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Post by Killotteran King<3 on Nov 11, 2008 15:38:06 GMT -5
hi there, i have had my greyhound for three months now and seen as i only have a small garden i would love to be able to let him off the lead but am affraid he will run and run and not return to me! i have been taking him to obedience classes and he is responding well to re call but he has selective hearing. should i risk it?  |
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Post by ailsa on Nov 11, 2008 16:05:12 GMT -5
I don't have nearly as much experience as most of the people on this board, but one thing that works really well for Archie is, when out on walks, for one of us to hold onto him, while the other runs along the path as far as they can without collapsing (i.e. about 50 metres!  ), then turning round and calling him really excitedly. He hurtles towards us, hell for leather, without fail. They key to this is sausage! (Although I suspect he'd do it without.) We have thin slices with us on every walk, and always wave a piece in front of his nose before one of us runs away, so he knows he's getting a treat at the end of it. We're lucky that where we walk him there's a long pathway with a clear view along it, fencing along one side and banks along the other, so he's unlikely to get distracted and take off to the side after something more interesting! Of course, this only works if you have another person to do it with, which perhaps you do. The other thing is, he only does this two or three times before he loses interest/energy, and that's when he does wander off up the bank into the woodland - and goes deaf! Good luck. ;D |
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Post by dominique on Nov 11, 2008 16:09:18 GMT -5
No. If you can find a fully enclosed safe space then I'd give it a go as you'd know that he wouldn't be able to run far and would be safe, but other than that............No. There was a terrible tradegy on this site recently when a hound dissapeared whilst chasing something and a lot of amazingly kind people travelled from all over the country to find her for days on end and although she was found, she was sadly no longer alive  Unless your hound has 100% recall it's just not worth the risk. |
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Post by andywillow on Nov 11, 2008 17:16:02 GMT -5
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Post by bonnyseekers on Nov 11, 2008 17:20:58 GMT -5
The tragic accident your talking about could have happened in an in closed area just as much as in the open while running.
Val. x
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Post by vickyb on Nov 11, 2008 17:26:32 GMT -5
I agree with Ailsa, but before you try it is there anywhere enclosed you could let him off first? We found an enclosed concrete area in a local park, been used for tennis or basketball some time ago and if we went early at the weekend or in school time could let Gracie off when no one was around to see how she was at recall in a bigger area. Have you been using a long lead or just a normal one? again a long lead is a step up to see how recall is.
I don't see how you can ever know if recall is 100% until you try it and it's an issue people will argue over forever. I respect everyones right to their own views with their own dogs but my 3 (greyhound, lurcher and medium fluffy x) all go off lead with excellent recall, but only in areas we know, not near livestock or children and I am always on the lookout for dogs we don't know and pop Gracie on the lead until I am sure the dogs will be ok together. However she does not have a high prey drive, only has one eye and will stop everything and fly to my side for a treat. I know there are a lot of dogs who cannot be let off for their own and others safety.
Do you use a muzzle in case he comes across a cat or small dog? Finally has he been neutered? If not I would definately not let him off until he had been.
Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
MTA I think if you do decide to try it it's really important where you do it, I'm lucky to have very good places to go which are as safe as you could get without it being a fully fenced field, I know not everyone is so lucky.
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Post by andywillow on Nov 11, 2008 17:33:11 GMT -5
The tragic accident your talking about could have happened in an in closed area just as much as in the open while running. Val. x Your right Val it could but at least there wouldnt be anything for them to chase and escape in a safe area such as an indoor school  Sue |
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Post by purplepunk on Nov 11, 2008 17:57:32 GMT -5
The tragic accident your talking about could have happened in an in closed area just as much as in the open while running. Val. x Your right Val it could but at least there wouldnt be anything for them to chase and escape in a safe area such as an indoor school Sue I would say mine would chase each other or anyone elses dog whether indoors or out ! ? |
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Post by andywillow on Nov 11, 2008 18:07:56 GMT -5
Your right Val it could but at least there wouldnt be anything for them to chase and escape in a safe area such as an indoor school Sue I would say mine would chase each other or anyone elses dog whether indoors or out ! ? Yes they still chase but I said chase and escape which they cant do in an indoor school. |
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Post by FeeFee on Nov 11, 2008 18:26:55 GMT -5
You could use a long line with him (on a harness, not a collar), so he has a bit more freedom to move around and explore but you can still hang onto him.
It would also give you some idea of how he will respond to you - and to other distractions - from a distance. You can buy long training lines, or lunge lines used for horses are good.
Not the same as full scale free running, but I'd agree with others, you really need a safe enclosed space for that at this stage. Tennis courts are good and usually empty over the winter!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2008 2:50:45 GMT -5
The classic greyhound owners dilemma. Only you know your dog & how well he responds to you. But if he has selective hearing in a training environment then you can bet it'll get a whole lot worse when he has the multitude of distractions out in the real world. I let 2 of my hounds off lead but only in areas that I know because whilst I know that they will come back to me, if they chase they will go & it's my responsibilty to make sure that they don't come to or cause any harm. With my other hound (Dan) there is not a hope in hells chance of letting him off lead unless in a secure field because he won't come back unless he's ready (& this is after 5 years). Ironically he won't chase he just likes to do his own thing & have a sniff about at his leisure. I use this roamer lead a lot ( Roamer Lead Link ) on Dan & sometimes on the girls so they can have some freedom but when it's not safe for them off lead. Remember greyhounds don't need to be running around off lead, they are perfectly happy with lead walking so don't feel as though you are depriving him. In the US it is common for there to be a 'no off lead' clause in the adoption agreement for greyhounds, although they are luckier as they have dedicated dog parks so people are able to run their dogs off lead in a controlled environment. I would advise to have a good look around for safe enclosed fields & ring around riding schools to see if you can hire the indoor school for an hour. Practise his recall on a long line (use a harness & a horse lunge line) and see how he gets on. You will find that when he is off lead he won't be running around everywhere anyway unless he is chasing, he may run a circuit to blow the cobwebs away but will be happy to plod alongside you. So my personal opinion is that it's safer to find him somewhere enclosed to blow the cobwebs away occasionally & mainly do lead walking. Good luck |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2008 4:14:32 GMT -5
Your right Val it could but at least there wouldnt be anything for them to chase and escape in a safe area such as an indoor school Sue I would say mine would chase each other or anyone elses dog whether indoors or out ! ? It's all about assessing the risks, there is a potential for accidents to happen anywhere but there is much less risk of anything happening in an enclosed area. We need to be aware & accept the risks of our dogs if they are running freely off lead, especially if they are greyhounds. At the end of the day they are our dogs and our decisions but ultimately it's the dog that faces the consequences if anything goes amiss. A greyhound chasing & playing with another dog isn't without risk, as mine have been injured doing it. But in my experience a greyhound chasing a dog in play is totally different from one that is chasing prey. |
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Post by Jane and Sara on Nov 12, 2008 4:18:10 GMT -5
I've never let any of my greyhounds off the lead, except in a very safe enclosed area. I personally don't think the risk is worth it. We walk for miles every day on the lead and they seem happy with that.
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Post by hippyhounds on Nov 12, 2008 4:31:20 GMT -5
i let all mine off lead but only in an area they know inside out.i always muzzle all of them even the ones who are,nt aggressive as it saves on accidents when they course each other.
it took different amounts of time with all of them before i trusted them to go offlead.
i only let oskar off in a secure place cause he can be a monkey but daisy and sonny go offlead every day in the same place,sonny did have recall issues and can still play up occassionly but he never goes more than a few feet away from us as hes a wussy and he likes you to be in view,daisy is fine anywere and has always been excellant offlead.
i think it depends on how much trust there is between you and your dog and at the end of the day its everyones chioce if they let there dog or dogs offlead or not.
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Post by Bev on Nov 12, 2008 4:32:40 GMT -5
hi there, i have had my greyhound for three months now and seen as i only have a small garden i would love to be able to let him off the lead but am affraid he will run and run and not return to me! i have been taking him to obedience classes and he is responding well to re call but he has selective hearing. should i risk it? I know that dogs are not children but they are as precious to us as if they were. So, with that in mind, I'd ask yourself the question:- If this was a human child who didn't always stop when I told him to, would I allow him to run around near the main road? You have your answer. |
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Personally unless I think you need a fully enclosed area for your hound to run safely. Have you got an indoor riding school nearby which you could hire? Thats where mine get to have a good blast offlead ;D
