Not brave enough to let 7 month pup off lead

[cyclingwife]

Our labrador pup is lovely but I'm not brave enough to let her off the lead. We don't have a secure back garden and so she has always been on a long line or lead since she came to us at 8 weeks old. One time i didn't keep an eye on her she disappeared into the neighbours garden to chase their dog.

We walk her 4 times a day (8am, 11.30, 4 and 8pm) but she's always on a lead because we don't trust her to run off. She loves to sniff around and wander all over the country roads where we live, but I wouldn't trust her to come to me when a car comes for example.

We practice recall twice a day as training session but also most of the time generally calling her and she's pretty good at coming unless there is a higher reward - like a cat, cow muck to sniff, rubbish to pick up- and then she is easily distracted.

I just worry that she never has a really good race aroun apart from her zoomies but they're always restricted by the 5m lead. Is she missing out?

I'm looking for advice for when i know she'll be fine if i let her off her lead. Today we were in a forest and she would have loved to have whizzed off into the forest to run but I would be so worried I'd never see her again. Should I just be brave and let her go?

[cyclingwife]

Thanks for all your supportive words and ideas.

Yes she knows the terms and follows the "drop it" commands as she's always picking up discarded litter on a walk. She drops on command. We've also been playing fetch with her ball and enjoys it in the back garden but she does need a larger field to play. As I said we practice recall in the garden, but when the neighbour;s dog is out she becomes deaf. So I try to limit the training when she doesn't have distractions.
I'm hoping to get out to a friends field this weekend to get the opportunity to let her run around.

[Bertucci]

I know how scary it is, but you must persevere sooner rather than later. Do it now before the ‘teenage’ bit.

What worked for us was a good dog whistle and a bag of high quality treats, so a bit of cheese, sausage - any thing smelly. Also agree with PPs about being interesting on a walk and fun to go back to.

[AnnPerkins]

This is a really interesting thread. Our puppy's breeder encouraged us to let him off the lead from the off. My thinking was I should try it while I could still outrun him so I gave it a go straight away. Since then I have always let him offlead whenever we are on footpaths or the large playing fields.

His recall was pretty good. He always waited at junctions in footpaths and kissing gates and he liked to keep me in sight so if he didn't come I would pretend to take off in the opposite direction and he would come running.

Then I mentioned to the trainer last week that now he's nearly five months and getting more confident it's harder to get him back - particularly if he sees other dogs. She said I shouldn't be letting him offlead at the moment (because of coronavirus) because if he makes contact with another dog and their owner complains I could be liable for a fine.

So now I walk him on a long lead and he's getting really frustrated at not having the freedom to wander and sniff around. Our walks are just not as enjoyable and I'm concerned that he will lose the recall training we had built up.

[pigsDOfly]

I'd be a bit wary of starting letting her off lead for the first time at 7 months unless you're in a secure field - I agree with pp this is definitely a very good idea - because at 7 months your puppy will be entering her adolescent phase and even puppies with amazing recall will decided recall is not for them when they hit the teenage months.

Also as pp said because of Cornavirus dogs really shouldn't be off the lead. And four walks a day for a 7 month old puppy is way too much.

[BiteyShark]

AnnPerkins I view walking off lead the same with coronavirus as before this all happened. What I mean by that is that anyone can complain about a dog running up to them so when my dog had iffy recall as a teenage I walked in places and at times when he wouldn't get the opportunity to run up to other people or dogs which meant it was easier to practice recall etc. If I spotted someone in the distance I walked away. If I couldn't do that he got put back onlead until we passed.

I don't know what percentage of walkers are only doing onlead walks but I see other dogs off lead in the distance. I wouldn't walk in parks with a dog with iffy recall or now with everyone socially distancing themselves but I do appreciate that not everyone has access to lots of quiet countryside.

[Moondust001]

Secure your garden.

Recall is best learned young - the longer you leave it the longer it will take to learn. I got a lot of exercise chasing my very stubborn Border Collie when he wouldn't return at 15+ weeks old. For about four weeks there were times when I could have happily strangled him, and that thing about never showing your dog that you are angry at him was exceedingly hard to do. Then he settled down and "got it". It requires patience, persistence and intent.

[pigsDOfly]

I let my dog off the lead at the moment but she's 9 years old, has a very reliable recall and doesn't run off after things. She's not interested in other dogs and likes to do her own thing and play with her ball.

I wouldn't let a pre adolescent puppy off the lead at the moment in an open park, and certainly not a puppy that has never been off the lead.

[Eckhart]

@ihatelockdown

Why are you walking your dog 4 times a day? That's far too much! You're asking for behavioural issues from an overtired dog

Where have you got this information from? What behavioural issues come from tired dogs?

OP, get it done. This is about your anxiety, not about the dog's lack of recall. It's terrifying, I know. I've been there too. If you can find an enclosed park area, do it there. It's so rewarding when you realise that ddog is worried you're going to run away. In fact, that's a good way to get them to come back to you. Run away, shouting their name. I used to zig zag across the park with my old dog. Chase her for 10 yards (she would run away) and then change direction (she would chase me)

It's helpful to have squirty Primula cheese in your pocket. A little squeeze into their chops every time they come back to you is a nice reward, and it's got a screw on lid. Just don't get it mixed up with yours in the fridge...

[AnnPerkins]

Hi BiteyShark. That makes sense. I do see others walking dogs offlead but they are older so have reliable recall.

I think I'm going to try letting him offlead in a corner of the playing fields. It's a huge area where I can see anybody approaching from a distance.

We're in the countryside but with so many people at home at the moment there is always somebody else on the footpaths at any time of the day.

[JonHammIsMyJamm]

He may not experience behavioural issues from over-tiredness but 4 half hour walks a day for a young lab is not recommended and is thought to increase risk of joint injury and damage in later years. 5 mins for every month of age, twice a day, is the recommendation for the first year, avoiding stairs and reduce the duration if the terrain is tricky (steep, sandy etc).

If you do want to nip her out for toilet walks 4 x a day that’s fine but they should only be really short if you are also doing ‘proper’ walks with her. Over-walking her now is potentially storing up expensive and painful trouble for you both later.

[ihatelockdown]

@eckart it's well known over stimulation causes issues!
iheartdogs.com/4-signs-your-dog-is-overstimulated/

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

Hide-and-seek is a good recall game for young dogs, it can be practiced in the house as well.
Also training recall to a whistle is handy, as the sound of the whistle is unemotional whereas increasingly loud and desperate shouting can upset the dog and prevent them wanting to return.
And finally please don't let her off lead on moorland at the moment - it's nesting season and there will be lots of young birds who will be disturbed, distressed and potentially killed.

[dontdisturbmenow]

My dog is a breed known to be not good of the lead. We decided to try him off two days after his 2nd injection at 11 weeks when he was still at the stage of being a bit nervous with things and so not wanting to be too far from us. I also started training him to seat, stay and come from 8 weeks so by then he was already good with these commands. he is brilliant now. The only time we struggle a bit is when people are sitting eating food. He is obsessed with food and a treat doesn't compare with the lovely smell of hot food!

[cyclingwife]

Interesting about the 4 walks a day. Three of the walks (first thing, 11ish and last thing) are more a sniffy affair where she just slowly mooches around the village, does her business - going less than half a mile. We were told about labs joints by the vet and said little and often was best, and the 5 mins per month of age and no stairs which we've been sticking to. The vet said little and often but didn't say limit the number of walks.
The dog doesn't seem to have any behavioural problems apart from when on the longer walk at 4/5pm she pulls a lot and wants to go whizzing off.
Anyway tomorrow is the day. We're off to a nearby field and going to let her loose, armed with treats and hopefully we can train her with the whistle (which should arrive tomorrow too)

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

There is zero scientific evidence behind the '5 minute rule' - if anyone can find me some I would be genuinely interested. The stuff I have seen indicates that outdoor exercise on undulating ground is a good thing, but that it is wise to avoid stairs as the jolting isn't good for a puppy. If the 'rule' has any basis at all, it seems to apply to lead walking, particularly on roads.

The amount of stimulation a dog needs varies massively. When my younger dog was 7 months old I'd just gone back to work. She was walked before I left, again for 10-15 mins when I rushed home at lunchtime and for 15-20 mins at 3 when I got home. Besides that, most days when I was out a neighbour took her out mid-morning for 20-30 mins. Most of this was off-lead. She has had zero behavioural issues as a result (under-stimulation is what does her head in) and as an adult is happy, social and well trained. Young puppies are another matter: sometimes you just have to put them to bed like over-tired toddlers.

[Sarahlou63]

Check out Tractive GPS collars, brilliant for knowing exactly where they are!

[dontdisturbmenow]

Good luck today cycling!

[frankie001]

Hope it goes well tomorrow. It’s nerve wracking but you will be so glad you’ve done it

[runningon]

In my experience get a puppy off lead as soon as possible, you can trust them a lot better than an adolescent dog.
Have high value treats like cheese etc with you, tennis balls etc.
Make it a game, mix it up and have fun!

[cyclingwife]

So we went to this field - which wasn't fully secure - and we had a wonderful time. She was happy to be off lead, she raced around mainly following us. Her recall was amazing with the high value treats we took. She loved a game of fetch with her ball and yes when we walked around the field she just followed us. We went in the opposite direction and again she followed!
SO thank you for all your supportive words and advice. I'm so much less anxious now.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Great, I'm so pleased it worked. Enjoy your new-found freedom with her.

[pigsDOfly]

Oh well done. I remember having to take some deep breaths before letting my dog off the lead as a puppy.

It sounds like you've got a good foundation with your training with her. Pleased it went well.

[WeAllHaveWings]

You want her to be alert to where you are at all times and follow you. Changing direction regularly helps. The other thing we used to do was hide behind trees. Be careful first time you do it as, if they haven't been paying attention to where you were recently, they may panick and shoot off in the wrong direction. Once they get it, it's a great game.

[cyclingwife]

Yes I'm feeling so much more confident now she's done it and did so well. She was definitely looking around for us and wanting to be with us, as opposed to when she's on a lead at times she seems like she's trying to escape.

I also spoke to a friend's trainer who said to be cautious when she's in the woods/ forests as there are so many different scents for her to get distracted with and so not to get too disheartened if she isn't as good as in a field. Hopefully we're off to the field again tomorrow.

I'm also going down to three walks a day, and when she would normally be out on a walk we can do some training in the garden (so doesn't feel like she's missing out - she's a real stickler for routine).

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Once you’re confident with her being off lead I’d definitely do some training in the garden. You need her to learn to come away from distractions, that’s partly why you teach recall. Be it the neighbours dog, other dogs or a deer’s arse disappearing into the distance. Just apply the same techniques, make yourself more interesting with high value treats etc. You have to ‘proof’ the technique to be confident of being able to call her back in any situation.

I wouldn’t panic too much, if you’d been able to get to training classes you’d have learnt all this now anyway. My dog trainer has been doing lessons via online video messaging, you could suggest this to your trainer?