"Walkies"

[James+Carly]

We take Oscar for a 25ish minute walk twice a day, now this won't be constantly walking as we have to stop depending on what mood he is in as he pulls when he gets excited, so we practice "sit" "wait" "watch" etc, sometimes with success. We purchased one of those "walk your dog with love harnesses" and this seems to have helped with the pulling if there are no distractions.

Now my question is, should we be also taking him for an off lead walk? We took him to the park today on an extendable lead as he is so hyper when he meets other people or dogs and he hasn't really mastered his recall. He seemed to love running around in the grass some-what freely. I did feel slightly guilty that this has been his first time and that all walks since he has been with us have been quite regimented. I want to get his "heel" work and recall before i take him for off lead walks, is this correct? Or should we be taking him to a park for a run around on an extendable lead on a daily basis?

[Londongirl]

Personally I'm not a big fan of extendable leads, especially with puppies as they and other dogs can easily get tangled and the thin lines can really cut in. Henry is usually off lead, but whenever he tries to play with a puppy on an extendable lead it makes me very nervous as they get wrapped together so quickly.

I let Henry off the lead at three months when he was still naturally inclined to stay close. Recall is still a work in progress, but we haven't lost him yet! I think it's a bit like learning to drive - you learn the basics in a safe environment, but you REALLY learn when you get out on the open road.

[bizzylizzy]

Our trainer advised against the extendable leads as he believes it encourages  them to pull (not that cockers need much encouragement!! ).
We let Humphrey walk free from day one and tried to vary where we went so it wasn't too familiar. I used to walk across open ground, constantly changing direction, and completely ignoring him, not looking at him and not speaking (hubby watched from a safe distance, incase he bolted, - which he didn't). The idea is, that they learn that they've got to watch you or they'll get lost. If asked, then I'd say that was the most valuable piece of advice I was given. It does rather depend on the age though - we started at as soon as we had him but if your pup's a bit older and more independant, it might be harder. Do also check the thread on here about training the recall, which is very good!
Best of luck!!

[EmmaRose]

I did the same as Jayne and let Rory off lead (in a safe place) from day one, so he had a mix of on and off lead on most walks.

Rather than an extendable lead maybe a long line (I use a 10m Clix) would be useful as you can clip it on and give him the freedom of being off lead (I always try and keep it slack so they don't think they've got a lead on, or pull against it) and practice his recall training with the security of knowing he's not going to be able to run off.  When his recall improves you can then move on to attaching the long line but dropping it so he drags it behind, but it's there for you to grab if you need to. As Jayne said getting them to watch you rather than the other way around is key - playing hide and seek with a dog might seem a bit daft but it definitely gets them to keep their eyes on you 

You might also find that your loose lead walking improves if you can tire him out with some off lead exercise first - it definitely helps Rory!

[Londongirl]

The hide and seek game really works! Also I let Henry have a mad run around for five minutes then I set off at a good pace, so that he follows me rather than the other way around. Henry still dashes off, but always back to me, and I just keep walking. Extendable leads make them think they are leading the walk.

[Murphys Law]

I would look at buying a training lead. It will give Oscar some freedom but also give you control. Then I would work on his recall.

There is an excellent post by Topbarks at the top of the training forum for working on recall. Or you could buy Total Recall by Pippa Mattinson. It is fantastic.

[James+Carly]

We bought a long line at the weekend and took Oscar to the park. He loved running around, and his recall was much better than I though it would be, so we are going to take him him now to practise. Although he seems to like rolling around in other dogs pooh 

[Londongirl]

Aw, I bet he loved running around! They can surprise you - although it's all very exciting, you are still the centre of their universe. Happy walkies, Oscar.

[James+Carly]

Aww it is very true thank you

[PennyB]

The hide and seek game really works!

As does the running away from them in various directions and getting them to follow you plus any recall should be accompanied by being over the top with enthusiasm when you want them back. Mine are all offlead (including foster pups) as soon as they've finished with their vaxes and seems to work well for the future re recall

[Piskychops]

Our puppy is now 13 weeks old. She had the garden to play at first then Since being fully vaccinated we have been taking her out twice daily on the lead to where it is safe to then run free. We are blessed to be living in a rural area. She runs around like a mad dog nose to the ground like a true hunter doing what her dad would have done. A real working cocker. She loves it. I cannot imagine only walking her for 15 mins on a lead. I know her joints are young etc. But our other dog who was a big springer was walked like this and he lived until a ripe old age happy as Larry.
I have read so many articles and there is so much conflicting advice it's more stressful than the puppy frenzy evening sessions we are enduring (she is fighting going to sleep)
She comes when called, rings the bell to go outside, sits, gives her paw sleeps upstairs on the landing in her own bed gets up at 5.30 for a pee then waits until about 7 am before she wants her food. We got her at 5.3 weeks (long story)  it's been hard but I suggest to anyone follow your heart if you can let them run and sniff and hunt and be a doggie then do it . Her tail doesn't stop wagging!

[Neil]

I let Bobby run off lead almost from the first walk after his vaccinations were effective. He was always good at recall. All the same he sometimes hot too adventurous and worried me by running out of sight. But the thing is your dog doesn't want to lose you any more than you want to lose him. I think Bobby scared himself occasionally by losing me, and he learnt from it, not to go so far next time.

[bizzylizzy]

I do think it depends where you are though, as the fact is, a dog who's out of sight is not under your control and could pose a danger to itself or others (deer, cyclists, etc etc). The owner is responsible and will carry the consequences. I'm not saying my dog has never been too far away, I think most honest owners would admit the same, however I don't think its good to just accept that "that's what dogs do", - it can be discouraged with training.

[Londongirl]

Our puppy is now 13 weeks old. She had the garden to play at first then Since being fully vaccinated we have been taking her out twice daily on the lead to where it is safe to then run free. We are blessed to be living in a rural area. She runs around like a mad dog nose to the ground like a true hunter doing what her dad would have done. A real working cocker. She loves it. I cannot imagine only walking her for 15 mins on a lead. I know her joints are young etc. But our other dog who was a big springer was walked like this and he lived until a ripe old age happy as Larry.
I have read so many articles and there is so much conflicting advice it's more stressful than the puppy frenzy evening sessions we are enduring (she is fighting going to sleep)
She comes when called, rings the bell to go outside, sits, gives her paw sleeps upstairs on the landing in her own bed gets up at 5.30 for a pee then waits until about 7 am before she wants her food. We got her at 5.3 weeks (long story)  it's been hard but I suggest to anyone follow your heart if you can let them run and sniff and hunt and be a doggie then do it . Her tail doesn't stop wagging!

I found the 5-minutes per month of age rule really confusing. After reading around, it seemed to me it was just applicable to lead walking or brisk heel walking, or other activity that could jar the joints. Any time Henry spent rolling around with other puppies, buffling in undergrowth, lolloping around after birds, dead leaves, whatever, I didn't count in his strict 15-20 minutes. So I'd count the ten minutes of walking to and from the park, maybe add ten minutes in my head for running and trotting in the park, and discounted other activity that was really play. All the advice seemed to be that playing in the garden isn't limited, so I didn't think similar activity in the park should be limited either. Having said that, when he was little I made sure he was getting plenty of sleep too, which naturally limited the length of time we were out.