If you have a KC Cavalier or similar…. Off lead ever?

[Jazzappledelish]

Or do only on lead?

Which leads me to believe you have absolutely no experiences of KCCs!

I have a cav cross. Her recall is generally pretty good and now that she's all grown up, she's less interested in meeting new people or dogs. I have her off lead almost all the time, unless we're walking along a road or there are sheep near by.

She is very interested in deer and occasionally develops selective deafness when there are deer around, so I just attach a long line to her harness if that happens and it slows her down and makes her much easier to catch. I only have to do this for a few walks and then she remembers her recall training and I can leave the long line at home again! I'd hate to keep her on the lead all the time because she really does enjoy rushing around, following scent trails etc. I do think that dogs need some off-lead time on walks if at all possible.

I think the enclosed dog field system exists for this situation exactly and dont like to think that dogs on leads for their lifetime should be normalised.

As discussed, in expensive parts of the UK such as London and the surrounding commuter belt towns…. To have farmers offering enclosed fields to hire is almost unheard of. To the extent I have been here 10 years and never heard of it. And certainly in London…. Well 😂

Oh no sorry, I may have made it sound like they were farmers fields but my mistake they are just called enclosed dog fields, they are not a farmer thing or even a field really, sorry, they are just small green spaces that the land owner has safely enclosed for dogs to be exercised in, maybe called exercise paddocks or something in cities, I am sure there must be some as PP have mentioned. RSPCA or Vet centres may have them or anyone with a little space and business sense, boarding kennels etc, youl have them in London/commuter belts? Im sure most people let their dogs off lead where safe so just dont want it to be seen as normal not to, its not a life for a dog except in rare circumstances (extreme aggression perhaps). One of my family lives in a city and uses one as she has a spaniel & uses a wheelchair for example.

My cavvies go off lead a lot, but when young their recall wasn’t so great! They’re five now and reliable.

I had to
Cavalier King Charles spaniels and they were fine off lead - recall was great .

I let them off as soon as we were in a safe place away from roads etc . So parks , fields , country walks - all fine

Ah no, they’re businesses - charge by the half hour

its not just done random field, google - secure dog fields near me, honestly, there’ll be some.

we've had 5 of them, always kept on lead.. they've all been much too people friendly and had little recall.

The current one is also stone deaf, so very much on-lead only.

But even an enclosed dog field…

a) will be none in London
b) very limited in surround commuter belt, where I am, a dog owner part of the community and never heard of one
c) I imagine that the ones that are in the vicinity will be a car ride away. And seeing as a number of the dog owner I know in this commuter belt town don’t drive… that precludes then going in any event

Just looked. There is one. £12 an hour.

Makes for a rather expensive walk for someone who has a dog and perhaps doesn’t have a spare £12 a day or even every couple of times a week. £100 a month for two weekly off lead sessions. And if they have to get a taxi there too….

My cav is barely on his lead. Usually only pop him on when I walk back into our cul de sac as there are a few cats lurking about that he would chase given half the chance. He had terrible recall when he was a teenager. I spent hours in quiet fields with hot dogs in my pocket.

£17 if you want to go on the weekend

This. My mum's have no sense of danger and will just run off. I love them but they have stressed me out on more than one occasion when they go on their adventures.

I have a KC cavalier, almost 2, she will be let off lead in some areas but not all. Local fields not close to roads, fine - but not when she is coming into season, because she forgets to listen. Any scent of rabbit or other small animal she is off into bushes sniffing them out, she will come back but my heart does skip a beat quite often. In the house she is like glue and will follow everywhere , she is protective over us all, and hates anyone leaving.
I go on a regular pub walk with other dogs and let her off, she has been amazing so far, helped a little by her Doberman friend who keeps an eye on her, other wise no doubt she would probably try and scurry though the fence into next field.
Any where near roads absolutely not, she is anxious and stupid, and would dart across them without a second though, even out the door she would fly given an opportunity.
This is despite hours of training we have invested in.

Dogs are expensive things to keep, hopefully people budget for this expense when getting one. Its same as saying dog food or dog insurance is too expensive for most people surely? Im not trying to be argumentative Im just not wanting people to think proper dog walks arent a necessity of dog ownership.

I should say I totally agree with dogs on leads by roads etc, mine has no concept of road safety and of course has a lead by a road. But chasing a squirrel or going up to greet another dog/person, thats fine. Dogs communicate so much safer/better off lead.

It is dog dependent

and for some reason - you seem very insistent that every dog without exception except for extreme aggression should be off lead.

It’s plainly daft.

My question as the owner of a 14 week old Cavalier is... Please help me figure out how to get her on lead We've tried collar and lead and harness with lead and all she does is sit down, scratch the collar or harness or lie down and whine. Any Cavi owners, please help me!! I live in the countryside and have miles of woods, she's marvelous off lead, but do need to get her trained to a lead.

I have a Cavapoo and a cavachon and they both get off lead every day as we live by a common. But they are silly boys and I can never imagine them walking calmly along pavement off lead.

@Britintheusa it’s just a question of persistence. She’s still getting used to her environment. Maybe put the lead on, carry her to an interesting spot and then put her down to sniff around. Build up gradually

I have 2 Cavvies. Both on lead. One I have dropped the lead when in a semi enclosed area, and but I can't trust her 100%. The other one is the dopiest dog ever, poor recall, and thinks that everything that moves is her friend, including cars! Even her breeder said that Cavvies are pretty dumb, and have no road sense, so don't ever let them bolt out the front door as they'd be straight on the road.

And yes, I also have a little stalker. Follows me absolutely everywhere and yes I also get the guilts having to get up when they're fast asleep, because I know they'll follow me! One follows me, then the other one follows her.

I'm glad to read this thread actually because I'm always the only one at the dog beach with dogs on lead.

My cav is off lead at the beach and doesn’t stray far away from me, she’s good at recall. But I’d never have her off lead near a road in case she saw a cat or something and lost her mind.

She absolutely follows me around the house too, especially if I go into the kitchen.

I use to let my CKC off lead in woods, beach, fields. He did have good recall. I always put him back on lead if passing close to farm animals though he never showed any interest.

Our KCC learned to stay close and was usually off lead. Her main nemesis would be tiny buggy bound DC with snacks ( for themselves or ducks) .in any such case she would be back on the lead.

My idiot boy does have wonderful recall (the only advantage to his insecure clinginess!) and is allowed off lead once we're off the roads - traffic is too appalling where I live to take the risk otherwise.

Thankfully we live very close to 2 huge, well-fenced parks and a forest, so he gets lots of time to free range - although at seven it's more of a sedate potter about, sniffing everything...