stay in yard

[Aztec]

The appropriate answer is never, dogs really shouldn't be off-leash for their own safety. Dogs can be stolen, injured, or can run off.

I do however, let Aztec out off leash. Both at the park, and in my front yard. This not a thing that happens all that often - as I do have a very large yard that has a 6ft privacy fence. He tends to stay closer to me when he is off leash than when he is on a leash. One exception was this past weekend, when I went to find my mom and saw Aztec laying in the front yard. There he was sleeping, completely alone...apparently he had wandered back out there when she had gone to the backyard. There was also a time where he slipped out of the house while we were leaving, and sat on the far side of our garage until we returned. I would never, ever in my life let Laika off her leash or she would be gone within seconds.

 

[Baileysmom]

I do let my dogs off leash, in fact we don't have a fenced yard. We are on 5 acres but when they are outside they are supervised AT ALL TIMES. My 2-year old Aussie girl, Krystal, has taught Bailey to stay in the yard just by the fact that he follows her lead for everything--he adores her! My Aussie is extremely shy of strangers and honestly is too afraid to leave the vicinity of the house. She's always right near us, or right near the house.

Our house is set very far off the road and it's a very quiet country road. I would not do this in a more suburban/subdivision area. Even during "rush hour" we only get a handful of cars per hour coming down the street. But my dogs are always doing something when they are out. They don't wander aimlessly unsupervised. They are either: going potty, engaged in play with me or my daughter, or accompanying me to the barn to feed the horses. Otherwise I keep them inside or I will secure Bailey on a 20-foot long plastic-coated cable snap leash anchored into the ground, and Krystal like I said is a definite homebody.

Both Aussies and Shelties are very devoted to their owners and respond well to obedience. I also taught both my dogs a good recall using extra special treats, and no matter what the temptations they come when called. I've never had a problem with my previous Sheltie that I had for 14 years without ever losing him, and I did have him off leash from time to time even when we had a fenced yard at our old house. And even my new 6-month old pup Bailey comes when called VERY reliably. I started that when he was 8 weeks old.

 

[BarbV]

Never!

OK - well sometimes....We have a cottage on a large island with about 12 other cottages - all thickly wooded in between. I brought the boys there for the first time together on the weekend.

They had a blast, running around on the huge property. I had to watch them very closely all weekend to test them on knowing the boundaries. By the end of the weekend, I was reasonably comfortable I get let them out on their own for short periods (e.g. 5-10 minutes max) without getting into too much trouble. Their recall was solid. But there are no cars on the island. Biggest fear would be them deciding that chasing a deer through the woods would be fun - but not dangerous.

But a property anywhere near a street - no way.

Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear! You'll need to either fence or tie

 

[Rassy]

I would say as long as you know it's safe, as in you have the recall command in place.... My boys are permanetly attached to micheles rear end so i have no qualms about letting them out without leash,, supervised of course...

 

[Jan244]

Hi Neggie. I think you made the right decision about fencing in the yard to keep your Toby safe. We have a large fenced in backyard and it's great for both dogs to be able to run around to their heart's content. Even the best trained dog can be enticed to suddenly chase a squirrel, rabbit, etc., sometimes with tragic results if there are cars in the area.

 

[neggie]

I would say as long as you know it's safe, as in you have the recall command in place.... My boys are permanetly attached to micheles rear end so i have no qualms about letting them out without leash,, supervised of course...

that is what im working on..having him come back when i say "come Toby" or Come here Toby" very stubberned dont wanna listen some times he does other times he doesnt. He does have the STAY command down good

 

[labgirl]

I would never leave a dog in an unfenced yard off-leash. No dog has a 100% recall and it only takes one incident (another dog/cat/car, a firework going off, an unusual noise, anything) and if the dog runs off and gets lost or is run over then that is it.

My brother works for a local farmer whose dogs are never on lead and are always in the fields with him. Last November his Irish Wolfhound puppy disappeared from the field while they were working. As they realised he was missing they heard a thud from a distant country lane. They found him lying in the road dead, hit by a car.

Cadbury has escaped through an open gate once (my dad left it open) and I didn't even know until my neighbour brought him back. Thankfully my neighbour was kind enough to catch him and another lady was helping too. And luckily Cadbury is a friendly dog who will go up to people and let them catch his collar.

As for coyotes, scariest thing I have to worry about in the UK is foxes and hedgehogs (or big cats if you take some of the scare stories in the papers seriously )

 

[BarbV]

As for coyotes, scariest thing I have to worry about in the UK is foxes and hedgehogs (or big cats if you take some of the scare stories in the papers seriously )

Will foxes go after a full-grown Sheltie? We had a few fox on our cottage island last summer when Bacca was still a baby. Now that he's over 1 year, I think either he or Indy could hold their own.

Obviously, a whole other issue if fox is rabid....

 

[Crystal1]

My husband has lived in several states back east, mid-west, etc. He has usually lived on acreage and hunted whatever was available for food, and he volunteered in the Boy Scouts for 30 years. He tells me that a fox usually wouldn't get more than about 12"-13" tall, and probably wouldn't kill anything much larger than a rabbit. Foxes don't usually hunt in packs either. Indy and Bacca would probably be okay, especially if they are together. Unfortunately, you are probably right that things would be much worse if the fox is rabid. Hope this helps some.