 10m+ to work with, so there's real distance to play with as their confidence builds, we also have 3m longlines for those situations where you want to give your dog a bit of freedom yet keep them close.

Gloves are your friend. Always use a hand-over-hand technique and never let the line run freely through bare hands. A dog hitting full speed on a longline will win that particular argument every single time, and rope burn is no fun for anyone. Keep the line off the ground as much as you can to avoid your dog's legs getting tangled and make the most of our tangle-resistant webbing that sits lighter than rope alternatives. This means less drag, less faff, fewer tangles mid-session when you're already juggling treats, a clicker, and your pride.

The advantages: your dog gets actual freedom to move, sniff, and decompress without you having to cross your fingers and let them off entirely. It takes the pressure off both of you during recall training. The disadvantages: they require active management. In busy spots, the line can be a trip hazard (for you, for strangers, for that bloke on a bike who wasn't paying attention). In seriously muddy conditions, fabric lines collect everything the ground has to offer. And a longline is never a substitute for a properly fitted collar or harness - always clip to a secure attachment point.

It depends where you are in the process. A 3m line is a solid starting point, enough room to practise recall in the garden or a quiet field without managing a washing line's worth of lead. A 10m line gives you proper distance in open parks once distraction levels go up. Anything above this, and you're into professional territory - advanced distance work, or large high-energy breeds who need serious space to decompress before their brain re-engages. We have a range of lengths to match where your dog actually is in their training. Not where you hope they are.

Honestly? Most breeds benefit from longline training at some point. But they're especially invaluable for high-prey-drive and independent thinkers like  Spaniels, Huskies, Beagles, and Sighthounds, AKA the ones who hear your recall cue, file it for later, and carry on. For large, powerful breeds like XL Bullies, Cane Corsos, and German Shepherds, the hardware matters as much as the length. BullyBillows longlines use reinforced stitching and high-load-rated clips, because a clip failing mid-recall is not a training outcome anyone planned for.