# No leash



## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

How do you walk him without a lead? I mean...I live in a house surrounded by open fields but they still need a lead to walk to the end of the street to get to the fields before getting let off for a run!


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

we dont usually go for walks unless im back home at my parents house. 

at my apartment, we play fetch in the field next to my buidling, or we go to the park. im not a fan of walking when its so cold out.....it was 3 degrees this morning and solid ice everywhere. i feel unsafe walking along the road when the roads are so icy. my boyfriend has a house one block away. his roomate has a yellow lab. his house has a big fenced backyard so they run and wrestle back there A LOT. 

at home, we go for walks without the leash. my parents live on a very low traveled road, and jake stays right with me..unless he sees someone else walking. then he has to say hello!

hes turned into a very mellow boy. a game of fetch each day seems to suit him.


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## MisterBailey (Jun 28, 2007)

Baileys always been a puller on walks, so I got him a check (choke) chain. As long as its put on properly it doesn't choke him (unless he pulls, obviously, but it teaches him pulling=choke, walk=breathe). He still needs work on it, but it has helped ALOT for him.


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

MisterBailey said:


> Baileys always been a puller on walks, so I got him a check (choke) chain. As long as its put on properly it doesn't choke him (unless he pulls, obviously, but it teaches him pulling=choke, walk=breathe). He still needs work on it, but it has helped ALOT for him.


jake doesnt seem to care that he cant breathe. i worry about that for obvious reasons =)


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

foreveramber said:


> jake doesnt seem to care that he cant breathe. i worry about that for obvious reasons =)


that was how Sam was.... he would literally be making gagging choking noises on his walks but that did not deter him one bit. i did not and still do not understand that!! the easy walk harness has worked wonders for us... too bad it didnt work for Jake! i dont really have any advice for u... i used to walk my old dog Josh off-leash all the time, but he was 100% reliable, and wasn't the type to run off to greet new people, he would stay right with me. i would never ever trust Sam off-leash at this point though unless we are in a designated dog area (park or beach) where i know he is safe and won't run into traffic or something


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## MisterBailey (Jun 28, 2007)

foreveramber said:


> jake doesnt seem to care that he cant breathe. i worry about that for obvious reasons =)


wow, ok. Er, I'm out of ideas then!! Good luck though, hope someone has an idea that can help you. Its no fun being dragged behind your dog!


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I think it's risky. I don't leash my dogs a lot but I have perfect control of them with the leash before I ever let them off it.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

What if he runs up to someone that is scared of dogs?


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

I would definitely never let a dog offleash if you have to physically go get him when he won't return. Some people don't like dogs, and theres always a chance that he will see someone across a street and run in front of a car.


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## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm going to get tough here. 

It sounds like you just don't want to be bothered to actually train him to walk nicely on the leash. I know you don't have access to obedience classes, but there are books galore on the subject of training dogs, and videos and then there's always us.

But, you must take a few minutes each day to teach him to walk nicely. If it's bad outside, practice inside. Take him on campus where the walks are cleared and practice there. Your 'ice' problems doesn't fly with me.

Not much traffic on mom and dad's road, huh? It takes only 1 car, 1 time to end his life or cause him unmeasureable suffering. And what if the person he runs to see is across the street.

You're gambling on his life. You need to decide to be a responsible dog parent and train him right.

Sorry for the rant, but I really hate to see animals suffer because their humans don't want to be bothered.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

My opinion only, so take it for what it's worth... I think you should dig in and spend the time to teach him to walk on a leash. And yes, it's a big time commitment. 

I walk Rookie twice a day and I use the easy walk harness. I had to learn to use it properly. When I first got the harness, Rookie was dawdling behind me and I pulled him and flipped him. I learned that I can't pull him if he's behind me, but he can pull as hard as he wants from in front of me and he won't flip. I just had to learn to use the harness.

Rookie walks very well on a leash these days, but it took months of practice. Here's what I do... If Rookie pulls on the leash, I stop walking and don't move until he comes back to my side. I stop every single time he pulls. Even when it's cold out and I just want to get the walk over with and get home. I don't want him to think that it's okay to pull sometimes. In the beginning it meant I might have to stop 30 times on a walk. He's 10 months old now and I only have to stop 4 or 5 times on a 40 minute walk. When I stop he stops pulling and comes back to my side immediately. Most of the time he walks beautifully next to me with no pulling.

I think you owe it to your dog to teach him to walk on a leash. It's a skill he will definitely need over the course of his life. It's not easy to teach a dog to walk on the leash. It's not a matter of just choosing the right tool and using it, it's a matter of choosing a tool and sticking with it and practicing the skill.

I'm sorry if I sound a little preachy, I don't mean to. But I just think it's sooo important to teach your dog to walk well on a leash.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I do offleash mine but mine are trained on and off.

I saw a dog get hit this morning in front of my face.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Oh, and regarding the snow and ice, I live in New England so I often have the same problem. I bought a pair of Yak trax and I love them. I can walk Rookie on the iciest streets without any problem.

Yakrax


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

Penny'smom said:


> I'm going to get tough here.
> 
> It sounds like you just don't want to be bothered to actually train him to walk nicely on the leash. I know you don't have access to obedience classes, but there are books galore on the subject of training dogs, and videos and then there's always us.
> 
> ...


 
No worries Penny'sMom, I will back you up on your toughness or truth 110%

I think that is one of the strangest excuses and the strangest solution I have ever heard for this type of problem.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

Keep him on leash. There could be some tragic consequences if you don't. Penny's Mom is right. It's up to you. You took on the responsibility, so you need to do the right thing to insure his safety.

To get him used to it, you have to keep it on him. Every time. Yep, he'll fight and pull etc....but it's for his safety, so he'll have to get over it.

I'd go back to the prong, and practice daily. TAKE IT OFF (the prong) when you get finished with the walk. It's dangerous to leave on him.

Work with him....and he'll come around.

Good luck!


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

I know it's not the advice you wanted to hear, but I have to agree with what everyone else has said. You are risking a very valuable commodity... your dog's life. As someone said earlier, it only takes ONE car. If he's running off to greet people, and not returning when you call until you physically go get him, then he's nowhere near ready to be walking off leash. You said it's icy out... if he were to run up to someone, especially someone who did not like dogs, and that person were to slip on the ice because of it you'd also be risking a law suit. If he were to run up to someone with another dog, and that dog lashed out at him chances are you would catch the blame because your dog was not restrained. There's just an endless number of scenarios... and none of them end well. You've taken on the responsibility of owning a dog... and now it's your job to teach him the skills he needs to navigate in this world. And yes, that includes walking on leash. Even if it's cold. Even if it's icy. Even if it has been frustrating thus far. I'm sure there are folks here who could recommend some excellent books or videos for you since formal classes aren't exactly realistic at this time. It's time to step up and put in the work. May not be much fun now, but both you and your pup will be much happier (and safer) for it in the long run.

Julie and Jersey


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Ditto to the leashing him stuff.

You've played with clicker training. Why not use the clicker to teach loose leash walking? Yes, it's an investment of your time, but Jake's life is worth it.


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## GoldenGratitude (Jan 25, 2007)

Are you using the prong collar correctly? I have used the prong collar for training and have had great results even with a stubborn dog. The idea of the prong collar is to use it as a correction. Apparently he doesn't care if the prong collar gets tighter as he pulls, however when he starts to pull, you should give him a quick correction. It has been my experience that the quick correction is what gets the dogs attention. The prong collar is a great training tool if used correctly. Using it could also help with him learning not to take off and run up to people, come when called, etc. Please invest the time to train Jake because leaving him off leash when he is not trained is an accident waiting to happen. Don't make it so much of a chore for yourself - enjoy training him - it really is fun to do.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

That would scare the hell out of me not using a leash and I couldn't imagine not going for 2 walks a day, every day. Maybe you should have given the EZ walk harness a little more time. It takes them a little while to get use to. We have been using it since last spring and it works great after a few days of him getting use to it.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I have to agree with all the above. And, unfortunately, the proof is in what Jenna witnessed yesterday am...... that could easily be any off-leash dog that isn't 100% reliable with recall. Believe me, I shook and was sick to my stomach just reading her post. Please don't put Jake at risk !!!!!!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

foreveramber said:


> recently i have banned putting a leash on jake. i dont take him anywhere that he needs to be on a leash (except petco/petsmart.) i live in an apartment complex with all college students so most people love to meet him.
> 
> is this a bad idea? i have had such a hard time trying to get him to walk nicely on a leash but just dont have the patience. (or traction!! its all snow and ice from now till spring) he does pretty good, however, sometimes he will run up to people to greet them and wont come back to me until i physically go grab him.
> 
> ...


BAD idea...WAY too risky. 

Who fit the prong collar? If it didn't work, it wasn't fitted properly. 

Listen to the advice given by everyone here. Off-leash is absolutely NOT the solution to being hard to control on leash.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> I have to agree with all the above. And, unfortunately, the proof is in what Jenna witnessed yesterday am...... that could easily be any off-leash dog that isn't 100% reliable with recall. Believe me, I shook and was sick to my stomach just reading her post. Please don't put Jake at risk !!!!!!


And just to point out.... NO DOG is 100 percent reliable on the recall.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

FlyingQuizini said:


> And just to point out.... NO DOG is 100 percent reliable on the recall.


Agreed. Mine are pretty ****** good though. But I even told the guy (before he let his Whippet off leash) that even with mine, who run there DAILY and are trained, I am still taking SOME risk.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> And just to point out.... NO DOG is 100 percent reliable on the recall.


 
That is the first thing they teach you in obedience class, that's all it takes is a cat or something to attract your dog.

Are you using treats (really yummy ones) when leash training? It does take a lot of time and work. I recommend investing in a good training book if you cannot afford the classes. Maybe somebody here can recommend a good one. 

If you give up on leash training, your dog just won that battle. You have to remember that you are alpha, not him.


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