rotties off lead

[rtwu]

ive seen a few dogs off lead ,also on the web,one stands out on u tube with a man and his rott on the street. his dog is totally commited to him offlead,be it people or traffic.
a .few years ago in a dog park i had a rott pup out with a friends female,a man jogging along with his akita offlead came past,the female rottie made a lunge ,the akita totally ignored her and trotted on,i couldnt believe it!
but anyway i have had dogs in the past that were excellent on the command especially my current female,
i find with dogs you have to work harder ,some can be more stubborn especially due to their marking.
does anyone let their dog off lead? has the dog you thought always come on command disobeyed,and left egg on your face.
be honest

[spidey]

No dog is ever 100% reliable, no matter how well trained it is, and people who think otherwise are fooling themselves, dogs are self-directed thinking creatures, not robots. It's irresponsible to allow your dog off-lead anywhere it is either not permitted, or where it's dangerous (like in traffic). Believe me, it only looks impressive to see such "committed" and "well trained" dogs until you see one take off after a squirrel or whatever and get hit by a car.

[rtwu]

spidey ,you state its irresponsible to allow your dog offlead anywhere it is either not permitted.
im guessing you mean in a public enviroment,buildt up area,what about in feilds ,forests ,mountains etc.
these dogs like all dogs are not just meant to be on the end of a lead.
how does anyone know their dogs behaviour,if they come across the unexpected.

[jlaack]

does anyone let their dog off lead?

Yes, I have had my dogs off lead; they both spent 3 years of their life off lead more than on lead. They always returned when called every single time. It took a lot of time to get them to this point regardless of the distraction. Once they knew the command we working on proofing them by increasing the distraction levels one step at a time. I have to disagree with Spidey about it being impossible to have a 100% reliable dog. I feel that on the recall my dogs are 100% reliable. They have returned to me immediately even with heavy distractions: running deer, squirrels, rabbits, etc.; sometimes while in midchase of the distraction. No they aren't robots but when they hear their name and the command come their response is so automatic that is shuts off any other action than to return. They were trained to respond immediately so they don't have time to process any other action than the command. Having said this, I would never ever take my dog(s) off lead around heavy traffic. Their recall is great but in a heavy traffic situation you cannot keep recalling your dog and keep it safe. In this context you need to have a great off lead heel in order to ensure your dogs safety. We actually found and enrolled in a class around us called Leashless which works on this particular topic. We hope to improve off leash commands beyond the recall but even so I doubt I would ever have my dog off lead in heavy traffic. The risk in this context is extremely high.

[gaileena]

We take all 3 of our rotties, to a place called the dog run. The community has a special place where you can take your dogs, and let them run. They seem to do real well. Shocking as it may sound, or I guess to me, they got along with all the other dogs really well. But, I also notice that people there have a tendancy to tense up a little, when you come in the gate, and unleash rotties. Once they see how well they do, then people ask how old are they, they are really well behaved for a rottie. My rotties are 6 yrs., (female), 6½ mths (unaltered male), and 5½ mths (unaltered female), The oldest one has not been around other dogs, since my lab died 2 years ago, but she seems to think she is the pack leader. If she sees other dogs being a little too rough, she gives one big bark, and they stop. It's Amazing!! People tell us she is the boss, I can't believe it. Before, you know it all the dogs are following her. She also knows when there is a dog with an attitude, and she will walk away, like if you want to be that way then fine. Rotties are very smart, and I think that when people get to see them mingle with other dogs like that, without aggression, it helps the rottie attitude from people maybe change a little bit, maybe they aren't such a bad breed after all. Just though I would share that about unleashed dogs. That is the only time though, when they're in public that they are unleased.

[Skip]

Shane's recall is very good, but the only time I let my dog off lead is
1). In my yard when I'm right there with him or
2). On the training field at my USA club (when training off lead) or
3). When we are hiking and there is nothing else in sight for at least 100 yards. Even then, he is usually within 30 yards of me.

[gaileena]

My husband and my 2 teenage boys take them to the dog run, I don't go, makes me too nervous. They stay right with the family.

[Nishasmom]

Nisha is allowed off leash (in areas where it is allowed). There are several parks and hiking trails available around town to take your dog off-leash.

My trainer says "always set your dog up to succeed" We started saying "come" only when we were 100% sure she was coming :) I would randomly bring doggie treats to the park with me; my dog never knew when a treat was coming.

We play chase (the human) to make "come" a game. If worse comes to worse and she isn't listening, I take off running so she will chase me and want to "catch" me.

We practice a lot; I would NOT trust her in areas with streets or other dangers. She is not 100% reliable yet....but I hope someday she will be :)

[felicityjay]

I would never let Fern off leash by a roadside it isn't so much whether or not i trust her it's more I do not totally trust everyone else!

the other day a man started whistling and calling her to go to him across a main road!!! and laughed when she pulled towards the road for a second (she had looked up at me first but i hadn't really noticed what he was doing so didn't give her a command)!!! i was nearly sick as i often don't hold the lead tight as she walks along at heel so nicely... luckily i had it looped over my hand on this occasion!!!! i have no idea who the man was or what he was thinking!

i do however always let her off in the park and whilst walking anywhere that you are allowed dogs off lead. she always comes back (although she hasn't yet hit teenage months properly!!!) and she will strut by any naughty lunging dogs after looking at me for direction... she also plays with all of the other off lead dogs nicely but always returns when called no matter how distracted she is. I hope that with training and consistency this will be the case when she is totally grown.

I think it is important that your dog can walk at heel off lead and have reliable recall - what if the lead broke? what if you had to leave the house in an emergency and could not get to your lead?...etc etc etc!

[Kawakaze]

I dont like to let any dog off leash in public areas. Like FelicityJay said, its not so much the dog i dont trust as other people. I used to walk my last rottie off leash, but the looks on other peoples faces makes me uncomfortable. There is also the danger of traffic. What about the one in a million probability that your dog meets some small children playing/running, and it fired up a predatory instinct.

[Ostory]

I can take my dog's off lead any where, any time. But still I use a lead, because I am lazy, it takes more effort to control the dog off lead.

[JoJo]

I can take my dog's off lead any where, any time. But still I use a lead, because I am lazy, it takes more effort to control the dog off lead.

I can attest to that statement. I remember seeing your dog, can't remember his name, sorry (along with about 6-7 more) in Obedience at the Nationals in Orlando when that small boy with his idiot Mother bouncing that ball in front of all those "off lead" Rotties!!! I think that's the time that I and a few other dozen people not only turned gray, but albino!! The dogs were in their down position but looking very intense at that bouncing ball......

[IJF1]

IMO people should use common sense about keeping a dog on or off leash:

-Off leash exercise is great for the dog in a safe environment (such as a park or woods) providing you have a good recall on your dog.
-I would never let my dog off leash beside the road, no matter how good the control - just takes a cat to run into the road in front of you and your dog will be in the road before you have had time to recall them......

[AmandaAgnew-1987]

My 5 month pup diesel generally behaves well on walks. other dogs can bark,growl, pull towards him etc and he doesnt seem to bother. ive been tryin to teach him the heel comand which we are learning at training class, he doesnt pull when out on walks just walk a bit infront of me but doesnt seem to want to walk by my side.this doesnt bother me just wondering if anyone thinks this will give me problems later in life.This is my first dog so i want to make sure im doing everything right. also what is the best method in teachin off lead heel and other commands. Thanks!!!

[Canula2000]

I think it depends on obedience level.
Also most areas have a leash law, and you are required to have a leash in public.
I have let mine off leash when hiking.