Should I be using a regular lead?

I brought home my 14 week old Westie on the weekend and have not started formal obediance training yet.

I have a regular lead to use to alk her and also one of the 5meter leads that extend out and retract back as the puppy comes and goes.

But I have been wondering which is the best one to use on our daily walks? I have been letting her walk on the retractable lead so that she can walk as close to me as she likes and also have the freedom to wander a few meters away as well.

Do you think this is ok?
Also I notice that most people with little dogs do not have them trained to walk off the lead but under full control. Is this because little dogs do not learn the same way as big dogs? Or can a Westie just as easily learn to walk by my side, to sit, stay, come, fetch and everything else just as any other dog can?

Your westie can learn the same commands as every other dog with patience and practice. You should start small, fun training sessions with him already. On your walks start teaching him to heel for a little bit at a time throughout your walk and praise him lots tell him ok to show him he can go back to exploring. This will hopefully show him that walks can be fun exploring time but there are some times when you need him to stay close. He's small so a retractable leash should be ok but with puppies that like to pull I recommend a regular leash until they are trained because retractable leashes break easily if puppy sees a squirrel.

Personally, I would NOT recommend a retractable lead for an untrained puppy ~ they're perfect if you are taking her on nature walks on paths away from people, cars and other dogs. However, on city/suburb streets they're just not suitable. What if the pup decided to run right in front of a car, or right up to a stray dog? You can stop the leash, but it could be too late by the time you stopped it.

If you get her well-trained and after she's an adult, flexis on normal streets could definitely work. But, she needs an excellent recall and you HAVE to be vigilant about oncoming cars and people. I don't recommend ever having a dog, well-trained or not, off-leash in public unfenced areas because there are leash laws, and it could easily endanger any dogs life ~ I only allow my dog off-leash at dog friendly parks or trails, which is for his safety from cars, dogs, kids, people, etc. It is very important and awesome to get your pup off-leash trained, it takes time and consistency but any breed can be trained to be obedient off-leash. However, ALL dogs are still animals ~ and, to me, none can be fully trusted off-leash with cars driving by and animals running around on city streets.

Thanks. I do keep her retractable leash very short along our street. But after a short period we turn onto a black walking path which is very much like a bush path. I have to keep an eye out for cyclists though. She is starting to pull on the lead when I take her to the back yard for toilet trips. So I better be careful.