When you stop to imagine the perfectly trained dog, what do you picture?
(Before we move on, we should acknowledge that ‘perfection’ in anything – especially dog training – is almost impossible to achieve, even for obedience trial champions.)
If you’re thinking about that dog, you likely imagine them bouncing along at their owner’s side, a mixture of happiness and enthusiasm in their gait. They are attentive and obedient, but with a sense of freedom that only comes through training and good behavior habits. In your mind’s eye, the dog is also likely to be off-leash. They have the freedom to roam, with the reliability that they can be recalled to their owner’s side with a split second’s notice.
As part of our dog training programs here at K9 Evolutions Dog Training, we offer off-leash obedience in both our Board and Train Programs and our Obedience Lesson Programs. We have seen first-hand just how empowering off-leash training can be. In this article, we’ll outline some of the benefits you and your dog can experience when they are trained off-leash.
Physical benefits
Most dogs love to run. While there are a handful of breeds who are content to spend their lives buried in the comfort of the couch, most dogs love nothing more than the freedom to run around outside and expend some pent-up energy.
Training your dog off-leash means that your dog no longer needs to be walked exclusively by you. As opposed to walking at your pace, your dog is able to sprint. This provides much-needed physical benefits, from muscle and joint development to cardiovascular health. It also can contribute to ensuring that your dog maintains a healthy weight, particularly if they are a larger dog with significant nutritional requirements.
Natural movement
On average, humans walk anywhere from 2.5 mph to 4 mph. Our walking pace and direction is dictated by a combination of our vision, the terrain, and our physical fitness. This is why humans tend to stay on paths as opposed to veering off into dense terrain such as briers, and unless we’re jogging or running, our pace remains relatively constant.
Dogs do not explore the world in the same way. They move at a different pace and are often guided by their incredible sense of smell. With hundreds of millions of olfactory receptors, dogs are often led off pathways and onto grass, dirt or even into wooded areas. They may be tracking the scent of another animal who was in the same spot earlier. When they are off-leash, dogs are able to move in a way that is natural for them. Their typical walking pace may be slightly higher than a human, but even more so, they deviate according to their sense of smell, the most predominant of senses that dogs possess.
Mental health benefits
We have written previously about the importance of mental stimulation and enrichment activities, and how this is just as important as physical wellbeing. While you might expect that off-leash training would primarily have physical benefits for your dog, it should also be noted that there are numerous mental health benefits, too.
Teaching your dog to behave reliably off-leash is a skill in itself that will encourage your dog to think and learn. It gives them more autonomy in decision-making without the constraint and drag of a human on the other end of the leash; this allows their problem-solving skills to strengthen greatly. In addition, when you do take your dog off-leash on a walk or hike, you’re able to let them explore the world as they have done for generations – through their nose. Giving them access to a whole array of smells, along with the freedom (and responsibility) to roam off-leash, is a great way to offer mental enrichment.
Relationship building
Training your dog off-leash is largely about trust and reliability. If you take your dog out in public off-leash, you must have the confidence that your dog will return if you call them – for both their own safety, and the safety of humans and other dogs. That confidence is priceless – it builds upon the solid foundational relationship that you and your dog are developing together. Enhancing your dog’s behavior also opens up other opportunities. It might encourage you to take your dog on a broader range of activities as opposed to the same old walk around the block, which gives you the chance to explore new environments together. It can also provide the opportunity to work on other dog training endeavors together, such as search and rescue or agility training.
Owner confidence & peace of mind
When you own a dog, it brings with it a huge sense of responsibility. We’ve all encountered those dog owners who are visibly stressed and frustrated with their dog’s public behavior. Off-leash training is a great way to bring control and structure to your dog’s life – and increase your confidence when handling them.
With E-collar communication, the latency that can occur with leash communication gets greatly reduced. You can address certain behaviors with precise timing using an E-collar once you’ve gotten good at using it.
One final benefit – and perhaps the biggest one – is that off-leash training can literally save your dog’s life. If your dog is trained off-leash and has a reliable recall, you can prevent them from getting into situations that could put their life in danger. Imagine if your dog runs out into the road outside your home – if they listen to your recall command, it could literally be the difference between them being struck by a vehicle or returning safely to you. This peace of mind is invaluable.
Things to consider with off-leash dogs
Off-leash training, by its nature, often takes longer to hone and proof than on-leash commands. There are also some mitigations you should consider if your dog is trained off-leash, which we have listed below.
- Just because your dog is trained off-leash does not mean they need to be off-leash all of the time. There are some circumstances – for example, walking your dog in busy downtown areas, or when you know the terrain could be dangerous – where it makes more sense to keep them on-leash. Always use discretion.
- E-collars can be a great way to communicate with your dog and add an extra layer of peace of mind when they are off-leash.
- Even when dogs are trained off-leash, it can be difficult for them to suppress their natural instincts. Dogs with immense prey drive may struggle to resist chasing after that squirrel in the park, so it is important to remain vigilant at all times when out in public with an off-leash dog. Keep focus on your dog’s behavioral state of mind. For example, your dog spots a skunk and the chemical reaction in the brain has been set in motion; you want to address that behavior before tunnel vision sets in and the dog bolts after the skunk. Being vigilant and precise using the E-collar remote with excellent timing will prevent you from paying the price if your dog tries to make friends with a skunk. In using the E-collar training tool. you must be just as vigilant as you would have been holding the leash.
- If your dog is off-leash, beware of encounters with dogs who are on-leash. It may be prudent to put your dog on their leash until they have passed the other dog. Something to note is that you should never use an E-collar to try to break up a dog fight that is already underway; this is important. If you want to know why in detail, feel free to shoot us an email (or for any dog training questions, for that matter).
- Make sure that you remain in accordance with any leash laws in your local jurisdiction.
A note about E-collars and off-leash training
One thing to mention if using an E-collar to train your dog off-leash is that you should never go out and buy any old E-collar and just strap it on the dog. All E-Collar brands are not created equal; the dog must be conditioned to the E-Collar by an experienced professional Dog Trainer.
Nothing can mess a dog up more than the mistakes an inexperienced individual can make on an E-Collar. Watching YouTube videos is no substitute for experience. At K9 Evolutions Dog Training, we include a top of the line E-Collar within the Off-Leash Program price that has consistent, clean stimulation that also provides a broad spectrum of nuanced communication with your dog. Depending on your dog, we might even select an E-collar model specific for your dog’s particular needs.
It should be noted that at K9 Evolutions Dog Training, we do not use the E-Collar as a punishment-only tool. We use it as a communication tool first and foremost, just like everything we do on the leash. We will step into the area of aversives for problematic behaviors like chasing cars, bolting after deer, or attacking horses. There are many benefits in addressing specific behaviors in dog training that the E-Collar can provide. For example, addressing certain undesirable behaviors in a practical way is much easier via E-Collar remote than having to put a traffic lead or tab on your dog to provide the appropriate correction.
The time it takes for you to go over to the dog and apply an appropriate nuanced correction that fits the infraction is not as good as if you were able to apply that correction with better timing; reducing the lag & controlling the level of correction with a valve, so to speak.
In conclusion
Off-leash training has so many benefits for you and your dog! This is an empowering exercise that can improve your dog’s physical and mental health, enhance the dog-owner relationship, and give you incredible peace of mind as a dog owner.
If you’d like more information on how K9 Evolutions Dog Training can help your dog to be trained off-leash, get in contact with us! We’d love to discuss your dog training goals. You can reach us at (612) 227-7019 or info@k9evolutionsdogtraining.com for more details.
