Re: A Simple Way to Teach 'CLOSE' [quote author=suejoh link=topic=9245.msg134543#msg134543 date=1420376057] This is very interesting. I have been wondering how much exercise my dog needs and maybe that is part of the problem being discussed here. If I keep her on the lead for a 20 / 30 / 40 minute walk then is that good enough with a 5 minute chasing of a ball in a controlled space or does she need to be free and to run around and do her thing where she might get out of control. [/quote] That's a very good point. I walk my dogs in a different way to most people. When they are out with me and off the lead they are always doing something with a purpose. They are either walking to heel, retrieving or quartering which is controlled hunting. There is only one exception to this rule and that is walks on the beach. I think that the environment on a beach is so different to their every day environment that wild running around will not be detrimental to their training. But they still have to recall in every given situation on the beach, otherwise they are free to run around.
Re: A Simple Way to Teach 'CLOSE' I have a show line dog, and he is not the type of dog that I expect to take off after wildlife, and even if he does he will stop and recall fine. He used to be an absolute nightmare though for running to other people, football games, other dogs, kids on skateboards, people having picnics and so on....since we live in London and walk in the parks and Commons this was a major inconvenience. We got over that though (mostly! ;D) and he is off lead for about an hour a day of his walks - but not finding his own amusement. We do bumble along together on quieter paths, but I aim that we are very much together. He is checking in on me, and my attention is on him. That's about 20 minutes of our walk. The rest of the time he is doing something - a bit of training, fetch, walking at heel, tug, recall games and so on. I think dogs do best with time off lead - it allows them to be well exercised, and to "be a dog", which is important I think. But you just have to do your best with the environment you live in, and the level of control you have. Even though my dog is probably a pretty safe type of dog to have off lead, his "free running" is very limited. Overall though, this means he has a lot more freedom than a dog that has to stay on lead because it's unreliable off lead.
