Have you ever wondered if Golden retrievers can be off leash? In fact, an off leash dog will make outdoor adventure more enjoyable and much more interesting. So, Let’s see if Golden Retrievers can do it.
Can Golden Retrievers be off leash? Even though some Golden Retrievers can be trusted off leash, others cannot trust due to their natural herding instinct. With recall training, positive reinforcement methods, consistency, patience, obedience training, socialization can make them good at off leash.
Although some golden retrievers can train to be off leash, it’s a really tough thing to do without a proper training method. In fact, there are many more things you need to be aware of to avoid unexpected problems. So, let’s dive right in.
Can you trust your Golden Retriever to go off leash?
The Golden retriever was initially bred as a hunting dog to retrieve waterfowl such as upland game birds and ducks. Since they are naturally tempted to run after birds and other small creatures, you can never keep the trust in them for off leash walking whatsoever without proper training.
I would like to emphasize that it’s totally doable thing if you take the right approach. Having a good understanding of their temperament is very critical.
- Intelligent
- Kind
- Friendly
- Trustworthy
- Reliable
- Confident
Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t mean that every Golden Retriever cannot succeed in off leash working. If you have any doubts about their off leash ability, kindly watch the video below.
The video is crazy, right. You know what? The Golden Retriever is ranked No. 4 among the most intelligent dogs in the world. So, they are highly trainable, and it can be done if you stay consistent with them.
However, I wouldn’t recommend you to take your Golden retriever off leash walking along the road. Even though your dog is a mastery at off leash walking, walking along the road isn’t something that can accept.
Because unexpected problems can happen on the road, and your dog might not be ready for that thing. I think it is understandable.
However, you can take your golden retriever for adventure walks like hiking or long walks without a leash. Being off leash will give much more pleasure and confidence to both of you, and it’s great.
Read this to understand whether a harness can calm a dog.
Why is off leash walking good for your Golden Retriever?
If you decided to train your golden retriever to be off leash, it would give loads of benefits without any doubt. Of course, this is something I really recommend for all the golden retriever owners to try out.
So, here are the main benefits your dog will receive.
- It will be much easier to burn off his energy.
- It will give him good confidence.
- It can provide a good opportunity to explore the outdoors.
- It can provide good playtime with other dogs.
- The socialization process will be much easier. In fact, he will adjust for people, dogs, children, sounds, and other creatures.
- Your dog can run freely here and there.
- It will help to solve the anxiety and stress.
- It will give you the opportunity to participate in dog competitions such as obedient games.
Reasons why you shouldn’t let your Golden Retriever off leash?
Now you have a good awareness of the benefits of letting your golden retriever be off-leash. What’s more important is you got to have a good understanding of the cons of letting him be off leash.
So, when it comes to disadvantages, some of them can be severe problems. So, having good knowledge about them would give you to take necessary precautions.
- Your Golden retriever could run off.
- He will meet other dogs.
- Sometimes your Golden Retriever could be territorial.
- He could be taken.
- Your Golden retriever could chase animals.
1. Your Golden retriever could runoff.
If your dog isn’t properly socialized, some loud noises, thunders, bands could easily frighten him. As a result, he will try to run off and find somewhere to hide.
But, the fact is this fear is nothing to do with the off leash. It is a question of socialization and obedience.
2. He will meet other dogs.
Usually, Golden Retrievers are one of the friendliest dogs in the canine world. Suppose you go to a dog park for an off leash training session. Can you really expect that friendliness from other dogs?
Each dog has its own personality. In fact, when it comes to a breed difference, these attitudes and personalities can differ massively.
Suppose your dog runs over to another dog for a greeting. You actually never know how this dog gonna react. Sometimes, your dog will be attacked by another large aggressive dog. Who knows. So, letting your Golden retriever be off leash is kind of a questionable matter in such cases.
3. Sometimes your Golden Retriever could be territorial.
We know that Golden retrievers are extremely scalable dog breeds. But in some cases, they can be aggressive toward other dogs and people due to several reasons. So, in that cases, controlling your dog can be a little bit tough without a leash.
4. He could be taken.
If you used to go for walks with your leashed dog, he would be much safer with your hands. But, you cannot be 100% sure that your golden retriever is safe when it comes to off leash walks. Maybe your dog will be taken by someone.
5. Your Golden retriever could chase animals.
We discussed before that these dogs were initially bred to hunt game birds and retrieve them. So, they have a considerable amount of prey drive, and that would lead to chase after small animals and birds.
So, that way your dog may have to face problems.
As you can see now off leash walking with your golden retriever can be a little bit dangerous on some occasions. So, you gotta take the necessary precautions in order to avoid such problems.
How to train your Golden Retriever to be off leash?
All right, guys, this is the coolest part of this article. If you wanna let your golden retriever be off leash, he should be very good at recalling.
So, let’s figure out how to train your dog to be off leash.
This training consists of simple 3 steps. Even though it’s simple, it should be done correctly. If not, some unexpected problems could arise.
- Train your Golden Retriever to recall.
- Take your Golden retriever out with a long leash first.
- Practice off leash walk with your dog in an enclosed area.
Train your Golden Retriever to recall.
What is recalling? The Recalling is standing for Reliable Recall. So, let’s figure out how to train your dog recall.
Follow these 4 simple steps below to train your Golden Retriever recall.
- Make sure your Golden retriever knows its name.
- Train “Come” command.
- Start the training in a little bit quiet area or place.
- Increase the number of distractions. and recalling distance.
1. Make sure your Golden retriever knows its name.
The very first thing is you need to make sure that the dog knows its name. What I mean by that is once you have called his name, the dog should pay attention to you.
So, how can you do this? Stay a little bit closer to him and say his name. If he pays attention to you, praise him with a positive, encouraging sound while rewarding him with tasty treats.
But do not confuse him by rewarding him when he does it wrong. Repeat this process for several days. There is no such specific number for this. You got to do this until you feel some confidence in him.
Read this to understand whether a dog can respond to two names.
2. Train “Come” command.
Do not use the dog’s name when you need the dog to return to you. That’s because we usually say their name many times throughout the day when we need their attention.
So, I recommend simply using the “Come” command, and it really makes sense, right? In fact, tell everyone in the house to use the same command.
3. Start the training in a little bit quiet area or place.
Try to find a little bit quiet place in order to minimize the number of distractions. Here all we wanna know is to train recall to your dog without distractions.
Having a really long lead will ensure the safety of your dog. But I recommend you use a harness instead of a collar. Because the line is a little bit longer, and we don’t wanna give extra pressure to his neck.
So, if your dog is trying to escape, you can easily grab the leash as the lead is really long. In fact, having a fenced yard will give some extra safety.
Stand several feet away from him and say his name. Once he gives the attention, use the “come” command. If the dog comes back to you, reward him as you always did.
4. Increase the number of distractions. and recalling distance.
When your dog is fully comfortable with recalling for a small distance, gradually increase the distance of recalling.
To increase the level of distractions. You can just go to a dog park at non peak times. After practicing it for a few days, choose a peak time as this training time. So, in that way, you can increase the level of distractions.
If you follow these four steps correctly, you will end up with a Golden Retriever who is mastery with recalling.
In fact, this recall can be improved by playing the following games.
- Hide and seek.
- Who is calling?
- Catch me.
Take your Golden retriever out with a long leash first.
When your Golden retriever really good at recalling, take him to a dog park or enclosed area or simply your fenced backyard.
Use the harness and long lead you previously used. This would help you to ensure the safety of your dog. Now it’s time to practice recall again.
But, here, try to make some artificial distractions. It’s better if you bring your dog’s favorite toy. All you have to do is simply follow the steps below.
- Start with a small length.
- Keep the toy a little bit closer to the dog.
- Now try to take his attention by using recalling methods.
- When you succeed in step no. 4, start to throw away the toy as it makes some kinds of prey in your Golden retriever.
- Gradually increase the distance between both of you.
Do these steps until you feel some kind of confidence about your dog.
Practice off leash walk with your Golden retriever in an enclosed area.
Now it’s the best time to train off leash walking with your Golden retriever. Fenced backyard, off leash dog, walking parks, or any kind of an enclosed area. But, It should be outdoors.
But, as I always said to you, don’t try to do this along the road. Even though your dog is a mastery of off leash walking, walking along the road without a leash is a horrible idea.
You can take the Golden Retriever for adventure walks like hiking, long walks, and more importantly, you can be done it even without a leash. How wonderful?
By the way, here is whether corgies are good with off leash.
Things to be aware of
Now you have a proper understanding of whether the Golden Retriever can be off leash. But that’s not enough. There are several other things you need to be aware of.
- When you train the dog to recall, keep in mind the following things.
- Try to keep the recalling associated with your dog’s favorite things.
- Never use the recalling for fun.
- The patient is the key.
- Stay excited when he comes back to you.
- Provide proper basic obedience training.
- Provide good socialization from its puppyhood.
- Don’t run after your Golden retriever during the off leash training, or run away from him. Because he might think of it as a different kind of game.
- Don’t do the recalling more than 1 hour per day. Because It can make him bored with recalling.
Conclusion
Most people love to own these friendly furry friends. In fact, many dog lovers curious to know if Golden Retrievers good with off leash. So, we have discussed about that throughout this comprehensive guide. Moreover, we figured out the pros and cons of off leash working, how to train them, and much more important things. I hope you found this helpful. Have a nice day!
