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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

what are you views on dogs kept on leads?

45 replies

secretpoet · 06/04/2015 10:19

I met a lady last week who was with a beagle and, as we have one, I stopped to speak to her. The dog (a bitch) was lovely - 8 months old and typically soft and affectionate. I asked her if they found her hard work as beagles can be and she said no - she had several others at home. When I said that we found that ours sometimes got on the scent of something and disappeared into the distance she said that they never let theirs off the lead.

What is the general opinion of this? Of course she may have a massive garden and there are other dogs in the family so guess they play together. The dog was obviously well cared for and loved, but I just love to see my dogs run.

Is it ok if they don't really get an opportunity for this? To be honest there have been times with ours when I have got her back on the lead after a 20 minute wait for her and have said "never again" and vowed to keep her on the lead. I haven't stuck to that though cos it seems mean. I never let the dogs off anywhere they could get onto a road.

I don't really have a firm idea of what I think here but thought it would be interesting to see what the general consensus is.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 06/04/2015 10:28

If a dog has appalling recall or is aggressive it's the responsible thing to do .

scrivette · 06/04/2015 10:32

My Bassett Hound (rescued) has appalling recall and I don't ever let him off the lead. If he caught the scent of something or saw a cat he would be off, he may eventually return but I am not prepared to take the risk.

tabulahrasa · 06/04/2015 10:33

If a dog has to be onlead for its own safety or the safety of others then that's just the way it is.

There are plenty of other ways to keep a dog stimulated and exercised

momtothree · 06/04/2015 10:37

I saw a young pup with a very long training lead - which the owner drops and can catch easily- we trained recall early - he is much happier off lead.

Original poster
secretpoet · 06/04/2015 10:40

oh yes I completely agree if a dog is aggressive they should always be on a lead and if their recall is awful. But to have several dogs and just employ a blanket off-lead ban? I'm not sure?

OP posts:
Gymbob · 06/04/2015 11:05

if at all possible a dog should be off leash every day, for his own health and well being. dogs need to do what they need to do with the freedom to do it.

I'm another that did recall very early on as I know my particular breed is renowned for buggering off. we have never had a problem, he likes to know he can still see me and doesn't go far ahead.

Mindst you, sometimes any walk is a good walk I think, there are dogs in my street that have never been out of the garden Shock

tabulahrasa · 06/04/2015 11:13

As long as a dog is relieving sufficient exercise and mental stimulation...I don't see that it matters how that's achieved.

tabulahrasa · 06/04/2015 11:13

Receiving...

AlpacaLypse · 06/04/2015 11:19

If you can access safe off lead space then I think dogs really enjoy it. They'll happily cover five or ten times as much ground as we could manage in the time (and with a bit of luck will then snooze for hours rather than get under your feet for the rest of the day demanding attention Smile)

If recall is unreliable and you do not trust them not to make other users of the space, whether animal or human, unhappy or uncomfortable, then lead it has to be.

AlpacaLypse · 06/04/2015 11:26

And if anyone is having to impose blanket bans then maybe they've got too many dogs?

One of our clients currently has nine dogs, all of them are well cared for physically and given as much attention and love as possible. But there is no way that the owner/fosterer is able to give each and every one of them the time and attention they need to make them good citizens (each one has come through rescue). We are currently working with her to focus on a couple of the more challenging ones, but I personally believe she should move at least two to different households so they can get more attention.

However, she runs the rescue and is naturally a bit rose-tinted spectacled about it.

I think she's veering towards my way of thinking though, finger's crossed!

Moresmores · 06/04/2015 11:32

We have a dog with dreadful recall so all walks are on lead. He would chase bitches, go in the road etc...however we have a secure paddock so he has plenty of secure roaming/exercise.

Surely all dogs should be on leads unless their owner can control them.

GemmaTeller · 06/04/2015 11:34

I've got a boxer who isn't allowed off lead, he just runs off into the distance no matter how much we try and train him.

Its just not worth the stress of going to the fields, letting him off his lead and watching him disappear on the horizon, even if we take toys to play fetch and try and focus him near us, something will catch his eye and he's off.

We do however, have a large back garden and play fetch, football and running/romping around with him.

toboldlygo · 06/04/2015 12:46

My working Siberians don't go off-lead in unfenced or public spaces. The breed is renowned for lack of recall and mine are no exception despite having obedience and agility titles to their name.

They have a run in the fenced horse paddock several times a week and otherwise are walked on a lead or run in harness. On the beach I use a 50ft line.

CandyAppleFudge · 06/04/2015 12:53

Female dog- is allowed off else when she sees her shih tzu friend to chase, however apart from that during the summer she's on lead because people have picnics and she has no recall if foods involved. During the winter we see no one out especially when raining and she goes off lead.
Male dog- stays on lead no matter what, he's protective of me, dh and dd and female dog and will happily fight anything Hmm he's happy to chase his footballs up and down the garden for hours and plays tug. He does get to go to dh stepsisters farm once a week and loves it there

Mrsjayy · 06/04/2015 13:01

My dog is a bolter and if spooked will just run and runso he is never off lead bitter experience of searching for him also he will chase cars, my Aunt is obsessed with off lead and keeps saying its a shame and we should do x y z so he could go for a run i think every owner knows their dog best and safety is a priority my aunt has offered to look after him and she is great with dogs but icouldnt trust her to not let him off for a run.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 06/04/2015 13:04

I only have my border collie on a lead when she needs to be, as she sulks incredibly as she doesn't like it!

I was talking to a lady with a rescue dog which she had on the lead always as he was fear aggressive and would not recall. She said it made walks hard as she always had to watch him, and she often wanted to let him off but couldn't take the risk. He played a bit with my dog and it was clear he was very over excited because he didn't get the chance to play often enough, but by the end of their interaction he was much calmer around her and more friendly.

I think exercising in a horse paddock or other secure area is a great idea, there should be more safe places for dogs with problems with recall, chasing, or anxiety to exercise off lead.

Failing that, my friend is starting a dog running business. He runs anyway, so is offering to take dogs which require intense exercise or cannot be exercised off lead for an exercise session. Do people think this is a good idea btw? He is just starting out and I think would appreciate feedback from dog owners on whether there would be a demand.

Mrsjayy · 06/04/2015 13:07

Yeah if there was somewhere safe fenced off for us to let our dog off we would take him and let him have a run about i like the American dog parks I see on tv.

stardusty5 · 06/04/2015 13:18

Ours is always on lead as he would run up to anybody thinking they want to play with him and though has never been aggressive, many people don't like dogs. I could quite see him knocking someone over trying to play with them. He gets three walks a day on an extendable lead. I wouldnt risk letting him frighten anybody.

We do take him to the beach or other areas where we can see other people or livestock coming before he does! His recall is ok provided there are no other distractions.

As a first time dog owner, i regret not taking him to training classes when he was tiny, as i'm envious of those dogs who just trot around totally unphased by other people and dogs. I also see a lot of dogs off-lead that don't respond to their owners though, and probably get by with poor quite poor recall but a more placid temperament.

CarbeDiem · 06/04/2015 13:22

My 8 month pup is only allowed off at certain times, it mostly depends what mood she's in tbh. She sometimes gets way too excited when we approach the area for off lead so it's a good indication that she could ignore recall and/or ignore me completely so she stays attached. She's also still fond of jumping at people so I'm always a bit nervous about that too.
In answer to your question - I think it's okay to keep some dogs on lead, obviously if it's vicious but also if it doesn't listen. It's not worth them haring off and getting lost, injured or worse.

flanjabelle · 06/04/2015 13:26

Ddog is kept on the lead because no matter how hard I try she will lose concentration and just go. She will be fab and then something will catch her attention and she will be off. She gets more walks than I would give her otherwise and we go to lots of new places to keep her stimulated. It's for her own good. She could run into a road or anything, it's just not worth the risk.

flanjabelle · 06/04/2015 13:27

Just to add, she's a rescue, so I didn't bring her up through puppyhood. Lots of rescue dogs have to be kept on the lead for one reason or another. it may not be the fault of the current owner.

Mrsjayy · 06/04/2015 13:28

We got ours at 7 months and the rescue dont think he was walked and certainly not socialised poor mutt has all sorts of ishoos its a shame so lead is just safer for him us and other beings

GotToBeInItToWinIt · 06/04/2015 13:37

We have a beagle and he is never off the lead. Far preferable to him running away and getting hit by a car no? We have been to training classes since we had him (he's 4) and 9 times out of 10 his recall is great, but we can't risk it for that 10th time. We have a decent sized garden, he is walked for a couple of hours a day, he socialises with other dogs, we let him run around in fully enclosed fields. So I don't particularly care what anyone else thinks about it, he's happy and healthy and not dead under a car.

Original poster
secretpoet · 06/04/2015 15:58

I guess in an ideal world all dogs would have an opportunity to run freely off the lead but some just aren't suited to it and it's safer to keep the on the lead. We have an 11 month old lurcher (as well as the beagle) and he gets short bursts off the lead as he tends to lose concentration and disappear if he has too much freedom. I'm hoping it is just his adolescent phase and he will improve!

OP posts:
beachyhead · 06/04/2015 16:16

I must admit, I feel quite sad that my new dog is an 'on lead' dog. He's the third dog I've owned ( we currently have one other) and he's our first rescue. He's come from abroad, from a hunting background and there is no way, at the moment, we could let him off lead. We've tried on the beach and it's been fine for about 20 mins. He's no danger to any other dogs or people, but he is a scent hound, so rabbits, squirrels or even cats would be fair game. The beach is ok, but in the woods he would just disappear.

I feel rotten for him, but we have a big fenced garden, he has play dates with other dogs at home about twice a week and we play lots with him. We'll keep working, but I suspect I have many years of training ahead!!!