Off leash walking?
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LOL- being in Shibas I can honestly say the only times my dogs have EVER been off leash are when they're in a properly fenced backyard.
This breed has to have, bar none, the WORST recall of any breed in existence.
Even in large, remote wooded areas, I won't unleash my dogs. Sadly, I know people who have lost Shibas to confused hunters who "just knew" what they were shooting at was a fox.
I don't usually have a problem with other people walking their dogs unleashed, but it definitely DOES get annoying when the people walking them are clueless. I have dog-aggressive dogs, and there is nothing more frustrating than having my two under leash control, and then watching someone's Lab come tumbling toward us with the owner 20 feet away, and screaming "Oh don't worry, he's friendly!" Well, MINE aren't necessarily going to be. My walk shouldn't be impeded because someone felt their "friendly" dog needed to be able to meet and greet everything on four legs. I don't take my two to dog parks SPECIFICALLY for this reason.
As a cross country runner, it can get pretty frustrating as well. More times than I wish to remember I've tripped and fallen HARD in a local park because someone's dog came rushing past me on a narrow trail and tangled up in my legs. Most of the time the dog is perfectly friendly, and while the fall hurts it's not scary. (Although there's nothing scarier than losing part of a short cross country season due to a twisted ankle). Just the same, I have quite a few friends on the team who are terrified of dogs, and it's unfair for them to have to deal with it. Especially when the owner is nowhere in sight. I'm always appreciative of the owners that bring their dogs into a close heel when runners are in sight. Even when my dogs are on flexi's, I reel them in whenever people come by- you never know who might be afraid of your dogs, no matter how friendly they are.
This breed has to have, bar none, the WORST recall of any breed in existence.
Even in large, remote wooded areas, I won't unleash my dogs. Sadly, I know people who have lost Shibas to confused hunters who "just knew" what they were shooting at was a fox.
I don't usually have a problem with other people walking their dogs unleashed, but it definitely DOES get annoying when the people walking them are clueless. I have dog-aggressive dogs, and there is nothing more frustrating than having my two under leash control, and then watching someone's Lab come tumbling toward us with the owner 20 feet away, and screaming "Oh don't worry, he's friendly!" Well, MINE aren't necessarily going to be. My walk shouldn't be impeded because someone felt their "friendly" dog needed to be able to meet and greet everything on four legs. I don't take my two to dog parks SPECIFICALLY for this reason.
As a cross country runner, it can get pretty frustrating as well. More times than I wish to remember I've tripped and fallen HARD in a local park because someone's dog came rushing past me on a narrow trail and tangled up in my legs. Most of the time the dog is perfectly friendly, and while the fall hurts it's not scary. (Although there's nothing scarier than losing part of a short cross country season due to a twisted ankle). Just the same, I have quite a few friends on the team who are terrified of dogs, and it's unfair for them to have to deal with it. Especially when the owner is nowhere in sight. I'm always appreciative of the owners that bring their dogs into a close heel when runners are in sight. Even when my dogs are on flexi's, I reel them in whenever people come by- you never know who might be afraid of your dogs, no matter how friendly they are.
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To add our voice...
Mojo is walked on leash everywhere. Save for the following situations: If we are at our townhouse with it's communal courtyard, he is let out with a dragging leash with me right on his heels... I respect my neighbors too much to just let him out sans leash. Although some of my neighbors with their small dogs will let them out to wander in the courtyard... which I don't understand.
Also, when we are at my parents' place in MI, Mojo is allowed off leash in the back pastures. He has a blast there... but soon as we go towards the front he's leashed back up and we go back to normal routine.
Part of this behavior on my part is because like Gem said - Mojo has the recall of a tree stump on rollerskates - sometimes he comes... usually he doesn't. Only time he comes is when he thinks I am leaving him behind - then he gives chase. I don't think he's so much coming when called than playing tag with me at those times.
Plus he looks like a juvenile pit bull... why bother scaring my neighbors? I like my dog with his hide, and all of his extremities in place.
Mojo is walked on leash everywhere. Save for the following situations: If we are at our townhouse with it's communal courtyard, he is let out with a dragging leash with me right on his heels... I respect my neighbors too much to just let him out sans leash. Although some of my neighbors with their small dogs will let them out to wander in the courtyard... which I don't understand.
Also, when we are at my parents' place in MI, Mojo is allowed off leash in the back pastures. He has a blast there... but soon as we go towards the front he's leashed back up and we go back to normal routine.
Part of this behavior on my part is because like Gem said - Mojo has the recall of a tree stump on rollerskates - sometimes he comes... usually he doesn't. Only time he comes is when he thinks I am leaving him behind - then he gives chase. I don't think he's so much coming when called than playing tag with me at those times.
Plus he looks like a juvenile pit bull... why bother scaring my neighbors? I like my dog with his hide, and all of his extremities in place.
As far as exercise is concerned there's nothing wrong with a controlled leash walk or jog for their exercise. No need to let a dog off-leash. I personally have a large fenced in yard and both of mine have a great time herding each other and racing around at top speeds without danger.
However I can see this Spring when I have to pass Jasper's house, the neighborhood terriorist Shitzu:yikes: One can't even walk in front of their house without being chased all the while Jasper is snarling, snapping, growling and drooling like a psychopath! Off leash. And the owners do nothing but come and get him and say, "he's just protecting us". From WHAT? This from educated people with multiple Masters Degrees, but who shouldn't own a dog. I know it probably looks funny Jasper chasing Bailey and biting Bailey's tail and Bailey outweighing Jasper by 10 times or more. But I don't think it humorous. I will never understand why people who know their dog chases people and other animals continue to let them out unleashed.
And then up the street the other direction there's people who bring their dogs to walk in our neighborhood...........unleashed......and I agree with TEMPURA TANTRUM I don't want anyone's dog bounding up to me all of a sudden even if their owners are 2 inches from them, though my dog is friendly to all humans and animals, I'm not. And when people see a large dog especially, off leash they become apprehensive and some people who don't like dogs feel threatened or feel as though their space is invaded with a wandering dog in sight, I know I do. I always wonder if they are going to turn around and at the last second out of the owners grasp do something they aren't supposed to do or whatever. Any trainer worth their "salt" will tell you that a dog should be leashed during these times. My uncle used to train dogs in the military for combat, search and rescue, drug detection, sentry, messengering etc..and I asked him if he had ever seen ANY dog with 100% recall for the dogs ENTIRE life.......he said nope, not 100%, no, not even the most highly trained and decorated dogs, not entirely and as he said, "they aren't robots, they are animals."
However I can see this Spring when I have to pass Jasper's house, the neighborhood terriorist Shitzu:yikes: One can't even walk in front of their house without being chased all the while Jasper is snarling, snapping, growling and drooling like a psychopath! Off leash. And the owners do nothing but come and get him and say, "he's just protecting us". From WHAT? This from educated people with multiple Masters Degrees, but who shouldn't own a dog. I know it probably looks funny Jasper chasing Bailey and biting Bailey's tail and Bailey outweighing Jasper by 10 times or more. But I don't think it humorous. I will never understand why people who know their dog chases people and other animals continue to let them out unleashed.
And then up the street the other direction there's people who bring their dogs to walk in our neighborhood...........unleashed......and I agree with TEMPURA TANTRUM I don't want anyone's dog bounding up to me all of a sudden even if their owners are 2 inches from them, though my dog is friendly to all humans and animals, I'm not.
And when people see a large dog especially, off leash they become apprehensive and some people who don't like dogs feel threatened or feel as though their space is invaded with a wandering dog in sight, I know I do. I always wonder if they are going to turn around and at the last second out of the owners grasp do something they aren't supposed to do or whatever. Any trainer worth their "salt" will tell you that a dog should be leashed during these times. My uncle used to train dogs in the military for combat, search and rescue, drug detection, sentry, messengering etc..and I asked him if he had ever seen ANY dog with 100% recall for the dogs ENTIRE life.......he said nope, not 100%, no, not even the most highly trained and decorated dogs, not entirely and as he said, "they aren't robots, they are animals."
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Our dogs don't get walked though. We have a huge backyard that is fenced in that gives them plenty of excersize. But that is if you can wake them up and make them go outside first. (AT least for our old girls nd guys. )
Marq is onleash whenever we go anywhere else. But, when we are just loading into vehicles I let the dogs race out of the front door to the van/car without having a leash on.
And cocoa is hardly ever onleash. She is offleash in my yard, offleash at the training building, offleash just about anywhere except for when walking in town, doing parades, etc.
(AT least for our old girls nd guys. )Marq is onleash whenever we go anywhere else. But, when we are just loading into vehicles I let the dogs race out of the front door to the van/car without having a leash on.
And cocoa is hardly ever onleash. She is offleash in my yard, offleash at the training building, offleash just about anywhere except for when walking in town, doing parades, etc.
I would have to go for 3 hour walks at a time to give Foster some exercise. It's pretty much mandatory that I let him off leash! He's really good though when I do. We go down to a park where there is a semi-fenced baseball diamond that is hardly ever used so I take him there and let him off leash to run around and burn off all that crazy energy. But if I see people coming really close I put him on his leash just in case. There are(or were) signs all over saying "DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH" But soooo many people go there to let their dogs off leash that I swear they just gave up and took them down. It's the only place you can go since we don't have a dog park nearby!
i agree.
Oakley doesnt need to be too close to me, but he likes to know where he can find me. He'll wander off like half a block a way, but will always look behind him to make sure im still there.
If i hide behind a tree, or he cant see me, he always comes running back...finds me...and then runs back off, lol
Oakley doesnt need to be too close to me, but he likes to know where he can find me. He'll wander off like half a block a way, but will always look behind him to make sure im still there.
If i hide behind a tree, or he cant see me, he always comes running back...finds me...and then runs back off, lol
LOL. No, I hardly ever even brush him. It must be his commercial kibble, Natural Balance venison and brown rice formula. LOL.
I just have to say to you lucky people who can give your dogs enough exercise by walking or trotting only, it's a good thing you don't have a Doberman. When I let Lyric out of the car by the trail or wherever we're taking the hike or walk, he is off like a Thoroughbred out of the starting gate, from 0 to 30 in 3 strides. He's flying, thundering hooves up the trail for a couple of hundred feet, showering me with rocks or now, snow and ice... then he races back to me, at which point I am sure to turn away just in case he runs into me...don't need my knees blown out. Then he again rip roars up the trail again, only he begins to do some trotting and sniffing. I try to let him get ahead of me more so I can call him back for some hard running, but by this time, he has decided he better keep the space between us smaller and so he can't get a good long run anymore. He'll be trotting up ahead and I'll stop. He always knows when I stop even if he doesn't see me. He must hear my footsteps stop. Then I try to stomp in place to trick him into thinking I'm still coming along. See, I'm trying to make more space between us....never works, no matter what I do. He turns and sees me stopped and comes zooming back, but it's not a very long run. So, our walks require length in miles and attempts at getting him to run after the initial zoomies are out. He still has the energy but he doesn't like to get too far from me. LOL. So when we come home, he's still a pest and wants to play and wrestle. It's like, "good grief Lyric. Aren't you even a little tired?"
I know, I know. I posted pictures which make all my dogs look perpetually tired. They were just bored probably.
I just have to say to you lucky people who can give your dogs enough exercise by walking or trotting only, it's a good thing you don't have a Doberman. When I let Lyric out of the car by the trail or wherever we're taking the hike or walk, he is off like a Thoroughbred out of the starting gate, from 0 to 30 in 3 strides. He's flying, thundering hooves up the trail for a couple of hundred feet, showering me with rocks or now, snow and ice... then he races back to me, at which point I am sure to turn away just in case he runs into me...don't need my knees blown out. Then he again rip roars up the trail again, only he begins to do some trotting and sniffing. I try to let him get ahead of me more so I can call him back for some hard running, but by this time, he has decided he better keep the space between us smaller and so he can't get a good long run anymore. He'll be trotting up ahead and I'll stop. He always knows when I stop even if he doesn't see me. He must hear my footsteps stop. Then I try to stomp in place to trick him into thinking I'm still coming along. See, I'm trying to make more space between us....never works, no matter what I do. He turns and sees me stopped and comes zooming back, but it's not a very long run. So, our walks require length in miles and attempts at getting him to run after the initial zoomies are out. He still has the energy but he doesn't like to get too far from me. LOL. So when we come home, he's still a pest and wants to play and wrestle. It's like, "good grief Lyric. Aren't you even a little tired?"
I know, I know. I posted pictures which make all my dogs look perpetually tired. They were just bored probably.
Great post.
I'm a firm believer of keeping your dog on a leash at all times unless your dog is in the confines of your own fenced in backyard. I too live in a rural area where there is only a nuisance law (i.e. someone's dog is chasing your livestock) & no leash law. But despite that I walk ALL my dogs on a leash at ALL times. Not just because I throughouly believe that dogs are dogs & given the right temptation will act on their inherent instincts (chasing a cat, squirrel, raccoon, etc.), but because I feel that humans have priority & that someone who is afraid of dogs shouldn't have to sit holed up in their house never going outside for a walk all because some dog owner thinks that their dog has the right to roam/walk offleash.
And it's no argument whose dog would end up confiscated if an offleash dog ran up to my APBT & started a fight: that's right, it would be mine despite the fact that my dog was on a leash. And I'm sure I'd be sue to pay for damages & emotional distress & God knows what else.
I've had 3 scenarios in the past that have really furthered my beliefs in leash laws. One was when I was walking my dog Sukari, who is completely deaf & somewhat DA (mostly when threatened or challenged), on a leash around a neighboring u-shaped street. A Dalmation whose owner was lagging behind decided to come chase us down & kept following us trying to get closer & closer. I kept turning around & screaming at the dog & the owner in the hopes that the dog would leave us alone but to no avail. That's when a lovely guy in a minivan, who had noticed it all, stopped & told me that maybe from now on I shouldn't walk my dog on that street so that that kind of incident wouldn't happen. Say what?
The 2nd incident occured when I was out jogging with another of my APBTs, who is extremely DA (of course on a leash), when a guy's black lab who was playing off leash in the front yard decided to come teach us a lesson for being on his street. Despite his wonderful obedience training, the dog left me with almost 30 stitches in my left forearm as I was doing my best to shield my dog from him when I realized that I was the dog's target. I put my arm up in defense & the dog basically took me down. That's when I let go of the leash on my dog so she could help me. The lab's owner stood there like a fool calling his dog & 3 other neighbor's outside came to my rescue & pulled me out of the way. We then got the dog's separated & waited for the cops & AC to come. Guess who didn't even get into trouble b/c there is no leash law? Yep, the lab's owner. He got a verbal warning & the s.o.b. wasn't even instructed to pay for my emergency room bill or anitibiotics. And I was given a warning on not letting go of my dog's leash & how I'm lucky that my dog didn't kill the other's guys dog. Fast forward a few months: that lab brutally attacked the owner's son's 5 yr old friend & was finally put down.
The 3rd incident came about when I was walking yet another APBT, Rex, & we came upon a young family walking their Daschshund. The dog was going nuts turning backwards to growl & bark at us & Rex was going apeshit so I hurried up & ran past them to get several yards in front of them. Just then I heard the yelling "Stop! No!" & I saw the Daschund (not a mini, but a 25lb-30lb standard) coming right at us. Knowing that Rex would kill the dog, I picked him up (53lbs & me only 5ft tall) under his forelegs & held him up off the ground. In protecting their dog, my legs were scratched up from their dog jumping up on me to get to Rex & the dog even bit me twice in the thigh/groin area. The dog finally took off after I kept kicking at it & it ran into a yard where an elderly couple & their elderly Chihuahua (who was own a tie-out) were & it proceded to attack the Chihuahua. Of course the owners apologized & were deeply upset as they said the dog had never done that or been involved in an attack before, but I had no sympathy. I told them next time I would let my dog handle it. And I will.
I will no longer make an effort to protect someone else's dog, or even my own dog, from an approaching offleash dog. If it means letting the dogs fight it out, so be it. But so far I've got more scars from trying to be the peacekeeper & it's not worth it. NO human life is worth more than a dogs & NO dog has more rights than a human.
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Moco is ALWAYS on a leash. He does not have a reliable call back and he agressive towards other people.
Emma is offleash for about 50% of her walks although I do understand that there will always be risks. When she is on her nightly walk she is typically always leashed until we get to the park. We take her out to the country all the time and she is off leash there. Although there are no cars to deal with, I am always scared of her running into other animals. She has great recall but that doesn't do much when you run into an angry Moose or Bear. The way I see it is that I'm extremely watchful of what she's doing and she stays close. Of course she runs the risk of running into an animal, but to make her stay on a leash would almost be cruel. She loves to run, and there is risks to everything.
Emma is offleash for about 50% of her walks although I do understand that there will always be risks. When she is on her nightly walk she is typically always leashed until we get to the park. We take her out to the country all the time and she is off leash there. Although there are no cars to deal with, I am always scared of her running into other animals. She has great recall but that doesn't do much when you run into an angry Moose or Bear. The way I see it is that I'm extremely watchful of what she's doing and she stays close. Of course she runs the risk of running into an animal, but to make her stay on a leash would almost be cruel. She loves to run, and there is risks to everything.
So, you who are firm believers in never ever letting a dog off leash, are you picturing one type of environment? Is your belief based on your own situation only? Are you saying that those of us who live in an environment, for example like the one I live in which is pristine wilderness, not just rural, but I'm talking in the mountains with thousands and thousands of acres of government timber land all around me and about 400 miles of hiking trails at my disposal with a population of about 600 year round residents should keep our dogs on a leash at all times?
Do you think, for instance that I'm doing something wrong when I let my obedient dogs who also have a penchant for staying fairly close to me run and explore a little when I'm out in the woods where the chance of seeing another human or dog is about a 1%, if that, probably less in winter? And even if we did, they're not aggressive? And their recall is about 98% reliable. So, when you say that you're staunch about all dogs being kept on a leash at all times, what are you thinking?
I also don't have a feced yard. I have acreage. I have a partially fenced pasture along the dirt road in front of my property and a creek perpendicular to that. There are very few homes on this pot holed, road from He!!. LOL. Cars go about 10 mph when they do go on this little lane.
My dogs never leave the property, aren't interested in doing so and mainly stay in the lawn area of my property close to the house. I have woods on the other sides. I could walk to the next state over without ever seeing another human being. I could walk to Canada and probably not see another person once I got past the highway.
If I lived in the city or anywhere where there were more people, of course I'd not let my dogs run lose where they'd be in danger or bother other people. When I visit in Seattle, my dogs are always on a leash. When I visit in a semi rural/semi residential area, my dogs are on a leash.
But to make a blanket statement that ALL dogs should ALWAYS be on a leash is a little unimaginative IMO...unless you don't really mean exactly that. Oh, and as far as chasing a squirrel. Is that a bad thing? My dogs chase squirrels all the time. They never have caught one yet. LOL.
Do you think, for instance that I'm doing something wrong when I let my obedient dogs who also have a penchant for staying fairly close to me run and explore a little when I'm out in the woods where the chance of seeing another human or dog is about a 1%, if that, probably less in winter? And even if we did, they're not aggressive? And their recall is about 98% reliable. So, when you say that you're staunch about all dogs being kept on a leash at all times, what are you thinking?
I also don't have a feced yard. I have acreage. I have a partially fenced pasture along the dirt road in front of my property and a creek perpendicular to that. There are very few homes on this pot holed, road from He!!. LOL. Cars go about 10 mph when they do go on this little lane.
My dogs never leave the property, aren't interested in doing so and mainly stay in the lawn area of my property close to the house. I have woods on the other sides. I could walk to the next state over without ever seeing another human being. I could walk to Canada and probably not see another person once I got past the highway.
If I lived in the city or anywhere where there were more people, of course I'd not let my dogs run lose where they'd be in danger or bother other people. When I visit in Seattle, my dogs are always on a leash. When I visit in a semi rural/semi residential area, my dogs are on a leash.
But to make a blanket statement that ALL dogs should ALWAYS be on a leash is a little unimaginative IMO...unless you don't really mean exactly that. Oh, and as far as chasing a squirrel. Is that a bad thing? My dogs chase squirrels all the time. They never have caught one yet. LOL.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't even take that into consideration. My statement was geared more to situations where dogs would come into contact with other humans and/or animals. But to answer your question, no I don't think it's wrong in that scenario & environment.
Heck, we hog hunt with our dogs & for them to catch, they must be released off their lead. Hunting dogs have the other exception IMO. (catch dogs, bird dogs, etc.)
LOL Dreeza. They definitely love their outings. My little ones love it too. Jose will venture up ahead with Lyric and Toker but Chuli Chihuahua will only go up ahead a little at the beginning, then she pretty much is glued to my heels. Sometimes I panick and can't see Chuli. I call for her. "Where'd you go?" And then I look down, turn around and behind me, there she is, 3 inches from my feet. LOL.