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yes, in my backyard--1/3 acre. fenced. my lhasa apso is off leash.
i wonder why this question was asked.
??huge rural property?? hunting dogs that roam--if they were trained and we were walking I would allow them to run off leash. one might wander--i guess i would be searching every inch throughout the night until i found him/her.
ETA:
' She has two dogs that are completely trained, but she still wouldn't trust them not to wander off. She uses a very long lead when in the front yard.'
My dog trainer works from my vet's office--J and I were waiting to pay--a huge trash can was coming through--he told me I needed to get J out of the way.
Who knows what he thinks about J running freely in his own backyard. I'm not going to stop my dog from this tiny amount of freedom.
We walk through a nearby park--he goes off lead--against an ordinance--so we face prosecution, i suppose. He is trained enough in my poor way of training to stay near me and come when i call. He knows he should stay nearby--he has that much sense and he wants to protect me.
What anyone thinks of this--well, that is what i do.
if only the people down the street would stop letting their chihauhau roam the street--i tell them he will be killed as my dog/former was--he is never kept in his yard. They say--a neighbor--'if he dies, he dies.' and if I am the one to kill him i really might die. What else can I do?
With all that goes on here --crimes of violence and serious 's'--i refuse to report my neighbors for this.
stir up trouble in the neighborhood--i won't do that.
Last edited by TakeAhike; 05-11-2011 at 11:23 AM..
On a related note. How do you keep your dogs on a leash / tether?
We have had a number of dogs who would chew-on and eat their collar, and/or the tether chain.
Right now we are using link-chain; one loop around the neck held by a threaded quick-link, a second loop around the chest held by a threaded quick-link, and a third piece of chain going between the two threaded quick-links.
yes, in my backyard--1/3 acre. fenced. my lhasa apso is off leash.
i wonder why this question was asked.
.
Maybe I should clarify does anyone let their dog off leash in an unfenced part of their property. I asked because I wonder if most dog owners do it, and if so, what kind of training if any was involved. But it's looking like most of you don't.
Maybe I should clarify does anyone let their dog off leash in an unfenced part of their property. I asked because I wonder if most dog owners do it, and if so, what kind of training if any was involved. But it's looking like most of you don't.
Our yard is unfenced. We are on 1 1/2 acres in a relatively quiet cul de sac. I think it depends on the personality of the dog involved, and the neighbors, human and animal. Our dog is incredibly easy to train, 2 or 3 commands and she's got it. It really just takes patience and repetition. We also use a distinctive whistle, and she knows that means stop whatever it is you are doing, and come now. I think if you added in many other animals it would be more complicated. Also we have a large coyote population, so we are careful with her out at night. The only time we use the leash is to go to the vet, or walking on a busy street, although she doesn't really need it when walking, she naturally walks to heel.
Yes, my dogs are off leash in a unfenced area, but almost never unattended. Even if the door is open they will not go outside to do their business alone. They are very food motivated and we trained them to "come" and "stay close" with cheerios. They've really never been wanderers, might be the breed (hearders), might be that they are spoiled and don't want to get too far from the treats and bed.
I have a Beagle, so that is out of the question. It's his nature to track and run after things. I'd probably never see him again if I took him off leash. The old lady, my black lab mix, is very territorial and her name is Shadow for a reason. She has never left my side, but she could go off leash if I let her, but I don't. My babies have a huge fenced in yard to play in, so they aren't missing anything.
My neighbors way down the block have 2 huge labs that roam the street and I'm so afraid they're going to end up missing or dead one day. When they wander on to my property I just tell them to go home and they do. If I were you, OP, I wouldn't let my dog off leash. I wouldn't even think about it.
Well I have a fence. Brick wall actually. They are off lead outside.
Though the cattle dog, that shows in agility, which is the only time she's off lead, took off out of the ring, the photographer was laying right under the fence, taking pics, my dog took the jump, then promptly ducked under the rope and went directly into the food truck. I "thought" her recall was 100%, apparently I was wrong. Food...was her motivation that day. It certainly wasn't me. LOL
Bottom line is, never trust them no matter how well they're trained.
Our yard isn't fenced. We live in a residential area with normal sized yards and limited traffic.
My two dogs off leash now. One is a 15 year old labrador and the other is a 4 year old beagle basset hound.
The labrador has always been off leash in the yard. He's not a runnner. He's a wanderer. (Now that he's older, he doesn't wander though.) Whenever we would catch him wandering, we'd simply call him and he would wander slowly back looking guilty. He would only go outside without a leash if we were out in the yard with him. The only times he would go outside without us is right before morning and evening feedings. He was always excited to do his business and get back inside quickly to eat.
The beagle basset hound has only been off leash for the last year. When he came to live with us at 11 months, we were told to never leave him off the leash because hounds run after smells and you never see them again. We have learned that the fact he smells so much actually makes it easy to keep track of him----he doesn't go five feet without stopping to smell something in-depth. LOL When he heads towards the property line we say "STOP" and he stops dead in his tracks----always. He too goes outside before feedings by himself, but we have to stand at the door. We can't trust him like we can the lab to be outside completely on his own for brief periods.
It's important to know your dogs. Our labrador will come home. Our beagle basset would probably never come home. Until you know your dog, assume it will never come home. If you catch your dog out of the yard, do NOT punish the dog. Punishing causes dogs to want to avoid coming back. Be super happy to see your dog and reward your dog for coming back.
How did we get the beagle basset to stay in the yard while supervised? We started by letting him drag his leash while we walked nearby. He "thought" he was under our control and listened. After about 6 months, we started taking him out without the leash entirely. We walked right next to him and would say "STOP" whenever he would get near the boundary lines. (He thinks he is invisible when he walks in slow motion. LOL) He has a girlfriend who lives in a fenced in yard across the street. When she's out and sees him, she goes crazy barking and crying for him. He goes to the edge of our property and waits for me to take him across the street to visit.
We can do yard work with the labrador loose outside. The beagle basset can't be loose outside if our attention isn't on him 100%. When I have both dogs outside, it's like I'm a shepherd with a flock. I stand in the middle of the yard and calling out commands to each of them, keeping them in the right area.
We have a ring-around-the-tree thingy to tie up a dog while we're outside doing yard work. We used it for the labrador when he was younger. He only liked to be outside if we are outside with him. The beagle basset has to be on the tree anytime we are outside and don't want to keep our attention on him 100%. He loves being on the tree because it means being able to spend more time outside while we are doing yard work.
The labrador can be outside the entire time we do yard work without being tied up. Now that he's old, he doesn't like to go far from us----he likes to stand between our legs when he's afraid.
I highly recommend getting a ring-around-the-tree thingy. It's the perfect way for your dog to be outside with you while you do yard work. Don't leave a dog tied to a tree when you're not outside.
We have a Golden and a Lab, and a little over an acre unfenced. We installed an underground fence system when we moved in, and trained both dogs to the yard perimeters with it. They haven't worn the collars for at least 3 years, and they never go past the boundary. Even if a deer or a squirrel is in the yard, and they chase it, they put on the brakes before they enter the woods.
Every night I take them for a good run in nearby fields. The Golden will stick close by, the Lab likes to run off and chase geese, but she comes easily when called. I keep those little Charley Bear type treats in my pocket to reward her.
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