Training update: Walking off-leash

One of the milestones we crossed around the time of our first anniversary with a dog is going for more than an hour’s walk with Donna off leash the whole way. Guess this is somewhat of a big deal to us since, we don’t have that kind of bond that people have with puppies they brought up from young, so we’re always a little insecure when Donna is not on the lead.

The route we took walking off-leash the whole way for the first time

Of course, I sort of cheated by choosing to do it at a time when there is a low chance of there being other dogs on walks and also, we didn’t really venture to any high traffic areas. Just a nice peaceful walk down to the roof garden, loop around the service driveway, along the pedestrian path circling the construction site behind us and then up the stairs to the park on the hill. Some human and cat traffic but no dangerous roads with cars, etc.

Risks, Precautions and Recall Training

Perhaps eventually, we will have her recall strong enough for other dogs as a distraction, but right now, it is probably a 100% chance that Donna will rush off to say hello to a dog she is friendly with if she were off lead, a 1 in 5 chance she will quicken her steps towards a strange dog she sees coming and 90% chance that she will stop when told to stop. So it’s important for me to continuously scan the area so that I may be ready to hold her back or put the lead back on her, particularly if we were to meet her mother, since they are particularly adversarial towards each other.

Have to say, just a couple of days reinforcing recall with chicken cubes has done wonders for her selective hearing so maybe she is better at it now. Can’t tell until put to the test though. Hah!

Preparation training

Navigating the lift

It also helps that we have done the ground work early in the last year, so she already knows where she is supposed to stop when waiting for the lift and in the lift. It was not difficult for Donna to transfer her learned behaviour on the lead to when she is off the leash. (Yes, despite the previous article on Apartment Dog Killer Danger: Dog Hanged by Lift, there were times when Donna is off lead when using the lift… usually at odd hours like close to midnight when we don’t expect to encounter anyone. :P)

Not the perfect heel but walking by my side more or less

Now that Donna has gotten the hang of walking by my side more or less, she no longer shows the impetus to execute uncontrollable zoomies down this long passageway for example. She had done that a long time back when a dog showed up at the other end of the passageway, and it gave the other human and I quite a shock to see my black dog suddenly barrelling towards a small lap dog. Definitely not a good thing!

Donna usually takes her own sweet time ambling down this path

In fact, if you remember a previous post… she sometimes walks slower than I do now depending on her mood. Such a change from the initial months when she was the one dragging me everywhere, especially since I was still recovering and limping around with a fractured ankle.

Motivations for off-leash walking and recall training

The freedom to romp where there is no fenced enclosure

Donna surveying the sights about the green field on the park on the hill.

Having Donna aware that she should keep near to me and her having stronger recall than she used to meant that I can let her have more freedom on the grass in the park nearby, without us having to walk a longer time to the fenced up dog runs. This means she can have greater access to a bigger play space without us having go to a dog run further away or risk being caught in thunderstorms on the way back.

Safer and more interesting things to do while walking

Seriously, before all we do for doggy parkour was climb on something, sit and stay. Now we have the option to jump on things, run along them and jump off them again. It makes things more fun and interesting for Donna and I really.

 
Donna running back and forth the tiered garden landscaping.

Photo opportunities when walking off-leash!

The other top motivator for me to train off-leash walking and reliable recall is of course the opportunities it creates for photography. Because sometimes, one just doesn’t want every picture of the dog with a lead trailing into the edge of the photo.

Look ma! No lead!

And the training definitely helps a lot when one wants to take long shots of the dog to show off the background. Jen K is my inspiration for dogs trained for long shots. Check out her awesome newfies – Moses and Alma – here and here.

Just because we enjoy it

Surprisingly, the human becomes more alert and involved at supervising the off-leash dog  compared to when attached to the leash. When the human has her hand on the lead attached to the dog, the human has a greater tendency to just feel very bored while waiting for the dog to be done with whatever she is sniffing. Being hands free means the human can initiate a bit of running or hide and seek now and then when the coast is clear, or we could do a spot of jumping up and down things or taking pictures. It also increases the opportunities for recall training compared to when the dog is on the lead right next to you.

I think Donna enjoys the opportunity to not be attached to the human. She is lighter on her foot, usually on the onset, although once she gets enough she starts ambling along like the slow poke that she really is.  Hah!