25 Essential Life Hacks for Your Dog with Carabiners
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. These won’t cost you anything, but the commissions we may earn through them help offset the cost of more carabiners. Thanks for your support!
Is a carabiner the most useful dog management accessory NOT sold in a pet store? Let’s find out. Don’t forget to check the end of this post for notes, links, and resources about the stuff we talk about here!
A carabiner is an amazingly awesome and versatile little multitasker. I have a couple in my everyday carry, and they’re definitely one of my dog gear go-tos. But they are not all made equally. So before you start clipping on, you need to know a bit about choosing a good one that fits your needs.
CARABINERS 101
Now, I’ve done a fair amount of bouldering and rappelling, and I can tell you that a good carabiner is beautiful with a million-and-one uses. But they’re not all made the same.
Avoid the cheapie freebies
For starters, those little guys come free with kits and bags you buy. One came from a treat bag I bought, one from a first aid kit, one from a makeup bag my wife got…you get the idea. These are not made to withstand any real force. Also, a carabiner gets its strength from the gate and the frame creating a solid loop. So, to be truly effective, the gate needs to mate up or interlink with the frame. None of these actually do that, so on top of being cheap material, they’re weak by design. These gates will eventually even swing outwards with enough use. All crap. Even with a small dog, all crap.
Not the ones for your keys, either
There are also carabiners available at most department stores like Walmart or Target. These are made for your keys. These are still not rated for strength; if you put this on a dog leash, they can break. Even a small dog can exert a lot of force. Plus, the pins always come out of the hinges on these things,, and then the gate falls completely off. They’re not made to last. Don’t use these either.
Get heavier duty
Now we’re getting into the right kind of weight class, but we have a second consideration now: a locking gate. I can tell you from experience that any carabiner that doesn’t have a locking gate and has the line wrapped around it will come open. If your dog walks just right around whatever you’ve tethered them to, it’ll pop open, and then ¡Adios, perro! So take, for example, the Nite Ize S-biner. You can get ones rated for your dog’s weight, up to 100 pounds. This is better, but the wire gate here doesn’t lock. Heck, I have little s-biners on my key ring, and they come off all the time when my keys get jumbled in a pocket.
Now, you can get s-biners that supposedly lock with a little rubber collar that slides down the gate. But it’s a really small system prone to wear and tear, and I am not willing to bet my dogs’ long-term safety on it. S-biners also come in different sizes, which are probably all right for small accessories. Then there are the heavy-duty carabiners from the hardware store. Pick one up sometimes and see how the gate integrates into the frame. This is actually strong enough to climb with, and you could probably even make some light-duty towing and recovery with it. However, you’ll notice that this gate doesn’t lock either. Strong, sure, but not totally safe yet. Plus, this sucker is heavy. These come in different sizes too. As often as I’ve snagged things, these heavy-duty little guys are superior to the S-biners, IMHO.
Better yet, get a climber
Get an actual climbing carabiner. It’s rated to stop a person’s fall, which is way more force than your dog will ever put on it. The gate locks on many of them so it can’t come open accidentally. Plus, even though it’s super strong, it’s lightweight. This is like the perfect melding of strength, quality, and safety.
You can get these easily at outdoor stores and online. I mostly use this one, a Petzl brand with a screw gate, and I got it for about $16 at Field & Stream. I’ve also got a bunch made by Black Diamond, but they live in my rappelling gear bag! In any event, I’d rather spend the extra ten dollars for something that does that job right and that I never have to replace!
25 CARABINER LIFE HACKS FOR YOUR DOG
Now that you know how to pick the appropriate equipment. What can you do with it? Here are 25 of our favorite suggestions!
1. Carry keys and accessories.
Use it to carry keys, poo baggies, lights, and other accessories.
2. Briefly tie out your dog on the go.
Clip the carabiner to your leash, for starters. Use it to secure your dog to sign posts, trees, benches, and table legs. This is a good temporary situation for when you need to be hands-free.
3. Clip to belts and backpacks.
Clip to D-rings, loops, belts, or MOLLE webbing on backpacks for hands-free walking.
4. Keep gear handy in the car.
If you use a bag to carry dog items with you, keep it upright and handy instead of rolling around on the floor. Use the carabiner on the bag handles and clip it to the headrest. You could have the bag in the passenger seat, so it stays upright or on the back of the seat. Either way, it’s easy to get into it without messing around.
5. Clip to the d-rings in your SUV.
This is a great way to tether your dog. Use your leash for a temporary fix while loading or unloading the car, or use a long line as a tie-out while tailgating or camping. I always use this technique, even with students’ dogs, when we’re walking at park locations.
6. No D-ring? No sweat.
Clip to the grip handle inside the car (commonly referred to as the “‘Oh-shit!’ handle”).
7. No grip handle either?
You can even clip to the internal door latch. This is a great one to use in a pinch momentarily when you need both hands.
8. Install eye bolts.
You can pick up heavy-duty eyebolts at the hardware store and install them where you want your dog tethered. In a mud room, near a gate, on a boat, etc. The carabiner will allow you to use your favorite leash to hook on securely. I have eyebolts stationed all around my training facility; they’re a lifesaver sometimes.
9. Hell, you don’t even need an eyebolt.
Hook to a padlock or a gate latch.
10. You can even hook up to a chain link fence.
This is a good hack when there aren’t any other options to secure your dog.
11. Use for safe car travel.
Clip to a body harness and run the seatbelt through the carabiner to secure your dog in the car. Make sure to hook to a crash-rated car harness like the Ezy-Dog Drive or the Sleepypod Click-It.
12. Walking two dogs?
You can convert your leash into a splitter if you need to. Use the carabiner on the loop handle, and then clip that to the second dog. Just hold the leash in the middle (or use a second carabiner as a slide handle).
13. Use it to consolidate several leashes.
Suddenly find yourself trying to manage several dogs? Put ’em all on one handle!
14. Consolidate awkward items.
Clip things together for easier carrying, like collapsible bowls, travel water bottles, etc.
15. DIY Leash Project.
Some custom leashes actually use a carabiner instead of a standard clip. This is ridiculously useful! If you’re good with a sewing machine or at braiding paracord, go for it!
16. Improvise a slip-lead.
Use it as the handle for an improvised slip lead should your collar or harness become unusable. In some instances, I’ve had to do this to rope someone else’s dog that got loose. This could also be done as a belly-hitch. Remember the scout motto: always be prepared!
17. Consolidate several dogs’ gear.
I use one to consolidate and/or store hardware like leashes, packs, and specialized bits for all three of my dogs. A package of two leashes, a splitter, and a harness will be all I need for all three of my dogs. All of that can go on one carabiner for storage and transport.
18. Consolidate related gear.
I put my Boston Terrier’s Front Range harness together with my Rok Strap leash. This makes it so easy to store, grab, and go!
19. Use it to store hardware on hooks.
Group it, consolidate it, and then throw it on hooks. A wonderful thing for keeping things neat and tidy!
20. Use one to hold your dog’s gear when you drop them off at the groomers.
Things can get separated and/or shuffled about. You could leave a little gear package ready for when you pick up or carry it, so you have everything. No more forgetting something in the car when you pick it up!
21. Create a Go-Bag.
Group and consolidate travel items and make it for one-stop packing when you’re ready to load up and head out. In the video, I have a Kurgo Kibble Carrier with food, and on that is clipped a harness, a leash, a collapsible bowl, and a travel water bottle. BOOM. In and out.
22. Use it as a failsafe for your harness.
Double clip the collar to the harness for extra safety. If you’re using a front-hook harness to help with walking training, some dogs and back out of these under the right circumstances. This extra layer of protection can add a lot of peace of mind.
23. Get home with a broken leash.
If a leash breaks while you’re hiking or camping, use a carabiner to mend it so you can get home. A couple of figure-eight knots in the ends will make for super-secure and easy-to-tie options.
24. Improvise a leash.
Use a scrap of short rope or a tow strap if necessary. Sometimes you get caught with not many options! I use bowline knots for this because they take up less length than a figure eight while still being strong.
25. Improvise a tie-out.
With a longer rope or strap, you could make a tie out. Secure that tie out to a tree, sign post, fence, or even your car. Use figure eight knots for this, as they’re the strongest and one of the easiest knots to make.
AND EVEN MORE…
These things are also ridiculously useful for all sorts of non-dog-related things. I recommend just throwing one in your car, backpack, or purse. Once you start thinking this way, you’ll never go without one!
I would also recommend looking at my article and video on handling a leash like a pro. A carabiner is an awesome add-on, but you should understand good, sensible, and safe leash handling.
Questions for you: what are your favorite ways to use a carabiner with your dog? Did we forget anything? Do you have more ideas? I want to hear from you; let’s connect in the comments.
Don’t forget to give us a thumbs up on YouTube if you learned something useful, and until next time, keep learning, keep practicing. Thanks for reading!
MORE RESOURCES
Recommended Carabiners
I like locking carabiners because they prevent the gate from coming open. An open gate means things will slip out of it, and it compromises the unit’s strength.
Black Diamond Locking Carabiners
For some things, the Nite Ize S-Biners are decent ones to use.
Knots in the Video
Hey, you don’t need to know a million knots (and believe me, there are tons out there to learn), but knowing about five or so is a tremendous life skill you can use all the time. I know I do!
The two used in this video are the Bowline and Figure Eight. You can learn those (and any others you like) at Animated Knots
Other Gear Used in the Video
Kong Quick Control Traffic Handle Leash
Trackbacks for this post