Is it bad our dog hasn't been off the lead yet?

[Boltonlass1972]

Our dog is 7 months old. He's a border terrier cross and very excitable. We got him at 3 months but as he seems to go a bit over excited when meeting other dogs, we haven't taken him off the lead yet. There are no fenced off areas where we live and I'm bothered he'll run off if I let him off elsewhere. Any advice much appreciated please. We don't know anyone locally with a dog.. I know mixing him with other dogs would be beneficial but our friends have cats!

[Ridingthegravytrain]

Maybe take him to classes to help socialise. They usually have safe fenced off areas

[NoahVale]

my experience was my puppy was far to nervous to go far from me, are there no parks you can drive to to let her off, and yes, he will be excited with other dogs, he needs to learn

[dalmatianmad]

I let mine off almost straight away when they were allowed to go out .As excitable as they were I found that they stayed close and didn't wander. They are now 2 and 3 years have an amazing recall and are fantastic with all dogs.
Do you not have a tennis court on the park that's all enclosed? I often see people with young puppies doing this.

[BombadierFritz]

Our pup is 8 months. He was great off lead til now, when he is a total teenager and runs off after any dog he sees in the far distance. So I would be careful tbh

[Boltonlass1972]

Tennis court great idea.. We have a basketball court at the bottom of the road. Got to check there are no holes in the netting though. I know I need to take lots of treats for recall!

[Boltonlass1972]

Noahvale there are parks nearby but they are wide open spaces where if he kept running he would disappear.

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Have a look on you tube for tips on how to use a long line -

It's usually best to let your dog off lead as soon as they go out as then you're taking advantage of their natural desire to stick close to you. As yours is now entering the teenage phase you're starting at a bit of a disadvantage hence the need for a long line

[TrionicLettuce]

Have a look here and see if there are any secure fields available near you.

I can also recommend the book Total Recall, it's brilliant.

[gemsparkle84]

You have to let them off as soon as you take them out. You can run after a puppy! You can't run after a fully grown dog! You'll be able to sort it though. Just give it a go!

[Claraoswald36]

My experiences dog owner friend took my pup off the lead and ignored me. I'm glad she did! Cut up cocktail sausages and go for it he will learn the recall soon enough

[pigsDOfly]

As pp said you're coming up to adolescence, well your dog is, so now is not the time to start letting him run free.

My dog was fantastic until she got to 8 months and then just decided, like most teenagers, that I was stopping her doing what she wanted and was to be roundly ignored. Long line and lots of high value treats saved my sanity and was how I eventually ended up with a dog with excellent recall.

If you have a garden, practice there, or in the house. Although, being able to recall in the garden doesn't mean it will work in the park so you will still need to have him on the long lead. This can take quite some time so be patient. My trainer said it could be as long as a year, perhaps longer. We managed to get it nailed in about 8 months.

Would also second pp's suggestion of training classes. It will be helpful for you and good for your dog.

[Wineandchocolateneededasap]

Most dogs are excitable I'm sure if he was off the lead he'd calm. My dogs been off from first walk but I have to take cheddar out to 100% trust her recall, they seem
To sense when they don't have it and run riot.
Mine wares herself out much better off the lead !

[Floralnomad]

We got our puppy at about 15 weeks from Battersea , he's a patterdale X and very much a working terrier , I made the mistake of not letting him off straight away but he was very ill with KC and that delayed us even further . Eventually after using a long line for a few weeks I let him off at about 8/9 months , it was nerve racking but I had my secret weapon - balls , he is obsessed with balls and I don't allow him to have them in the house which makes them even more special , as long as I have an extra ball I can always attract his attention ( so I always have 2/3 with me in case of losses) . Dog is 5 now and I can let him off without having a ball but I am always selective about where he goes off , no woods ,no livestock ,no lakes if they have birds on them - fortunately we have a Heath and a couple of quiet playing fields nearby so he is off lead everyday .

[Boltonlass1972]

Have ordered one of the long lines. Just need to get a harness. Thanks for advice