Do you let your dog(s) off leash....

[Shelteez]

yes.....i don't always follow the "rules". My dogs are reliable with their recalls. We go to parks and if there is nobody around i let them loose and we'll play some fetch and some training sessions. I also let them loose in baseball fields but make sure i pick up after them.

Most of the time they are loose when we are walking down the dirt road in the country side.

I don't let my dogs go over and greet people however, if there is too many people i have them on leash and just take them out to the back country road, which is more fun

 

[*blackrose]

Just thought I'd note, I had to beat my boyfriend a few days ago. Chloe was staying with me at his place, and he is so used to Cynder being reliable off lead he treated Chloe the same way. Let her outside without a lead on because he wanted to take at trail down into the woods and he figured she'd just follow along, then he got upset when she a.) ignored him and b.) took off in the other direction. And then he didn't understand why I put her retractable lead on her when she came back to me.

"But I want her to be able to run around."
"She isn't reliable. Her recall sucks. She needs the leash on."
"But then she can't run. You really need to work on her recall."
"That isn't a priority for me right now, because I can just keep her on a leash and we have no problems. She's either leash, tethered, or fenced. It works."
"I don't like dogs that can't be trusted off lead. My childhood dogs were like that, and I hated it."
"Then after I work with her and she is reliable she can be let out off lead. For the time being, keep her leashed."
"But I want her to be off lead now, not later."

*beats boyfriend over head*

 

[sassafras]

Well, I want a million dollars. Now, not later.

 

[*blackrose]

Well, I want a million dollars. Now, not later.

I know, right?!?!

After he let her out a second time off lead and had to chase her down because she went to go say hi to one of his neighbors, he did decide that leashing her was a good idea. He's in a rural area or I don't think he would have let her out at all (and I knew she would stick around, which was why I was letting him sit in his own mess and get her back for me instead of completely flipping out).

I want her to be to be able to be reliable off leash just so we can go to some parks nearby when I get my place this August, so I will be doing work with her this summer, but at least I understand that it requires work. I think she's fully capable, I just haven't ever done any recall training on her outside of a formal recall when we are in "training mode".

 

[houlahoops]

Mammoth is always off-leash, mostly because he's old and blind and isn't going anywhere fast.

Bug is never off-leash. He has a fabulous recall, but a hair-trigger fuse and he loves to get into it with the big dogs. He also doesn't have the best judgement...I once reeled him in on a flexi after he leaped off a cliff after a low-flying vulture.

Mac is often off-leash, but the vast majority of the time we are moving fast (so that I'm keeping his attention). So I'm usually on a horse (or occasionally a dirt bike or four wheeler) and he's usually too excited to bother with anything else. Otherwise, he wouldn't necessarily bail on me but I'd have to be a lot more vigilant.