Letting dog off leash

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

[Anonymous]

In your situation, I would not let your dog off leash. 1. Not great recall 2. It clearly wants to chase after rabbits, squirrels, etc. Dogs are fast and some definitely like the "Oh we are going to play chase!" game.

You need to work on recall before the dog can go off leash. When we were working with our dog and brought him to fenceless houses, we brought a long a stake and either a 50 or 100 ft leash so he could run around but was still tethered.

Even though he has great recall, I still do not take him off leash unless it is somewhere where it is allowed and it won't be crowded.

[Anonymous]

I wish people wouldn't let dogs off leash if there is any chance of encountering another dog. I used to have a giant breed 180 pound aggressive dog. I always had control of him on leash, but when an off-leash dog ran straight up to him and got in his face, all bets are off. People would say, "don't worry, my dog's friendly". Well, my dog is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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

Are you seriously presenting yourself as an expert, while suggesting people take their unleashed dogs to tennis courts and ball fields?


This is why people hate dog owners. Ugh.

+1. The PP “trainer” probably particularly loves baseball field and tennis courts with “no dogs” signs on them. SMH.

But it’s “enriching” for the dogs, so no problem. 🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

No, if you attack my dog that didn’t pose a threat then it will be your responsibility. You are the one playing “psychic” by attacking before you are at any risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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

Are you seriously presenting yourself as an expert, while suggesting people take their unleashed dogs to tennis courts and ball fields?


This is why people hate dog owners. Ugh.

+1. The PP “trainer” probably particularly loves baseball field and tennis courts with “no dogs” signs on them. SMH.

But it’s “enriching” for the dogs, so no problem. 🙄

dp Well it is enriching but, there could be problems!

[Anonymous]

I adore dogs. I have a 4 month old puppy now, who is not my first dog. But I also run in Rock Creek, and I beg you all to keep your pups on leashes. I don't know how well your dog is trained, and I don't know if they will chase me when I run. And I always feel like I should warn you that there are others dogs up ahead. Please don't do it.

BUT for safe off leash places, I did just discover the app Sniffspot. We have a place in WV and I couldn't find a normal dog park, so I use this to find private fenced in areas or areas that are 2+ acres to let my dog run around. Maybe that's an option for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

No, if you attack my dog that didn’t pose a threat then it will be your responsibility. You are the one playing “psychic” by attacking before you are at any risk.

No one has to wait until your dog bites them. If your dog is off leash and charges at someone, they can reasonably view it as a threat. Period. And people who have been attacked or are with small children or otherwise vulnerable people are quite likely to be highly reactive. If you love your dog, keep it under your control at all times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

No, if you attack my dog that didn’t pose a threat then it will be your responsibility. You are the one playing “psychic” by attacking before you are at any risk.

No one has to wait until your dog bites them. If your dog is off leash and charges at someone, they can reasonably view it as a threat. Period. And people who have been attacked or are with small children or otherwise vulnerable people are quite likely to be highly reactive. If you love your dog, keep it under your control at all times.

+1 the world of people who have been bitten by dogs is riddled with people who were bitten by dogs that were described as “friendly” by their owners. On this kind of thread, no owner ever wants to admit that their dog isn’t perfectly trained.

You have a dog. You have to live with that. Everyone else who does not have does should have the reasonable expectation of safety from loose dogs; that’s why we have leash laws in the first place!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

No, if you attack my dog that didn’t pose a threat then it will be your responsibility. You are the one playing “psychic” by attacking before you are at any risk.

Unfortunately for you (and worse, for your dog) you don't understand how laws work. If your dog is running towards someone, they are legally permitted to stop the dog from jumping towards them. They do not need to wait until the dog has jumped on them, especially in an area that requires dogs to be on 6 foot (or less) leashes.

Your animal's behavior is not the burden of the public. It is on you, solely.

[Anonymous]

What type of dog do you have? I've always had herding dogs... border collies and German shepherds with excellent recall skills. We do a lot of off leash excursions without issues.

In fact, one trick for these dogs is to be walking off leash along a trail, and when the dog goes in front of you a few lengths, you duck behind a tree, the dog looks back and doesn't see you and freaks out and runs back. As they race by, you step out and call them. They learn to always be aware of you location. I did this once with our spaniel/beagle mix and he cared not one whit!

So it very much depends on your dog. For example, I would never let a sight hound off of their leash. Or probably any hound for the matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not do this. Your husband is a jerk for letting the dog off leash.

+1 A dog owner who hates seeing off leash dogs in public areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal to walk your dog off leash on trails.

It's also incredibly, incredibly selfish of an owner to do so. If any strange animal approaches me, I will not hesitate to pepper spray or hit/kick it right away, and am not going to wait until a lazy owner comes along saying their dog is "friendly."

There was a case locally a few years ago, where a man shot someone's off leash dog, and he was cleared, because he had a right to protect himself and his family without waiting for the lazy owner to make some excuse.

Would you attack a dog that is walking along minding its own business?

Of course not. A dog running up to or towards other people is not "minding its own business" though.

A dog could run up and still not bother you

Holy crap are you truly so self absorbed to think that letting your dog go up to people, doesn't bother them??

Being merely “bothered” is not an ethical reason to assault or kill a dog. Inventing a bunch of excuses about being afraid for your safety is a transparent ploy. You are sitting here premeditating the assault that you plan to commit even though you have no specific knowledge of a real threat.

I've had a dog on a moronic retractable leash jump and clamp my arm, while I was running. I was a good 6-8 feet away from it and its owner, but retractable leashes are just the stupidest thing as far as safety goes. I'm not waiting for tha tto happen again, and it is not up to me to wait to find out if your dog is just "playing" or not.

Your dog, your responsibility.

Do not expect others to care more about your dog than you. If you don't want to be responsible with it, don't expect others to be psychic and put up with your poor handling over your "friendly" dog. Stop making excuses for your laziness.

No, if you attack my dog that didn’t pose a threat then it will be your responsibility. You are the one playing “psychic” by attacking before you are at any risk.

No one has to wait until your dog bites them. If your dog is off leash and charges at someone, they can reasonably view it as a threat. Period. And people who have been attacked or are with small children or otherwise vulnerable people are quite likely to be highly reactive. If you love your dog, keep it under your control at all times.

+1 the world of people who have been bitten by dogs is riddled with people who were bitten by dogs that were described as “friendly” by their owners. On this kind of thread, no owner ever wants to admit that their dog isn’t perfectly trained.

You have a dog. You have to live with that. Everyone else who does not have does should have the reasonable expectation of safety from loose dogs; that’s why we have leash laws in the first place!

It takes time and money to train a dog. No the adverage dog is not "perfect" and that is an unrealistic expectation. Are you perfect? I highly doubt it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not do this. Your husband is a jerk for letting the dog off leash.

+1 A dog owner who hates seeing off leash dogs in public areas.

I am also a dog lover and I love seeing how much fun the dogs have when left off leash. But, with my dog, I worry about his reacting to them so I am happy to not see it.