Can a dog be happy with life on a lead?

I had an incident with Cain today while out on a walk. I always walk him on a short lead then switch to a flexilead when we get to the open green space. Firstly, I know there are some anti-flexilead people hear and I'd rather this didn't turn into a debate about the rights and wrongs of flexilead. I like my flexi, I've tried a long line and I just get in a total muddle with it and end up a stressed mess. Cain can't come off lead atm so the flexi is the only way to give him some freedom. I usually have a lot of control with it, always reel him in and lock it if any people or dogs ate near us, he only gets the full length when we're alone. So although this involved a flexi, it was my fault for not paying attention and it could have still happened on a short lead.

Anyway, we were sitting under a tree and suddenly this guy came out of nowhere and walked by. Cain ran and him do hard and fast that I didn't see him go. It's my own fault, I wasn't paying full attention as I thought we were alone. If it'd seen the guy I would have licked the lead. He shot out so fast that he pulled the flexilead from my hand, broke the extra security loop I had attached to it around me wrist and ripped my nail off! Ouchie! He flew at this guy, lead trailing behind him. Luckily the guy stayed calm and stood still and just said "easy,easy" in a calm voice. Cain was just overexcited and when he got there, he didn't know what to do with himself! His hackles went up a kottle and he bounced on his front paws and growled a little. I ran over and grabbed his lead. Cain then stood calmly beside me. Thankfully it wasn't anywhere near sone if his previous meltdowns (he's reared up, put his feet on strangers shoulders and barked in their face in the past ) luckily the man was totally ok about it and even apologies to me fir startling my dog! I apologised massively and scuffled off red faced. I was grateful that even though Cain got away, his reaction was actually not too bad, although if the guy had screamed and panicked it may have been a different story, which is scary.

In the 4 months I've had Cain this is the first time I've lost control of him (except the rearing up episode, which happened on a short lead on a narrow street, but I pulled him off quickly). I do everything I can to keep him out of trouble and try to socialise him but keep him under control. He is improving with other dogs but can be growly or play far too hard and splat them. He's made huuuuge progress with strangers and is now great with 99% of people, but just as I think we're making progress, he'll randomly lunge at someone for no obvious reason to me.

I'm starting to think we'll never get him off a lead. He's making such progress but he's just too unpredictable. Bur it pains me. He's young and he just needs to run and play. It's impossible to exercise him properly, no fun chasing a ball on a lead. Everytime I get the park empty, someone turns up within minutes and I have to put him back on a lead. It's frustrating, I feel like he's not getting the exercise he needs.

But while my dog trainer is confident we will get him off lead, I'm facing the fact it could be a very long road. Are there other dog owners that keep their dogs onlead all the time? I know some husky owners who can't let them off lead.

We play ball at home to make him run but the house and garden isn't that big. I use the flexi to give him some freedom, throw balls to make him run but distance is limited, I also let him swim on lead in the river. I tried jogging with him but he's still learning not to pull and he goes too fast and pulls me over. He's too excitable to run next to a bike at the moment. When he is old enough we will try agilty. Can a dog be happy with life on a lead? How can I fulfil his needs?

when i first got my staff he was very boistrous as previous owner had never walked him if he was allowed off lead hed run off to play with other dogs so he was always walked on his flexi lead it has taken me about a year of training him but now hes fine off lead and ignores other dogs he actually prefers being walked on his flexi lead though you just have to show him it and hes by your side he now gets some walks on lead and some off and i feel with the legnth of the walk his needs are met you could also get some interactive toys to tire him with brain work i never thought my boistrous boy would be off lead but it just proves its possible good luck you will get there

So sorry you had a bad experience, ouch! Poor thing xxx

Our Keisha is now 3 and spends her life 'on a lead'. well, leads, short rope, flexi and long line.

Why? Because she has an IMMENSELY high predatory drive, plays too rough with small dogs and if feels threatened ie; if another dog barks at her, she will growl and snarl back, probably get herself into a fight if she had the chance. She's big and may injure another dog or get injured herself. Her recall is not 100%. And finally because I care about the reputation of the Akita breed and offlead she's not the finest example lol (Zeke IS! I must add).

We can only let her off in enclosed fields, we have one fairly enclosed field around us, one entry and another exit, but will only let her off if it has been a very quiet walk, at a quiet time of day. Sometimes not even once a week.

We fulfill her needs by doing a lot of what you have already mentioned. We do 1-1 agility with her, we hire a local ring out at a training club to do this, we try weekly, we have an hour and it really tires her, she just loves it! Unfortunately we haven't been doing it the last 6 ish weeks ( lack of time with Zeke being so poorly and the heat). She has free run playing in my parents large back garden with their dog, we go on lots of interesting and long walks to new places most weekends, we take her on about 3 holidays a year, she has climbed many a mountain and paddled many a river. We play ball in our garden and on her long line when out...I jog with her (she's GREAT at this!)..that's all i can think of for now.

I detest the opinion that a dog cannot have a happy life on a lead, come and see my little Keisha and tell me that's true. She's also lean and extremely fit! I think a lot more of the dog owners I have met should keep their dogs on leads too!.

Will we ever have her offlead more, i think so, but i just don't trust other dogs, well, owners! And those pesky rabbits and mice she can sniff out from a mile away! LOL.

I had a Beagle and unfortunately couldn't let her off the lead. If she picked up a scent, she'd be gone for hours, and one time she was hit by a car. No matter how much training we did with her, when she decided to do one, off she went.

She's been on a flexi lead ever since, and it works well for me.

We were lucky as we had big garden for her to run around in, but understandably not everyone is so lucky.

Take Cain for lots of walks if you feel guilty, well as many as you can manage. I'm sure your boy is extremely happy & loved regardless to having to be kept on a lead.

Maybe do some recall training with him? With Sasha we had her on a 12ft rope....My ex hubbie on one end and me the other...He'd call her, and give her a treat and I'd call her, and so on. The rope was there so it was easy to grab if she decided to run off...!

Ouch! That sounded really painful.

Could you play tuggy with him? I've just been looking at this website http://www.leecharleskelley.com/ and the trainer has some really interesting and new ideas for dogs displaying aggression of any sort.

A bit defeatist I feel! It takes years to turn a difficult dog round, so it`s early days yet. And there are strategies and solutions.
I know a place they do agility one at a time in an enclosed space, for example. I`ve got a hound I can`t let off round game but who is OK on a beach, so it`s a question of place as well.
Keep looking for ways forward. And keep a note of the progress he makes, because these improvements get forgotten. Please don`t give up, and don`t be tempted to take short cuts.

Ow that sounds painful but you live and learn, and yes it is possible for a dog to have enough exercise on a flexi lead. I had a boxer that broke his neck as a pup and missed out on all his crucial socialisation and as a result didn't have a clue how to behave around other dogs. He made a full recovery from his injury and was a large boisterous, boxer with no social skills at all. I used to run with him on a flexi lead and harness and he learnt to adjust his speed to mine and the flexi kind of gave us breaking distance. He understood all his commands and was very focused on me so that helped but I ran with him on a flexi throughout his entire 13 years, even when I was heavily pregnant but lord was I fit. I certainly wouldn't want to keep a young energetic dog on a flexi without being able to give him the opportunity to run though. I'm sure you'll find a solution that works for you two.

yes, it probably does sound a bit defeatist! Don't worry, I just had a bad walk and I'm wallowing a bit. I know it'll take years, I had no intention of giving up on him and he has already amazed me with his progress. The on lead thing just gets to me the most out of all his problems because I know how much he would love to get off and have a proper run and it frustrates me. But we have a cracking dog trainer and full commitment so don't worry, there will be no giving up or short cuts. Just need to vent occassionally when it all goes a bit squiffy

thanks for the other replies. We do play tug with him which tires him out nicely and is also a good training session with our rules like take, drop it and fetch. Can't wait to start agility! He has loads of interactive toys and u use training to tire him out. He doesn't bounce off the walls so maybe he's fine and I should stop worrying so much! I'm thinking about trying the long line again in quiet areas to practise his recall (which we are working hard on although he is soooo easily distaracted!). It's good to hear that other dogs are having happy on lead walks.

Sorry if I'm coming across as impatient. My biggest fear is that Cain will hurt another dog or person and every time he reacts to something it just hits home about how, despite his progress, unpredictable he still is and there's no way he can come off lead for a long time. Still very proud of his progress though

hello
well our dog is dog aggressive and hasnt been walked "offlead" on a daily basis for the last 7 years ! I dont think he is unhappy at all, we dont do agility or anything like that.
We do take him at the weekends to a big field thats quiet and once entrance etc and let him off - so he doesnt completly stay onlead but 5 days out of 7 he does, and certainly whenever I am walking him with my son he stays onlead - sometimes he doesnt even get on his flexi if the park is busy etc.

I do enjoy so much seeing him offlead but for me its a constant state of nerves when he is as just in case someone springs out of nowhere with a dog etc etc..

Bruno has on occassion been offlead and the worst has happened where a dog has appeared out of nowhere ( last time was only 6 months or so ago, and a man crossed the river with his dog onto our side which I totally wasnt expecting) and Bruno actually played with their dog??? however I cant trust him to do that the next time he bumps into a dog and thus he stays onlead.

I dont think he is at all unhappy, he is fit, not overweight and seems very content, no extremes of excess energy etc etc.

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience, sometimes they can have a worse affect on you than on the dog (well, at least they did for me!) but I'm sure things will improve with time and work

I don't let Molly offlead as her recall isn't anywhere near 100% and she's only just now getting used to how to behave around other dogs. Like you, we use a short lead when we're by roads etc. then swap to a long lead (not a flexi as I'm petrified of them!) when we're in open spaces. Sometimes she does go offlead if there isn't anyone about but she doesn't get to go off for very long as she loses concentration and/or someone usually turns up after about 15 minutes.

I've found lots of really great ways to tire Molly out without letting her offlead. I hide things for her in the long grass and then get her to sniff them out, practise lots of training when on walks and take her to as many new places as I can find. I've also upped the amount of walks she gets. She's gone from 1 short walk & 1 long walk with half an hour's training a day to 2 long walks as well as 45 minute's training split into 3 15 minute training sessions a day. I also tend to give her her meals in a Kong so that it tires her brain out a bit more.

Do you know anyone who has a field or who lives by an empty field that you could borrow every now and again to give Cain some free running space where there won't be any other dogs?