Off Leash?

[BaileysMom]

I am just curious-how many of you let your BC off leash for exercise where they are not fenced in? Bailey is 1 year and 3 months, and other than at the dog park and fenced areas I have never let him off leash. Except when swimming and agility. When he was a puppy I lived where there were roads nearby and no fence, so he was always on a leash unless we walked to a friends house and used their fenced yard. He listens well, but I guess I'm just afraid that he'll take off. I know it depends on the individual dog, but some breeds are known for running away-like our husky Odin!!! I haven't found much info on BCs on this topic. Almost all the BCs I've known were great off leash. Thanks!

[myBCboys]

I was always able to let Mirk off leash until he died at age 15.

My BC boys Jaye and Kent are another story! I don't trust their recall yet tho I am getting close with Kent.

I only long to be able to let them off leash in an isolated place - a field or an empty beach. But we aren't there yet!

[Spike's Bitch]

Spike's recall has always been good, but we're still working on his not-taking-off-in-random-directions. So I don't let him off near roads, and I'm careful if there are likely to be squirrels, but otherwise he's off leash most of the time.

 

Liz & the Captain xxx

[Piper]

From day one Piper has been a great off leash dog with a few exceptions. First though we got her in upstate NY and were there for a week or so on my husband's parents land, so there was no threat to her and we worked with her to stay close, we'd actually reinforce that behavior and say it out loud. And then once back here in Alaska, on walks she is almost always off leash because we walk on trails during the summer months and around (and around and around) the track during the winter months. She is also fine in the yard too when we let her out to do her business, she doesn't run off and also she is never unsupervised in the yard, meaning I don't let her out and then go back inside.

 

Now...the exception to this is I do not let Piper off leash on the road system, she has no car saavy whatsoever and plus if she saw someone across the street she wants to go greet them, so that is basically the only time she is on a leash.

 

Her being a great off-leash dog has to do with her training and she has never run off, I think personally she is too much of a chicken to take herself for a walk. And she sucks when she is on a leash and that is because of MY lack of training and consistency in working with her to not pull...oh well.

[HKM's Mom]

I have one BC that is allowed off leash when we hike is desolate areas. We can hike and camp for days and never see another person so I don't worry to much. She never lets me out of her sight out there so I don't worry about her running off. She does wear a bear bell and a flashing light just in case something happens.

My others aren't as "concerned" with my welfare so they are kept on 15 foot leashes when we hike.

In the city, all my dogs are kept on leash unless we are doing agility or obedience. That is for their safety and the respect of others. It is very frustrating when other off leash dogs run up to mine while their owners sit by and watch.

If you choose to let your dog run free, make sure you have the dog under 100% voice control. One of my on leash dogs was attacked by an off leash dog who's owner had no control over it. My dog had to get over $300.00 worth of vet care to repair her injuries. It also took months before another dog could approach her without her freaking out.

[astrokath]

Whisky has two recalls - the 'obedience' one, which has always been great, and the 'playing in the park' one, which is usually non-existant.

 

However, she is extremely driven when playing with her soccer ball, so it is quite safe for my sons to take her to the park opposite, take the lead off, and play with her,then put the lead back on to cross the road. She doesn't look at anything but us and the ball when playing

[buddybear]

Buddy never goes on a leash except when we're walking through town, and that's just b/c I don't trust the crazy people. He has excellent recall and never goes to far, if he feels that he is to far he'll stop and wait until I get closer to him and than continue walking.

[nancy]

We are lucky to have about 8 acres, with a 2-acre pond (large mud hole) in the middle of our neighborhood. So we can take Fergie, off leash, around the corner and into the field and around the pond several times a day.

 

Before we dared do this, we used to pack her in the car and go to a local fenced ball field - out of season. Of course, we had plastic bags and a pooper scoop - even tho Fergie refuses to poop unless she can at least get her nose into bushes.

 

We took her into the ball field and closed the gate. Then we played ball toss or dog-disk, or just took turns running around. And then we'd call her. She learned to come from whatever distance.

 

I won't let her off leash when we head down where there's more traffic - or even more people. And I can't let her off leash in the state parks since our daughter married a park ranger. It would be too embarrassing for us all if he had to ticket us!

 

OK, we have to either call or whistle twice. First one, she hears but pretends that she didn't. Second one (unless there's something great to scarf up or rub in - or a genuine mole to dig for) she comes running. In other words, she reacts just like our kids did.

 

I think the rule is to find a safe way to make sure that you do have the recall before you take a chance on letting the dog run free. I know that Fergie won't disappear after a deer scent. She stopped when I whispered when a doe ran across our path - almost close enough to touch - in our field. We then walked between that doe on our right and a stag and doe on our left. And Fergie watched them, but walked with me.

[MrSnappy]

All of my dogs are off leash every day, pretty much everywhere we go. Piper stays on a leash on roads and sidewalks, but Tweed and RD do not. They are trained to sit and wait at curbs and are not permitted to step onto a road without the appropriate command. Piper is not quite there yet, but she is fairly reliable.

 

In the park, we flagrantly disregard the leash laws and my dogs are always off leash. They are all trained to walk close when I ask them to (a sort of modified heel, which basically only requires they don't go more than three feet away as we walk). And all of them respond to their recalls (vocal and whistle) pretty much immediately. They also all lie down at a distance, so I use that command if I have to as well.

 

We don't have a yard OR a safe fenced area in which dogs can play (I am in the heart of the city and I live in an apartment) so my foster dogs are also off leash most of the time while in the park, or else they wouldn't get sufficient exercise. I start them on a long line, and within a couple of days their recalls are generally good enough that while I usually leave the long line on, I don't have to use it.

 

RDM

[Lucy Goosey]

I use my judgement. It really depends on the circumstances and the environment, as well as the dog. I have one dog that is not allowed off leash at all, as she is dog aggressive. I feel that I have the right to walk her on leash in a public park without strange dogs running up to her, but most leash law violators here do not have that much control over their dogs, so we tend to stick to the streets and stay out of parks most of the time.

 

Lucy gets a lot of off leash time, but not around automobile traffic or in city parks. She's young and impulsive, and I do not trust her not to have a brain fart and dart into traffic after a squirrel or something.

 

My third dog doesn't require as much exercise, so running off leash isn't really a neccessity for him. I just use a long line if I want to give him some room to romp a bit, but he gets most of his excercise fetching a ball in the back yard.

[MrSnappy]

Originally posted by Lucy Goosey:

I feel that I have the right to walk her on leash in a public park without strange dogs running up to her, but most leash law violators here do not have that much control over their dogs, so we tend to stick to the streets and stay out of parks most of the time.

You know, I totally agree with you. I admit freely that I disregard our leash laws (because if I didn't, my dogs would virtually never be off leash. We seriously lack off-leash areas here) but I wouldn't if I could not trust my dogs to leave other dogs alone or obey me when they are off lead. Just tonight we were at the park playing soccer (except for Tweed, given his fear of The Unholy Soccer Ball) in the snow, and a big black Lab shot into the middle of my dogs from out of nowhere, while his five human family members called him to no avail.

 

My dogs do not ever approach other dogs when they are off leash, unless given permission to do so. I also make a habit of downing them all when we see another off leash dog so I can intervene and keep the strange dog away, since inevitably the owner cannot do it. I do find leash laws irritating in a city park that is practically empty of people 9 months of the year, but it's largely because of virtually every dog in my city, who wouldn't know a recall command if it smacked him in the face, that I understand why they are in place.

 

RDM

[AK dog doc]

I'm a real coward about having mine off leash near roads (especially Kenzie, the Westie, who KNOWS what "come!" means, but very often chooses to ignore it :mad: ). Finn is good on his recall, but any dog can have a momentary lapse of reason. Buddy is also pretty good, and as a big chicken would probably avoid traffic anyway. Having seen 8 hit-by-car dogs in the last 8 days (with four fatalities, including one BC ), this lesson is especially fresh in my mind lately. (Eight hit-by-cars in 8 days is a bit unusual, actually - we don't usually see 8 HBCs in a month, let alone in a week, but sometimes it works out that way.)

 

However, there are a multitude of places (both fenced and not) up here where I can let the dogs off leash with reasonable safety - not that you can't still encounter the occasional moose or even more occasional bear, and even rarely a wolf or coyote (or, God forbid, a porcupine). However, I'm far more likely to encounter other dogs that are hazards. As a general thing, I have at least 3 dogs with me (up to 8, though then there's usually at least one other adult along); with the pack all together, it seems that other dogs tend to stand down a bit. Not that some individual ones might not barge in agressively, but the presence of a united group makes them less appealing as targets. What I've found on the trails up here is that the vast majority of dogs that are off leash have some manners about it. However, I may just have been lucky up to now.

 

Where I feel it's reasonably safe, I love having the dogs off leash, since there is no way on earth I could otherwise give Finn enough excersise. Anywhere else makes me so nervous that I can't enjoy it unless the leashes are on.

[Wayne]

My Luke is almost always off leash, but that's because we are in a very rural area with no real road threats. We walk to the road to get the newspaper every day, but from day one, I never let him touch the pavement unless he was on leash. When I get near the road (maybe 50 feet away) he stops and waits for me to go get the paper. Hey, isn't that the opposite of what a dog is "supposed" to do? I thought THEY fetched the paper! Anyway, anywhere else where there is a road nearby, he's on leash. It's not worth the risk.

[Keegan's Mom]

We live in the outskirts of a city in a small neighborhood. Our dog is never off leash while walking in the neighborhood, I just think it is rude because too many dogs poop in our yard and their owners don't pick it up. Plus, Keegan doesn't like to greet new dogs so I would hope others keep their dogs on leash in our neighborhood.

 

However, we have a park across the street that we walk to on leash then he is released when we get into a soccer field. The fields are not fenced but as long as I have a frisbee, soccer ball, etc...he isn't going anywhere but where I go. I can sometimes let him off leash through out the park, for example, after we play in the soccer field then we can walk across the complex and to the hiking trail then home. I only do this if I know that we will not greet other dogs. Keegan only goes about 10 feet away from me. All I have to do is say "goodbye" and he comes a runnin'. He hates to be too far away from me so I feel comfortable having him off leash in places that I know are safe, ie no cars, no strange dogs, etc.

 

I personally would start in a fenced in field like Nancy suggested and go from there. The fenced in field we used did not have gates on the openings, so he was somewhat free to leave he is wanted but he never did.

 

Good luck.

[Rave]

Wick says "Leash? What's THAT? Is that the thing I play tug with at the end of an agility run?"

[Henridog]

It all depends on the Dog. My Collie Cross Henri? can't be left of his leash because he is argresive towards other dogs + he is that fast if he does get off hes leash it takes alongtime to catch him......also he is not to sensible where there is Traffic(most dogs aren't either, unless they have been really well trained).

 

To let your dog off it's leash isn't a decision to be taken lightly.

[Cheri McDonald]

When walking around the neighborhood both are on a leash. Although they are allowed in the front yard unleashed if supervised. They have both been taught not to go in the street. Even when crossing streets they sit first and wait till I tell them okay.

 

We have a park that is unfenced and a wood path that they are both unleashed once arriving there.

 

In campgrounds I hate for them to be tied up and as long as we are by the trailer they have been taught their boundary. Hiking is a different story. On the trails it's a long lead! Too many bears around our trails!

 

Training Training Training all the time!

[BaileysMom]

Thanks for the good advice. I definitely wouldn't let Bailey off leash on sidewalks or near roads. My golden retriever who passed away was great off leash-we took long hikes and he would run around me and stay within 20 feet or so. (That was in NJ-here there are strange beasts like javelinas and rattlesnakes and prickly things.) I have been reading the book "Urban Dog". We are practicing stopping at curbs and staying on the sidewalk while walking and other things. This is just for manners, not because I will ever let him off leash in town. I haven't practiced with the long training lead, I think I will get one and start training with that. There also seem to be a lot of aggressive dogs here-sad!-especially pitbulls and rotties that have been trained to be aggressive. I wouldn't want Bailey to run up to one, even if they were on a leash. So I wouldn't let him off if I knew other dogs would be near. Across the street we can walk down some trails and there are wide open spaces that are alway deserted, we are kind of in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of town, and I would just like to let him run a little. I'm fairly sure that if I had a tennis ball he wouldn't go anywhere that the ball wasn't, but there is always that small chance. Thanks everyone! Also, I have been trying to teach what I call the "emergency down" where if Bailey is running and I yell "Down" he will immediately drop to the ground and stay. Has anyone taught this to their dog? He will stay and sit from a distance, but this command is supposed to get his attention if he is racing away.

[Keegan's Mom]

Look under the training posts...Cheri inquired about the fast, long down. I saw some good information there.

[BaileysMom]

Thanks!

[border_collie_crazy]

well considering there are no offleash areas I dont have a whole lot of choice lol, happy is allwoed off leash pretty much everywhere, she is trustworthy and even people who are afraid of dogs like happy, she has a completly solid recall, I can call her away from anything even a fight. all the other dogs are only allowed off leash in large feilds.

[diane allen]

Bailey's Mom: You do have a different situation there in the Sonoran Desert! You should try to find someone there who can help with rattlesnake training - teach the dog to back off when they see or hear a rattle. Might well be worth it, once you get comfortable with off-leash hiking. Dogs do learn about cactus - at least mine have about prickley pear. But your chollas down there are something else! I'd guess dogs would eventually figure it out, but when the little jointed pieces "jump" off the bushes onto passing living things....well, OK, I know they don't really jump, but they sure do break off easily! ALWAYS remember to carry a big comb with you when hiking near chollas!

 

Yes, at least one of mine has a great distance down. I taught it along with a hand signal - which is my arm straight up over my head. That way (or so the theory goes), if I could get the dog's attention (whistle or yell), I could signal the down without the dog having to actually hear the word I'm saying. My Lucy came to me (age 3.5) with a good "down" but it was always "come to the person's feet and then lie down." I've managed to get that working at a distance! Figured it could come in handy, and indeed it may someday (we don't wanna be a HBC case - ugh).

 

diane

[BaileysMom]

Yea-hiking in the desert can be interesting! There are people here who do the rattlesnake training. Most use shock training though. One time Bailey had all this yellow stuff on his snout-it looked like pollen so I went to wipe it off and all these little things stuck in my hand! It took hours of pain to get them all out! And that was just from walking around in town! We do most of our hiking at high elevations where there are Aspens and grass to avoid the desert stuff.

[Lucy Goosey]

RDM,

I hope you didn't think I was directing my comments at you. I really wish the leash law vioators here had as much control of their dogs as you do of yours. Boy, would that be nice! Heck, I'd be happy if half of the other dog owners had ON LEASH control, LOL.

[Brandgin]

I let both my dogs run off leash in safe areas. There is a park that we frequent where almost all the dogs are off leash at one time or another. Both my dogs are pretty good at coming when called unless distracted by squirrels.

I do have one problem with my older dog who has taken a dislike to one particular young year old elkhound that also frequents the park where we walk. He hates him and attacked this dog the last time we met up for no reason. Since the last incident I have kept him leashed at all times but I am considering purchasing a muzzle so that he can again be off leash and get some exercise along with his younger sister. What do you all think of the idea of muzzling him when he is off leash to prevent any more fights with this other dog. Just to let you know, he does not like this dog for some particular reason and hates all Malamutes (male or female) as well but is terrific with all other dogs.