Training Tips: Walking Your Dog Off Leash

This is probably one of the biggest concerns I’ve had while hiking with a dog. When Chloe and I first started hiking, I always had her on leash, but quickly realized that wasn’t always the easiest way to hike.

Our Top Tips:

*I am not a certified dog trainer, but I have spent more than five years working with and training dogs.

• Never let your dog off leash if you aren’t comfortable doing so. Period. It’s not worth risking anyone’s safety especially your dog’s.
• Always keep treats on you. I learned when I was training Chloe that you always need to be the most interesting thing to you your dog.
• Work on recall in controlled situations like your backyard or even your living room. Make sure you can trust your dog to come back to you even when there are distractions.
• Don’t get frustrated if it takes a while. It took me two years to be comfortable with having Chloe off leash.
• I always use a long line (mine is 15 feet) while hiking with a dog on leash. Not a retractable leash. They teach dogs to pull and while they’re compact, they aren’t very rugged.

It’s very important to note that every dog is different. Some people may have an easy time walking with their dog off leash, and some dogs may never be ready to hike off leash and that’s ok. As long as you and your dog are happy and safe, it doesn’t matter it they’re leashed or not.

With that out of the way, I’m going to tell you about my experience with Chloe and then give a couple tips I’ve found helpful.

Chloe spent the first 22 months of her life in training to be a Guiding Eyes for the Blind service dog. That means she spent eight or more hours a day training to stand next to my side then her handler’s side, walking on a loose leash and constantly checking in. It also meant that, while I was never able to take her off leash unless it was in an enclosed space, she has always been very in tune with me and I can guess how she’ll react to most things.

When she was released from six months of formal training and I offically adopted her, Chloe still had the energy of a working dog, with no outlet besides our walks and hikes.

After a month of hiking with a dog who just wanted to run all of the time, a stranger on the trail remarked how well she did on leash and asked why I didn’t have her off leash. It had never occurred to me to let her off. I’d never had a dog trained off-leash growing up, so I let her drag her leash down most of the mountain, giving me a chance to step on it if I needed to.

She ended up being fine, and I started letting her drag her leash on our next few hikes. Soon I got sick of untangling her from trees and started trusting her more, so I took her off.

I still leash her on every summit almost without exception. She loves going near the edge and I don’t want her falling off a cliff. And she’s been known to try to steal snacks from fellow hikers.

I always keep her leash in hand and call her back if I see another dog or person. Again with few exceptions. She has never been aggressive toward anyone or thing, but you never know how people or dogs will react to an excited black lab.