Letting dog off leash
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Anonymous
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We have a 16 month old dog. My husband always loves to let her off leash when with another dog in their yard or on a trail in the woods etc.
I worry about her running away and/or hit by a car. One yard he does it, backs to a busy road. We are going to a farm in NC that is per friendly and he wants to bring her and let her run in the fields. We keep disagreeing. She pulls hard on the leash when she sees deer, squirrels, birds. She does have a little recall training and would most likely come back but I don't know 100%. I love taking her to play w dogs in fenced yards but I don't like her off least otherwise. Am I paranoid or is he playing with fire? |
Anonymous
| Op here - clarifying: is the main risk of a dog being off leash being hit by a car? So if you're on the beach or a big open field and have treats/toys, is it usually fine? I am worried about her running into the abyss never to return 😅 |
Anonymous
| I wouldn’t be comfortable letting my dog off leash near a busy road. On an isolated rural property…I don’t know, maybe. |
Anonymous
Running off into the abyss is mainly a concern if your dog has a high prey drive, especially if the dog is in unfamiliar surroundings and wouldn’t know its way back to you or you’re somewhere with wildlife that pose a danger to your dog. |
Anonymous
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He is taking a significant risk.
I have a dog who loves to play "catch me if you can" with us. He runs off, waits until we get close, then runs off again. He could easily get hit by a car if we did this in our urban neighborhood. When we want him to come, WE run away, and he tries to catch us, then when he gets close, we attach his leash. Despite working on formal recall, this game is still the closest we are to getting him to return. He's also reactive to certain dog breeds, so just for that we never let him off-leash in our neighborhood, which has a certain number of them. So yes, I think you need to be careful all the time. Don't forget that a farm might have horses, other dogs, etc, and that your dog might go entirely nuts with the new smells. It's a good idea to start off with on-leash rounds of the farm. |
Anonymous
| You also want to protect your dog who will be enthusiastic about meeting new people and dogs, from those who are less friendly or who might have aggressive dogs themselves. |
Anonymous
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My dog is very well trained. When we are in places where I am comfortable and it's allowed, I let him off leash. He will still walk by my side. He doesn't run and even when he sees things he would like to chase, he sits and looks at what he wants and waits for me to give him the command that he can go.
He is never allowed off leash near a road. While my dog is trained there could be that one time when he doesn't listen or he chooses to do what he wants. Why put either of us in a situation that could result in something awful happening? |
Anonymous
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Dogs on leashes can act very defensive when confronted by other dogs off leash, and if that ever happens by definition it’s the unleashed dog owner’s fault.
Our large dog (no, not a pit) literally killed a small dog with one bite when it ran up to and jumped at our dog unleashed on a city street. It was awful. But even the unleashed dog’s owner knew where the fault belonged. |
Anonymous
| Your dog needs to have excellent recall, not be near a road, not near unfamiliar dogs/animals, etc. Its really never a good idea to have your dog off leash unless you're completely fenced in. If my dog had an unleashed dog approach she is likely to be defensive and fight. |
Anonymous
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OP, in a similar situation I told my husband that I was not comfortable with the dog off-leash unless he worked with the dog and a trainer to 1) improve the dog's recall and 2) ensure that dog's prey drive would not override the training.
He never followed through with a trainer, so our dog stays leashed. |
Anonymous
| Everything I've read says you must have a solid recall before letting your dog off-leash. Doesen't sound like you have that; I think you're right, and your husband is wrong. It's too risky. |
Anonymous
| I know 2 dogs that slipped their leashes and were never found. In a minute they were just gone. I would never do it voluntarily. I now let my dog off leash but she is a rickety 12-year old Malamute that just does a short stroll around our street. In her prime she’d have taken off like a rocket.Dogs can become lost very easily and apart from natural hazards not all people have good intentions. |
Anonymous
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Work your recall, OP! Off leash walks/runs/hikes can be incredibly valuable and enriching for dogs, but you need to be able to do it safely. My rule of thumb is you shouldn't let your dog off leash until you are willing to bet $100 he will come back when you call him.
You need to work up slowly to off leash on the beach/in the woods. Can you play check in games in the fenced in yard when he's off leash? As soon as he gets distracted sniffing something, walk away and call him--does he come? Reward with treats or play! If that's too hard, play it in the house. If you are successful at least 90% of the time, move to a friend's yard with novel smells, a fenced in tennis court or baseball field, an open field on a long line that you can step on if he chooses to run. Call him when he's already looking at you so you are reinforcing what he wants to do. Don't wait until a squirrel is in his sights--you will not win. You need a really solid history in the easy situations before you add distractions. --Trainer |
Anonymous
And of course, only let off leash in legal spaces or on private property. Most (all?) local municipalities are illegal to have a dog off leash in public. |
Anonymous
| Please don’t. Just don’t. Every dog owner thinks they have the most amazing, friendliest, best trained dog… and then they’re all up in our faces. |