Dogs off leads.
- Thread starter aussiemyf7
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I don't mind off leash dogs as long as their owner is in control. And by that I mean that they will keep their dog from approaching mine. I don't appreciate dogs bounding up to mine and getting in his face no matter how "friendly" they are. I can't even count the number of times that has happened. Because of it, Joey gets nervous when other dogs run up to him on walks. I honestly wouldn't take the risk with my dog no matter how well he was trained while in the city. In a field or open area I might let him off his leash but I'd watch him like a hawk. If there is a leash law however then your dog should be on a leash.
I can't stand people with off leash dogs in the city. Its one think when your hiking or out in the country. Anouther where the streets are busy and dangerous. Can't stand it. I don't care how great of a recall your dog has. Something that dog has never experienced is gonna happen and its not going to have that perfect recall. And then what?
Sawyer and Maggie May both have great recall. And if I wanted to walk off leash with them in the city I could. But to me its just asking for trouble.
Sawyer and Maggie May both have great recall. And if I wanted to walk off leash with them in the city I could. But to me its just asking for trouble.
I hold my breath if I see an off leash dog near a road (around here at least, all roads have regular car traffic, there is no road where a car is almost never seen), all it takes is one accident and he's dead. Dogs, like people, mess up. It's up to you if that's a risk you are willing to take, if walking a dog off leash is so important to you that the chance of him messing up is not enough of a deterrent. You also have to worry about things like an off-leash dog running up to your dog and attacking him. Is your dog going to chill out at heel if he's being snarled at (or worse) by another dog or might he run away into the road.
What I REALLY don't get is, what's the point of letting a dog off leash to walk next to you? Why would you take the risk (however small) to walk a dog off-leash? You want the dog walking near you, not in the road or through someone's yard, you don't want him way in front of you or else he'd get to the road at the corner before you, chances are you want him somewhere in the same area that a leash would allow. So why not put the leash on, I really hope no one does it to show off, that's no reason to put your dog at risk (again I understand the risk may be very, very small but it IS there).
I am talking about around roads of course.
Away from a road I have no problem with it if your dog comes when calls and heels when told, I understand allowing your dog to trollop through the forest or run on the beach, it's fun, mentally stimulating and good exercise. I also understand allowing the dog off leash in the yard when under voice control, again the dog can run around and gets more room than when tethered. I don't think allowing a dog off leash on a very rural road is too dangerous but again I don't see the point myself.
What I REALLY don't get is, what's the point of letting a dog off leash to walk next to you? Why would you take the risk (however small) to walk a dog off-leash? You want the dog walking near you, not in the road or through someone's yard, you don't want him way in front of you or else he'd get to the road at the corner before you, chances are you want him somewhere in the same area that a leash would allow. So why not put the leash on, I really hope no one does it to show off, that's no reason to put your dog at risk (again I understand the risk may be very, very small but it IS there).
I am talking about around roads of course.
Away from a road I have no problem with it if your dog comes when calls and heels when told, I understand allowing your dog to trollop through the forest or run on the beach, it's fun, mentally stimulating and good exercise. I also understand allowing the dog off leash in the yard when under voice control, again the dog can run around and gets more room than when tethered. I don't think allowing a dog off leash on a very rural road is too dangerous but again I don't see the point myself.
Hmm, not sure I agree. Blaze walks much, MUCH better off lead than on lead. He also takes his commands off lead better than on lead. He also prefers to walk off lead by my side rather than on a lead by my side.
I'd like to know what everyone's dfinition of 'road' is. Because we walk around our lake, there is a road up the hill from the lake and a field we walk -off lead- in. Sometimes it's busy, sometimes it isn't. Most of the time it isn't. But you can still see the cars going by. My guard is on 110% tho the whole time. I'm continually watching for new people or dogs that could be approching.
I'd like to know what everyone's dfinition of 'road' is. Because we walk around our lake, there is a road up the hill from the lake and a field we walk -off lead- in. Sometimes it's busy, sometimes it isn't. Most of the time it isn't. But you can still see the cars going by. My guard is on 110% tho the whole time. I'm continually watching for new people or dogs that could be approching.
I too would like 'road' defined.
When I say road, I mean a two lane road, walking path on eitherside and maybe a car going past every 10 seconds, never continuously. But thats just where I live, I can walk around roads that you may never see a car on. The 'busiest' road I walk on, is super straight. I can see someone/something coming a mile away and when I do, along this road, they are on a lead. But other roads(the ones where you may never see a car) is the one where if I make contact with the owners, then I allow my dogs to approach, not bound. I will also note, we dont have squirrels, skunks or any of those type of animals around and all houses are sucluded with high fences, so cats arnt a biggy.
I leave them off and they walk ahead of me. Lady will often walk back to me then off in front again. It gives them a chance to go at there own pace and smell there own smells. Its hard when Lady wants to go, and Roly wants to pee!
When I say road, I mean a two lane road, walking path on eitherside and maybe a car going past every 10 seconds, never continuously. But thats just where I live, I can walk around roads that you may never see a car on. The 'busiest' road I walk on, is super straight. I can see someone/something coming a mile away and when I do, along this road, they are on a lead. But other roads(the ones where you may never see a car) is the one where if I make contact with the owners, then I allow my dogs to approach, not bound. I will also note, we dont have squirrels, skunks or any of those type of animals around and all houses are sucluded with high fences, so cats arnt a biggy.
I leave them off and they walk ahead of me. Lady will often walk back to me then off in front again. It gives them a chance to go at there own pace and smell there own smells. Its hard when Lady wants to go, and Roly wants to pee!
I walk my dogs off leash. I won't let Ben walk off leash around moderately to busy roads, but he is off leash in quiet areas and the forest. Lilly is off leash 99% of the time.
I do not allow them to run up to other dogs at all. They both sit as soon as they see other dogs. They both sit at pavements and stop streets. They know they are not allowed to cross roads without the command and neither of them have ever tried.
If an off leash dog runs up to me and my dogs it usually gets a face full of sand or pepper spray, regardless of how friendly it's owner proffesses it to be.
I do not allow them to run up to other dogs at all. They both sit as soon as they see other dogs. They both sit at pavements and stop streets. They know they are not allowed to cross roads without the command and neither of them have ever tried.
If an off leash dog runs up to me and my dogs it usually gets a face full of sand or pepper spray, regardless of how friendly it's owner proffesses it to be.
I take my dogs offleash some in rural areas. We let them offleash in our yard (which is not fenced), at the ranch, pond, etc. Never around roads and never in places with leash laws or many other people.
Summer is one of those dogs I have often thought of as not needing a lead. I put it on her of course because it is the law but even the one time I took her to the dog park, she stayed right next to me. In the year I'd had her, she'd never faltered in her recall at all and has always been one to stay right with me. Then the other day when we were in the yard a squirrel came by and she really went after it. She'd been called off squirrels many times before but for some reason that day she didn't respond and ended up pretty far into the woods. The point is you really never do know. If it had been somewhere not secluded, who knows if she'd have run across a road like that. If one of the best dogs off leash I've ever seen can forget, then any dog can. It's just not a risk worth taking imo.
So we will always have leashes around roads and in public. In the woods, beach, etc then I have no problems with offleash dogs so long as they don't come up to me.
Summer is one of those dogs I have often thought of as not needing a lead. I put it on her of course because it is the law but even the one time I took her to the dog park, she stayed right next to me. In the year I'd had her, she'd never faltered in her recall at all and has always been one to stay right with me. Then the other day when we were in the yard a squirrel came by and she really went after it. She'd been called off squirrels many times before but for some reason that day she didn't respond and ended up pretty far into the woods. The point is you really never do know. If it had been somewhere not secluded, who knows if she'd have run across a road like that. If one of the best dogs off leash I've ever seen can forget, then any dog can. It's just not a risk worth taking imo.
So we will always have leashes around roads and in public. In the woods, beach, etc then I have no problems with offleash dogs so long as they don't come up to me.
I have no fence so my dogs are literally off lead everytime we go out. It takes a horrid amount of work to get them where they are a hundred percent. Yesterday Pepper and i were standing there looking at a squirrel in the road that ran across the street and up a tree. SHe looked at me and never budged. THis is the same dog that a year ago drug me a couple feet on the lead in one hard yank. I was amazed, i didn't see it coming and was sitting on the grass holding her leash. I went over backwards literally. Zoomer wrote about how Sawyer ran off the property and Pepper was chasing him but she stopped on a dime when she hit the end. I never spent so much time in yard as i did last summer training her. Now i can have the door open to catch a breeze. Now i can enjoy my yard without having to stand at attention with both eyes glued on her.
IT can be done, but it takes diligent daily practice. WHen i walk Victor i have pepper on a lead, and i have his leash in my hand in case i need it. He has great pride that he has earned the right. You can tell by the big cheese eating grin on his face, the little tail wag and the sideway glances at me. I walk slow. I am sure it is painstaking for him to walk so slow. I am not the least bit worried that he will bolt for any reason. I think my dogs are safer then if they did have a fence and we never had a reason to work so hard.
When we walk which is daily as well (unless it is too cold out) i have them sit everytime a car comes. I don't expect that they would sit on their own if for some reason they were loose, but i do see that they hesitate and stop when a car is coming. THey know the sit command is coming. THat is exactly what i hoped for. THat awareness.
IT can be done, but it takes diligent daily practice. WHen i walk Victor i have pepper on a lead, and i have his leash in my hand in case i need it. He has great pride that he has earned the right. You can tell by the big cheese eating grin on his face, the little tail wag and the sideway glances at me. I walk slow. I am sure it is painstaking for him to walk so slow. I am not the least bit worried that he will bolt for any reason. I think my dogs are safer then if they did have a fence and we never had a reason to work so hard.
When we walk which is daily as well (unless it is too cold out) i have them sit everytime a car comes. I don't expect that they would sit on their own if for some reason they were loose, but i do see that they hesitate and stop when a car is coming. THey know the sit command is coming. THat is exactly what i hoped for. THat awareness.
I also like having my dogs heel beside me without a leash in the way... Fozzie's heel is IMPECCABLE off-leash, even though he still occasionally pulls on leash until I remind him that it will get him nowhere. He has pretty much no herding/prey drive at all, he will not approach an on-leash dog period, and he loves all people. I often let the leash/long line drag while practicing heeling in a risky area, but without that leash, you have NO back-up plan. It just seems haughty and silly. And stressful, so stressful. I think I would have a heart attack with my dogs off-leash near a road, even if it was completely deserted.
I was thinking about this, and I do think there are situations where off-leash near a road is somewhat safe and understandable. Where we go for Obedience, it's a very large park, downtown, with a neighborhood street around it. However, the only time the dogs are off-leash (and even then most dogs have leashes dragging) is when they are in down-stays. And only when the dogs are past intermediate level. This girl was at a photoshoot that they had a few weeks ago, for the website, and she brought her adolescent dog. Afterwards, our dogs were meeting and greeting, but she let her dog do whatever leash-free. We were 100+ yards from the street, but in just a few seconds, her dog went from playing with ours to racing toward the road, crossing it, and scarfing down a bunch of who-knows-what in a trashcan before his owner could even react. The trainer was running over there before she was. He could have easily been hit by a car, even though the speed limit is 25, if not eaten something dangerous in the trash can.
I was thinking about this, and I do think there are situations where off-leash near a road is somewhat safe and understandable. Where we go for Obedience, it's a very large park, downtown, with a neighborhood street around it. However, the only time the dogs are off-leash (and even then most dogs have leashes dragging) is when they are in down-stays. And only when the dogs are past intermediate level. This girl was at a photoshoot that they had a few weeks ago, for the website, and she brought her adolescent dog. Afterwards, our dogs were meeting and greeting, but she let her dog do whatever leash-free. We were 100+ yards from the street, but in just a few seconds, her dog went from playing with ours to racing toward the road, crossing it, and scarfing down a bunch of who-knows-what in a trashcan before his owner could even react. The trainer was running over there before she was. He could have easily been hit by a car, even though the speed limit is 25, if not eaten something dangerous in the trash can.