[Gerts]

I had the ability to do the same with my puppy many years ago... I don't think it's a bad thing necessarily, but he was not let off leash until he had graduated in steps, from a 6 ft. leash to a long-line with some specifics in training.

He had to respond to my "stay with me" command, "wait" command, and my "come back" command: all without missing a beat, or giving it a second thought.

I wanted to let him roam free but had concerns about coyetes, the pond full of ducks to chase, and basically just spotting something and high-tailing outa there!! He has always shown such great "drive" that I was concerned if a rabbit popped up and ran, so would he! So the long-line gave him some freedom and a chance to sniff and roam a bit but the control such a young puppy still needed.

After I was comfortable with his command response, I would take my long-line with me and let him off for a bit, testing the commands, and occassionally hooking him back up randomly so he realized the amount of control I had. If I felt he were pushing his boundaries too much, line attachment and rules were easy enough to put into place with the long-line always with me.

As fun as it was to watch my puppy "roam free", I always kept in mind the harm that could easily come to him. I can't even imagine having to return home with an injured or dead puppy due to my wrong decisions. This scared me enough to make me take baby steps into the amount of freedom he acquired. And eventually, (due to their intelligence), he learned very quickly the rules, and won himself the rewards.

Maybe some new ideas for you in how to have your puppy "graduate" to her freedom!