To people who let their babies play outside without a leash!
 

Everytime I take Louie and Bella out I have them on a leash for fear of them running off. I would NEVER trust that they would just stay with me. I think that they would want to go off and explore.....exspecially Bella! How did you guys first let yours just play outside with you without a leash and what made you so confident that they would'nt run off and get lost? Just curious, and know matter what the answers are I would probobly still be way to scared to let them off the leash. Ive always been a VERY overprotective parent with my kids and now It seems I am the same way with my furbabies.:rolleyes:

Maya my Pom can go out without a leash, but I keep one on her and am always close enough to grab it. Also, Maya is older and has a hard time ealking so I know she can't out run me. Maya also knows the command stop and stay extremely well. I worked alot with her in my back yard with my husband at one end and me at the other calling her and making her stay. Every spring I would reinforce the training. Also , she has no interest in rabbits, etc. Cali on the other hand can never go with out a leash despite working a little with her she is a chaser and would be off in a second after bunnies etc. I also live in an area where there is very little traffic and whenever a car is in my sight I grab Maya's leash. Most of the time I do have Maya in the stroller or holding her leash. I take them to the pond in our neighborhood every nice day and we feed the ducks. Cali is straining on her leash to get to them and Maya just sits under the big tree in the shade and watches. I think it always best to keep them on a leash unless you are in a very private area.

Kodi wont run
 

I can trust my Kodi Not to run even if a cat or other tempting thing is there. He ran once when he was about 3 months old and saw how upset I was. He has never done it again he's now 4 years old.:D . Daisy has to be leashed at all times when outside. she loves to run.:eek:

Its funny because I was going to do a thread on this today. We just started taking our dogs off leash and they are both doing real well with it. The first time we were at a dog event and they stayed right with us but i didnt know if it was because of all the dogs and people. Then my Husband took them off leash in our neighborhood today and they again stayed with him untill some children started putting their hands in their faces wanting to pet them. They got spooked and ran back to our house. Were really proud of them especially Chachi because he used to run off. So theres always hope that they will stay with you we never thought we wuld be able to go off leash with Chachi.

I think it depends on the personality of your dog. If you feel you can trust him, start off in a place where there aren't any cars to run him over. You might never want to try it anywhere else. I often take Debbie to the school playing fields across the street. She always keeps her eye on me. There I have to keep an eye out for hawks.

Today we stopped at Petsmart on the way back from the beach. I had forgotten her leash but she stayed right by me. Then again she really doesn't care all that much for other dogs. A quick sniff is enough and she doesn't like it when they come on too strong which most of them do.

I think you'll know when you can trust your dog to listen to you. Some will never be ready and then again some really young puppies can do it.

Wow the first time must be so so scary though. I dont think I have enough nerve to even ever try it. :rolleyes:

You should just try sometime and see. I can even leave my gate to my fence open and they wont go out of the yard

I never let Georgie out without a leash only in the fenced backyard. However today I was very nervous and then proud of him. We have a privacy fence I let him and Coco out back and Coco came in. Once she comes I go out and get him because I don't like him out alone. I didn't see him I checked the side gate and it was open. You can believe I ran like a bat out of h*ll to the front yard screaming "The gates open Georgie Georgie." Anyways long story short he was in the front yard he left the backyard just to go sit in the front yard. I was proud of him but of course could have killed the kids for leaving the gate open. For the first time I am glad I am nervous Nelly and checked on him like I always do. So I am with you IloveLouie I will always be scared to let him out front without a leash.

well I dont trust mine that far yet. But arent you scared of what else might come inside your fence with the gate opened? That would worry me about as much as mine running but I almost know Kizzy would run straight up to my sisters house unless a deer or squirrel caught her interest as we can see their house across the lake from ours. She gets so excited when they come down to the lake and fish. She wants to go down there so bad. Sometimes i'll walk her on a leash down there but she gets so excited she can be such an ass being hyper when she gets in the company of several people. She wants all the attn I guess, yet she gets plenty of attn.
She loves people and I think she loves everything and everybody. So I wouldnt dare let her outside my fence alone for a minute.

We just opened it up today and it wasnt for a long time and we were watching. My dogs are both protective and bark at people when they are inside the fence and we are trying too train them not to bark so much

Ollie and Chachi are actually the first dogs that I have ever fenced. I do it for several reasons.
1. I have horses and I'm afraid that they will get under their feet, another YTer had that happen.
2. We have halks and we believe that is what happend to our last yorkie when she disappeared in January.
3. We flive on an acreage and the sand burrs are terrible, I'd be picking them out all the time.

It only takes a slpit second of distraction, when they might dart across the street and get hit by a car, or a big dog might hurt them, so if I lived in town I don't think I would risk it,

I know you're proud of them for not running off, but is it really worth the risk.

My backyard isn't fenced in on two sides. When i take morgan outside to potty i don't put her leash. i started her with one one at 3 months when i brought her home. after a while i started dropping the leash and letting her run around with the leash trailing after her so i'd be able to grab her better if need be. at about 4 months i took the leash off and took her out. she was good. listened to me when i told her no(or the sound aaaat! lol i don't know how to spell it but i'm sure you do it too) when she reached the part of the yard where i want her limit to be. ever since i haven't put her leash on to take her in the back yard. for potty times, she just runs out the door while i stand in the patio, pees poops, and then runs back inside. for play time, i stand in the middle of the yard and she literally runs in circles around me with a stick or leaf in her mouth. i've even had her in the front yard a couple times without a leash and give her the no command when she gets 4 feet from the sidewalk then i call her back. when anyone else in the family takes morgan out when i'm not home they put her harness and leash on just to be safe.

last night at 3am(late night for me :) ) when i took her out there was a HUGE rabbit, bigger then her, sitting 5 feet away in the statue position. i told morgan to 'leave it' and go potty, which she did and then ran back inside. i was impressed.

lol sorry so long, but my point, which i'm sure was lost in my rambling, is that if you want to start training your pups to go off leash around the house and yard is the best way to start. really work on the 'leave it', 'stay', and 'come' command.

Babybear was a runner. If you opened the door he would run right out it. So when I took him outside he was harnessed and leashed. I always had a gate up after the first time of him running, but people would come to visit and he would get out the door across the porch and out the gate before they would have a chance to close it. And man can those little guys run. By the time I was down the last step he was always three houses up the road. And he always went to visit a Chow that was up the road which had already killed a yorkie. I did what I could to stop him from running, but the gate was the only thing to help. I don't know if he would have ever stopped running. So It was always a leash for him.

I can take Maggie out with out the leash. When we go places, she sticks so close to me, I have to watch not to step on her. No problems with her running off.

Wow , I know that is scary.......I know mine run really really fast too...and Ive had 2 back surgerys and know that I could NEVER keep up! Better safe on the leash for me than sorry.