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Letting Your Dog Off the Lead

Many people believe that greyhounds should never be let off the lead as they can cover such great distances very quickly, particularly when motivated by a moving object. They have a very well developed sense of sight and will often spot something long before you. If you have reason to believe that your dog would attack another animal or not return if called you should wait a little longer before letting him off the lead.

Most greyhounds really enjoy the opportunity to have a good fast run at least once a week. It may take some time to achieve a level of control where this is possible, and as all dogs are different it is difficult to put a time scale on how long it will take. In many cases, letting your dog off in the small confines of a crowded local park will never be an option, and under these circumstances it is a good idea to consider the alternatives.

Depending on where you live it may be worth approaching a local farmer or landowner and asking if they have a fenced field that you could let your dog off in (when there are no livestock using it of course). You may be surprised at how helpful people are when the situation is explained.

Many parks have fenced dog exercise areas, which are only usually busy at certain times of the day.

Talking to other local dog owners is often the best source of information about facilities in your area. Sometimes play areas have fenced tennis courts and many equestrian facilities have large fenced riding schools (both indoor and outdoor and often with a sand base which the dogs love).

It can also be helpful to have a friend with you the first time you let your dog off. If you are worried, get the friend to hold his collar, allowing you to walk (or preferably run) away from him, then call him. This often works particularly well if you can borrow another dog that your dog knows and likes, so even if he decides to ignore you, he will usually follow the other dog. As long as the second dog can be guaranteed to return to his owner, then you may find yours will simply follow.

Another piece of advice before you let your dog off the lead is to attach two metal tags to his collar instead of the usual one. Even if the second contains no added information, it means that together the tags will jingle, making it easier to keep track of your dog if he disappears into long grass or a hedge.

And finally I am in no way saying that everyone out there who owns a greyhound should allow their dog to run loose. For a variety of reasons this is not always going to be possible for many owners. I only offer the advice above based on my own experiences with my own dogs. We have always been fortunate to live in areas where there have been appropriate places to allow the dogs to have some time off lead. It is also worth checking the contract you signed with the adoption agency as some specifically add clauses forbidding you to let your dog off lead in a public place.

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