letting dogs off-lead.....

hi all,

just wondered how many of you can let your dogs off-lead anywhere and are 100% confident that they will recall all the time? only asking as i am feeling a little guilty that i cant let sam off-lead in open spaces (because of his wonderlust!), and can only let him off-lead in certain secure places. am i being cruel not to let him have his freedom? he is on a 30 foot long line so he does have a good run when he's out and he does come home tired out.

just wondered is it such a big deal that he doesn't get as much off-lead as other dogs and as much as my other dog bronte? he does go off-lead at our agility classes and HTM classes with no probs, just the great outdoors seems to be too much for him

If you know that your dog will not always come back to heel when called and would upset another dog then you are doing the right thing and only letting him off when you think its safe to do so.

In my eyes you are being a responsible dog owner. You take him out on a long line so he does get to run whilst you are in control.

I wish more dog owners would be as responsible as you are being. I'm lucky that my boys come back when called as they know they will be getting a lump of cheese!!

I think you're doing the right thing too. The most important thing is the safety of your dog and other dogs he may meet. As long as he is getting enough exercise and seems happy in himself (and it sounds like he is) then I wouldn't worry.

Well the times that Max is let off lead are few and far between also. He is a rescue dog who had very little in the way of socialisation before he came to us. He has improved loads, but if he saw another dog, person, horse rider or cyclist in the distance and he was off lead I know that we would struggle to get him back. I'm not saying that he would attack them but he would certainly run around them in circles barking which would not go down well.

He is walked on a lunge line ( I think his is about 26 foot) and changed to a short line if anyone passes us, or if we are on the road.

For a long time we questioned whether it was right for him to be on lead, even a long one, most of the time. However, particularly given his size, I know there would be complaints (and rightly so) if he chased after someone walking their dog. And for other people's piece of mind and because we don't want Max taken away we will continue to do as we are. He gets long walks that tire him out and he has a big garden to play in.

Before I joined Dogsey we thought that we were unusual because we keep him on lead most of the time, but since joining I have realised that there are many other people who do have their dogs on the lead most of the time for various reasons.

As you say that Sam always come home tired I would not worry too much. I would only be concerned if he loads of springer energy still when he got home! At the end of the day you know your dog better than anyone else. If you are not 100 % confident about his recall he should not be off lead.

Keep trying to impove his recall on a long line, but don't feel pressurised into letting him off before you can trust him 100%. Worst case scenario - think how you would feel if he raced off and got lost or got run over .

I couldn't agree more with Zanny about you being a responsible dog owner.

What is he like with another well trained dog in the open. Would he come back with the other dog?

Also alot depends on how how he is. If he's still only a puppy then it is just a matter of a lot of hard work with the training and of course time.

I'm also glad that my three always come back on command, but they only get a good boy or girl pat. No treats or cheese.

thanks very much for your replies. seems i'm not along then in not letting sam off-lead most of the time. in answer to your question colin, sam is walked with my other dog bronte, who is always off-lead and comes back all the time. he doesn't tend to follow what bronte does unless she's picking up the scent of something good!

majuka....i have had the worse case scenario. sam has ran off a couple of times and been gone all day, hence back on his long line!

if i'm with him in a low distraction area i will practice his recall there, with voice and whistle. no good if he's too busy sniffing cos he'll just learn to ignore me.

took him to a gun dog trainer yesterday who is hopefully gonna help me with his recall and running off!

Good luck, it just takes time.

MOlly and Gracie can go off lead where ever we are they both come back as soon as called and are very good around other dogs. Diggory can be a nightmare and i will only let him off in enclosed area's as he will b**ger off ever chance he gets. he also has the need to protect "his" girls from any dog we meet. he's not aggressive but he will bark and he can look nasty! so i keep him on when we are about other dogs it's safer that way and he's happier. Maggie and Suki are still on controlled off lead time. i normally only have one of them off lead at a time as they wind each other up and will just run and run. Maggie is getting really good at recall but Suki will just ignore me.

So no i think you are being a very responsable owner. as long as Sam is enjoying his walks and getting enough exercise you're doing a great job

china is never off lead..... she would run up and intimidate another dog also she has no concept of how much a 2tonne car would hurt...she has NO road sense!!

Alex
xx

None of mine get off lead unless in a closed in area.. They get off lead at least once a week at my work.. we have a large area around the building which is completely enclosed by a 6ft fence..
They do not EVER get off lead on a normal walk as I do not have 100% faith in their recall and I love them all too much to take the chance in losing them.. it only takes once for them not to come back and be killed or kidnapped etc..

So I just never take the chance..