Off Leash Too Soon
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Home Family -> subcategory Pets.
Off Leash Too Soon
Introduction
Dear Adam,
Thank you for your book and tapes, which have been a tremendous help in training Maggie, my 5-month-old Rat Terrier. I got her at 7 weeks and have been consistently working with her since. She's quick to learn, often grasping commands in a day, and generally knows what's expected. She excels at the down/stay and sit/stay commands in familiar settings. However, when there’s a lot of activity at the park, she occasionally gets distracted. I use a 50-foot lead and sometimes let her off to explore.
Issue
Usually, Maggie listens well, but sometimes she takes advantage of the freedom to run around. When I catch her, I correct her, and she understands her mistake. My main concern is getting her to respond to the down/stay command from a distance. Rarely does she comply when I give this command from afar. My goal is for her to understand and act on this command, especially if she's in a situation where she might be in danger. I believe she's doing well for her age, but I know we must continue our training to make her an even greater joy. Am I expecting too much at this stage? Thank you for your ongoing support.
?"K. Fletcher
Expert Response
Dear K.,
A key principle in my training material is ensuring that you never allow your dog to be in a situation where she might not respond to a command, until she's consistently 100% responsive.
If Maggie isn't at that level yet, then she's being let off the long line too early. Given her age, she's still an adolescent, so I recommend keeping her on the long line in park settings until she's both fully responsive and at least a year old.
While you might choose to let her off the leash, please be aware that if she fails to respond to a command, it teaches her to be "leash-smart," meaning she only obeys when she's on the leash.
Hope this clarifies things!
Best,
Adam
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