Dog leash hooks

July 18, 2012 6:39 PM

I have a dog leash with a snap hook (it appears to be called) on one end and something else on the other end.

In this photo, the snap hook is the bottom, the other on the top. The other is not a lobster hook. What is it called and what purpose does it serve that the snap hook does not?

posted by falsedmitri to pets & animals (8 answers total)

The other one is called a... snap hook!

Specifically, the one on the bottom is a "bolt snap hook" and the one on the top is a "trigger snap hook."

The both serve roughly the same function.
posted by brainmouse at 6:43 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

The only difference I ever noticed is that the trigger snap hook is easier to detach from the dog's collar, as it doesn't require as much manual dexterity (unlike a bolt snap hook, you don't have to both open the hook and turn to get a trigger snap hook to release it from the D-ring on the collar.)
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:47 PM on July 18, 2012

I find the trigger snap hook requires more dexterity, but for the reasons that make it more difficult, perhaps it is more secure.
posted by falsedmitri at 7:02 PM on July 18, 2012

Don't know about the trigger snap hook, but in the wintertime here I find on cold days when there's snow on the ground the bolt snap hook clogs and seizes up frozen.

I think maybe the other intent of the trigger snap hook is to link to a second leash to extend the length.
posted by dismitree at 7:20 PM on July 18, 2012

I think maybe the other intent of the trigger snap hook is to link to a second leash to extend the length.

I have seen leashes with clips at the person-end so that you can loop the leash around a tree or fence rail and clip it to itself, making it fast and easy to hook the dog to something while you run into the coffeeshop. I can't tell from the photo if this will work with your leash, but it's a possibility. The trigger snap wouldn't work well for the dog-end of a leash, because it could get triggered by snagging it on the collar or against something. The bolt snap is more secure, but as noted can be harder to use.
posted by Forktine at 7:29 PM on July 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Answered already, but: I hate all snap hooks, and replace them with (mini, not-for-climbing) carabiner-style rings whenever I can. They're much easier to operate under wiggly dog conditions. If you do that, though, and if your dog is big, look for ones with some load ability in the pulling direction. That is, not just 99-cent keychain ones.
posted by ctmf at 8:47 PM on July 18, 2012

Trigger snaps are safer, since bolt snaps can come undone if they're used on just the right size dog collar rings (ask me how I know....). Are there rings sewn into the leash along its length? If so, the snaps are to change the leash into different lengths and different styles (use on two dogs, fasten around waist, attach leash to something, etc.).
posted by biscotti at 2:04 PM on July 19, 2012

You might have a bit of horse equipment. A cross tie, trailer tie, or other fixed tie usually has a normal bolt snap hook on the horse end and most often a panic snap but sometimes a trigger snap on the wall/trailer end. The bolt snap is easier to snap onto a fidgeting horse but requires some slack in order to unsnap it. On the other hand, the panic snap or trigger snap can be released without any slack, for example if the horse is panicking and pulling on the line...
posted by anaelith at 4:24 PM on July 19, 2012 [1 favorite]