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How To Train Your Dog Off Leash

January 11, 2021 by Mary Telesz

dogs are being trained to follow commands off leashOne of the top reasons to train your dog to come to you when called is for your dog’s own safety. Dogs that ignore you when you recall them can get themselves into a lot of trouble. For those reasons, it is important to learn how to train your dog off leash, beginning when they are young. When you first start with this training, you must measure your success in small increments and practice every day.

Use A Safe Area To Start Off Leash Training

Before you begin the training, plan your location. You need to start the training in a safe and familiar environment. An example of a good place to start would be in your living room. When your dog is responding well, you can practice in your fenced yard. Do not try to start in a public location such as a park or a neighborhood sidewalk. The reasons for that are obvious. First, your dog is better able to focus on you indoors and less likely to be distracted by the scents and sounds outside, and second, if your dog is distracted, he cannot run away, perhaps into a road or into the woods.

Keep The Training Positive

Make the training positive by turning it into a game. Keep your voice higher pitched and give your dog lots of praise, even when they shows the smallest bit of progress. Avoid scolding your dog (and certainly never spank your dog) because that will only scare your dog and make him afraid of you.

Have some small, soft treats in your hand, but do not let your dog see them. In your living room or enclosed outdoor area, sit or stand a few feet away from your dog off leash. Call your dog’s name in a high pitched voice to get its attention and say the word, “come!” as if you’re going to do something really fun. As soon as your dog takes a step toward you, praise him and give him a treat as soon as the dog comes to you. Step away and repeat this a few times.

When your dog is doing this reliably, you can increase the difficulty by increasing the distance a little bit at a time each day. You can also increase the difficulty by adding distractions, but avoid increasing the difficulty too much at once. You will find the point at which your dog will not respond, and when that happens, decrease the difficulty and practice more, then gradually begin to increase difficulty.

Keep the training positive, but do not “drill” the dog or they will lose interest. If necessary, use different treats or toys if your dog gets bored. If your dog is a puppy, recognize that its attention span is very limited, and 15 minutes a couple of times each day is as much as the puppy can handle.

Back And Forth Off Leash Recall Game

dog that is off leash is caressed by it owner after following commandsYou can introduce more fun in the recall game by enlisting the help of a family member or friend. Each of you should have treats in your hand. Stand about ten feet away from each other. One of you starts by calling your dog in a high pitched voice that promises lots of fun. Treat your dog as soon as they come to you. As soon as your dog gobbles the treat, your partner should call it, also using a high-pitched “party time” voice, and reward the dog with a treat as soon as they arrive. Take turns calling your dog back and forth, and watch your dog’s expression become gleeful once they understand the game. You can increase the difficulty by adding distance and/or distractions between you and your partner.

Hide And Seek Game

You can increase the difficulty by going into another room and calling your dog. Immediately reward them with praise and a treat as soon as the dog finds you. Go into another room and repeat the exercise. Increase the difficulty by playing the game outside in an enclosed yard.

Include Off Leash Training Games In Daily Play

Make the off leash training games part of your daily routine. Your dog will love the mental stimulation it provides and won’t even realize that the games are actually training.

Reward Positively Without Use Of Food

As your dog becomes proficient in these exercises, you can begin to remove the treat reward. Start by giving a treat only after the second or third successful response and gradually letting praise be the reward.

Always Use the Same Command Word

One of the most important keys to success is to choose one word and use that word exclusively. The recall command word for most people is “come”; however, your dog will respond to any command word you use. If you deviate from your command word during your training, your dog will become confused.

Start Close and Move Farther Away

As noted earlier, start the training with your dog close by. Increase the difficulty by moving farther away. If your dog is easily distracted, or if you are going outside in a park to practice, use a long line (about 20 feet long or more) and tug on it to regain your dog’s attention and keep your dog from taking off in another direction.

Speak To The Dog Walking Experts At Paw Pals

dog learns to sits after learning commands off leashSome dogs are harder to train off leash. Recognize that you may need some guidance from a professional trainer. You can also get help from the dog walking experts at Paw Pals. They can help you reinforce your dog’s off leash training so your dog keeps making good progress. Contact them today for more information.

Filed Under: Pet Training

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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(703) 345-1695

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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