Dog Lifestyle Product Reviews

The Fifth Paw Leash Attachment Review – Keeping all Paws on Deck!

Demonstrating the Fifth Paw Leash attachment on a walk with Harley
Written by Kevin Sando

Recently, our good friend Sugar The Golden Retriever, helped us to solve a big, STINKY problem! How? She introduced us to a new friend, Stephen Longo, from The Fifth Paw.

The Fifth Paw Logo

What kind of problem did they solve? A Doggy Doody Problem!!

The Fifth Paw is designed to be attached to any standard 1 or 2 ply leash!

I have a routine and it goes a little something like this….

  1. Rush home from work
  2. Love on the pups and let them outside for bathroom time
  3. Take 5 Minutes to just BREATHE (Please boys, just 5 minutes?)
  4. Say the MAGIC words: “Wanna go for walk?”
  5. Watch as CHAOS ensues!!
  6. Go for a walk: First to the playground/athletic fields where Charlie can burn some energy with his Frisbee, then around the neighborhood.

Harley goes along for the ride.

Our handsome Golden Retriever Harley

Charlie has a routine of his own. It goes a little something like this….

  1. OMD! I think that was Mom: Rush to the Door!
  2. Get lots of pets (Keep all 4 paws on the ground, Keep all 4 paws on the ground)
  3. Bathroom!!!!!!
  4. Waiting, Waiting, Waiting….Is she going to make us wait forever, I better remind her-We go on a walkie EVERYDAY when she gets home!
  5. SHE SAID IT!!! I knew my persistence would pay off-LETS GO!
  6. FRISBEE! FRISBEEE! FRISBEEEEEEE!!!!
  7. TIRED! Time to walk around the neighborhood. Do my “business” as soon as Mom is out of sight of a garbage can.

Our boy Charlie is one happy Golden Retriever!

Yes, true story-Charlie is so excited to play and walk, that he “forgets” to do his business. Unlike his gentleman brother, Harley, who does his business at the playground-making for easy clean-up and disposal, Charlie waits to find the perfect spot-as far from a garbage can as possible!!

The Problem (The Short Version)

With no garbage cans in sight, I am left walking two dogs, while carrying around 1 (sometimes 2) bags of dog poop. Juggling two excited dogs is a job in itself. Carrying around their “business” while doing so, really STINKS (pun intended).

The Fifth Paw leash attachment makes walking with 2 dogs much more manageable.

Holding two leashes in two separate hands means that I have to stick the knotted part of the bag between two fingers while I grip the leash. With all of their bounces, that stinky bag ends up hitting me in the hand repeatedly-SO GROSS! Shuffling those bags/leashes around can be downright frustrating. More than once, it has resulted in me dropping the leash.

The Solution: The Fifth Paw – Hands Free, Doody Free!

MyDogLikes reviews The Fifth Paw Leash Attachment - "an extra paw to help hold the doody!"

Like me, Stephen Longo, creator of The Fifth Paw, had his hands full trying to walk Great Danes-Caesar and Chloe. The idea for The Fifth Paw was conceived in these moments, as a solution to the problem that all active dog owners face: holding on to several bags of dog poop. Its not only stinky and gross, but it can compromise your grip on the leash-leading to unsafe conditions for you and your best friend.

Click Here to Check it Out on Amazon!

So what is it…Magic!?

Getting ready to test out The Fifth Paw leash attachment with our Golden Retriever Charlie

What do you have for me, Mom?

You have probably seen some dog vests designed to carry their poop. We think these can be a great solution for some people.

The only problem? Some dogs love to roll! The only thing that sounds worse than carrying your doggie doody is having to clean smushed poop out of a vest….Yuk.

The Fifth Paw is a completely new take on dog clean-up!

Charlie wondering what the Fifth Paw is for

Can I eat it? Is it a snack!?

How does it work?

Simply attach The Fifth Paw to your existing leash and GO! Watch the video below for precise instructions!

When your dog “takes care of business”, simply knot the bag and slip it on to the “rotating ring” ensuring that the knot is on one side, the bag on the other. The unique rotating ring can easily hold 3+ bags of poop and because it rotates it prevents tangling with the leash!

Charlie checking out The Fifth Paw Leash Attachment

What’s next? Nothing – Enjoy your doody-free, hands-free walk!!

A view down the leash with The Fifth Paw attached

What did we think?

Demonstrating the Fifth Paw Leash attachment on a walk with Harley

Assembly – Putting it together was a breeze. With a demo online and detailed instructions on the packaging, we had it on the leash in under a minute. The Fifth Paw has thought of everything, accommodating flat leashes of varying thicknesses (double-ply, single-ply, leather, etc). The only leash it wouldn’t work with is a round/rope leash.

MyDogLikes reviewing The Fifth Paw leash attachment. The fifth paw helps make your dog walks more enjoyable by carrying the used poop bags for you!

The website/packaging suggests attaching it close to the loop handle. Because I walk two dogs together, I like to keep them on a shorter leash on the sidewalk, otherwise we have a tangled mess and it is harder for me to keep them under control in an unpredictable situation.

MyDogLikes testing out The Fifth Paw Leash Attachment

I found that I liked attaching it much further down on the leash. I would recommend trying it out in a few different spots on the leash to see what works best for you. The great thing about The Fifth Paw is that it can be moved easily to accommodate your own comfort and walking style.

Our Golden Retriever Charlie testing out The Fifth Paw leash attachment

Use – When not in use, The Fifth Paw is not bulky or in the way. There is no need to attach/detach between walks. I have taken the dogs all sorts of places since attaching it, and it doesn’t take up any additional space in my bags/hands.

The Fifth Paw leash attachment makes dog walking easier and more enjoyable

Sliding the bags on was easy, even with a wiggling pup! I did find that knotting the bags a little higher made it even easier to attach because the bag had a long “neck”. Again, test it out and see what works best for you.

Testing out The Fifth Paw leash attachment on a walk with the boys!

The real magic happened the first time Charlie decided it was time to follow his own agenda and “take care of business” far away from a garbage can! I did my duty with his doody, attached the bag, and walked on! The bag stayed attached, rotated with bumps and turns, and was AMAZING!

Why MyDogLikes The Fifth Paw Leash Attachment

We love The Fifth Paw! It easily attaches without adding a lot of bulk to your leash. This means I was able to keep it attached, so it is always there, ready to work! When its time to perform its duty, it can easily carry multiple bags of your dog’s waste. Gone are my days of being smacked in the hand with a bag of poop! The unique design of the rotating ring uses gravity to keep those bags rotating and tangle free.

The Fifth Paw leash attachment in its packaging

The Fifth Paw is a simple, effective, solution to a problem we face daily, and is a must have for busy pet parents.

Now, our walk can take us anywhere we want to go. No more worrying about “carry-in, carry-out parks” or planning our walking route around garbage cans; The Fifth Paw gives us the freedom to explore the open road!  Best of all, during all of our adventures, my boys are safe because I get to keep a hand firmly on each leash.

Click here to purchase one on Amazon!

About the author

Kevin Sando

Kevin is a mechanical engineer with a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has move than a decade experience in new product design, prototyping and early stage manufacturing. Pairing this background with his love of dogs, gives him a unique perspective to evaluate the design and execution of new and interesting pet products.

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