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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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