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Off Leash

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Brenda 
#1 ·
I was wondering how many of you ever let your Labs run off of leash? I live on a dairy farm where my pup has lots of room to run. Our house is about 100 yards from the road. My pup, Angus is almost eight months old. He has been on a leash all the time outside for walks until the last three days. I have decided to let him run loose a little. I have done this for fifteen minutes at a time. I take lots of treats with me. He has always come on call so far. I give him a treat every time he comes. When I run out of treats, I then hook him to his leash to finish the walk. This way he is running off some of his extra energy and is not so rowdy in the house. It makes me a bit nervous, but so far he has always stayed within my sight. This is how I always started my pups off running free. I know some places have leash laws and you are to never let your dog off leash. Brenda
 
#2 ·
I have a field just across the road from our house and Dylan has been allowed off the lead on that field since he was first allowed out, He loved bimbling around smelling everything,then as he got bolder he wanted to run everywhere,I got a whistle and he would respond to that ,he is from working lines Drakeshead,Gunstock and Sandylands and the whistle saved me from screaming blue murder against the wind,I am a bit worried though because he has been on short lead walks for weeks now owing to his elbow dysplasia that if he gets the all clear to be let off the lead on wednesday from the orthopedic surgeon that he might just run and run and run.Hopefully he wont and the worst that will happen is that he jumps into the dirty pond again.
 
#3 ·
i've also wondered about this, I'd love to let Molly off, but I'm pretty anxious about it!.
I did let her off in a park that was enclosed when she was 12 weeks old, but I haven't done since..
I suppose I will build up to it!.
at the moment she has a retractable lead thingy, and I sprint around with her...(keeps me fit!)..
but it's not the freedom I would like to give her!

we're off to Scotland in a few weeks, I may let her out on the beach (bound to be deserted in March! brrr)
 
#4 ·
Hi

We let Jess off the lead all the time in a confined woodland opposite our house, Any other time we keep her on it.

I find that if she does not get 20 - 30 mins free running and sniffing about then she can become quite a handful in the house.

She likes to run about in the trees and jump in the river and the guy over the road from me has a german shepherd that's the same age as Jess so they tend to tire each other out playing chase me, it's great to watch and she seems to have quietened down a lot since they have started playing together.

Its easier to train her afterwards as she seems to pay a lot more attention after she has burned off all her energy.

I seen a quote somewhere im not sure where but it might have been on the forum that said "A tired lab is a good lab"

How True!!!
 
#5 ·
I let my 6month old lab of the lead when we are in forests or parks but only when he is not too close to roads! I find him fantastic he always stops and waits when he gets a fair distance away we play fetch and hes just GREAT it also calms him down alot in the house and he behaves more and gains a trust !! :D :D :D :D
 
G
#6 ·
I got my lab at 7 months old and he is now 11 and a half. I have always let him off the lead when not near roads or near sheep.

When I first let him off the lead I used to call him back constantly and praise him that way he got it into his head that he should periodically run back to me, then he would wait for me to give the comand 'away' and off he would go again. It seems to have paid off and he always keeps me in eye shot!

The other thing I used to do was take him for walks with my friends older labs - that way he learnt from them what he should and shouldn't do!!

However he still has his moments, he did run off on Friday night when I got to my boyfriends house but that was because he came face to face with my boyfriends cat and they avoid each other like the plague!! :lol:
 
#7 ·
Glad to hear from you all. I know it does make you nervous when you first start doing it because you don't know how they will react. I have found that most Labs stick pretty close to their people. The first dog I ever owned I had to keep on a leash constantly. He was a Samoyed and would never listen. My Lab follows me all over the house, too. I cannot go into another room without him tracking after me. I love it! Brenda
 
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