How Long Before It's "safe" To Let Them Off Their Lead?

[Guest Amber]

This is interesting! I too had an accidental escape with my fey in the early weeks, she got out the side gate from the garden. I had let her out the back, went to open the blind in my front room and there she was, trotting down the pavement ... thank goodness i went to open the blind ! I called and she came running straight back, in the front door (to my huge relief. And no cats about, even bigger relief).

 

She does the loop the loop running, comes right back. i always thought greyhounds did that because of running on the oval track? But it's hard wired, not learnt?

 

If she saw a distraction whilst doing the loop not sure, but if she sees or scents a bunny or deer whilst walking, she would be off chasing for sure.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Amber

[Guest GreyOrchard]

This is interesting! I too had an accidental escape with my fey in the early weeks, she got out the side gate from the garden. I had let her out the back, went to open the blind in my front room and there she was, trotting down the pavement ... thank goodness i went to open the blind ! I called and she came running straight back, in the front door (to my huge relief. And no cats about, even bigger relief).

 

She does the loop the loop running, comes right back. i always thought greyhounds did that because of running on the oval track? But it's hard wired, not learnt?

 

If she saw a distraction whilst doing the loop not sure, but if she sees or scents a bunny or deer whilst walking, she would be off chasing for sure.

I don't believe they loop the loop because of being trained to run in circles. A lot of "hunting" dogs will do this too....they go out, scout around, come back and reconnect for a second, then go out again. They have been doing this for centuries, for thousands of years. They do it reflexively.

 

If your greyhound runs after a rabbit or deer, you can scream and yell at her all you want, but simply moving away in the opposite direction very quickly will catch most greyhounds' eyes, and at some point they will rejoin you. "Stay with the pack" is wired into them. The dogs who don't do that are not sufficiently grounded, but that does not mean they can't develop that.