Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Riley has full run of our semi-large fully fenced back yard. Usually we are out with her, only once in a while dose she go out on her own (only for about 15 min, if she dose).
Our front yard is not fenced, and we live on a very busy street. So, if she wants to hang out with me in the front while I'm doing yard work, she has to wear a no-slip collar and be clipped to a chain/tie out. This would be the case even if i lived on a very quiet street. When I was a kid, my friends dog got hit by a car on a very remote dirt road in the middle of the mountains- it was the only car we had seen all day. It was just terrible, terrible timing. All it takes is a split second... not worth it.
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.
I live in dog training expert territory. A massage therapist, owns 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks--an absolute dog whisperer--really understands her dogs and the consistency/reinforcement of what it right and what is wrong is perfected. They are well bonded to her and she is tough. They can walk off lead.
Every dog owner that I have observed somehow does the same thing.
So many breeds--choose the right breed for your personality, learn to think like that dog and be the leader--trusted, caring and provider of all good things.
Did I do this well? No. I got snarled up in all kinds of dog training theories and had to straighten that out first. My dog now does resource guarding, barks out of boredom when the schedule goes off balance and I am in the process of correcting all the mistakes I made. He, fortunately, is very forgiving but I am annoyed with myself--i let life get out of control, listened to too many theories about what I should do.
Eat, sleep, play, work and have some fun with others or be alone if you are tired or just don't feel like socializing--dogs have common sense and I intend to reinstall mine.
He missed a lot of fun ---very loyal and he deserves much better. He will be five in October. kewl and funny. Walk--he loves to walk and to Go in the car.
Sleeping now--he had a pretty good day.
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.
There are many people who work with retrievers and dogs like that. I've read a number of rescue stories and it takes complete dedication.
Any animal that has a rough start first has to redevelop trust. After that depending on the breed you can start reinforcing good behavior. I couldn't handle the retrievers or any breed that is 'high energy'--a terrier would not be flexible enough if my life went up and down and it certainly does.
The people next door had a lab---they did all the right things. They worked a lot of hours---and one day the lab just found a way out of the fence and got stuck in a hole one street over---another dog was barking there.
My first lhasa, blind--loved to walk and remembered one of our walks so well that he found a way out of the back gate and took himself to the place he liked best on the walk. Right down a busy street---perhaps 1/4 mile. The neighbor called me and said, 'Your dog is sitting on our front steps'. I went and got him. We walked a lot more together after that.
Conclusion--if you have a lhasa---get walking. It settles them down--lol and they will love you forever.
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.
LOL, that sounds great. Does it have an official name? What is it actually? A huge ring? I ask because we have one crab apple tree in the middle of our front yard, the only tree. But right now we can't tie Shep's lead to it because it's surrounded by shrubbery and the lead would get a tangled up. We eventually (next year?) plan to get rid of all the shrubbery so it'll be just the tree, but for now the lead only lets Shep roam the driveway. That's where our kids play most of the time, but would be nice if Shep could roam the yard too.
There are two parts. One part is a cable that goes loosely around the tree and screws together to create a perfect circle. The other part is the lead made of the same material, which is attached to the circle with a steel ring so the dog can walk around and around the tree without the lead getting tangled. The lead never raps around the tree because the ring allows easy movement. It's good if the circle is larger than the tree. It's okay if it's significantly larger because it helps the dog swing the lead around the tree easier. You shouldn't have to worry about ring size since crab apple trees don't usually have large trunks. Just worry about lead length. Get it as big as you can---so he can walk as far as possible without getting tangled in other things or extending into the street. I think we have a 20' lead---which means he can go 20' in all directions from the tree.
Why until next year? Rip that shrubbery out this weekend!
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.
I cannot imagine someone letting a chihuahua run loose as much as those dogs cost well one day it wont come back someone will pick it up cause I have ppl eyeballing my dogs everyday and I smile and say hello and they say oh they are so cute , well yes they are cute but they are also an exspensive breed as well . Never in a million years would I let my babys run loose .
The official name is "ring around the tree!" I didn't realize that until I googled it!
Why until next year? Rip that shrubbery out this weekend!
I wish! But it consists of 2 rhodys, and a large hedgelike thing. It would take either some heavy duty machinery or ultra digging to rip it out. We're already landscaping the side yard so we can fence it off for Shep and the kids. I will speak to Dh about ripping this stuff out, since we already eliminating two other small "islands" the same time.
I cannot imagine someone letting a chihuahua run loose as much as those dogs cost well one day it wont come back someone will pick it up cause I have ppl eyeballing my dogs everyday and I smile and say hello and they say oh they are so cute , well yes they are cute but they are also an exspensive breed as well . Never in a million years would I let my babys run loose .
Not to mention a chihuahua is so low to the ground and easy to miss seeing in a car. There's a rat terrier near me that goes out into the street and I really worry about that little dog.
when you have 600 acres its a little easier to allow them to be loose, dogs have a finate territory andim pretty sure at 600 acres they feel no natural need to wander further than that...
but for the average person, heck even 3 acres isnt enough to satisfy most dogs natural instincts to roam and claim territory...
It has nothing to do with the need to wander or claiming territory. I live 200 feet from the county road and have 3 neighbors less than 100 yards away. Boundaries are boundaries, regardless of how large the area.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
