How to Walk a Dog Offleash

If you've ever dreamed of strolling down your country road while your dog happily sniffs and trots off leash next to you, you can turn that dream into reality. However, your canine pal should already be trained in some basic commands and should be old enough to trust off leash, before attempting any unleashed outings.

Instructions

1. Observe your neighborhood. If you live in a rural area, be aware of what can trigger your dog into taking off--other animals or a stream if you have a water-lover. Within a city, the leash laws may be more strict, so you may need to find a hiking trail or take a short road trip to an area that's more off-leash friendly. If you want to walk around your block, know the location of other questionable dogs and potential unfriendly neighbors. A house with dogs that are aggressive and might jump the fence should be avoided, or at least you need to put your dog back on the leash. If you scout your neighborhood ahead of time, you can avoid future problems.

2. Ensure that your dog already is trained to respond to commands: stay, sit, no bite, come and heel. It's also a good idea when training your dog verbally to teach him corresponding hand signals for each command. At a corner, for example, you can point downward to command your dog to sit while the two of you wait for the light to change.

3. Wait until your dog turns two. A fully-trained dog should not be trusted off leash until, at least, he is 2-years-old. Before that age, a dog is still too unpredictable outside; smells, other animals, flying debris--there are many distractions for a younger dog.

4. Start training during daylight. You should not attempt to train your dog off leash at night, because the dog will see things that you cannot, so it makes it harder for you to react.

5. Go to a small, contained area. A park is ideal. Find one without any other dogs within the vicinity. Restricting the area and starting in a park allows the dog to get used to his new freedom while providing a safe environment.

6. Begin by training your dog with the leash still attached, but out of your hands. Make sure you're walking in an area where the leash cannot get caught on something while being dragged along the ground. Stay close to your dog and issue commands; especially heel, no bite and stay. These are commands that should be used often during this training.

7. Advance to walking your dog in a neighborhood environment once the two of you can traverse a confined area with the dog staying near you, with you providing only a few commands to redirect the dog. Ideally, you'd walk your dog in an area with sporadic traffic. You may not want to advance to streets with heavy traffic until you're sure the dog won't react to automobile noise.

8. Be safe at streets. Never cross a busy street with your dog off leash. You always want to regard the safety of others as well as the safety of your dog. To be extra cautious, slip the leash back on the dog, cross the street, then remove it.

9. Assess the behavior of another dog immediately, while there is still a decent amount of distance between the two animals. Monitor if the other dog is also off leash. If it is, note if it is approaching full speed ahead, ears back and tail up. Those are warning signs that the dog may not be too friendly. If the other dog is on a leash, note if it pulling its owner, barking or acting over-excited. Steer clear of any dog that you are not sure of and, as a precaution, put your own dog on the leash.

Tips & Warnings

• Always bring your leash with you. Don't assume your dog is so well-behaved that it warrants you to leave the leash at home. If there are no sidewalks on your street, keep your dog as close to an edge as possible.

• If someone expresses a problem with you walking your dog off leash, especially if your dog wanders onto his yard, put your dog on the leash and walk away. There is no reason to engage that person.