When is it safe to let a puppy off leash?
Bella is a 5 1/2 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with lots and lots and lots of energy. We have a small backyard so she doesnt get to run for long distances. We bought a retractable lead and started taking her to the dog park, she stays reasonably close to me and keeps checking that im still there, she comes to be when i call her outside of home, but when i call her inside home she just ignores me, i dont know whether its just because she feels insecure outside the home and wants to be near me or some other reason, but i want to let her off the lead soon. I started letting her off the lead just out in the front yard and she comes back to the sound of shaking the packed of liver treats. She also comes to the sound of her squeaky toy. But i am too nervous to let her off lead at a dog park yet because im scared she wont come back and both of our dog parks are dangerous, one has high cliffs near by and the other has deep water. Any tips in training her to come back?
She’s too young yet – puppies have the attention span of a toddler. Keep working with her on coming when she’s called and teaching the stay command wouldn’t hurt either, although that one is tougher. The problem with the dog parks is that other dogs may not be as well behaved as your dog and minor things can escalate out of control very quickly. We have a fox terrier (talk about high energy levels!) and when we take him to the park – ALWAYS on lead – my grandson likes to hold the leash and he lets Toby literally run around him in circles. Grandson gets dizzy and the dog gets exercise – they both love it! Of course we’re right there in case he drops the lead, but we’ve never had a problem – just be sure the lead is good and long. We use a retractable leash attached to a regular leash so he’s got a good 10 foot length for “circle time” lol.
New retractable and adjustable dog leash.