Off Leash

Is your sheltie "off leash"

  • Total voters
    58
Thanks to all of you....it's good to hear from other sheltie owners as you all understand the breed so well.

I'm new to this forum but not new to shelties...We just put our Kelly down in May after 14 years....he was too afraid to be off leash and so never gave it a tought unless we were in a fenced area...

We just got a new puppy, Sadie who is just 3 months old and has a very people loving temperment..she wants to run and greet everyone she see's. We do have a dog park about 20 minutes from us and will be taking her there once she is old enough (6 month age minimum). Thanks again for all your support, I'm sure I will be on this forum a lot!
 
I myself would not want to walk my dog off leash around the neighborhood. In some places it is against the law to not have your dog on a leash. I just think that it is better to have them leashed unless you are at a class or a place that you know and is safe. I had a dog several years ago and she was taken out of my yard when she was let out to potty. I never saw her again! I would not want to have to go through that again ever!!! I miss my Sheesh but have learned from that experience. I did have my Chico where as if we were going to the car he would go and stay there to wait for me and that was not bad but to walk him off leash......no way!

Char

Sheltie Mom in the making........

:smile2:
 
Mine are ALWAYS on leash no matter where we are. The only way mine would never not be on leash is if we were doing something in obedience class. To find my reasoning behind that you can do a forum search on random dogs who have run up shelties where they were out walking and at the park and started a fight.

Also, no dog has 100% recall. If something were to happen there is no 100% guarantee that the dog would come back if you called it.
 
Meggie is allowed off leash in my yard, both back, which is fenced, and front, which is not. I live on a very quiet street and she stays right by me, wherever I am. Cooper is only off leash in the fenced portion of the yard. His recall is not great, in great part because of his hearing. Once I get his attention, he's pretty good. But that would never work on a street.
 
I let my dogs off lead when we are in the country. They all have very good recalls. I have call them off squirrels, rabbits and deer. Sometimes at home late at night I let them go to the house off leash. That being said. In the city, they are on leash 99% of the time(except for the late nights) and I would never let a 3 month old puppy off lead. They had not earned that prevailage yet. They earn it on a long line.

She is your puppy, tell your neighbor to stuff it.
 
I haven't voted, but in town, never off leash. I agree with there is no such thing as 100% recall. In my opinion, 98 or 99% is the best you can get. They have minds of their own. There is always a doubt in my mind that there will be a squirrel and a fast car and then...........:dead::cry:

In a park? Well it would depend on the park, and the people and the other dogs and the amount of squirrels and how far from the road and parking lot and so forth and so on.

However, out at the garden in the middle of nowhere and left of the back of beyond and the driveway is a mile and then the nearest house is 3 miles, we are off leash and running.

Tell the neighbors to mind their own business, you know your pup best.
 
It depends on the dog (and training)

My previous sheltie (Galen) never needed a leash and I live in the city.
I did not have to worry about recall because he stayed with me. He was trained to stop at every corner and not move until I told him to "walk with me". While I don't think he was unique, he was certainly better than my present two shelties. Also though he was 4 years old when we rescued him. Maxine is 2 and Flora only 6 months and while they are well trained and Maxine works as a therapy dog, they do like to chase cats, squirrels, etc. I'll keep working with them but at the present if they are in chase mode it is hard to get their attention. At our summer camp they can be let off the lead to chase the local cats. I guess what I'm saying is that it depends on your sheltie and your training. Shelties are among the smartest of breeds and I believe they can be trained to do almost anything.
 
Goggle said:
I do let Domino off leash at the park (unfenced) and in my unfenced yard but only if I am watching him closely. He does not chase anything and has a very good recall plus he prefers to spend most of his time following me around anyways. However, I think it is each owners choice....you know your dog best and therefore are in the best position to make the right choice for you and your pup. I do not think anyone else should be judging you or interfering whether you decide to let your dog off leash or not. It sounds like you are doing the right thing for the two of you so I wouldn't worry about your neighbours...it sounds like they are pushing their noses in where they don't belong.
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Ditto!:yes:

Toffee is off leash a lot in my small unfenced back yard.. or sometimes at night for a walk around the block for our walk, too
But I wouldn't let a puppy do that... I KNOW I am taking risks having him off-leash... what if he gets spooked, etc..
I believe in training some off leash so it's not a big deal for the dog to be off-leash, he just never would bolt and go zoomies running and screaming I am FREEEeeeEEEE lol

Personally I am also thinking it builds trust and confidence for BOTH of us... i trust him to come back, I have seen what he can do... and he trusts me to protect him... I wouldn't ever do any of this if it wasn't right for me and Toffee.

So you do what works for you guys! :biggrin2:
 
Off-leash in the park, or the yard, but if out in the yard, I'm there too. Sun, snow, rain, or 3am.

Chelsea was off-leash on the trails at the park, on everywhere else, even in the yard for most of her life. She was a chaser. Our trails are shared by mountain bikers, and when I saw some coming, or heard them behind us, I had to run and grab her, kneel beside her, one arm under her belly, one hand holding her collar, and holding her as securily as I could. She'd fight, to get free, and it was a job to hold her. When they got out of sight, I'd let her go, and she'd be gone barking like a fiend. Lord help them if she'd have ever caught them.

Chelsea was a little terror, and needed protection. April's a little princess, and needs protection.
 
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I always have my Saidy on a leash if we are walking on the street even though it is a very slow street but she is off the leash in the yard, unfenced, but she is never out there with out me or my husband watching her, I also let her off at the park (fenced) if there isn't to many people or other dogs I don't know, off leash when we are at other peoples houses if it is some where we take her a lot and also we let her off the leash at the beach, it's one of her favorite things but she has good recall and as soon as something or someone pops up we call her back and put her on the leash
 
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