i can totally understand your concerns but try not to think of the 'what ifs'. my springer was chased by 2 growling snarling lurchers once and she was whimpering and crying her head off desperately trying to get back to me and luckily was too fast for them!. the owner stood there laughing the whole time then when i confronted her said muffin shouldn`t be such a wimp......at which point my oh was basically dragging me away as i was livid and would probably have went for her myself at the time. it`s horrible being in that situation and very scary an i did worry about taking dogs offlead after that but it really doesn`t happen all that often so is worth letting them off and just being quick to get to them if anything looks wrong. sorry i don`t even know if that makes sense as i`m rubbish at putting things into words but they just look so happy being off the lead
i`ve not perfected jake`s recall but i normally take a little bag round my waist with loads of treats in it and a clicker....if he comes back i click and treat right away. i`ve heard the silent whistles are good but never used them myself
How old is Molly? I really do agree that it's best to let them off asap (in a safe area) as the younger they are, the more likely they will stay with you. But it's never to late to start and if you are that worried, do see if you can find a friendly dog owner with a well behaved dog, locally, to walk with, as it should help your confidence
As for them being far away, well mine just don't go too far away. They have great recall and I let them have lots of fun, but they keep in a "radius" of me and don't run off. If they're walking ahead, they check back frequently to make sure I'm there and if we get to a place where they have a choice of which way to go, they wait and see where I head and then come with me.
Watching your dog(s) running off lead and having fun is one of the best and most simple pleasures in life, I think Just arm yourself with tasty treats, a toy or two - and a camera!
Molly is only 8 weeks now which I know is young but I am also very conscience of starting as early as poss with her. I've been calling her to me in the house since we brought her home last Monday and she's getting pretty good at coming to me whistling so I was going to introduce a 211.5 whistle next week. Unfortunately we have a tiny garden so I can't get much distance with her there but I will do some over the next few days anyway. I did take her to the dog park today - I carried her round while I checked out the fences which I must say were totally secure. She's also met next door's dog and I let her say hello to a dog at the park today too.
The number of puppies I've come across between the ages of 10 - 12 weeks on these things is amazing, especially when you consider I come from a reasonably small town in Wiltshire and my own pup is only 6 months old.
Damn things get tied round your legs, arms, body. You name it. And the owners are nearly always in a state as well, so you just know the poor dog is going to be a nervous wreck.
I'm sure it's already been mentioned by the more experienced posters, but you'll probably find that initially the puppy won't stray more than about 5 foot from you.
We used a long line lead with Laila today but only on the beach as she has no recall and my GF doesn't trust her not to run after another dog or even a jogger . I thought about a retractable lead but I don't think it would be strong enough .
I recently bought a clix 10m long line for Indie for when we go to the park/field etc, I had let her 0ff lead previously and she was fine, but then she took to charging off (she's 5 months now) and like you I was scared I wouldn't get her back. We sometimes take her to the enclosed tennis courts and let her off properly but other than that she has been on the long line, which has been fine, she still manages to get a good run and plays with ball etc, I think if we had a secure dog park near I would have continued to let her off and hope for the best but I was really worried about her getting lost, or falling into a pond or river especially as the weather has been so bad. The clix lead itself seems really good quality and its quite padded and soft so doesn't rub your hands.
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