Hi
everyone!
In
this entry, I would like to talk about the dangers of off leash
walking, and why you should never let your dog off leash in
public.
What are the benefits, and dangers of off leash walking? The benefits of off leash walking is really the fact that your dog gets to wander in a more natural, wild pattern compared to on leash walking, and you aren't being pulled around. While this is a very common occurrence with many dog owners and brings joy in a way to have your dog out with you that is relaxing, it is not safe for your dog, and sends the wrong message to your dog that he or she does not need to pay attention to you or listen to you, and that they are in control now.
Life today presents your dog with many dangers; cars being the biggest one, among others depending on your area, such as predators, poachers, or even your neighbors. Your dog being on leash not only gives you a great way to communicate with your dog, but it also physically connects you giving you a way to stop your dog from unwittingly putting themselves into a dangerous situation. It also primarily guarantees that your dog won't get away from you, and won't get out of sight. Even the most perfectly trained dog can get a one-track mind and stop listening, but when on leash, what could have been a sad or expensive mistake becomes a two second correction. Sometimes, no matter how much training we do, how much time we spend, there is always a chance a dog will not obey a command. No one wants anything to happen to their dog, and the only way to lessen the chance of something happening is to keep your dog on leash. If allowing your dog to roam is an absolute must, while highly not reccommended, you can purchase long leashes that allow your dog freedom.
Though we strongly caution off leash walking, we realize it will happen, so for the above noted reasons, if you want to have your dog off leash, please make sure no matter what, you can get your dog to come back to you, on command, first time, every time. This requires intense and dedicates training that goes beyong the scope of puppy classes. Consider letting your dog off leash in an area where you can control the environment; a fenced in field would be an ideal place to let your dog off leash as an example. Other tools, when trained how to use them humanely and properly, e-collars can be an excellent tool to guarantee a recall, every time. Please contact us to show you how to correctly use an e-collar before ever placing it in your dog - there are many breeds and personalities that cannot have an e-collar used, and we are trained professionals - we won't ever intentionally hurt your dog. We at ideal companions prefer a solid, guaranteed recall, but for some people, the time is not there to dedicate to training. We can teach proper use of an e-collar if solid recall training is not possible.
We do not recommend going to an off leash dog area for much the same reasons, excluding our previous blog post where we explain why dog parks are a bad idea altogether. Please request a copy of our "human social vs dog social" post for more information. Dog parks lead to an incident which starts pack mentality, and while sometimes it goes by fast and unseen, it can lead to a quick and violent pack attack - and unless you know what you are doing, it is unwise to attempt to break up a dog fight.
You might be wondering what this leaves for exercising your dog. When a dog is on leash all the time, it can be complicated and frustrating to exercise them, especially if your dog hasn't learned leashed bike run skills, or long leashed fetch. There are a lot of options to excercise your dog on leash, or off leash in a controlled environment such as a yard or enclosed buildings. You can get your dog into agility, or play fetch/frisbee/search in the back yard. Dogs also need more then just physical exercise; they need mental stimulation, or thinking games, as well. Playing games that make them think are a great way to burn mental energy, which when there is too much of can cause dogs to misbehave or destroy things in your home, and they can be combined with draining physical energy as well, such as fetching a frisbee over a jump, or teaching new tricks, or search games.
Be creative when it comes to exercise with your dog. Things within the environment you are in can be used. If there is a low wall while on a walk, have your dog jump up onto it, and then back down the entire length of it, or have them walk across a park bench; run them on a playground, and have them climb onto the equipment as long as it is safe, and supervised at all times, preferably with minimal children, or later at night with older kids. It is mostly safe to play on a playground, as long as you are monitering closely, and do not allow your dog to get too hyper to prevent injury. Accidents happen, so take caution.
What are the benefits, and dangers of off leash walking? The benefits of off leash walking is really the fact that your dog gets to wander in a more natural, wild pattern compared to on leash walking, and you aren't being pulled around. While this is a very common occurrence with many dog owners and brings joy in a way to have your dog out with you that is relaxing, it is not safe for your dog, and sends the wrong message to your dog that he or she does not need to pay attention to you or listen to you, and that they are in control now.
Life today presents your dog with many dangers; cars being the biggest one, among others depending on your area, such as predators, poachers, or even your neighbors. Your dog being on leash not only gives you a great way to communicate with your dog, but it also physically connects you giving you a way to stop your dog from unwittingly putting themselves into a dangerous situation. It also primarily guarantees that your dog won't get away from you, and won't get out of sight. Even the most perfectly trained dog can get a one-track mind and stop listening, but when on leash, what could have been a sad or expensive mistake becomes a two second correction. Sometimes, no matter how much training we do, how much time we spend, there is always a chance a dog will not obey a command. No one wants anything to happen to their dog, and the only way to lessen the chance of something happening is to keep your dog on leash. If allowing your dog to roam is an absolute must, while highly not reccommended, you can purchase long leashes that allow your dog freedom.
Though we strongly caution off leash walking, we realize it will happen, so for the above noted reasons, if you want to have your dog off leash, please make sure no matter what, you can get your dog to come back to you, on command, first time, every time. This requires intense and dedicates training that goes beyong the scope of puppy classes. Consider letting your dog off leash in an area where you can control the environment; a fenced in field would be an ideal place to let your dog off leash as an example. Other tools, when trained how to use them humanely and properly, e-collars can be an excellent tool to guarantee a recall, every time. Please contact us to show you how to correctly use an e-collar before ever placing it in your dog - there are many breeds and personalities that cannot have an e-collar used, and we are trained professionals - we won't ever intentionally hurt your dog. We at ideal companions prefer a solid, guaranteed recall, but for some people, the time is not there to dedicate to training. We can teach proper use of an e-collar if solid recall training is not possible.
We do not recommend going to an off leash dog area for much the same reasons, excluding our previous blog post where we explain why dog parks are a bad idea altogether. Please request a copy of our "human social vs dog social" post for more information. Dog parks lead to an incident which starts pack mentality, and while sometimes it goes by fast and unseen, it can lead to a quick and violent pack attack - and unless you know what you are doing, it is unwise to attempt to break up a dog fight.
You might be wondering what this leaves for exercising your dog. When a dog is on leash all the time, it can be complicated and frustrating to exercise them, especially if your dog hasn't learned leashed bike run skills, or long leashed fetch. There are a lot of options to excercise your dog on leash, or off leash in a controlled environment such as a yard or enclosed buildings. You can get your dog into agility, or play fetch/frisbee/search in the back yard. Dogs also need more then just physical exercise; they need mental stimulation, or thinking games, as well. Playing games that make them think are a great way to burn mental energy, which when there is too much of can cause dogs to misbehave or destroy things in your home, and they can be combined with draining physical energy as well, such as fetching a frisbee over a jump, or teaching new tricks, or search games.
Be creative when it comes to exercise with your dog. Things within the environment you are in can be used. If there is a low wall while on a walk, have your dog jump up onto it, and then back down the entire length of it, or have them walk across a park bench; run them on a playground, and have them climb onto the equipment as long as it is safe, and supervised at all times, preferably with minimal children, or later at night with older kids. It is mostly safe to play on a playground, as long as you are monitering closely, and do not allow your dog to get too hyper to prevent injury. Accidents happen, so take caution.
No
dog is ever perfect, just as no person is perfect, but we can
certainly help make your dog as close to ideal as possible.
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