# Off leash problems-



## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

DreamingGold said:


> ...Cooper gets puppy zoomies-like crazy when he is free because he rarely gets off leash freedom...


Herein lies your problem. Dogs that never get to be off leash don't want to come when called, because being off leash is more of a reward than whatever it is you have to reward him when he does come back. 

Off-leash skills are a must-learn. Teaching a dog how to behave off leash (and come when called 100% of the time) takes time and work over many hours and repetitions, but could save your dog's life. There have been some good threads on here lately about training a reliable recall. 

In the meantime, if I were you, I'd install some child locks on the doors and gates to keep your dog safe.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

We started off-leash recall on a 30ft leash. 

We would start with just 6ft slack, recall, click+treat, then "release" so he can go do whatever he was doing previously. 

We then gradually gave him more and more slack, until we reached the maximum length, making sure to release him every time so he can resume doing whatever it was before he was recalled. 

If he did not come back on recall (which happened sometimes at the maximum length of the leash), we "reeled" him in, clicked, rewarded, then released. 

His recall was 90% no matter where he was. 
The best part was that he got so used to the 30ft leash, that he naturally stays within a 30ft range from where we stand. 

He got neutered at almost 15 months, and his recalled is now 110%. 

We still reward him on almost every recall, and still practice at dog parks, indoors, outdoors, downtown, on-leash, off-leash. I don't think he needs anymore practice, but I don't think it hurts.

We also never use the recall command when we're ready to leave the park (or wherever we are off-leash). We either used the secondary recall word, or walk up to him and leash him with no command at all.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Walnut,
you can also use a flexi - leash. It might be a bit easier than a potentially tangled 30' lead, just a thought.

For a situation where you want to be sure, you might want to consider a wireless invisible fence. I have a box in my house that radiates a field set to a range I pick. The dog wears a collar and hear a series of beeps, then a sock at whatever setting I've pre-selected when they get too close to the boundary. This might work in case your little one lets the dog out the front door or out the gate. You just have to remember to put the collar on the dog and the batteries aren't burned out in the collar. Wireless Pet Fence | Wireless Dog Fence & Containment | PetSafe
The box you can take with you when you move. The in ground wired fences are cheaper, but you can't take the wire with you if you move.

Good luck and have fun!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

The first thing you Have to do is get child locks on your doors and gates. This is a safety concern not only for your dog but for your child too. 

The advice given above about using a long lead to train recall is excellent. But you should know it will take a long time to get a reliable recall. And you have to practice in low distraction until you get 100% recall before you even attempt to add distractions.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

mylissyk said:


> The first thing you Have to do is get child locks on your doors and gates. This is a safety concern not only for your dog but for your child too.
> 
> The advice given above about using a long lead to train recall is excellent. But you should know it will take a long time to get a reliable recall. And you have to practice in low distraction until you get 100% recall before you even attempt to add distractions.


Yes. I forgot the mention that part. 
It took 50-100 repetitions in low distraction areas, and double/triple that in more distracting areas (parks, city, etc).

This would be a more long-term solution.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

DreamingGold

A couple of things that I see. You need to find a way to let your dog run. You need to at least make sure that you don't punish your dog when he comes to you and BTW putting on a leash when he does come can be viewed by the dog as punishment. You need to make a list of high value rewards for this dog and try to use them when calling him to you (toys, a game, a bird wing, special ytreats, etc.)

There are several good suggestions in this thread.


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