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Yamaha_gurl

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    No Judgments... Question About Off-Leash Hiking

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted · Edited by Yamaha_gurl

     

    Ah, well, if they retain partial ownership then that is of course I different issue. I didn't realize groups did that since none of the ones I'm familiar with around here do. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm not sure I think that's right for an adoption group. I've heard of it from breeders if they want to show a dog or have some breeding rights. If my breeder had wanted to retain part ownership of Kili I probably would not have gotten her. As far as I'm concerned I should own my dog outright and I should be able to choose for him/her what to do. I mean, the group retaining partial ownership opens a whole can of worms doesn't it? If someone else owns part of my dog then why should they not pay part of the vet bills associated with said dog? That may be somewhere in the legal notes that they will not, but otherwise doesn't that leave them wide open to someone trying to get them to pay for a surgery they can't afford... say a leg amputation?

     

    As far as blacklisting someone... sure maybe from some groups. It might make your life difficult but it's not like you can't get a greyhound. Of my own free will I eliminated one group in my area which made my life a heck of a lot harder in searching for dog number 2. I actually had an acquaintance in Georgia looking for a dog for me down there. Then I got the idea that a pup might be a good idea for a blank slate. Not many breeders, not many puppies, but they're there if you know where to look.

     

    It would definitely suck if a bunch of adoption groups wouldn't adopt to you. But again, if that bothers you enough that you won't off leash your hounds it's probably not the blacklisting that is holding you back. It's probably that you're not comfortable with it or not sure how you feel about it. And that's the more important factor... how you as a person feel. I think for those of us who are really for off leashing our hounds, we simply wouldn't adopt from those groups and/or wouldn't care if we got blacklisted because we could get our hound elsewhere.

     

    I am on the "Do not Adopt" list, because I choose to let Bella off leash. However, I'm not too worried...Bella's racing owner has told me when the day comes that I want another, just to drive on down and adopt one, she lets her brood momma's off leash, un-enclosed areas ;) And I'm sure there are many racing owners on here, that as well have no issue with being off leash and would gladly adopt to me.

     

    Oh and Krissy, you have the blue slip fyi, you are the legal owner.

     

    One of the biggest factors when I decided to train recall MUCH harder with Bella and let her off leash, was when Whitewaves greyhound puppy passed away. I decided that day that life was too short. I know the risks, I also live life dangerously and have a heck of a fun time doing so. Bella is taught the same.

    No Judgments... Question About Off-Leash Hiking

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Last night, I took Henry and Truman to the lake. They walk at different paces, and as usual, they kept crossing their leashes. After fixing their leashes about a half dozen times, (gasp!) I made the decison to let Henry off his leash.

     

    This is the first time I've ever ventured to try this with him. Here's the bottom line. Henry has been with me for over three years. His recall is excellent. His prey drive is minimal. We have worked extensively on obedience training, and he's both CGC/TDI certified. I wanted to see if I could trust him, and to no surprise, he did marvelously. He stayed by my side the entire time. Anytime he got too far behind for my liking, I just said his name, and he trotted back to the heel position. A few people passed by us (runners, other dogs and their owners), and Henry showed zero interest. At the end of the hike, I put Truman on a long-line (Henry still off-leash), and let them both splash around in the lake. They had such a great time.

     

    I know many of you hike off-leash with your hounds (Krissy, WhiteWave... I hope you guys can chime in here). I just want to know... how did you know they were ready? And how long before you stopped feeling like a nervous wreck? By the way, I'm just talking about Henry, not Truman because I know for certain he can't be trusted yet. But if I continue to allow Henry to hike off-leash, are there any precautions I should take? I carry their recall whistle for emergencies anyway. But is there any type of other training I should consider? Am I overthinking this?

     

    After training recall for more than a year, in every possible fenced in place. Then I took her to a park where it's deep forest on one side, and lake on the other...she could only go forwards or backwards. I was nervous, but knew that she would come when called. Now that I've moved, there aren't many safe places...I only hiked with her in the winter, early mornings when no one else was out.

     

    Practice, practice and practice that recall with HIGH value treats, and consider the locations, those are key.

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