In earlier years of dog ownership, because my dog at the time was super social, had good recall and loved playing with other dogs, I always had him off lead on dog walks and used to let him socialise with everybody.
Then I had a nervous dog and realised how frustrating it was, when owners (like myself), who had their dogs off lead and allowed them to come bowling up to my nervous dog, which sent him over threshold and caused him to react and become more fearful of other dogs.
This undone any training I’d been doing to create a positive association with dogs.
Until you’ve owned a ‘reactive’ dog, I don’t think you really understand how worrying it is when you see a dog off lead and especially if the owner has little control.
So now days I really promote, the unwritten rule of dog walking etiquette. If you see ANY dog on/off lead, its just good practice to recall your dog, pop them on lead and keep your distance until you can establish whether the other owner minds if both dogs can interact.
I’m sure I don’t have to say, but always put them on lead for all live stock and horse riders (they will thank you for it). If they are likely to go over, humans too. Some people might not appreciate your dogs attention : ) See our related video on Greeting Dogs & People Without Jumping and free tip on Recall Training.
If your dog doesn’t respond when off lead, you should always use a long line. See our guide on Everyday Essentials Dog Owners Might Not Know About.
To train decent recall, check out our Rapid Recall Online Course, where you’ll learn all of the techniques we use in assistance dog training for recall.
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