Going out in the real world is a necessary part of having a dog. Apart from the exercise, it is also important for your furry friend to be aware that there is a world outside your home. One of the challenges of this, however, is ensuring that your dog stays close to you all the time to avoid any danger of getting lost or getting hurt.
For many dog owners, the possibility of having their dog go off-leash becomes apparent when they see that their pet is able to behave itself while leashed.
It is a whole new world though, and something that cannot be done spontaneously – lest you face the consequences such as your dog getting too excited with all the freedom and getting himself in all sorts of scrapes. The key is to do it gradually and safely, so as to increase one’s confidence in letting the dog go off-leash without fear of anything happening to him.
Having said that, it still pays to have a few tried and tested tips to help guide you in the whole business of getting your dog to go off-leash. These tips are very simple and easy to accomplish and establishes a good mindset for embarking on off-leash training. Without further ado, here are the five tips that you should follow to help your dog go off-leash!
Tip Number 1: Establish obedience to solidify your bond with your dog.
Off-leash training requires you putting your trust in your dog to stay by your side and follow your commands, sans leash. This is based on a solid relationship, which is easily established when obedience is in place.
Do not even think about beginning your leash sessions without being 100% sure that your dog is completely obedient to you. Investing in obedience training comes first, and it is a good investment that will pay off later when you finally decide to begin the journey towards off-leash training.
Tip Number 2: Always start out in small, controlled areas.
When you are very confident in your dog’s ability to follow commands and stay by your side, you may begin training him to be off the leash.
Now, it is important to expect a lot of adjustments on your dog’s part once you remove the leash in any environment – so take great care to select an area that is small and contained. Don’t head out to the open park right away; look for a place outside your home that you are likely to visit yet meets the requirements for safety of your dog.
A good example is an enclosed or fenced-in parking lot: enough space for the dog to move around in, yet physically keeps him in that area in case he decides to jet off here and there. The trick is to balance the environmental distractions with the space that he can move in, and ensuring that both are manageable at this point in your training.
Tip Number 3: Drag your dog’s leash.
Get a long training line and tie it to your dog’s leash. This will help to define your dog’s comfort zone. Holding on to the training line and letting your dog walk around will give you an idea of how far or how close your dog needs to be in the event that you have to shout out a command.
You will need several days to conduct this experiment in different yet familiar settings to get an average in terms of distance.
Tip Number 4: Look for an off-leash group that you can join.
Being part of a pack will definitely be a huge and helpful difference to your dog once he goes off-leash. Here, you play on his pack mentality with the presence of other dogs.
This will be to your advantage because his instincts will usually compel him to be with other dogs instead of running off to somewhere. It is best if the off-leash group you plan to join has already had substantial training, with dogs that are pretty comfortable in their off-leash status.
In this light, your dog will be the “newbie” who will want to be accepted by the dog pack and is thus more inclined to stay close. Another advantage is that it is likely that all of you dog owners in that group will share in the same beliefs and philosophy when it comes to dog training.
This will mean they will understand leash training, having long training lines, and offer assistance and support to a new member such as yourself – all things that will make the whole thing easier to handle for you!
Tip Number 5: Maintain patience and persistence.
Training your dog to go off-leash is not something that you can accomplish in a day – or even in a week! It may well be longer than that. You may find yourself conducting leash dragging for a good number of days before you see even the slightest hint of progress. The trick is to continue with the routine, even when it seems that all you keep having are bad days.
Also, be mindful of how each leash training session goes. Go back and process what happened, and you may discover that it may be necessary to review some basic lessons on being on-leash to re-establish the connection you had (and probably somewhat lost along the way) with your dog.
While it may seem that it is taking so much of your time and effort in training your dog to be off-leash, it will definitely pay off and be worth it in the end.
These five tips will really be helpful in your quest to do off-leash training with your dog. If you combine this with other training tips on behavior (especially when in public or outdoor places), you will all the more achieve your off-leash training goals faster!
Pretty soon, you will be able to enjoy going out for long walks with your pet without having to drag on to a leash because you are confident that he can stay with you by your side!
Do you wish your dog would walk on a leash calmly and quietly without pulling? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!
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