Off the lead training.

I'm off to take my newly rescued Staffie (Molly) to the park later, now i'm unsure about letting her off the lead, worried about how she will get on with other dogs and if she will come back to me, i'd hate to keep her on the lead in such a big place where she can run around freely, anyone got any tips? I'd be really grateful, thankyou

How lovely to have a new rescue ~ especially a staffie, in view of the often bad publicity they get, so well done for taking Molly on.

As to letting her off the lead, it all depends on her behaviour so far. Have you tried her on a loose long line (attached to a properly fitted harness, never to a collar as the risk of injury is too high)? You can also practice the recall around the house & garden at first to see what she's like. This doesn't necessarily mean she'll be ok out on walks as she could be very distracted by other dogs etc, but it will give you a general idea of her responsiveness.

If you are confident in her recall & attentiveness to you around the house & garden & when on a long line, then you will probably be ok to let her off lead in safe, open spaces. Spend a lot of time practising the recall & rewarding it all the time to start with. If she's into toys take a squeaky toy or tennis ball or something out on walks. Spend time having fun with her & being the most exciting thing on earth so that she learns to have fun with you & wants to be with you.

When you first start to let he off lead, do it at a time with no other distractions around, e.g. no other dogs & not in a field full of rabbits!!!


Good luck with her & have fun.

Yeah shes fine in the garden comes back in when you call her.
She loves to be in the garden off a lead and stuff, i'll take her to a bit in the park that no other dogs really go down and i shall try her there.
Thankyou for the advice and tips, its muchly appreciated

Hmm,
Thought i'd do an update on the walk.
We got into the park and let her off when there was no other dogs she ran off and found another dog, she was fine playing with it (we had to run after her cuz she wouldnt come back lol). When we threw the ball for her she ran off and brought it back, so shes fine in that respect.
We put her back on the lead and along came a male spaniel, she was unsure of him and snapped a little bit, i dunno if its because she doesnt like male dogs or the fact that it came right up to her face. :/

Glad your first off lead walk went so well I had a staffy cross that loved to play with other dogs off the lead but could be aggressive towards them when on a lead - think he felt trapped or something. Also, if you're nervous about your dog meeting others, than that emotion will transfer down the lead to your dog but if you can relax this should help.

Hmm yeah maybe its because i tried to pull her back because she started growling.

This is an all too common problem ~many dogs are fine with other dogs when off lead, but as soon as you put the lead on, they become much more aggressive.

The reason for this is because being on lead means they have had the option of the "flight" response taken away from them. If they are unsure of the other dog or maybe think that the other dog is being a bit aggressive towards them (possibly because it's on a lead too?), then the dog has no option other than the "fight" option, so it may bark or growl or lunge at the other dog. Some very fearful dogs may try "freeze" or appeasement (rolling onto their backs, lots of lip-licking, tail between their legs etc) as they have learned that this response can avert an aggressor, but this is usually more prevalent in puppies where appeasing behaviour is more ingrained.

Another reason for on-lead aggression is because a tight lead can distort a dog's body language ~ the dog is pulling & straining, ears pricked forward etc & this can easily be read as aggression in another dog. Then if you have 2 dogs meeting, both on tight leads with distorted body language, this can be a recipe for disaster!

If you have to let your dog meet other dogs on lead, then try to set it up so that you know the other dog is not normally aggressive or even too full on & enthusiastic with other dogs, make sure the leads on both dogs don't go tight (this may mean that you & the other owner have to "pirouette" around each other a bit!!) & allow the dogs to sniff & greet each other calmly. Remember most dogs don't choose to meet each other face on, they usually approach from more of an oblique angle, circle a bit, get a bit of scent from each other, they watch each other's body language very closely. This doesn't just mean the very well-defined postures, ear positions & tail positions that we humans see ~ dogs will also see the eye shape & muscle tension in another dog's body language ~ much more subtle body language than most dog owners are used to watching.

Whilst both my dogs are absolutely fine with other dogs & I know them both very well, I would still think twice about letting them meet dogs they don't know when on lead. Despite everyone's best intentions, things can still go wrong & it can take just one particularly scary experience for a dog to start to become fearful of other dogs.

Thankyou so much for the helpful information
With her being a rescue and only having her for a week we dont really know her that well atm.
But i shall try in the garden and do a bit of training with her there.

That's half the fun of having a new dog ~ the getting to know each other bit. From what you've said Molly sounds like she may be fairly "dog-wise" around other dogs. Obviously you'll have to see what she's like with other dogs in different locations, but if she can play nicely with one dog, there's no reason why she shouldn't be the same with other dogs.

If you've got dog-owning friends/relatives/neighbours you could try meeting up with them to see how Molly gets on with other dogs. It's lovely for the dogs to have playmates that they get to know & trust. It also makes it much easier to get a recall away from other dogs because socialising with other dogs is a big part of a dog's life. If they don't get the opportunity very often, it becomes even more important to them to find other dogs to interact with. Then it can be quite difficult to get them to come when called as the pull of the chance to play with another dog may be just too much! But if they have regular friends to play with & the chance to interact with other dogs, then they are more likely to come away when called as they'll know that other chances will always be there.

Anyway ~ I hope you continue to have fun with Molly.