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.

Anonymous wrote:No one else has mentioned it so I will - if you let your dog run off leash in a rural area and the dog harasses wildlife, like chasing a deer, it is the law in many jurisdictions that the dog can legally be shot dead by any landowner or hunter or hiker who sees your dog engaged in that activity.

After decades of dog ownership I’ve seen very few dog owners who ever achieve a recall so good that they can call their dog off following the prey instinct into chasing wildlife, cats, etc. It takes an extraordinary amount of work to build a recall that good, it has nothing to do with how much you are bonded to your dog. The prey drive is powerful and in some dogs it overrides all reason.

You might want to suggest a long lead to your husband instead of letting your elderly dog run the risk of a horrible end by being unprotected off leash.

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.

This. You might think your dog is just friendly and exuberant, but he might well be perceived as a threat by a stranger if he runs up at them (or their kids or their leashed dog). Not to mention that every dog "would never bite" right up until they do.

Anonymous wrote: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.

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

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.

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?

Anonymous wrote: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 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.