Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Hi Rio, we worked on recall from day one in the garden and just carried on when Meg could go onto common land about 12 weeks ish . So far (nearly 6 months) we have no problems (yet). I do recommend getting a copy of Total Recall by Pippa. She gives clear exercises to proof before moving to another stage. It worked for us ! Enjoy and its early days yet so take some time to enjoy your pup first

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Hi everyone
I have a 7 month old yellow lab called Bella who I let her off the lead as soon as she could go out. However as she got older I would click her back on if there were any distractions joggers/horses, children etc as she does like to jump up. The other day we were out in a country park off lead, as we turned a corner a man and boy about 9 were sitting a a bench she run over jumped up and put her front paws on the boy and then came back. I apologised and tried to explain that she was a puppy and I hadn't seen them. Well I am now an irresponsible dog owner and shouldn't take her off her lead as that is why the boy is afraid of dogs.
I did say then maybe he shouldn't take him where dogs are off lead. What would you have done? I'm always training when we are out no one wants their dog to be a nuisance but now find myself putting her on an extending lead more.
I'm not new to dog owning as I lost my lovely 12 and half black lab Lucy 18 months ago, just a long time since having a puppy.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

I used to have the same problem with Harley, she always wanted to hi to everyone. It is difficult as there are corners and you can't see around them unfortunately.
I'm lucky that Harley is ball obsessed so I tell her to wait by the corner until I get there. It has taken a few months to get her to this stage.
I do get frustrated when people walk through areas that are very popular with dog walkers and complain when they see a dog off lead. Unfortunately we can't stop them walking there.
Try and teach 'wait' so you can her to stop and wait.
Good luck

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Hi Naya
Thank you, I can get her to wait next to me and she will wait when when I call, just. She will also stay when I take her off her lead without being asked. She then goes for a sniff around.its the distractions she can't resist.
I've just started the total recall and she goes puppy training twice a week.
How old is Harley?

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Harley turned 1 last Saturday until she was about 6 months old she wasn't interested in the ball......since then it changed.....we never leave home without at least 2 balls!

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Rio 14, I would get your garden properly fenced as, once he does start exploring, you could very easily lose him. Tatze started being much more independent at 6 months. Now she keeps me in sight all the time as I did like Pippa suggested in 'Total Recall' and kept her guessing which way I was going (I still do!)

Guide Dogs are not allowed any free running outside the garden until after 16 weeks - which is a nuisance for recall training. But they are allowed in garden centres, so I am going to take Gypsy to a garden centre, go outside and do recall training.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Thanks Boogie for the advice but there is no way I can fence it all the way around. All I can do is put in an invisible fence.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

i got my dog when she was 5 months old her previous owner said she was good off lead so i took her out a couple of times and as she never left our side indoors thought she should be ok well so she is but was bad for jumping up and running up to every one and all dogs i have worked on this by having treats and calling her when i walk away i say this way and that seems to work i also walked her on the lead with a halti and kept changing direction saying this way but nothing has worked to stop her pulling on a collar and lead i have tried not moving when she pulls but it does not to help

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

haha! So followed the happy puppy handbook and let our pup off the lead straight away..... he is great and his recall is fantastic.

Problem is now.......................he hates being on the lead lol! Any advice? We are trying to address this in puppy training classes. :-\

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

I can't!

Gypsy isn't allowed off lead until next week (17 weeks old!)

It will be very interesting to find out how her recall is by then. We have perfect recall from the garden and in friend's gardens, but we will see! :-\

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

I viewed pippas vidio in the OP, very informative, I started bouncer on recall training today, he is only 7 1/2 weeks old but seems to soak up new stuff like a sponge.

He came when called four or five times but then got distracted by a wasp.

good start though.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

The vet nurse at our practice has a 14 week old (adorabile) Blk Lab puppy and Washington informino me she won't be letting him off till he's at least 6 months. Difficult to know what to say to that in a full waiting room.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Hmmmm....

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

I should check my posts! Sorry about the ridiculous typos!

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

[quote author=Rosamund link=topic=1372.msg111395#msg111395 date=1411221819]
I should check my posts! Sorry about the ridiculous typos!
[/quote]
Ha ha! Yes....think we got the gist though!

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Gypsy has her first free run off lead on Monday. She will be 19 (!!) weeks old!

I will let you know how it goes.

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

19 weeks! Where did that go And good luck with your run

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Quick question on recall,

This is Hollie's first week out after jabs, we have great safe areas for dogs to walk around the house so we are lucky.

We took the lead off on the first time and her recall was great and each time after that,

My question is......what do we do when another dog is approaching? Put her back on the lead or not? She is obviously friendly but what if the other dogs aren't and she goes bounding over and gets attacked....which of course would be our fault because we hadn't put her on the lead??? I'm a bit confused.


Thanks in advance
Esther

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

Completely agree with letting your puppy off the lead as soon as possible. My 13 week old lab has been off the lead now in fields for just over a week and she walks beautifully alongside me. It's best to let them off while they're still happy to follow you around instead of later down the line when they're likely to be like ''oh my god I'm free!'' and run away from you and not come back. Never had a problem taking puppies off the lead early and never had a dog not come when called it must do something good! I call the pup back often and give her treats so she doesn't just think coming back means it's home time and I put the lead on her when meeting other dogs so that I can control the meeting if she gets too boisterous... because she is a lab after all and not all 'friendly' dogs take kindly to a puppy jumping on their head! Plus you can pull her away if the other dog isn't that friendly and pup doesn't get it and pup can't run away if they get scared (though nothing scares my pup!) and then as soon as the other dog is out of sight she's off the lead again. Can't recommend off lead walking enough as long as it's safe for you and your pup! ;D

 

Re: Attention new puppy owners! Let your puppy off the lead.

I saw a 6 month old Golden Retriever in the park the other day that had never been left off the lead. I encouraged the owners to let it off and it was fine until we moved away and then it ran off! The owners wouldn't let him go more than 10 feet before they frantically started calling him. However, I wish I had minded my own business when I saw him galloping off in the distance. :-\