I think good training will keep a dog from making a bad decision 99% of the time. But they are still dogs and you never know when they will follow their instincts instead of their training. Tallulah and I are going to have lessons with a professional trainer beginning tomorrow, but I'm still a firm believer that a good physical barrier is the best way to ensure a pet's safety. At my home, there have always been two doors or gates between the pet and the wide world. If they get beyond the first door, the second is not opened. Period.
Outside my yard, which is also double-gated, if not on a leash wrapped around my wrist (or the wrist of one or two other people I trust with my pet), Tallulah is in a pen with a top on it, and never out of my direct line of sight.
I'm a little paranoid on the subject, but having seen what happened years ago when our very well-trained dog chased a cat across the road and was hit by a truck, I don't take any chances. |