Valid point on the leash, when I see dogs, generally, I pick him up. I'm also on the lookout for eagles. When we first got him, he was so reluctant to move forward with the leash on at times. With out the leash, he would follow with out a struggle. Now, it's sort of a habit even though he does very well with the leash. Except, he won't go in front of me when he's on leash. He can be fast in very short spurts, especially in the beginning of our walks.. by the tail end of the 3 miles... he's sorta on auto pilot... and out of sprinting ability.
When the weather warms a bit, Feb or March, I suspect he'll be a little more frisky. Currently, he has no interest in the squirrels or rabbits we see on our walks. My walking pace is his running pace. LOL At least half of our walk is wooded trails, the remaining open areas, I should have him on a leash.
He looks awesome when we're on the wooded trails and he is in front of me. He trots quickly, with his mane bouncing. He looks like he's having a good time weaving around the roots, dragging the leaves, an occasional stick, in his hair. Then up hills or in the grass, he does this bounce, bounce, bounce thing... All of his hair bounces if he doesn't have his sweater on. Then there are those times that he's tired, and,,, I just carry him.
He does have a natural tendency to follow on my left side...when on a wide enough path or sidewalk. This is our only indication that he may have had some training years ago.