is Letting my dog of the lead ok

[myusernameisusername]

Since getting her 2 months ago at the age of 2 Ddog has learned some new tricks one of those being recall we were in the park today enjoying the sunshine when another dog of her exact breed came bounding up to her i had her off the lead at the time with her recall being about 7/10 depending what her attention is focused on if its another dog like this one she is usually a bit daft but still under my control ... i think. im too scared to let her play with other dogs and socialise because im worried other dog owners may take offence at her bouncing up to their dog and licking them or jumping at them i know some dogs are nervous having owned a nervous anti social dog before DD i know the signs of one and i always keep her away from dogs displaying stress signs of not wanting her near them but with dogs that are eager and happy to play is it ok to let her without worrying and calling her back straight away ? she loves other dogs i just don't want to break some dog walking etiquette rule

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Well only you will know if her recall is good. Have you practised it in lots of different places so that she knows it applies everywhere?

[myusernameisusername]

We just walk around the park together along the edge with her off lead she will stop wait and come back she won't sit though as she doesn't like the feel of the ground on her butt i think but she is very well behaved and has an amazing temperament if another dog was to take a dislike to her she would run to me scared or lay on the ground and cry she's never shown an ounce of nastiness or a single growl. she has also come back when called if the postman leaves the gate open and she gets out without me noticing she'll come back on the first call

[Endler32]

I would let her off, she's likely to stay near the other dog but you may have to go and fetch her back. My dog is rarely on the lead, we live in a rural area and rarely see other dogs, when we do I call him, put him on the lead until I have checked that it's ok for him to play ( ask the other owner if their dog is ok with other dogs ). He usually comes back when I call him.

[Aked]

I let mine play with dogs that are also off lead. She is pretty exuberant too! Her recall is good though, so unless she has met a like minded dog who will play until the cows come home, she does come back to me. If she is deep in play, I let the novelty wear off and then recall - usually you can tell the other owners who are happy with this! We tend to stand and have a chat about daft dogs for a while :) My trainer told me at times like this to wait for a natural break in the play before recalling, so that they are more likely to listen.

If an approaching dog is on a lead, she is recalled and put on a lead until we have passed - I have to be vigilant of what and who is up ahead so that I see them first! If she sees them and goes up to them she recalls straight back however. I think she's pretty good at reading body language!

I used to ask other owners or see if they let their dog over to greet her and and then let her play but with a longline dragging behind her. This way she could play until I was ready, then stand on the longline and recall her back with tonnes of praise and a jackpot treat. Could you do this too perhaps? It allows you to practise recall with distraction and still have an element of control.

[Mitzi50]

Ddog1 is always kept on the lead (greyhound with no recall). I always put Ddog2 back on the lead if there are other dogs and then ask the owner if their dog is friendly before letting her back off. She loves playing with other dogs and has 100% recall.

[JulyKit]

'Etiquette', I think, is that if the other dog is on a lead, keep yours on a lead too, unless you ans yours have 100% recall/'heel'.

If the other dog is not on a lead, wants to play and everyone's cool about it (and you trust everyone), then sure, let them play.

So you and your dog don't go bounding into other dogs' and people's space, and you expect that they won't go bounding into yours.

If in doubt, ask the other owner.

We used to do the longline thing like Aked - but with caution as obviously longline with one or more dogs tangled in it isn't so good.

Oh, and I am wary of letting them start to play when still on leads and tend to avoid anyone who lets their dog approach others on an extended flexi lead - for the same reason.

That's about it, really.

[moosemama]

If the other dog is also off lead and approaching to interact with your dog it's fine to let them play. Although I would always check with the owner before releasing my own dogs anyway, just out of courtesy, because you can never be sure of the situation. General rule is that you don't let your dog approach other dogs if they're on the lead or people who are walking without dogs - it's basically just about respecting each other's boundaries.

I have one dog that is really friendly with all dogs and people and has excellent manners and communication skills and one that is terrified of off-lead dogs, but fine to say hi to those that are on the lead or under calm, close control.

Mine tend not to be off-lead when there are other dogs about, purely because it would give the signal to other dog walkers that it's ok for their dogs to approach and whilst ddog1 would be happy with that, ddog 2 would freak out. It's a shame for ddog1 really, but he has ddog2 to play and chase with, so he doesn't totally lose out.

[liveloveluggage]

My dog is very friendly and likes to say hello to other dogs and have a gentle play with them, but she has a bad back and leg so doesn't like being jumped on. So I am normally happy to let other dogs come over and play as long as they don't get too rough. I normally just tell other owners this if their dog looks a bit bouncy.

[TheVeryHungryScreamerpillar]

I allow my dog some off-lead exercise every day. We let him play with other dogs who are off-lead but we don't allow him to approach dogs on leads. If we see a dog on a lead we recall him.
Maybe research dog walking groups in your area, where you can allow your dog to socialise