Part 1 - The Inspiration:
It all started back in 1996; I was the proud owner of a great dog, a Golden Retriever named Axis. Now Axis and I were very close and I brought him everywhere I went.
You see, I was present when he was born out of a healthy litter of nine pups; I picked him and he picked me, so started our amazing 13 year relationship together. During his young adult years Axis became very aggressive when there was another dog or person present. I came to the realization that he was protecting our relationship as he must have felt threatened by any other dog or person getting between us.
There was no way that I was going to yell or punish him; our bond was far too deep so I spoke with several trainers and was told several different things. “Use a choke collar”, “try a pinch collar”, “use the clicker method and give him a treat every time he listens”. I quickly realized that many people, even some experienced trainers, don’t give the canine enough credit for emotion, intelligence or their ability to learn.
I have found that most dogs want to please their owners, however, if the owner uses force to train then it’s only natural for the dog to rebel. And if it’s a treat every time then the dog comes to expect food for every good deed, the food becomes the motivation.
I personally was trying to develop a trust and bond with Axis, I wanted him to follow me not because he had to but because he wanted to, and I truly can say that is what we accomplished! For 13 wonderful years I had a Golden Retriever shadow, without force or food motivation we became best friends.
Late one night while clicking through the channels I happened upon a re-broadcast of the Westminster Dog Show.
I noticed that all of the handlers used a short lead to gain control of their canine; they kept their dog close by their side as they proudly pranced around the display ring. I wasn’t looking to make Axis a show dog but I did want him to be an attentive dog so on the spot I started to create.
I took a couple of old leashes and went to work; I tied one leash to a second so that there was an extra handle down low close by the collar. Axis watched intently as I fabricated this crude version of the first Pro-Leash, and when I thought I had it we hit the road to try out my new contraption.
Once outside, under a full moon, I clipped the new leash to his collar and we were off, Axis started to walk me as he always did but this time I had a secret weapon! I reached out and grabbed onto my strategically placed secondary handle, I pulled straight back and to both my and Axis’s surprise he stopped pulling, and backed up by my side. He looked up to me, calm and collected, and awaited my next instruction.
Ok then, I have just become a dog trainer, I was in control, now what do I do? After some quick thinking I said; “good boy” (hey it was the first thing to come to my mind!) Holding onto the second handle we again started our walk, when I let him out to the end of the long leash he started to pull so I repeated the process, pulling him in with the second handle calming him down and we continued on.
This sequence of events happened several more times but Axis started to catch on, when we started to travel back home he was not pulling. He was now walking with a new found respect for the same leash that before he wanted to pull away from.
I knew right there that I was on to something! No forceful pulling on my part, no pain inducing collars and no treats. Axis was settled on the leash and he was truly being a “good boy”, I’ve got to tell the world!
Part 3 - What Have I Gotten Myself Into:
So started the Pro-Leash® journey, the inspiration now had an answer however the real tasks were just starting. Product development, patenting, trade marking, manufacturing, marketing, trade shows, the commitment of my financial savings and on and on.
I made the Pro-Leash® myself for a few years, cut the pieces in my basement and had it sewn by a local company, I used only the best materials that I could buy. The best webbing, the strongest sewing, marine grade hardware, padded handles and a full set of training instructions also came with each leash; I wanted the leash to be a professional quality product. My father always told me that “if you're going to do something, do it right,” so I cut no corners.
I hit the trade show trail and also traveled around to all the Mom & Pop pet stores within a 100 mile radius, explaining my new idea. In time the Pro-Leash® started to sell and dog owners were having the same results that I was. This was great, or so I thought, as the company grew I was approached by the corporate world.
For a while I was having the Pro-Leash® manufactured overseas and was signed on with a huge American distributor which was good for them, but not so good for me.
Ok, I was dancing with the big boys, but in time I became very dissatisfied with the leash quality and my original goals of introducing a product that was safe and comfortable for both dog and handler was being compromised by the corporate “must make money” mindset; a far cry from my initial ideas - my dream was being pushed aside!
Part 4 - Made In The U.S.A.:
The past experiences were very educational as to the inner workings of big business and thankfully I was able to break away from those dealings, so no hard feelings a great lesson was learned. But now I am proud to say that I have my product back home.
Every aspect of the Pro-Leash® is American Made, the leashes are hand sewn in Ohio by my friends at Weaver Leather, our packaging is made in Rhode Island by Jay- Packaging and printed on recycled cardboard and our sew in tags are also American made by Eagle Wright out of Dayton.
My original concept and product quality are back in place; a dog friendly dual purpose leash system, great for walking or if you choose training, the Pro-Leash® is 3 leashes in one.
Use the long leash solo for straight walking, use the 16” traffic lead solo for those tight spots or clip the two together for the benefit of both long and short leash as one. The Walk/Train Pro-Leash; what a journey it has been!
Finale - Remembering American Pride:
It’s very clear why so many American companies go overseas, first off the cost difference for overseas manufacturing is at least 50% less. The quality is acceptable but it’s difficult to order small quantities, and samples can take weeks to arrive back in the U.S. so unless you can travel overseas to watch over your products manufacturing process, quality control is difficult to manage.
So why do so many companies opt for overseas manufacturing? Simply put the profit margin! This mindset has dramatically affected the American Manufacturer and its related work force.
My profit margin is substantially less by being made in the states but I am truly interested in making a high quality product that follows the much meaningful code of our fore fathers; “Made with Pride in the USA”.