can anyone give me any tips. Max is going to be allowed out from monday and I want to know how to handle it. Somebody said no more than ten minutes. Is this once a day? Could he go out for two 5 minute walks? At what age do you start letting them off the lead? I know he is not ready yet and I have bought an extending lead so he can have a bit of freedom and practise recall etc. But I was wondering what age dogs can normally be let off. Max is a 10 week old lab by the way and he starts training at 12 weeks. All advice welcome and needed!!!

Hi Katy! Max will be fine going for 2 or even 3 ten-minute walks each day - just make sure he has plenty of time to rest afterwards, because he will be mentally very tired, taking in all the new sights, sounds and smells. He may well even become hyper at home for a bit, just as over-tired children do.

As for letting him off the lead, if you are in a nice safe place (the middle of the park, for instance) then let him off. He will be unsure of himself and won't want to go far away from you, so use this short window of opportunity to teach him that staying with you is a good idea! Practice your recalls a few times, and you'll be on to a winner!

Have fun!
:)

Puppies need a steadily increasing amount of exercise as they grow but without overdoing it while the bones are still soft.

The easy way is to stick to approximately 5 minutes EXERCISE for every month of age. Note the word exercise! If for example you were going to walk the puppy to the seat on the corner to watch the world go by, very good for socialising, the only exercise it the walk to and from the corner. The time spent watching the world go by would not count in that time! Looked at like that it is not too restrictive.

As to how many times in a day, provided there was plenty of time for rest in between there would be nothing wrong with a couple of times in a day.

What age do I let them off the lead? As soon as possible! Certainly well within the first week out! Because it is all very strange and big the only thing the puppy knows is you so he stays close by for protection. I keep calling the puppy back to me and praising it then release it again for another run so I am starting to train the recall as a fun thing. I also add other training into this, not serious training but I try to make it fun. A few paces of heelwork (Still off the lead) followed by lots of praise and release the puppy again. It all helps to keep the puppy close and to make the area close to me to be the fun place to be.

Best wishes, John

I am really scared that he will just run off though!!! He is a very bold puppy and all the times we have carried him places he doesnt get scared or stressed and is really confident with other dogs and strange people. Should I practise calling him back on the long lead for a few days first. Will a puppy really not run off for miles?  I am also scared about other dogs. I am adamant that I wont show him this hence why I am going to take him to dog training and puppy parties at vets but my dad's dog got attacked by a westie as a young dog and now at 3 is fear agressive and tries to attack all other dogs despite 2 years of training and behaviourists my dad can never let her off and she cant go out with dad's other dogs as she is worse then I am terrified of same thing happening to max!

You may well see a change in him the first time he is put down on the ground in the middle of a strange area! You will be his only familiar source of security and he won't want to get lost. If you keep walking he won't want to get left behind! When you are carrying him he feels safe and secure, and in a superior elevated position - on the ground is a whole different kettle of fish! ;) If he's as bold and confident as you say it won't be long before the outside world is more interesting then you are, and a tremendous training opportunity will have been lost ...

Don't worry too much. Leon is very brave and confident but we let him off the lead quite early on and he seldom goes far. Just make sure you start off in an enclosed area if poss and let him know that you have some really good treats in your pocket before you let him off the lead!

Leo was brave at home but as soon as he got to the park and off the lead he was right by us, we let him off the second time we took him to the park and he never strays far from us still (he's 6 months now) Does your dog like treats or toys? If so you could take some with you, so when he comes back he gets fed, or use  the squeaky toy to make him come running back to you. We used food with leo, we dont anymore but he comes back when we call him now and OH's aunt's lab always comes running for one of her squeaky toys.

The braver and more independent the puppy the earlier I would want to make sure that I let it off the lead. The key is to really work on the puppy at this early age, constantly calling him back for a little fuss or perhaps a treat. He need to get into his mind that being called back means fun rather than game over & going home. Effort at this age should prevent recall problems from ever occuring.

Have fun!

Never tell him off even if he frightens you to death - you always want to make it a happy experience when he comes back :) Just grit your teeth and make lots of fuss, even if he hasn't been very good at coming bcak :)

Daisy

Meant to add also - never chase him if he starts to go too far. I always found that if I did something silly like jumping up and down, mine would come rushing (and did I look silly :) )

Hi

I am feeling exactly like you.  I have a 9 week old Puli and he will have had all his jabs in a couple of week and be ready for the outside world.  I have also had bad expereinces in the past with either my dog running in the opposite direction when let off, or us coming face to face with a pitt bull or doberman (he was only a little terrier).  Have you let your dog off now, and did everything turn out OK?

hi gill, conrats on you rbundle of joy. Max is 16 weeks now and an angel. My heart has been in my mouth a couple of times when he has been too busy smelling something and not responded to my voice but 99% of the time he comes back the first time. When i first let him off i did it with a friend and her older dog and max just followed her round. I would def advise that if you can as max was able to see how older dogs behave. I have no fear of letting him off now and i dont even put him on the lead to and from the car as he generally thinks i have tasty things in my pockets so cant chance not coming when i call him. I give him a bit of his dried food every few times he does as he is told. Good luck but as long as you are careful I am sure you will be fine. Oh and call him back a few times each session and let him go again so he doesnt think you are always going to put him on the lead every time he comes to you. I am no expert but these are the things i have learnt in the last 8 weeks.

As I've said before, the more your dog is allowed off the lead the more it becomes "The norm" and not something wildly exciting. Taking the lead off for the first time is never easy however many puppies you have had in the past. We are all of us a little nervous. The good times comes later when we find we have a dog who is a pleasure to go out with. I always maintain, I never take my dogs for a walk. We go for a walk together!

Best wishes, John

I strongly agree with John and Havoc; all of us are gundog people (even though slightly different gundogs) :) and the lead to me is only attached to the dog when absolutely necessary ie on the road etc.

I never rely on a lead as a teaching tool only as a safety mechanism.

I thought you shouldnt let your dog off the lead until it had learn't recall?????

I never have a problem with recalls!

Catch 22, Lisa! How can a dog learn a reliable recall (in all situations) if it is never off the lead?

Generally the best time to let a pup off the lead is in a safe place (not near a road, obviously) on its first walk after its jabs. It is unfamiliar with the surroundings so will instinctively stick near the safest thing - you! As this is exactly what you want it to do you can give loads of praise and it has learned that staying with you is a Good Thing and is more likely to do it next time - half the battle won already!

If, on the other hand, it gets familiar with the outside world on a lead, when it is older and bolder it will want to explore when it is eventually let off - and is likely to do just that.
:)

Tohme I never said you had a problem with recall???

Unfortunately at the moment I do...
I've just read on this site that you should get your pup to recall on a long line and then let them off the lead???
If he won't yet come 100% of the time on a long line should I still let him off the lead?
Obviously I don't have much experience so Im just trying to ask the best advice the last thing I'd want my pup to do is either, run off, get run over, or go and harass another dog and get mauled.
I am quite nervous about letting him off as none of the parks etc around me are secure and the safety of my dog comes first.

Thats why I asked....
:)

Hi Lisam

Difficult one to call for other people as other people and their dogs are not mine if you see what I mean?

I have never used a long line in my life, even on dogs I have rehomed; they have all gone straight off the lead and they come back :D

Generally speaking I find puppies under six months much more interested in me than the outside world and I do everything I can to make sure it remains so.  At 6 months plus this is when a lot of dogs start cutting their apron strings and this is where the trouble usually starts cos in the bigger breeds they are faster than you :D

Hence why recall training MUST start at 7 weeks and be continued relentlessly with the appropriate huge rewards in readiness of the inevitable.

Of course you are demonstrating an admirable duty of care to your own dog and that of others by expressing concern should your dog run off toward a road or towards someone else's dog.

Difficult if you have no "safe" area in which to let your dog off................. but as a previous poster said, the later and longer you leave it the more nervous you will become and the more of a novelty it becomes to the dog.

I spend a lot of time recalling, feeding, playing, recalling putting on lead for a nano second, treating and playing etc so the dog constantly associates the recall with the START of fun not the END of it.

That way by the time they get feeling swaggery, they have become conditioned to come.........

This is probably not much help to you but I would hate to say "just let him off he will be fine" as I don't know you or the dog..........!

Hello

Over the weekend i'll take him out early in th morning, when he's groggy, theres no one around and I'll wear my running shoes incase he makes a run for it!!!

He does come back 85% of the time on recall but at the mo he is too interested in everything else thats going on!!!

I'll let you kow how it goes.

Lisa :)

I recall a senior manager I used to work for often saying "If you think you can, you can!"

In my view one of the greatest attributes of a dog trainer is confidence, and amongst the worst enemies are indecision and doubt.

Thome's advice is spot on. With my pups I will be putting in the ground-work as soon as they come home (and as soon as they can walk if I bred them!)

If the first time you try and get a recall is the first time you let the dog off the lead in the outside world then trouble will surely follow. Recall problems are far, far better prevented than cured! ;-)

Best of luck!

The theory of the thing is that the first time you take your puppy out is the time they will be LEAST confident so the time they will be MOST interested in not loosing you! This is the time to really instil a quick recall in their minds. Each subsequent time out the puppy gains in confidence. It knows where it is and how to get home so is slightly less dependant on you. Eventually, leaving the start of off lead running too long and you completely miss this window of opportunity! Slightly longer still and the Kevin stage begins and your troubles are compounded!

Yes, you can start letting a dog off lead later but it will never be easier than the first time out.

Best wishes, John

As long as you run in the opposite direction to him if he does make a break for it, Lisa, rather than after him ..........

Marina

yes dont chase him he will run! max loves us to chase him then we turn and run the other way and he chases us! I was as worried as you but honestly it was fine john and the others were right max didnt and doesnt want to let us out of his sight. Relax and enjoy your pup.