Great article musicdeb. I am sure most of us mastiff owner wouldn't use one when our beasts are full grown, but I saw a lady walking her puppy mastiff (a DoB) and he saw something on the other side of a busy road and just took off! In order to avoid being mown down by traffic, the owner had to let go of the lead when it reached its full length and of course the plastic handle was smashed to pieces by the truck that ran over it. She managed to get him back safely, but my guess is she wouldn't use one again! They are really not the sort of leash to walk one of our breeds on and maybe not a good idea of any of the larger breeds full stop! They are fine for the smaller dogs that you can control by grabbing the cord!