Field notes · Dog training in Angier & Raleigh, NC
When is it safe to let my dog off the leash?
Later than most people think. A dog who is starting off-leash work is not yet a reliable off-leash dog. Find out where he is weakest before you remove the thing that catches him.
In the trainer's words
Bun's first day fully off leash. Unless I'm forgetting another time.Kelton, Head Trainer, Angier K9 Consultants
Seen with 4 dogs: Bun, Beo, Finn, Reaper
43 recorded moments, each one linked to the exact second it happens in a full training session published unedited. Trainers call this honest limits.
39:02
A few more reps, then the loop ends
0:25
Proofing the Down, and the nervousness beneath
0:49
The plan: distance, duration, distraction — off leash
6:29
And the heel?" — "I haven't tested that yet
11:42
A black puppy, off leash, and nothing happens
12:07
Bun's first day fully off leash
19:36
Every dog tests it eventually — train for that day
26:47
The sticky points: cars, pulling, blown recalls
27:14
His heel looks really great
0:00
A dog he has never met
5:03
"Much better on the sit than I thought" — next assignment
3:54
He'll be off leash by the end of this program
16:39
All the way up, for the water
21:23
It sounds like off leash is an important thing here
25:24
If you just think for a second about what I asked you to do, things get better real fast
29:31
What the long line is for
31:11
The flexi: he gets to the end of the range, stops, and checks back in
31:56
"Better not to start really low" — if he doesn't get it, you creep up forever
Related questions
Recognize your own dog in this?
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