Giving your dog the freedom to roam appeals to many – and for good reason. You’ll seldom find a dog that is displeased with their freedom to explore, run about and follow their nose. Here are some things to consider before choosing to let your dog off leash and etiquette to follow so that you, your dog, and others in the area can all remain safe and have a positive experience.
Allowing a dog off leash affords your dog a lot of freedom, but with that freedom comes increased risk. There are several things to consider when deciding to take Fido off-leash. We recommend taking a look at your dog’s readiness as well as the environment you will be exposing her to.
The first question to ask yourself should be, “Is my dog ready?” The answer to that question may depend heavily on the where and the when of your intended adventure. Your dog may respond lightning fast to your recall when she is in your home and you are holding her favorite treat, but may not seem to hear you in a park full of scents to follow and activities to engage in. The greater the distraction level of the environment, the more difficult it will be for your dog to respond to your recall.
The key to mastering recalls under distraction is taking baby steps by incrementally increasing the distraction level of the environment in which you ask your dog to recall. There should be lots of repetition so that your dog remains successful and that you build a very strong “reinforcement history” – that is, a long history of your dog successfully recalling to you when cued and being rewarded with high-value goodies for doing so. Coming when called must be a positive experience for your dog! You are asking him to leave something he has free access to and come to you instead; make sure your rewards measure up! A common mistake is to scold for a slow or non-existent re-call. Your dog does not have the cognitive capacity to make the connection that they are being scolded for not coming right away. The connection will be, “Wow, when I come back, something bad happens”. So the dog will likely experience increasingly slower recalls as the association between your recall cue and lack of reward build.
If your dog recalls promptly in one environment but is unable to in the next, you have taken a leap rather than a baby step; return to the last environment wherein your dog was successful, reinforce her recall generously, and when she’s ready to “level up,” choose a new training environment with a level of distraction that is in between the one wherein she was successful and the one wherein she was unsuccessful.
While working up to your ideal off leash scenario, ensure safeties are in place. Perhaps first practice recalls on a retractable leash or a long line.
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Signs that Your Dog Isn’t Ready to be Off-Leash:
- Aggression- this may seem obvious to many, but you would be surprised at what some people are betting on not encountering on their walks. If your dog is still working on aggression issues, off-leash walks are inappropriate for all involved.
- Fearfulness- if there is a chance your dog may encounter a fear trigger during a walk and thus become too distracted to respond to a recall, the location of the off leash walk needs to be carefully considered. A large, fenced area may be safest if off-leash is a must; otherwise, a long line or retractable leash can afford a similar level of freedom with the backup of being able to physically restrain the dog if necessary.
- Easily distracted- this is something that can be worked on with training, but young dogs, scent driven dogs, and dogs with a high prey drive are at a greatly increased risk of not responding to their recalls. Extensive proofing of the recall behavior in dogs like this is crucial.
- Physical limitations- a dog that is hard of hearing, with poor sight or poor coordination may more easily endanger itself, be unresponsive to recall cues, or unaware of environmental hazards and unable to take swift evasive action.
- Under-exercised or under-stimulated- while allowing your dog off-leash in this scenario may seem like a cure-all, until their energy is worn down a bit, you can expect that their recalls will not be as stellar as usual. There will simply be too many competing reinforcers in the environment for the dog to be reliably successful in responding to his recall cue. Consider starting your walk on a long line or retractable leash until your dog is able to tune you in.
- Poorly socialized- Yes, the only way your dog will become socialized is through repeat exposures, ideally done in incremental steps. However, until your dog has had the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of different things and is reliably comfortable around those things, allowing your dog off-leash to socialize with unknown dogs and people can be risky.
Once you have evaluated that your dog has the training, temperament and health to safely be off-leash, it’s time to evaluate where to go.
Consider the right place for your dog to off-leash. While a suburban open space is likely a safe place for a well-socialized, well-trained dog to be off leash, it quickly turns into a worst-case scenario for a young dog still learning the ropes.
Evaluate Potential Risks:
- Proximity to roads- how much time will the dog have to change their course and respond to a recall?
- Likelihood of encountering wildlife capable of harming your pet
- How busy of an area is it? The busier the area the greater the distraction level and the greater the risk of encountering a stimulus that the dog has yet been proofed to.
- Legal ramifications (are there leash laws in effect?)
You’ve determined your dog is ready to off-leash in a certain place, all set, right? Almost. Consider your timing. For a place you are less familiar with, why not opt to check it out at a time when it’s likely to be less busy than usual? The busier a place the more distractions, and the more distractions the greater the risk that your dog will not respond to recalls should they be necessary.
Consider time of year. A dog may have a grand ol’ time off leash in a favorite open space all winter long, but in the summer that same off-leash freedom may lead to a rattlesnake bite.
Now that we’ve covered all of the bases for making sure due diligence has been done in protecting Fido’s health and well-being, it’s time to look at safeguarding others encountered out and about.
- Walk your dog off-leash in off-leash designated areas. Not only does this point have a legal component, but since we cannot 100% predict or control all aspects of our dogs’ behavior nor their environment, for the comfort and safety of others, dogs should only be walked off leash in designated areas.
- Bring a leash. Some folks may be saying, “well duh!,” while others are thinking “why would I go through all of the above steps to still have to bring a leash?! ” Unforeseen circumstances do occur and a leash is crucial for safe guarding your dog and others should it be needed. Again, it is impossible for us to have 100% control over the environment or other people/dogs.
- Leash your dog when approaching another party. Should your dog have excellent manners and superb recalls, it may be reasonable to call ahead and ask the other party if it is okay if your dog says ‘hi’. Boisterous and/or unclean dogs should be leashed regardless for the sake of the other party. If the other party appears nervous about or avoidant of your approaching dog for any reason, leash your dog immediately and give them space to pass.
- Leash your dog when approaching another dog. Just because your dog is friendly and well socialized does not mean that the other party’s dog is! Often times, those working with fearful, dog reactive and/or poorly socialized dogs specifically chose to walk their dog in a place where other dogs are expected to be leashed. This provides a safe haven for their dog to work on the skills it needs. Even if you are confident your dog will be perfectly heeling as you pass the other dog, it is courteous to leash your dog as a show of good faith.
- Do not allow your dog to approach or harass wildlife. Immediately recall your dog if he takes an interest in wildlife. Be respectful of the animals that inhabit the area in which you’ve chosen to walk and do not allow your dog to interact with an animal or disturb its habitat. This will, additionally, keep your dog safe from potential injury or disease.
- Watch your dog. Seems obvious, right? Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for us to get distracted, too, in spite of the extensive work we’ve put into training our dogs to ignore distractions! If you’re going to have a dog off-leash, the dog needs to have your full attention. You need to be keenly aware of what’s going on in the environment in order to keep him and others safe and at ease. If you run into a neighbor and need to have a chat, call your dog to you and either leash him for the conversation or cue him to perform a stationary behavior, such as a sit- or down-stay. When you can return your full attention to him, you may release him again.