# off leash training



## JazzyGirl (May 25, 2009)

I have seen several pics of dogs going on wonderful hikes w/o a leash. I was wondering how you go about training off leash. I would like my dog to be able to play/be in our unfenced back yard (under supervision of course) or even be able to hike with her off leash. 

She is very prey aware and at the moment if she is focused on something, will not shift her attention to me, so at this point I couldn't trust her off leash.


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## JazzyGirl (May 25, 2009)

by the way, she is 16 weeks old.


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

I am not an expert on the training part, I'm sure you'll get some good advice on that, but as far as a place to do it, we used a fenced tennis court where we could contain the dog but train off leash.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

You know, I know this is awful but we just kind of tried it... we bought treats along and had her due a few commands before we let her off so she knew we had them and would be rewarded if she came back when called. Her recall is pretty good as it is, but we wanted to basically _ensure_ that she would come back.

What is strange (or maybe not so strange) about Jerzey is that, on hikes, her recall is 100%. Seriously. She'll run ahead, but only so far. She always looks to John and I for reassurance before she presses on. She truly looks to us as her leaders. She stops when we tell her, continues on that path we point to, and comes when called. We also make a habit of calling her back to us just to pet and praise her so she doesn't associated being called with always being put on a leash... we don't want her to think that being called to us is a bad thing. Sometimes we'll call her, put her on the leash for a few steps and take her off again. We try to mix it up a lot so she's always guessing (or, rather, has no expectations.)

In the yard, this isn't the case. She won't run _away_, in that she'll leave the yard, but she will run away from _us_ or not come when called if she's in a playful mood or spots something more interesting. I think she honestly feels more comfortable in her yard, rather than an unknown wooded area and doesn't feel as inclined to look to us for direction. Obviously, we don't really let her off-leash in the yard for this specific reason. In the woods, at the river, in the dog park... she definitely looks to us more and we follow what we say.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

When we got Anna at 12 weeks, we let her walk around with us off leash...we'd make it around the block or out in the front yard and rewarded her when she came when called. The first time I let her "off leash" in a park (well the creek) I was kinda nervous, but she did great! If she looks like she won't come, I just run the other direction and she comes, I put her in a sit and give a treat. 

She's got to where when she hears a whistle and "Anna, let's go!" she'll come a runnin'. Sometimes I still have to do the opposite direction run, but so far it's worked.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

I think you'd have a very tough time doing it with a 4 month old, but I'm not saying it can't be done. The dog is in a puppy phase still and I don't know what you can expect of a puppy in terms of impulse control. I wouldn't worry about it yet.

I am at the point with my older dog (age 6) that I walk him daily, along with my puppy, and he is wearing a backpack with a leash wrapped around it (just in case) but I am not holding the leash. He stays with me, on my right side, and over the years, he has learned that he's not allowed to take off after anything that strikes his fancy. I am sure there are some specific training scenarios, but frankly with a puppy I wouldn't trust it's impulse control. That doesn't seem to be setting a dog up to succeed, to expect a puppy to do that..


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## JazzyGirl (May 25, 2009)

Well, I didn't exactly expect it to be an overnight training thing. I was wondering what the correct approach should be to lay a good foundation for that kind of training. I am trying to be realistic, but like to have plan of action.

I had a dog killed by being hit by a car because he didn't have a good recall. I would like to avoid that at all costs. So, while I would like good off leash training, I don't really intend her to be off leash just anywhere. if that makes sense.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

No. 

If there is ANY chance that the dog will run after a squirrel or a kitty or a butterfly and into the street, it is not ready to be off lead. Use a long line. Fence in a small area. Take her to a fenced area. 

I started Arwen in obedience at about 1 year of age. Eight weeks later she was good on lead and off lead. She went for a rabbit once and I called and she returned instantly to the heel position. She passed her CGC at a show without ever practicing. She took first place in all three legs of her CD. She learned right away to run with my bike, and stop and sit when I stopped. I can put her on a sit/stay and go into a store and when I come out she will not have moved. She is an exceptional dog. But I would have NEVER expected anything like this when she was a puppy. 

None of my other dogs have this type of freedom, Babsy is close to being there at 3 1/2. Jenna will NEVER be there, well, maybe at 11. At two, I have taken Heidi in the woods and was pleasently surprised to find she works very close to me. The babies at 8 months I found when off lead make a bee-line to the back of my vehicle.

The problem is that it only takes a split second for your dog to take off after something and be dead or seriously injured. 

Once I think my dogs are really good on lead and off lead in a safe area. I go out after the bars close down and before the morning rush and take them into town to do a little work on and off lead. I start in parking lots that are empty and mostly enclosed. I move out into quiet side walk areas farther from the road like the courthouse property. I have to be hypervigilent for the sound of stray dogs or cats, or drunks trying to work their ways homeward. 

After a short walk, I will stop in the partially enclosed parking lot and do a few minutes obedience on lead. Then I unhook the leash and do a few minutes off-lead. Then I praise and put them back on lead. 

I build up the off-lead experience. I go to the fairgrounds that is enclosed by fencing, but not readily noticeable -- such a large area. We do figure eights and come fronts, sits and downs, stays and recalls. Then I give them a "RUN ABOUT A BIT" command which means go sniff, run about, at ease, whatever. After a few minutes, I do a recall. 

I use ball fields and play grounds and tennis courts. All the local cops know me, because I am there when no one else is. If any horses are out at the fairgrounds, I go away. The horses' owners are paying for the use of the area. If I tick even one person off, they will kick me out. I clean poop up too. 

The problem with all of this is that when other people see me running my dogs, they think it is a good idea and then they run their dogs too. They do not necessarily defer to horses. They do not necessarily clean poop. Eventually we are banned from everywhere. Between two and four AM other dog owners sleep. 

Arwen will be eight in June. At this point, I feel confident enough to walk her off lead any time, any where.


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

> Quote:What is strange (or maybe not so strange) about Jerzey is that, on hikes, her recall is 100%. Seriously. She'll run ahead, but only so far. She always looks to John and I for reassurance before she presses on.


Not strange at all. Any dog is going to be more confident in being loose around it own territory and be more apt to roam and or take off at distractions. \Now remove this dog to unfamiliar places and the draw to stay with the pack is going to be stronger. 

I start with my pups as soon as they get their shots finished we are out hiking! and they of course start off right away dragging a light long line.

Maybe you have a friend whos dog can go off leash? This is also great to help teach pups to stick with the pack when out hiking off leash?


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## Steffanie (Oct 1, 2005)

Even though it will probably take a lot of time to get it working due to your pups age, it's never to early to start training for off-leash walking.

The first step I would take is get a very long leash, at least 20ft, and then let your pup wander off and get interested in other things. Call the puppy with whatever come command you choose, if the puppy comes great! Treat and praise. If not, reel her in with the leash to enforce the command. Give her a treat when she comes, even if it is by reeling her in. It would also be helpful to make yourself a little more interesting - clap or whistle right before giving the command, sit on the ground, or start to walk away. 
Once she's good at coming while on the long lead, find a fenced area where you can safely let her off and do the same thing. It does not have to be a large area. If she reverts to ignoring you, go back to the long lead.
Once you feel you can trust her in all circumstances(including when there are very tempting distractions such as rabbits or other dogs), then you can try off leash in other areas.

When I was still working with Cheyenne to get her 100% trustworthy on hikes the main thing I needed was for her to focus on me. Note that by this point I had the hard work done - she would not run off and would come when called, but sometimes got distracted when walking and wouldn't keep up until I called her again. To get the excellent focus I now get from her, when she got distracted, instead of calling her again, I would take off running and maybe even hide. It sounds a little mean, but it quickly taught her that the first thing to focus on was ME and where I was going and what I was doing, everything else came second. I dictate where we go and what we do, I would not wait up for her. She knows she needs to focus on me, watches me constantly for direction and will only go so far away before she appears back at my side without me calling her at all. And at the same time, if I were to call her she will instantly come to my side again.

In my experience, it will take a lot more work for her to be trust worthy in your area vs. in an unfamiliar area. With hard work this is something that could be overcome, but your hope of having her off leash in your unfenced yard will likely be much harder to accomplish than having her off-leash on a hike.

This is just my experience and what has worked for me, I'm not a trainer and not everything that works for one dog will work for another.

Good luck and have fun!


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

> Quote:Once she's good at coming while on the long lead, find a fenced area where you can safely let her off and do the same thing.


That is not the approach I would take or teach. You should graduate down to a 6 ft leash for them to drag around for a while along with that I also then attach a 8 to 10 inch tab leash. They get the feel of the weight from the long line still on them and then because the tab leash is shorter they feel that bumping their shoulders ect.... Then from there I remove the 6 ft leash in a couple of months and just having them on the tab. All together if you work at it every day figure 6 months total to get off leash.


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## JazzyGirl (May 25, 2009)

Thanks for the good advice guys!

Berg, you asked if a friend had a dog that was good off leash, yes, but she isn't good with walking with another dog yet. She just wants to play, play, play! (that is how she fractured her scapular spine! playing that is, not walking with another dog)


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

I start my dogs off-leash the day I bring them home. I've found, as an obedience instructor, that most dogs become leash-dependent because people keep them on-leash all the time as youngsters and then they have a terrible time taking them off-leash.

If I'm in an unsecure area, I have them drag a light line. The length may vary depending on the terrain. I also start doing motivational recalls from the very beginning - using extremely good treats and lots of clapping and running away and laughing and fun stuff when they come to me. I don't reel my dogs in. Never really felt that it accomplished much and most dogs that I see trained that way are not really trustworthy off-leash as they've become accustomed to the leash controlling them. I've had much better success using positive reinforcement and practicing EVERY SINGLE DAY for the first year or so of the dog's life. Recalls can be practiced easily indoors too, so even if the weather gets bad you can still work on it. You want the recall to be so automatic that the dog responds without even thinking about it. 

During this time I'm also working on focus, attention, basic obedience (heel, sit, down, stay) as well as other behaviors (spin, wave goodbye, roll on your side, bark, etc.). I build a really solid relationship with my dog by using lots of praise and rewards and saving corrections for really important things. The relationship you have with your dog will matter a lot when it comes to having a reliable off-leash recall.

With some dogs (two, in the many I've had over the years) I have had to go to some corrective consequences for off-leash playtime. I have nice, solid recalls for competition (never had a dog refuse a recall in competition) but an off-leash playtime recall is a different story as the dogs are not in focused mode (at least not focused on ME .. *L*). But most of my dogs have been very reliable off-leash even around wildlife (moose, etc.) without having to use much in the way of corrections.

Most of the time, when I take my dogs out, I don't leash any of them. I don't currently have a fenced yard and they potty in the grassy area or in the edge of the woods, and then run back to me. I'm usually walking around with dogs clustered around my legs .. *L* All of my shepherds have learned to be reliable off-leash at a pretty young age. Shepherds are really easy dogs to teach off-leash behaviors to IF you build the right relationship. My chows are a bit more challenging, but I've had three so far and all have learned off-leash behaviors. Khana still gets put on a long line at times as she's a little wild thing when she gets to playing, and she gets these "zoomies" that make her race around with her butt tucked .. *L* .. and when she's in a zoomie she really doesn't hear much of anything. She's "in the zone"!

Good luck with your dog, and work on the relationship and LOTS of positive recalls!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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