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We recently completed basic obedience training with our dog. Our question to the teacher (and our dream for her) is for the dog to run off the leash and how to get her to that point.
The teacher said (after asking our dog's age again) that she would not trust a young dog (almost a year) to listen.
Our dog is very easily distracted and yes, would bolt off to see a cat, a dog, a squirrel, a kid...(even on the leash she is crazy).
You never can tell what they will do.
I suppose it takes training, training, training...and in the end, they still may bolt.
I have to rant a bit since we are talking off leash here as my idiot neighbor had his two black lab puppies off leash as usual and my dogs and I had just gotten out of the car. Here came the pups and don't get me wrong they are sweet pups but only 5 or 6 months old.They do belong on a leash. Jazz had her gentle leader on so I was able to control her but she was pissed especially when they stared leaping on her. It is like labs do just not get it that a dog that is growling and snarling at them is not one you want to be jumping all over. ( have had similar problems with other labs in the past they just do not get it Jazz does not love them!).
Jazz is 12 and her hips are starting to hurt and she is 12 days post op for the nerve sheath sarcoma so she does not need to be molested by young pups. Dash stepped up and charged them so they took off running but then ran out into the street and almost got hit by a car coming down hill too fast around the bend. I wanted to smack Mr idiot for having these pups off leash. He never puts a leash on them yet he has no control over them. ERRRRRRRRR!!!!
To suggest he do so falls on deaf ears , his girl friend is the same way.
I support off leash play and running in the proper areas but I do not support dogs being off leash any where near traffic, in neighborhoods in places posted that dogs must be on leash or if they do not have a solid recall. We have several nice parks and wilderness type areas to exercise dogs off leash including a ocean beach area so why do some people insist on not using leashes any place?
Ok, I have two retired assistance dogs, both labradors, one is 11 and the other is 10. One spent 7 years with his now deceased blind owner. Both dogs are gentle, intelligent, immaculately behaved etc. Throughout their lives both were walked regularly off the leash - the older one was given an hour off every day and enjoyed running through the woods, swimming in a river etc - generally being allowed to be a dog, as a measure of saying thankyou to him for the other 23 hours a day in which he devoted his time to assisting a disabled human being.
We recently moved to virginia and have found that the area is very anti-dog. There are many responsible owners who do take their dogs out (mainly on leash), many more dog owners when asked where they go to walk their dog reply 'we don't, he exercises in the back yard'. One told me recently that they keep their dog in the kitchen for the whole summer because it is too hot outside and she isnt allowed in the rest of the house.
My dogs have stayed in hotels, been in shops, on boats, on an aeroplane and much more. Throughout their working lives they were devoted and beautifully behaved, and were admired and complimented. If I take them on the beach here (after labour day of course, they wouldnt be tolerated before then) and let them swim in the ocean - which they love- there is always some ******** 200 yards away who starts behaving like there is a shark in the water. The dogs do not approach people or other animals unless invited and yes I do believe this will always be the case.
We created domestic dogs to be our friend, companion or to do a job for us and in return I feel we owe them some measure of freedom in appropriate places. I know there are badly behaved dogs out there and I would not walk a dog off leash if I thought he would annoy people, animals or create any kind of problem. What I am struggling with is the open aggression I experience on a regular basis towards two elderly dogs which devoted years of their lives to helping people. I even had a empty bottle thrown at one of the dogs two weeks ago. And the aggression is always from people who walking past several yards away and whom the dogs are not even looking at much less trying to approach. It makes me sad - complain if a complaint is warrented, but if an animal is not causing any threat or nuisance to anyone then dont prejudge. I will continue to allow both of my dogs some small pleasures, like off leash swimming - they deserve it. And if anyone ever comes up to say hello to either of them, both dogs will greet that person sweetly and politely. Which is more than you can say for alot of people!!
I can sympathize with your situation, but I understand why people don't want to see dogs off-leash in public places. Not all dogs are as sociable and people-oriented as yours, and there is a lot of fear and mistrust on the part of people in general towards dogs that are unrestrained. Some people feel justified in using deadly force when encountering unleashed dogs. While Virginia doesn't have a state-mandated leash law, each city and town can mandate a leash law by ordinance. If there is a leash law in your area, perhaps that's why your dogs are attracting negative attention.
Virginia also has a 'right to retrieve' law that allows hunters to go on private property that is posted or has access prohibited to retrieve their dogs. This is pretty controversial in some parts of the state because many property owners are just plain sick of the trespassing.
It is legal in Virginia for a property owner to set leghold traps on his property. It is also legal for a property owner to shoot and kill any dog on his property that chases or attacks farm animals, pets or a person. If your dog ventures on someone's property and is shot, even though your dog wasn't aggressive, it becomes your word against the property owner's word, and your dog will still be injured or dead.
In this day and age, I keep my own dogs leashed unless I am in a dog park or other secure area where off-leash dogs are specifically permitted.
It is sad that you can't be safe walking with two old retired service dogs. The only other thing I can suggest is getting vests for them that say "retired service dog". That might help alleviate some animosity and educate those who are curious enough--and care enough--to be educated.
Luckily, we have an access road near our house that is wide open and has a large waterway right down the middle. This is where we let our golden retriever off leash. He can run off all his energy (which seems unending, he's 4) and can take a swim too. Never ran into another person or pet out there so, no harm to anyone.
In the past couple of weeks I have become comfortable with my dog to walk off leash for short periods around the block. Prior to that, I had to work on him following voice commands outside (sit, stay, down, come, and stop).
Do you walk your dog off leash? Is there something wrong with doing this outside of a small neighborhood with very few cars around.
My dog goes off-leash in the woods. Where there is danger, she is kept on leash. She is very old and deaf now. She does not move very fast, but will still try and chase of bunny if one jumps in front of her.
As old as she is, her mind is fully intact. She can still lead me out of the woods towards home if I get lost.
...Im surprised that no-one has mentioned the fact that while YOUR off-leash dog may be friendly -- many of us are working with rescue dogs that, while we are working hard to socialize them around other dogs, may be aggressive and unfriendly when unknown off-leash dogs charge up to them without a proper introduction.
I live in Portland Oregon, and it is amazing how many owners leave thier dogs unleashed and (sometimes) unsupervised. Many times I have had to deal with an unleashed dog charging my leashed dog, who usually reacts badly. I have stood in the street and yelled "hello? whose dog is this?" while trying to control the situation--to having Mr. or Ms. Clueless allow thier dog to approach my dog even after having warned them about the situation.
PLEASE PLEASE folks...its not always about YOUR off-leash dog. There are many great leash-free parks to take advantage of. When you are on city streets, its not only illegal to have your dog off-leash, but its really much safer for your pal, and makes dog walking for folks like me who are trying to train our rescue dogs much nicer!
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Its not ALWAYS about YOUR dog...
