2 in One Dog Leash

During the summer many people like to walk their dogs as a way to pass time and exercise. A dog leash and water bottle are both essential items when walking dogs but they can takes up a lot of space. So in order to solve this issue I wanted to create a product that could both be a dog leash and carry water. I also wanted this product to be comfortable to handle, and visually appealing.

- Fusion 360

- Pixlr

When doing research I looked at many dog leash products along with multi purpose dog leashes. There are so many products to look at with the same concept and with a similar design. I really liked the idea of having a dog leash that could have multiple purposes reducing the amount of weight needed. So I designed a dog leash that could both be a dog leash and also function as a water bottle reducing weight and adding extra space to a persons bag. The leash will have a separate compartment meant for carrying water and will also have a cap to make sure the water doesn't leak.

I also wanted the leash's handle to have an ergonomic design as most dog leashes just had a stick for a handle which could get really uncomfortable.

I was inspired by the retractable dog leashes for my product. Above are some of the images that inspired my design.

During the sketching process I had to go through some changes and drafts to get to a design I liked. Above are the sketches that I used as a base for the design although during the process it changed a lot. I planned on having a collapsible silicone bowl on the back of the leash, along with a clear compartment for water. I also wanted to have a flashlight on top but realized that it would probably be too heavy to carry afterwards.

The first thing I did when I designed the product was the handle as I felt like everything would have to fit around it. When designing it I kept in thought the size of the handle along with how comfortable it would be. I also wanted the handle to also have a sort of ergonomic handle so in order to achieve I used the create form workspace. In my first try I went for a more curved shape that although looked really good on its own , did not fit in with the body. So I had to start from scratch again, and in the second try I got it correct.

After I designed the main handle I modeled the main body to fit around it but then the body didn't seem to be able to fit around the handle so I had to restart several times. After several redesigns I finally created a smooth transition from the handle to the body. I then created a rough outline of the leash and then smoothened the transition even more using the fillet tool. After I created the main body I modeled the water bottle part of the leash. This part would be where the water goes. I wanted the water compartment to be clear in order to spot dirt or mold on it. In order to find the most optimal spot for the pouring/filling spout I also experimented a bit with the position. After experimenting a bit I decided to design it so that the spout is on top, as I felt like it would be the easiest place for filling the bottle with water along with pouring out the water.

When I finished modeling the body I designed the bottle cap. This cap will have a silicon rim as to make sure it doesn't leak, and it has a 11mm thread. After experimenting with the leash for a while I realized that a silicon bowl was simply not going to fit in with the design. So instead of a bowl I added in a dog poop bag dispenser in order to reduce the amount of items that a person may need to carry.

I wanted the leash to also have different themes and colors so I applied different unique textures to my product. I planned on having 3 - 5 different themes including some superhero ones like the first image. I also wanted to have some more simple textures too.

Above are some of my final renderings along with how a person might use the leash.

Overall I was pretty happy with the result of the project and it was really fun designing the product. I think that this model could potentially be brought into the real world and I think that it would probably work. This was a really enjoyable design challenge and it helped me have some fun during the summer.

Looking back though I would definitely change some things on the leash. Next time I would definitely add a strap to the cap in order to prevent losing it. Along with that I would also add more space for carrying more water and also have extra width for more components. I would also experiment with the spout position even more, but overall I think that the result was pretty good and I'm happy with it.