[*Brady*]

We took Brady for a long walk today, and though I've been contemplating letting him off leash, I chicken out everytime, because I don't trust his recall enough yet. We walked by some old tennis courts, and it occurred to me that it would be perfect to let Brady run around in! There was lots of room, and he loved being off the leash!

While I'm writing, at what age did you start trying your pups off leash?

 

[hotel4dogs]

tennis courts are great places for dogs! before I had a big fenced yard I used to take mine there all the time.
As far as taking your dog off leash, it's totally dependant on your situation and your dog. If you are walking down a quiet wooded path it's not the same as walking down a city street.
And, dogs between the ages of about 6 months and 18 months tend to be pretty unreliable. They're teenagers!!!
Before about 6 months old, most dogs will come happily when called and stick pretty close by. But then suddenly, they hit those teen years and their whole attitude can change what seems like overnight.

 

[hotel4dogs]

sorry, forgot to say that I loved the photos!!!

 

[*Brady*]

Thanks! And yes, Brady is most definitely a teenager! Somedays he looks at me like he's never heard the word "sit" before!! Thanks for your response though, I'll be giving it some more time before I try it!

 

[BearValley]

I like the pics too!

Especially the fifth one - mine seem to like that carrying method until they push the stick into a crack, then they forget and repeat!

Brady is very handsome!

 

[Hoover's Momma]

looks like Brady had the perfect puppy day!! I love the pictures too!

 

[fuzzbuzz]

OMG Brady is HANDSOME!!!!!!!!!! He looks like he had tons of fun.

 

[janine]

I love the Mom I found a stick pictures....so cute. Chester has a terrible recall...I wonder if he will ever be off leash unless he is in a fenced area.

 

[Oaklys Dad]

It looks like Brady had a blast. I've always started letting my dogs off leash very young. I just make sure I'm far from any roads. All the dogs I've had don't range very far from me.

 

[DNL2448]

How much did he get paid for limb removal? Very cute pictures, thanks for sharing, he is a very handsome boy.

 

[Merlins mom]

Aww, Brady is very cute! Looks like he had a good time too!

Tennis courts are great, but the surface can be kind of rough on their pads (learned this with merlin), so keep an eye on them. It does look like there are plenty of leaves on the court to give him some cushioning though. Have fun!

 

[Loisiana]

Pretty much the only time my dogs are off leash in an unfenced area is if we're doing field training out in the middle of nowhere.

Conner is in the GR Obedience Hall of Fame and has his Obedience Master title, so he is well trained and knows to spin his butt around if I call him, but things happen and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Payton]

Wow he is handsome..
I know I was told to watch the tennis court surfaces because it is hard on their pads.
I bring mine in there too to work a few things off leash, but do not want my guys running around too much, as it wears the pads down, where they can actually bleed.

 

[tennisball]

What a handsome boy!!! Cracking up at the 4th picture, that's a huge stick!

I let my bridge golden off leash when we were at the park and there was no one else there. He would never go too far ahead of us to the point where we couldn't see him. However, I would never let the golden I have now go off leash! If he sees an open doorway, he bolts and the only way he comes back is if we physically grab him, or if I choose to let my other dog off leash (sheepdog) and he will heard the golden back into the house, lol. The first time Buddy herded him in was pretty cool, but having one dog off leash is bad enough, let alone two!

 

[Abbydabbydo]

We are lucky to have lots of trails that are not close to roads. I never let them off by the street, but by the river, OOhhhh yesss.

It looks like Brady had a great time, off leash is so good for them (if they have a reliable recall )

 

[NapaValleyGolden]

Great pictures, and Brady is a very handsome boy!

Off-leash, right now Cody is never off leash other than in our fenced yard. At 8 months his recall is not reliable (actually almost non-existent) so I don't take any chances. My bridge dog Jake was pretty good off-leash once he was past the puppy/teenage years.

My grand-dog Duke has rock-solid recall and has since about 6 months, go figure since his dad (my son) never did anything he was supposed to :doh:.

 

[Jax's Mom]

Great pics! Looks like Brady had a great day!

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

Mine are off leash from day one. By the time they're four or five months old, they're pretty solid! Baby puppies naturally follow

 

[msdogs1976]

tennis courts are great places for dogs! before I had a big fenced yard I used to take mine there all the time.
As far as taking your dog off leash, it's totally dependant on your situation and your dog. If you are walking down a quiet wooded path it's not the same as walking down a city street.

That's what I did, used some empty tennis courts. Right next to these is a large softball complex. I used that too when empty. And the next step was a track at the local community college. All this took place during my Golden's first 2 years. After that I would let her off leash on some hiking trails. But I kept a close eye on her.

My newly adopted lab is 14 months old and we are a long way from letting him off leash on hiking trails. We are the softball complex stage right now.: He gets distracted by squirrels and birds pretty easy so lord only knows when I can trust him.

 

[Laurie]

We have allowed Austin and Lincoln off leash since they were about 4 or 5 months....naturally, only in a place where there was no possibility of danger. They both have pretty good recall and don't venture too far from us. Reno was also allowed off leash at quite a young age....he too never wanders far and has good recall.