"In Defense of Letting Your Dog Off Lead."

[druid]

Just a bit of guidance, 'IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TOO!' isn't generally helpful for those who are genuinely struggling with a training issue.

To be fair that's not what I said (I'm not sure if you are refering to me?) - People just seem to struggle with the concept that mooching along sometimes even looking at their phone gives their dog zero reason to return. Why would it?

I'm working through the Total Recall book with Ivy and current 'problem' is she hears the jingle of me picking up the whistle on the lanyard and then I can't recall her because she's already there! We haven't started on the 'proofing' bit yet. I'm not sure we will ever be properly off lead but I think the training is still important (trying the training at least).

Love this book, it's my go to for all new puppy owners and all my puppies are recalling to the whistle/pup-pup-pup as soon as I can manage!

Some, not all! Our trainer told us to simply walk away from Zak where was reluctant to recall (in her training field) It worked, he was reluctant to be left behind.

If the dog is off having fun flushing someone else's pheasants it's less likely to give a fig where you are off to. It does work well for more insecure types though. I've a five month old pup in for training who wouldn't give a toss if you walked away once scent is up his nose but his breeding isn't something I would have chosen.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

It's not harsh at all, a lot of owners I work have problems because they don't realise they are being deeply boring and that's why they have no engagement with their dogs.

I thought he could maybe have saved the comment for the owners off camera!

To be fair that's not what I said (I'm not sure if you are refering to me?) - People just seem to struggle with the concept that mooching along sometimes even looking at their phone gives their dog zero reason to return. Why would it?



Love this book, it's my go to for all new puppy owners and all my puppies are recalling to the whistle/pup-pup-pup as soon as I can manage!



If the dog is off having fun flushing someone else's pheasants it's less likely to give a fig where you are off to. It does work well for more insecure types though. I've a five month old pup in for training who wouldn't give a toss if you walked away once scent is up his nose but his breeding isn't something I would have chosen.

Is that for me, the bit about someone else’s pheasants? These are escapees, there’s a fair population in the woods, we’re nowhere near any shoots.

 

[druid]

Is that for me, the bit about someone else’s pheasants? These are escapees, there’s a fair population in the woods, we’re nowhere near any shoots.

No we had a muppet from the nearest town that let their young lab run rife through the woods (not public) right beside a release pen today. Ineffectual calling and not actually doing anything to catch his dog

 

[CorvusCorax]

I thought he could maybe have saved the comment for the owners off camera!

Nope, more people need to hear it.

 

[AmyMay]

I thought he could maybe have saved the comment for the owners off camera!

As a program about training dogs I thought it would have been really relevant for the viewing audience to hear what he said.

The fact it stuck in your memory highlights that I guess.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

No we had a muppet from the nearest town that let their young lab run rife through the woods (not public) right beside a release pen today. Ineffectual calling and not actually doing anything to catch his dog

Mortifying! I don't know where the pheasants have come from (obviously they can fly!) The woods are council maintained in part then Woodland Trust across the lane with several vast arable farm fields. There's one field which has been left fallow for the last 20 years but has been stock fenced since we last used to go.

 

[druid]

They'll travel miles on foot especially when it's breeding season

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I was driving to the river the other day and there were 2 grouse panick scuttling down the road. ?We stopped to let them reach the other side and disappear. Again, nowhere near a shoot, I reckon they've probably established themselves somewhere, there are fields aplenty, mostly inhabited by horses or crops. We're lucky to be 20 minutes from London but with loads of woods, (very small) rivers etc. The woods end at my school, they are used lots for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

 

[Moobli]

I was driving to the river the other day and there were 2 grouse panick scuttling down the road. ?We stopped to let them reach the other side and disappear. Again, nowhere near a shoot, I reckon they've probably established themselves somewhere, there are fields aplenty, mostly inhabited by horses or crops. We're lucky to be 20 minutes from London but with loads of woods, (very small) rivers etc. The woods end at my school, they are used lots for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

Are you sure they were grouse? Doesn’t sound like their usual habitat.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Are you sure they were grouse? Doesn’t sound like their usual habitat.

Yes. I've never seen any round here in 20 years. Must have been lost! It was an identical pair, very scared. It's fields with wheat, woods, river, several yards round there. Lots of pheasant, rarely see them but find their feathers and hear them a lot.

 

[CrunchieBoi]

Red-legged partridge possibly? Millions of them are released in the UK each year for shoots but a ridiculously small percentage actually wind up being consumed by people.

 

[Clodagh]

Definitely no grouse in Hertfordshire.

 

[maisie06]

I like Outside Magazine, but as a non-dog person and someone who has to engage with them while out hacking, this article annoyed me. I was wondering what you dog-folk thought of it. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/dogs-off-leash/

"Life for our canine friends goes really fast. Better to let them enjoy their freedom and make their own decisions, which, for Argo, means chasing, always unsuccessfully, wild hares, deer, elk, moose, and the occasional feral cat."

Should you really be allowing your dog to harass the local wildlife? That's why so many trail systems in the United States have leash requirements in the first place - to stop dogs from bothering wildlife. Dogs don't care if they are chasing a squirrel or an endangered/threatened species. Besides, if they are chasing deer, hares, etc., what's to stop them from chasing cyclists, horse riders, and livestock?

"Those who aren’t on leash typically poop in places where nobody will see or be bothered by the relatively harmless pile of excrement."

There's no good answer for how to dispose of vast amounts of dog sh1t no matter what you do, but I have read that too much of it, left in the woods, can harm ecosystems not adapted to that amount of poo from predators concentrated in relatively small areas. Dog sh1t is not relatively harmless. It's nasty stuff.

"For those of us with energetic dogs, there’s nothing better than giving them the freedom to roam and run. Argo and our terrier-mutt, Topaz, are great about sprinting their faces off, but always checking in and staying within a quarter-mile radius of my wife and me."

A quarter-mile is actually quite far. It drives me nuts when I see a dog running towards my horse, well out of sight of its owners. The owners have no idea that I am there, and if the dog locks onto the horse, the chances of recall get low. Nor would they know if it is approaching another person or dog who doesn't like dogs, a cow or sheep. Or a mountain lion.

ETA: Or a road.

"But also keep in mind that dogs are very trainable. You are capable, and they are capable. "

I don't think every dog is "capable" of being off-lead in unfenced areas.

He makes some good points about behaviour - at least from my ignorant point of view - but this piece has an entitled feel to it, a disdain towards wildlife and other trail users because his dogs need their freedom.

I don't allow my dogs to chase wildlife!! Firstly they are gun dogs so coursing is a big no no! In tghe nesting season mine stay on lead or close by. I agree with others that many people are too lazy to put the time in training their dogs.

 

[Gloi]

It’s really not hard to train a dog to come when it is called, and to stay with you when being walked. People seem to struggle to find the time to do this though.

The same can be said for a child ?

 

[druid]

Yes. I've never seen any round here in 20 years. Must have been lost! It was an identical pair, very scared. It's fields with wheat, woods, river, several yards round there. Lots of pheasant, rarely see them but find their feathers and hear them a lot.

I'd imagine they were wild grey partridge or released red leg partridge. Grouse are pretty much impossible to raise in captivity and the ones on shoot estates are the wild population bolstered by keepering. The young need to feed on fresh/new heather growth to survive

 

[Tiddlypom]

The same can be said for a child ?

My child wrangling skills are rather better than my dog training skills .

Though come to think of it, both small children and dogs were kept on leads/reins as necessary!

 

[cauda equina]

Or crated!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Or crated!

Oh yes - wooden playpen for the small humans and metal mesh crate for the dogs!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Reins and lobster pot for me when I was young ?

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Definitely no grouse in Hertfordshire.

I'd imagine they were wild grey partridge or released red leg partridge. Grouse are pretty much impossible to raise in captivity and the ones on shoot estates are the wild population bolstered by keepering. The young need to feed on fresh/new heather growth to survive

Possibly grey partridge. They looked identical, whatever they were.