Off-Leash Freedom and Emotional Wellbeing
I take my dogs on off-leash nature outings almost daily. That didn’t happen overnight. There were training steps I took to assure everyone’s safety, and while we can never say this activity is completely without risk, for me it has always felt necessary for the emotional health of my dogs.
Honestly, I get some grief for this from well-meaning friends from time to time, so I rarely talk about how important I feel it is. I understand where their feelings around this come from, but I don’t consider this a black and white issue. With proper training and safety measures, your dog can enjoy the autonomy of off-leash time in nature, and I guarantee you it will change them for the better.
Sarah Stremming and Tara Stillwell discussed this topic in the July 21st episode of Cog Dog Radio Podcast. They have provided me with the bravery to do the same. In fact, listening to this pod episode was a bit eerie because the steps they outline to get to this level of freedom mirror what I’ve been doing intuitively with my dogs. We only differ on one item…
HOT TAKE: A perfect recall is not the most important thing to train before allowing off-leash freedom.
I know neither Sarah nor Tara align with me on this, but hear me out. However well your dog is trained, there will definitely be a day when your recall fails. When that happens the most important thing to know is… How is your dog going to react to what or whoever they meet on the trail? Knowing the answer to this question will allow you to respond appropriately.
I prioritize socialization and exposure to any and everything we might encounter while out in nature. If during training we discover inappropriate reactions to any of the variables, we address them prior to allowing this freedom.
Strangers of all shapes and sizes, including children
Other dogs, on and off-leash
Mountain bikers
Horses
Wildlife
The next important thing is the solid recall. As close to 100% as you can get. If you’re struggling with this, I’d say some of the funnest video instruction I’ve seen on this topic (and many others) is Darwin’s Dog Training School. Check him out.
Other important training steps;
The auto check-in.
The soft recall (“Hey, this way” when you change direction and they listen and follow).
A pullover - Anytime we see dogs on-leash approach, we must assume they do not want to mingle, and pull off the trail for a sit-stay. Same for horses coming by, etc.
The “on by” - I learned this one while doing Canicross. It’s a cue to pass by someone else on the trail without engaging.
Adherence to a “no” or “leave it” command
I really love this podcast episode because they also stress the skills the human must have! I see so many people out walking their dogs with their nose buried in their phones, or focused entirely on another human alongside them. The safety of your group is your responsibility, and off-leash activities come with inherent risks no matter how socialized and well-trained your dogs may be. You must be aware of your surroundings. Sarah calls it “calm vigilance” and that is a perfect description. As part of this, you must have a firm working knowledge of dog body language. And honestly, I am also clocking the body language of other humans we encounter as that can tell you a lot about how they expect their dog to behave and / or if they, the human, are afraid of dogs.
Your own emotional regulation is so important, and knowing how your dog will respond to anything you may encounter on the trail, and having this basic understanding of dog body language, are going to empower you to stay calm. Often times, it is the over-reaction of the humans that create problems. You must be prepared for the possibility of encountering these humans, and practice being the calm in that storm.
