It’s it okay to walk my dog off leash if she has good recall?

[carson4]

@moof44 I do use a “go potty” when she pees and every time I see her squat to poop, along with a ton of praise (I’m stone faced and boring during walks until she actually goes). I’ll try to incorporate the leash again since she’s going on command off leash but my theory is her previous owner only let her out off leash/only leashed her to walk in public spaces. She responds to the phrase immediately after I take the leash off so I’ll try being as stubborn as her for a while and keeping it on.
Thank you for your detailed and kind response.

Psa: I would never dream of shoving my girls face in her mistakes, that was a behavior I was appalled at when my father used to do it growing up. (And it never worked)

 

[moof44]

@carson4 I didn't mean to come off as if I assumed you did that! Sometimes people rely on any advice that might work - it's a really common training method where I live.

 

[carson4]

@moof44 I get it, it was common for me too growing up. Stray and feral dogs also were so having a leash for your dogs safety at all times is a must for me too. I’ve had dogs my whole life (this is my first one as an adult) but I’ve never come across this amount of stubbornness. I also live in a city now as opposed to the countryside so I know it’s different and I wasn’t to act accordingly

 

[moof44]

@carson4 You'll get there! Can I ask what breed?

 

[carson4]

@moof44 She’s a mixed breed, I think some bully breed mixed with a lab or something. She’s very intelligent and aside from that one thing she is also very trainable. When I got her a month ago all she could do is sit. Now I got her crate trained, she has a near perfect stay(5minutes and counting) I’ve got her recall on point(only listening to me even when someone is calling her or there is a dog) and obviously we are working on different tricks

 

[moof44]

@carson4 Mine have both been bullies so far. They're the best! Mixes always offer up fun variations and characteristics. Sounds like you've got an awesome lil pup. I can't wait to hear about it when you're in the other side of this training issue - it will go fast I'm sure!

 

[carson4]

@moof44 I’ll post an update for sure. She’s a great gal we just have to iron out some minor kinks. I appreciate the quick responses

 

[lords_servant_02]

@carson4 I think it’s pretty alarming that you’d even consider walking a dog off leash that you’ve only had for a month. You don’t even really know that dog yet. I’ve had mine for almost 2 years and she isn’t ever off leash except at dog parks or in yards.

 

[carson4]

@lords_servant_02 What’s alarming is you being okay with a dog giving itself health issues out of stubbornness. If she weren’t and able to listen to me I wouldn’t walk her off leash. I might not know her personality but I know she is obedient. The first three weeks she absolutely stayed on her leash, she also ONLY pooped in my house. As a medium dog in a one bedroom apartment, soiling inside is not only a bad habit but can lead to SIGNIFICANT health issues for my whole household.

 

[lords_servant_02]

@carson4 Lmao. Sounds like you don’t want advice you just want people to validate your wrong opinion.

 

[carson4]

@lords_servant_02 You have not given me a single bit of advice, all you’ve done is criticize. If you actually read the comments you’ll see I’ve been discussing different ways to train her with people that have actually given me advice. You just seam like a bored keyboard warrior

 

[preachermanrkl]

@carson4 Nope, because you never know what other dog you’re going to meet. I have a big malinois mix, quite reactive, one of my biggest fears are off leach dogs. Specially those small dogs that think they own the place.

Learned this the hard way, my brother came to visit once and his dog was unleashed in the car, the dog jumped out and came right in the face of mine(that was leashed), he has a staffy that barks alot. By the time i tried to avoid the interaction my dog who is close to 90lb gave the smaller dog a slap with his big paws and ripped his face and cut his eye.

10seconds went from 0-100 real quick, don’t take chances.

Edit: concerning the pooping aspect, try taking a walk 15–30 minutes right after they eat. Keep the leach on, bring some nice treats, like ham or hotdogs, i know this is not good food, its a treat in case they poop while leached. Walk where there is bushes etc so it can stop, smell around and possibly poop. You can also use a long leash, to give it a feeling of freedom, while still maintaining some control.

 

[carson4]

@preachermanrkl Thank you for sharing an example and also address ing the training issue. I did specifically train that when I first got her and now she WILL NOT go past a barrier I don’t explicitly say she can (front door, crate door, car door, balcony door, bedroom door)

I’ll have to get her a pack of sausages for poop time because the training treats aren’t good enough for her (she loves them at home and ignores them outside)

 

[preachermanrkl]

@carson4 Yeah mine used to have a similar issue at first, wouldnt poop during walks, but then, i noticed he would want to poty soon after eating so i worked with that. Usual treats didnt work too well either, so good old small slices of hotdogs is always a wining recipe.

Hopefully he gets better with time, just keep trying. I guess you live in an urban area without a yard, so i know how hard it can be depending on your schedule. Its one of the reasons i moved out of the city :/

 

[chopper1690]

@carson4 I would buy a long leash, find a secluded place where you’ll know you’ll be alone, drop the leash to make your dog think like they’re roaming free and (pick it up or step on it if you encounter strangers), but once you see them start to go potty pick it up and praise and treats to get them to learn to potty while on the leash. That’s something I’ve done to teach me dog to stay closer to me if we ever have the chance to go off leash because we’re alone and secluded but I think it could work to teach them to potty while on the leash too.

 

[chopper1690]

Also get a dog trainers perspective. You don’t have to go full training but I’m sure you can pay them like a consultation or something along those lines. Reddit isn’t really a good place to come and get training advice tbh.

 

[carson4]

@chopper1690 Thank you, I do have an extendable leash (I think 15ft) but I’m going to get a non extendable long leash so she doesn’t have to drag a plastic box around

 

[lutheranrose]

@carson4 Have her on leash inside the house? Have a long line for outside potty time. If it's the leash that's preventing her from pooping then she wears it inside just as much as outside. Feed her some of her favorite treats/food then run around and play inside on regular leash then pop a longer leash on and go outside.

 

[kcame30]

@carson4 It should be, my neighbors dog has good recall, and they walk with him off leash everywhere. If he starts to stop or wonder, they just call his name, and then he goes back to them

 

[stephen_nz]

@carson4 No. It’s not about your dog, it’s about the other dogs around you. Always leash unless in a specific no-leash zone. Do not let your dog wander ahead. As someone with a reactive dog, I cannot begin to describe how much I detest owners that ignore leash laws.