Never putting your puppy on a lead

[RegalLime]

We have a 4 month old lab. He's our first dog but we have lots of dogs in the family and had them as pets growing up. All the dogs we know have started on leads and then when/if they have good recall they have off lead walks.

I've had two people (a spaniel owner and another lab owner) tell me I should never have put my pup on a lead. That young pups will always follow you so you don't need one. I've replied that I use one for safety around roads and to stop him running off after dogs/people but apparently that's not necessary as he would have been born with perfect recall had I not ruined it by using a lead.

Is this a thing? Well clearly for these people it is but it's not something I've heard of before.

We attend a dog training class and are working on recall there. The trainer has never mentioned not using leads. My dog has great recall at home/in the garden but given how excited he is on lead I don't think he would come back to me if he saw people/dogs.

We live near a town centre and he would run across roads to meet people if he could. He would approach people and dogs who don't want to be approached and possibly upset people/get barked at or injured by another dog.

But maybe none of this would be the case if I'd never used a lead?!

Ah, this explains the spaniel puppies I've seen off lead. Very small/young, I always wonder if they're fully vaccinated. But yes, they stick super close to their owners.

I can't imagine it working with my 19 week old. Maybe because I got her at ten weeks and she had been in a rescue kennel the need to follow was broken? (She likes to be the in the same room as us, but has never been stuck to our heels like glue) Maybe breed traits? (she has collie, german shepherd, husky and greyhound, so goodness knows which). I'm quite envious at the thought of a puppy that can't take its eyes off its owner – her focus is definitely on other dogs and people and good smells rather than me, so lead it is for the foreseeable. A shame, as she is absolutely in her element when running.

And as you say, almost every single person has said that they'd never have their dogs off-lead by a road.

It's not going to work for you if you're going for walks on roads or public land so of course you needed a lead.

I do get what they're saying insofar as there's a bond between you and the puppy that causes the puppy to stay engaged and close in an ideal world. The moment you put on a lead it can become about one of you dragging the other along and the puppy is more likely to engage with other things rather than choosing to keep up and connected with you because you're more likely to disengage and they've got something to rebel against. When that connection is established without the lead and they know to come back to your side at a word, you could clip a lead on and the dog would barely notice. So I can see what they're saying.

But that's just from having dogs and avoiding the lead as much as possible.

You need a lead for safety when near roads but do let him off over fields and open spaces they need a run and true they do stay with you especially with treats !

😂😂😂 We have gun dogs and sheepdogs, they live on private land, if they go to the vet they travel in a crate in the back of the jeep. Most folk that live near us never have a dog on a lead. Get off your high horse for goodness sake. I’m sure the many people that bring their dogs for training to DH think he’s utterly irresponsible 🙄

Yep, we were told by our trainer to let our pup off lead from his first walk. We obviously did, and do, use lead for roadside etc. He never strained to be off lead and it was never a novelty, and he has fabulous recall.

First walk with my pup, off lead, with trainer - just for others to see what they do.

https://fb.watch/jXLXE56aJK/

Husky..5 miles..🤣 mines got husky in her..she is onlead/ longline besides the other breeds in her, all headstrong, strong-willed dogs, I would be irresponsible to let her off lead unless in a controlled area. Actually, in the large hire fields we use, she rarely strays from my side, but I still wouldn't chance it. She does plenty of brain work to cement our bond.

@BellaBlossoms I'm fine thanks and yes I do think your utterly irresponsible not to have taught your dogs to walk on a lead. You may drive them to the vet but they still have to go from car to building. They should by law be on lead and identifiable at this point. So yes you are breaking the law.

My rescue spaniel is glued to my leg at home but outside he’d happily piss off with anyone who had a ball.

My first Spaniel that I had from a pup had fantastic recall but would disappear from view on many occasions. I knew he would not approach anyone. Only interested in wildfowl.

Puppies do follow but as they get older they start being more independent and, depending on breed and personality, stick two fingers up at recall, even if it comes back later. I would never walk my dog on a well-used road without a lead.

On the subject of collars, dogs on a public road in a car must have a collar with their address on. I was very surprised when I found out that. Dogs that are working (not 'working dogs' per se) may be exempt.

Clearly you know absolutely nothing about working dogs.

@BellaBlossoms I know plenty about working dogs thanks!
Clearly more than you do!
ALL dogs have to be identifiable when not working. Yours included!

The talk about collars here is interesting as the never-on-a-lead lab we meet didn't have a collar either (and was in public, on a beach).

I did wonder how these dogs get to the vet. Also I guess they never go to dog friendly cafes etc as the ones round here usually require your dog to be on a lead in them.

Did he have no Identification tags on at all? That's not ok and his owner could get into lots of trouble and face a huge fine!

Lots of dogs around here go to the vets off-lead. They're well trained and just sit by their owners until they're called in to be seen.

Similarly in pubs etc, they just sit quietly under the table or by their owners feet. They don't need a lead as they're not bothering anyone or causing any problems.

I would say the majority of dogs around here don't have ID tags and plenty don't wear collars as their owners just use slip-leads. Yes, it may technically be illegal but nobody is going to do anything about it unless the dog in question causes an issue and is brought to the attention of the police.

I would agree that it's better to let them off lead as soon as they're allowed out, rather than keep them on a lead until they're 6-12 months then let them off (when they have the confidence to bugger off)

But that applies to free run areas, not town centres!

Technically this is true, but in reality nobody is going to do anything about an otherwise well-behaved dog who just happens not to have an ID tag on.

No police officer is going to stop the owner of a well-behaved dog and fine them for not having an ID tag.

We let our puppy off lead when away from roads, until one time a (much) bigger puppy came to play with her, spooked her (she rolled onto her back and squealed the most awful sound) and then when the bigger puppy stepped away she ran as fast and far as she could, out of the park and towards a main road.

She did stop once out of our sight as she was only a pup and wanted us, but it was inches away from her running into the road.

She’s never been off lead since unless we’re in an enclosed dog field as her recall is 75% on a good day.

Fuck me

@Pestispeeved

😂😂joggers were big birds 🤣🤣

I shouldn't spend so much time on here, it just makes.not being able to have a dog right now even more painful.but liveky to hear about the cute & daft ones!! As well as the well trained ones.

my last dog would recall perfectly!!

...when she wanted to 🙇🏻‍♀️

This is what we have done. Worked great for all 3 puppies they have really good recall. We only have them on lead for the 30 seconds it takes to walk to the park.

Not where I live and we’ve never had my issues. I’ll bid you a pleasant Sunday evening 😂

My girl does know the difference between road and pavement. She stops at the end of pavements and waits for me and wouldnt ever step into the road. But this was natural learning. I never intedned to train her that way. She just got used to being told to stop and wait and now does it, even on unfamiliar roads She is my shadow and sticks with me/ is contstantly looking for me. I rarely have her on lead but this happened accidentally. I would never ever expect any other dog to behave like her. She's a very special girl. I wouldn't ever train a dog to do this. Double standards i know. Collie cross if that's relevant. I think she would have made an outstanding working dog if her life had played out differently.

@pollykitty my dog can walk on the lead. By roads, out of the car and onto the field, at the vets etc but of course it's related.