However, as we all know, letting our dogs off-leash changes more than a few things. In particular, when dogs are off-leash –

• They may run into traffic and get hit by a car.
• They may attack or harass other dogs that are on-leash and get into a dog fight.
• They may jump and knock down children, seniors, and others.
• They may chase after prey and get lost.

Are Off-Leash Dogs Happier Than On-Leash Dogs?

Off-Leash Dogs – When?

Off-Leash Dogs - When?

Therefore, it is crucial that we do not let our dogs off-leash unless they are well trained to come to us on command consistently and reliably. Anything less would be irresponsible because we will not only be putting our own dog at risk, but other people’s dogs as well. Incidentally, consistent and reliable recall does not mean shouting at a dog 10 or more times, and maybe he comes back to us after doing whatever he wants to do.

In fact, it is against the law to walk our dogs off-leash in most neighborhoods. Even off-leash parks have strict rules for off-leash dogs.

General Park Rules for Dogs

1. Dogs must be leashed (six-foot maximum) and under control at any posted area, parking lot, picnic site, lawn or developed area.
2. Owners must always carry a leash (six-foot maximum).
3. Dogs may be off-leash in open space and undeveloped areas of parklands, provided they are under control at all times.

   Dogs are considered under control when they are within direct eyesight of the owner/handler and when they have the ability to quickly return to leash when called. Dogs that annoy, harass, or attack people, wildlife, livestock or other dogs, leashed or unleashed, or which enter leash-required or dog-prohibited areas, are presumed to be not under control.

4. Animals may not be left unattended at any parkland.

~~ [ East Bay Regional Park District Rules ]

Having some fun on-leash.

Off-Leash Dogs – How?

The question of whether off-leash dogs are happier than on-leash dogs then becomes a question of recall training (i.e., training to come when called). In particular,

Can we train our dogs to consistently come when called without degrading their quality of life?

If we can train our dogs to come to us consistently using only reward training techniques, then we are done. There is little risk of such techniques degrading a dog’s quality of life.

Recall training, however, is greatly dependent on the breed and individual temperament of the dog. For example, independent dogs with high prey drive can be difficult to train because they have a strong inborn instinct to chase after other animals. As a result, a very strong counter stimulus is required to prevent them from following their natural drive.

For these challenging cases, dog owners may resort to more extreme aversive techniques, such as the dog shock collar.

Dog shock collars can apply an electric shock (i.e., a pain stimulus) to the dog from a distance. For this reason, they are often used for off-leash training work.

More on-leash digging fun.

Are Off-Leash Dogs with Shock Collars Happier?

This is where the discussion becomes interesting. Many proponents of shock collars claim that their off-leash dogs are happier even with the occasional application of electric shocks.

Is this true?

Scientific studies say “No”.

E. Schalke et al. conducted a study on the use of electric shocks collars using 14 laboratory-bred Beagles. The dogs were divided into three groups –

• Group A (Aversion) – Shocked when the dog touched a prey (rabbit dummy fixed to a motion device).
• Group H (Here) – Shocked when the dog did not obey a previously trained recall command during hunting.
• Group R (Random) – Shocked randomly.

The results of the experiment show that groups H and R exhibited a significant rise in stress levels (as measured by salivary cortisol levels). Even more significant is that stress levels remained high when the dogs were reintroduced to the shock area after 4 weeks, even though the dogs did not receive an electric pulse during that time.

Studies by Schilder & van der Borg show similar results.

Much off-leash fun can be had in an enclosed space. No shocks are necessary.

The ASPCA, Kennel Club, RSPCA, The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and many other well respected dog organizations are against the use of shock collars.

The ASPCA does not condone the use of electronic training collars except in highly exceptional cases, such as a working with dog who has to be off leash in order to perform her duties. Most dogs who fail to reliably come when called can simply be kept on leash or in confined areas for exercise.

~~[ Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called ]

Note that the choice is not between shock collars and zero off-leash time. My dogs have fun digging, smelling, exploring, and hunting for food (Find-It) when they are on-leash. They also have many fun off-leash activities in our fully enclosed backyard.

Fun off-leash time in a fully enclosed area.

Are off-leash dogs with shock collars happier than on-leash dogs?

Well … we can listen to random opinions from people on the internet or we can listen to the results of rigorous scientific studies and well-respected dog organizations such as the ASPCA, RSPCA, and Kennel Club.

Who do you want to listen to?

Are Off-Leash Dogs Happier Than On-Leash Dogs?

If he were a truly aggressive pit-bull, we would have been toast.

Instead, I backed away from him slowly and shouted out to my neighbor. Of course, he was doing yard work at the time, and did not hear me over the noise of his lawn mower. He had left his gate open so that he could get easy access to his recycling bin.

Dude! … I mean really?!

Luckily another neighbor heard me, came out, and secured the dog.

Several days later, I was charged by an Akita. She came over, and started bullying my Husky girl. A boy came running after the dog, and then just stood there. He did not know what to do.

I raised my voice and said Stop to the Akita, which surprisingly, she did. Maybe she was just momentarily startled. I asked the boy to please remove his dog, but he just hit his dog on the muzzle. Since the dog did not have a collar on, the boy was unable to effectively remove her.

However, since the Akita was no longer focused on my dog, I was able to move away, and then Akita Inu finally followed the boy home.

Dude! … I mean really?!

Off-Leash Neighborhood Dogs - Dude! … I mean really?!

And then today, I was charged by a large Labrador. He was being walked off-leash in the neighborhood even though he had 0% recall.

Then one of the owners said, “Don’t worry, he is not aggressive”.

Another one said, “I am doing off-leash training with my dog and I did not see you.”

Dude! … I mean really?!

Off-Leash Neighborhood Dogs - Dude! … I mean really?!

• Point – Someone who lets an untrained dog run about off-leash in public neighborhood streets has no understanding of dogs. I very much doubt they know whether their dog is aggressive or not.
• Point – Leaving a dog with no recall, off-leash, is dangerous to other people, other dogs, and to the dog himself. There are not too many cars in my neighborhood, but all it takes is just one.
• Point – Perhaps the Labrador is not aggressive, but then my dog could be aggressive. In which case, a fight could have broken out when the Labrador invaded my dog’s space and forced a butt sniff on her.
• Point – One DOES NOT do off-leash training on public neighborhood streets. Find a private enclosed area to start recall training, and once the dog is more advanced, take him to an off-leash hiking park.

What to Do When Charged by Off-Leash Neighborhood Dogs?

I usually just ignore the owners and walk away as soon as they get control of their dog.

I don’t really want to converse with them, because I would likely lose my temper and that would upset the dogs even more.

I am not sure if that is the best thing to do though. I would like to try and convince them not to leave their untrained dogs running around off-leash.

What do you think?

• What do you do when charged by off-leash neighborhood dogs?
• How do we get our neighbors to keep untrained dogs on a leash?

How do we get our neighbors to keep untrained dogs on a leash?

His owner was not in sight, but shouts were coming from a nearby house, “Spencer”… “SPEN-cer” … “SPEN-CER” … over and over again. This was ignored by the GSD as he charged my Siberian who tried to bolt.

Charged by a Dog.

Since she was on-leash, she couldn’t, so she submitted to the GSD who was actually a handsome, and curious fella. He was interested in smelling her and not much else. After a bit of butt-sniffing, he decided to go home – probably in the hopes of stopping the continuous “SPEN-CER” shouting.

It is dangerous to let dog(s) roam freely on neighborhood streets without a leash.

While no dogs were physically hurt in the encounter, I cut my finger pretty badly when my Siberian tried to run away. I was dripping blood onto the sidewalk, so I had to cut my walk short, and go home to treat my hand.

It is dangerous to let dog(s) roam freely on neighborhood streets without a leash.

• We were next to a fairly busy road, and the GSD could have tried to charge across the road and gotten hit.
• My Siberian happens to be a very submissive dog, so it is unclear what would have happened if the GSD invaded the space of a more dominant dog.
• Shouting the dog’s name continuously from inside the house does not help, and may even make things worse.

In general, only let a dog off-leash when he is in an off-leash park and only if you have perfect voice control over him.

While your dog may be friendly, or seem harmless because he is small, you cannot be sure of the temperament of other dogs at the park. To keep your dog safe, keep him within voice distance at all times, and call him back to you when you see other dogs, especially dogs that are on leash.

While your dog may be friendly, or seem harmless because he is small, you cannot be sure of the temperament of other dogs at the park.

I have been charged more than a few times in my neighborhood.

Frequently, the owners come out running not too far behind their dogs. Sometimes it is an escaped dog who usually just avoids us. Whatever the case, off-leash neighborhood dogs are a danger to themselves, to pedestrians who may be very afraid of dogs, and to other on-leash dogs. If a fight occurs, there may be blood, tears, heartache, and a big lawsuit on your hands.

Keep your dog safe by keeping him inside the house, making sure your yard is perfectly secure, and walking him on-leash in the neighborhood.

Carry a cell-phone with you during walks, and perhaps even a walking stick, in case of emergencies.