When my dog Ollie arrived in our household, I had very little notice as he was a rescue dog. With just a few hours to get ready for his arrival, I rushed out to my local pet store, Partners Pets and grabbed a few essentials.

One of the items that I knew I definitely wanted was a retractable lead, although I had no idea about lengths or manufacturers. The friendly store manager guided me around the dog section, recommending food, treats, bowls - and talking me through the lead options. He showed me several different types of retractable lead; the most basic one had a black handle and a selection of lead lengths. The sales person told me that this would be a perfectly adequate lead for any dog, but if I wanted to upgrade I could buy the Comfort flexi lead.

My decision was entirely based on colour; the Comfort lead came in purple - my favourite colour, and I bought it for £17.95

~~The lead~~

The sales person told me that the Flexi 2 was the right lead for a medium sized dog like my Cocker Spaniel. It certainly felt like a good quality lead when I held it and the difference between this and the cheaper lead was obvious.

The lead has a black, rubberised handle which is very tactile and gives a good grip. The handle is ergonomically shaped with a satisfying bulge that fits into the palm of your hand when you are holding the lead. This prevents cramp or any discomfort if you are walking a dog which pulls a lot. The retracting wheel sits in the rounded part of the handle, and this part is a lovely purple colour and made out of a solid, smooth plastic casing.

There is a 42cm short purple flat lead made out of woven fabric - this attaches to the cord of the retractable lead with a strong rubber end and a rubber washer. On the other end is a leather tab which attaches a steel clip so that the lead can be clipped on to the dog's collar.

I chose the 5 metre lead rather than the 8 metre lead, as this was the recommended length for my dog.

~~How does it work?~~

There are two buttons on the handle, and these are placed very comfortably so that they can be used without changing the grip on the lead.

The largest button is what I call the brake. It is indented so that the ball of your thumb fits nicely into it without slipping. Pressing this button clamps the lead so the retraction wheel stops; taking your thumb off the button releases the lead. Using this button, I often haul Ollie back to me as if I was a fisherman bringing in a fish - pulling and clamping, pulling and clamping. It is very efficient in emergencies.

Above this button is a ridged button that locks the lead. To use it you press the 'Brake' button and click the lock on. This locks the lead to a specific length, but I do not often use it as it means that the lead lies slack rather than whizzing back into the handle, and Ollie often gets his legs tangled up in the slack. It is much more work to keep on depressing the brake button, but I find it a much more efficient and enjoyable way of using the lead.

~~Durability~~

The lead is a German made product, and I usually associate German products with good quality. I think that this does apply to the Flexi lead. The lead has really had high intensity use since I got it - Ollie pulls hard on the lead and tends to run ahead around brick walls. This traps the cord of the lead in between the bricks where the mortar has disappeared, and every day the cord of the lead is scraped hard inbetween the bricks. Ollie is such an active dog that the lead is whizzing backwards and forwards at huge speed as he runs ahead and runs back to me again.

After 8 weeks of intensive use, the rubberised black handle is almost untouched. The purple part of the handle has some small scratches and scrapes, due to the lead being on the ground if I tie Ollie to a post while I go into a shop.

The buttons on the lead still function very well, but I have noticed that the retractor mechanism has got a little slack and does not snap the lead back into the handle with the same speed as it did when it was new.

This could be because the cord has frayed a little, due to the daily brick scraping. There is no risk of the cord wearing out or breaking, but it is a little frayed and I notice that the places where it is frayed catch on the wheel as the lead is retracting.

Having said this, the lead still functions very well and I am sure that it will last for many months to come.

~~Usefulness~~

I find that the 5 metre lead is just right for Ollie - any longer and he would run to far away.

There is only one downside to this lead - the way that Ollie runs round and round objects. He has wound the lead around lampposts, trees and elderly gentlemen, effectively wrapping them up like a parcel as he runs round and round them and winds them up. With trees this is a minor delay to our walk - with elderly gentlemen it is very embarrassing. I have often had to spend a long time on my knees unwinding the lead and releasing them, although I had the feeling that they did secretly enjoy the experience!

On the plus side, I have found the lead excellent for recall training. I let Ollie go to the full length of the lead and then call him back, giving the lead a small twitch if he doesn't return immediately.

The other obvious advantage is the extra exercise that Ollie gets when we are out walking; he can run around all over the place while still on the lead and sniff to his hearts content.