First off I don't think you have had her long enough to trust her. I always wait at least 6 months when I take in an adult. Second, they are only trusted when I don't have any pulling on leash or lunge lines and their recall is 100% with distractions. Sounds like a lot but collies love to chase what moves and I won't risk them just so they can be off leash. We don't do dog parks so usually they go to parks on 20 foot lunge lines and get to run and play there. They go to the lake on the off season and I will let them off leash when there is no around and we have an decent sized fenced yard. We also practice off leash in my front yard as we are on a dead end street off another dead end street - if I call and they don't come immediately it is back on leash and recall work resumes. If they do perfect in the yard then we move on to other areas.

 

Ahh. Thanks Liz, I feel better about not having her off leash yet :redface:
We currently dont have a fenced-in yard or any fenced-in area that we can practice recall in, which sucks and hopefully when we move in the next two months we can find a place with an actual yard.
Eevee likes to chase things too. She has a high prey drive and will go after rabbits, birds, squirrels, newspapers blowing in the wind, everything. If it moves, it's prey.
She still pulls on her leash, which is super frustrating.

Sometimes I feel like all of the training that I do with her is basically erased by my boyfriend because he has the mentality of 'let the dog be a dog' and lets her pull and runs around chasing things WITH her. :frusty:

Also... LOL she just ate a spider! My little bug exterminator!! :lol:

 

Never, mine are all idiots. :smile: The only one that is allowed off leash anywhere that a car could hit them would be Madison who is about to turn 18 and can't outrun me.
I have a very dear friend who's Pitbulls are SO well trained. They listen to her like no other dogs I've ever met. She used to live very close to me and her house was way back off the road. She was about to leave one day and opened the door and there was a mouse on the porch. Her male saw it and lost his mind and immediately bolted out past her. She yelled for him to stop, he did briefly and then saw a squirrel. I guess he was already so fired up at being that close to catching the mouse that he chased the squirrel into the street and got hit right in front of her. He didn't die right away but ran off and she couldn't find him. She and I both rescue from the same animal control so she called me frantic and I called them and asked that they be on the lookout for him. We searched for hours for him. Then that evening she got a call from the lady that runs the humane society. Her beloved boy had been picked up by animal control, with grave injuries and they put him in the gas chamber and killed him. He had a microchip, a collar with his name and phone # on it as well as an ID tag. No one called her to give her the option to try to save him. It was one of the worst days I can remember. So because of that I just don't risk it. Knowing how well behaved and trained her dogs are and that it still happened to her... Nope my dogs would be dead in 2 minutes....

 

Oh my god, how awful :frown: This is exactly what I'm afraid of. I live in the city part of North Carolina, so there arent really any places without cars or roads...

i think i was able to trust Cesar offlead after like 2 months? maybe 3 becuae i got him in may and by summertime i was able to walk him offlead down a crowded beach. but i worked with him every single day in lots of differnat situations and palces plus i had a vibration collar which i really think helped out alot

I envy you! The vibration collar helps when he gets distracted?

 

i think i was able to trust Cesar offlead after like 2 months? maybe 3 becuae i got him in may and by summertime i was able to walk him offlead down a crowded beach. but i worked with him every single day in lots of differnat situations and palces plus i had a vibration collar which i really think helped out alot

 

Mikey probably a few months into having him. He has always been smart and loyal. He likes to wander and do his own thing but he never goes far and he always comes back

Sprocket...I don't 100% trust him but he is good most of the time. Small dogs are stressful!

Gunner always. He isn't the type to run off. He gets interested in things but his stay is solid. Probably when he was about 6 month old was when I trusted him.

Of course they are dogs so anything can happen.

 

My backyard and one of the dogs doesn't even get that because he will jump my fence and is DA, he's really got it in for my neighbors mastiff. I live in town so there's a leash law, I wouldn't bring them to dog parks even if there was one and the only place I could bring them off leash, the woods, I would never ever trust them 100%, they are all very prey driven. Plus I hear nonstop of off lead dogs running off in the woods and never coming back, getting hit by cars, lots of people around here will shoot loose dogs who go near their livestock, not worth the risk to me. I do work on recall just in case, but they will never be off leash in an area that's not fenced in.

 

I never trust Mollie.
I know that when she's off leash, she always stays somewhat near, might be behind a house or tree's or something, but she knows where I am even if I have no clue where she is.
When she see's a squirrel and I call her, she'll hesitate and I can see her weighing up in her brain which is the bigger reward, me or chasing the squirrel. I almost never win, no matter how high a value the treat is that I have in my hand.
So, unless we are on an island with no other people or dogs, or at the end of our culdesac where I'm on her ar$e the whole time, she's always on a longline or her leash.

 

I would never take any of mine outside of my neighborhood off leash. Rocky would be really trustworthy because he is very shy and sticks to me like glue, but Shade could run off in a second if he saw something really distracting. I do let them out in my front yard to help me 'bring in the groceries' when I come home. But I live in a cul-de-sac where everyone else is gone during the day so there is nothing to distract them. Shade has gotten a lot better and usually just runs right back in the house. But he did take off after a deer once and we found him the next yard over.

I would worry too much about cars or something strange and unexpected startling them. And if either of mine took off, with their breeds, the likely hood of someone finding them and returning them to me is pretty slim.

 

Mine are never off leash. I used to take them to the dog park and let them off leash, but the last time (quite a while ago), they just were not comfortable without the leash.

Tuffy's (Tibetan Spaniel) breed and temperament are such that his breed description says this is a dog that should never be trusted off leash. Fearless and curious.

Toby is very skittish, if he gets frightened he will run regardless of my presence.

Neither is ever off leash, except for in the yard. I do have the 15 foot flexi-leashes, so they do wander a bit.

 

I trust Dude off the leash completely. The only place his recall isn't perfect is at the dog park so that is something we are actively working to correct (although his is better than most). Dude was actually 5 or 6 years old by the time I trusted him because I was never allowed to have him off leash. My stepdad was always paranoid that a cop would drive by and fine us for Dude being off leash in the driveway so I was never able to work with him. We were a pretty copless neighborhood though. My mom wasn't worried about it so I started working with him out front in the driveway when my stepdad was traveling every week. He could have been a great off leash dog by the time he was a year old had I worked with him from day one.

Buck, on the other hand, being a hound, I don't anticipate him being a reliable off leash dog for probably another year at the very minimum. He is bred to chase small things that move and use his nose to find them. It is going to take a LOT of work to get him to become trustworthy. Right now, he still pulls on the leash when people approach and when he hasn't had a ton of exercise either that day or the day before. His recall still sucks. Once those two things are perfect we will start seriously working on off leash training.

ETA: I do have to add that, whenever we are around streets outside of our quiet, half empty neighborhood, Dude is on a leash. I can only imagine what would happen if he wandered off the curb next to a busy street... We are typically on the walking paths behind our house anyways and there are no roads back there. That would be where I primarily have him off leash.

 

Well we got Stanley at 5 and it took me 8 months to pluck up enough courage and to trust him to let him offleash at the river which is a great place for dogs. Being an ex racer you can't reprogram them to NOT chase, although people think you can. It also depends on their prey drive. During that 8 months when he was onleash we were attending dog obedience and doing lots of practice at home. I would never ever let him offleash on a road or an unfenced area because if he saw a cat he would be off.
When I first took him offleash I was very nervous and he of course picked up on that and did chase a few dogs and I got into a real state. Now I am just really relaxed and don't worry. Sometimes he does chase dogs and sometimes he doesn't. Greyhounds are very lazy and generally can't be bothered. I do have a muzzle on him though because sometimes when he decides to chase a dog he likes to 'snap' at them which is what they do whilst racing basically saying "come on, keep running I want to chase".
Our river here in my town is a few miles long and apart from a small section is all offleash for dogs but we have to share the pathway with cyclists and unfortunately most of them don't warn you they are coming (it's obviously not cool to have a bell on your bike) and like to use it as a racetrack and sometimes one gets a little pissed off with them.
ps. the other thing us greyhound owners have to be aware of is fences, when a greyhound is in a chase such as a rabbit they don't see fences, they only see the object of the chase and I've seen my boy run into one, luckily he wasn't going at full pelt. Greyhounds have been killed running into fences.

 

Mine are both very trustworthy, but I never let them off leash in town because its not worth the risk and I can defend them from loose animals if they are right next to me. I have several 6ft leashes, a splitter for if I take them both and don't feel like juggling 2 leashes, a 10ft long line, and a 30ft long line. My fav line is the biothane 10fter. Usually use that when we go walk in the cemetary.

But out at my mom's in the boonies? Yeah pretty much never leashed at all. They ignore livestock, deer, etc. I might leash Scout to take her to/from her tie-out when my parent's BC is obsessively chasing the 4wheeler... she's obsessed now too. Special! Thats about it though!
Ran into a badger once with Lily off leash, she left it alone like a good girl. I was relieved because they are MEAN little animals!
Both always wear their orange collars out there and when we go huckleberry picking in the woods. All in all they are excellent dogs for what breed mix they are.

 

you can't trust your dog will look back at you and return because
she's not trained.

2>>> take her to a tennis that's completely fenced in. unleash her and walk away
and see what happens. have some people on the outside of
the fence call. have someon on the outside of the with a
dog and call her.

3>>> i used the dog park as a training tool.

keep your dog leashed untill she has total recall.
teach your dog to heel on either side with or without
a leash. untill your dog is trained i think you should keep her leashed.

Im wondering how did all of you get to the point where you can have your dogs off leash?

Ive had Eevee for 2 months now and while I know she would probably run off to chase something while off leash, (she's SO easily distracted!)

1>>> she would totally look back and see that Im not there with her, freak out and run back looking for me.
She hasnt been off leash with me yet.

2>>> I dont know when is a good time to have her off leash and where! She also hasnt been trained in recall. Blah.

3>>> Our trainer advised that we dont go to dog parks, but I feel like I cant let her off leash otherwise.

SO. Tell me how you did it? When did you start to trust 'em? Where do you let them off leash? Only in fenced-in areas or anywhere outside?

Ya'll dont know how lucky you are!! :redface:

 

I had Rebel a year, and it was a long, slow road to get there. He's very distracted by other dogs.

 

Beau = NEVER. NEVER EVER EVER GOING TO HAPPEN. I can train recall all day long with that dumb dog and it will not and will never sink in. He's a hound and I've learned to deal with it. I don't see the point in letting him run free anyways when I have two ziplines plus several long leads he can be on to feel "Free"

Takoda = Nope, same as above.

My Dachshund Moe = 100% trust. His recall was so solid I could have in PetSmart off leash and have him not leave my side at all.

 

All of my adults can be trusted (to one extent or another) off leash....I work on a solid come, and emergency word as well. Keeva is only 4 months old, but getting there for sure!!:thumb:

When owning dogs it is our responsibly to train them so that they are always safe, no matter what.....and a solid recall is NUMBER ONE on the list of needed commands, IMO.




Both Beagles and Dachshunds are hounds.......and recall is about them coming back to you when they are away from you...not never leaving...

It's really too bad you won't put the effort into your 2 dogs to allow them have true freedom.

 

I don't really do it often. I find him to be 90% trustworthy, so like when we first get home, I tell him to "come" and he gets to hop out of the car and run into the house (this is at my mom and my dads house). Or I'll occasionally drop his leash in safe areas. He may get a bit more freedom this summer at the beach, there's not much he can get into, but he was always on the 50ft leash before. I may start with a shorter leash and letting it drag before doing FULL "off leash".

The thing is, like I said, 90% of the time, he's going to be absolutely perfect. He's well trained, he worships me (most of the time) and listens well. But if he sees a squirrel, all bets are off.

We have 90 acres of farmland behind us and he's essentially off leash - I mean, I let his 50ft leash drag, and he does fine. But I like the added protection of knowing I can step on the end of it if I have to.

Oh and he's off leash all the time in the dog park and fenced areas.

 

never.

malia still thinks she's a hunter.

bubba runs after anything and everything that moves.

 

Never. He is perfect in the backyard. But out in the real world, nope. He will chase down anything that moves, except for dogs, til the ends of this earth!! Especially cats...!!

ETA: He is very food motivated and when he sees prey, food is invisible to him. It's like he stares right through the treat, whining to go and get whatever he sees...all training goes out the window.

 

Not doing so well with Snorkels. I just put her in the front yard (where the gale is a little less) and tried to stay out of the wind while she peed. She went down the sidewalk, behind the car, and started meandering down the road - when the wind is so strong and so cold it will practically knock you on your rear.

Never looked back at me. I KNOW she heard me. I had to run her down in my nightgown, barefoot. At least i had a sweater on. Didn't she know how cold and windy it is out there?

She thumbs her nose at recall. And then spits on it.

 

Not in public, but up hiking we doesn't bother other hikers, every so often he gives a shoe a sniff in passing and moves on with us. I won't let him off leashe anywhere else but the hiking mountains, and our home. everywhere else... i don't feel comfortable with.

 

My dogs have never been on a leash, so they tend to not become excited when outdoors.

 

I miss those days

 

I think hounds get sidetracked by a scent or visual more easily which is not a bad thing as this is what they are bred for but it does make off leash work more challenging. That and they tend to be pretty independent where as even though the herding breeds love to chase they seem to be more handler dependent - maybe type A. By the same token I would not trust sight hounds or sled dogs - when they run they really run! LOL

 

TOTALLY agree Liz.....and I was in no way saying training them is easy...that is just laughable!!LOL :lol: I was just saying that as the owner of a hound, and and dog, you need to have full controll of any possible situation...which fully means having a nice solid recall on all your dogs.
(you/your being EVERYONE!!:wink

 

I agree, Liz, but I am of the opinion that being a hound should not excuse a dog from having a solid recall. ANY dog can get loose and ANY dog can find himself no longer attached to his owner out in public regardless of breed. Same goes for sighthounds and sled dogs.

 

I think any dog could have recall, with the right amount of work and training.

I know Rebel is not as good now as he was last year since I've not been working with him every day. But that is not a "dumb dog," it's a dumb owner.

 

As well trained as my dog is, I will never let him off leash in an unfenced area. Huskies have a very high prey drive, and I fear that his God-given instincts could always override his training... it's not worth the risk to me!

 

when you come over scarlett, you can take bubba home with you. train him to have full recall.

malia, too, for that matter.

i warn you, though, she does eat cats.

 

YAY!!!!:biggrin:

Oh wait....your saying I have to bring him back??:tongue:

Oh and I love her, but I'm not messing with the sweet ole' lady ever again!!Hahahhaha

Oh and I truthfully think that Pugs are harder to teach recall to then scent hounds!!LOL

And MM that doesn't mean that you wouldn't work on training recall though right? (with what i know about you on here I'm guessing that you do/did work on recall!:wink
Although I totally understand your never wanting him to be loose in an indexed area......what I'm trying to say is recall isn't just for the uber obedient and/or super responsive dogs.