And the other fantastic thing about hiking with Summit off leash is that he is free to bomb around a bit like a crazy greyhound, so that when he comes home he looks a little something like this....
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Freedom is sweet
Summit and I haven't been up to much. I'm getting ready to write the biggest exam of my life... my veterinary licensing exam. To say time is a little scarce would be an understatement. But we have been going for some great hikes. It's absolutely fantastic that Summit's recall is now at a point where I trust him off leash in "safe" (i.e. not near roads) places. The dog park by our house is perfect. There's a gravel trail that most people and their dogs stay on, but there is a HUGE expanse of wooded trails that most people don't venture onto. Summit could also care less about squirrels or rabbits. I love not having to wait for him to sniff every bush and tree that strikes his fancy (he's a huge marker) but still be able to give him that freedom to do so like a "normal" dog. Here's a short video of a couple of recalls from our hike today. I am not going to go into an off leash discussion. My opinion is that it is a personal choice depending on you, your dog, and your comfort level. However, personally, I wouldn't off leash my dog (of any breed) unless his/her recall looked something like this....
And the other fantastic thing about hiking with Summit off leash is that he is free to bomb around a bit like a crazy greyhound, so that when he comes home he looks a little something like this....
And the other fantastic thing about hiking with Summit off leash is that he is free to bomb around a bit like a crazy greyhound, so that when he comes home he looks a little something like this....
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4 comments:
Looks like a fun trail... unfortunately Seven has had to go back on leash. Her recalls are good, but she is TOO interested in hunting and is running too far ahead. I am contantly calling her back to me. I wish she was a sniffer, marker. :-)
That's too bad about Seven. Thankfully hunting is not a problem I ever anticipate having to deal with since only rabbit-safe hounds are allowed into this house!
The marking is a lot more annoying than you'd think. He thinks absolutely nothing of allowing me to get out of sight and pretty much out of ear shot before he gets going again!
Hi! I noticed that Summit still had his leash attached. My husband and I were debating that. I let our grey run free with the leash behind him once in a while. My husband thinks it is too dangerous for he may tangle somehow in the leash and injure himself. Have you had any issues with that?
The long line was just for training purposes early on. Being off leash is an incremental process. We started out with a long line which I held, graduated on to dragging the long line, and now we no longer use a long line at all.
If you are thinking about allowing your hound off leash it is very important that you have a reliable recall in an enclosed area first. When you use the long line you can use a harness like I did. That way if the line gets tangled your hound doesn't get a jerk to the neck.
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