This is good, but…
This picture is a popular social media post right now and it needs to be addressed. In essence, I very much agree with the sign’s message. Absolutely, please at least have full voice control over your dog before allowing him to enjoy the privilege of off-leash freedom, especially when in public environments, and especially always respect other people’s (and their dogs’) wishes in terms of social interaction (or not).
Off-leash freedom for a dog is something every dog craves and deserves, but it needs to be an earned reward — for the sake of the dog’s safety, for an owner’s peace of mind, and out of care and respect for other people and their pets. In fact, the entire goal of my Perfect Dog system is to fast track dog owners and their dogs to the ultimate freedom obedience level (the “Trust Zone”).
That’s the central goal of my training, but it is freedom “obedience.” Meaning, the feature of a well-trained dog should be that he will obey your (responsible) leadership no matter the level of freedom the dog is enjoying at the time. For example, if your dog is off leash in your open front yard and suddenly spies 10 cats, 5 bunnies, and a hundred squirrels across the road, he will not only obey your command to “Stick Around,” your dog will actually consciously choose to self-govern in this situation because you’ve taught him to respect the boundaries you have set (using my boundary line techniques), and you’ve taught him that he must remain within an established radius of your presence.
This is all part of my training and it’s achievable with almost any dog. It actually reaches quite a ways beyond what the words at the bottom of the sign say. Yes, complete voice control over your dog is great, but it’s even better to train your dog to self-govern such that he doesn’t need you to constantly hover over him, telling him what to do. My idea of the ultimate dog/owner relationship is to have a dog that simply enjoys hanging out and behaving of his own accord, including waiting for you to issue the verbal “Go See” approval before entering the personal space of others (whether human or animal).
So, here’s where my additional comments come in regarding the sign:
I would love to add an encouragement to all dog owners that are in the category of the “leashed and nervous, reactive, or fearful canines” — that is, to dog owners who might believe their dogs must be sentenced to a lifetime of leash restriction (let alone all the other possible restrictions in their lives like baby gates, crates, shut doors, being left home instead of accompanying their owners on outings, etc.) because there’s (seemingly) no hope of ever resolving their dogs’ issues. I want to yell from the mountain tops that life doesn’t have to look like this for them and their dogs - that they, too, could be enjoying their walks, runs, rides, and hikes way more if they made a concerted effort in training their dogs toward freedom obedience for just a few weeks or so using sound, proven techniques.
For many, the only barrier between their (and their dogs’) current state of existence is a lack of understanding and the tools (both the tangible tools and the training skills) to facilitate the realization of their dreams. That's where I hope to be invited in (so to speak), to help open the eyes and equip the hands of dog owners around the globe so that they, too, can champion the joys and fulfillment of responsible off-leash freedom.
However, it has to start with humility and willing desire. If a dog owner flat out refuses to believe that his/her dog is unruly and needs proper (the emphasis being on “proper” or “effective”) training, then the realm of freedom obedience will never be attainable for them. In these cases, I say “Poor dogs!” Their sad fate is in the hands of their closed-minded owners who somehow offer up all kinds of justifications, excuses, and/or irrational assumptions for why freedom obedience is an impossible reality for them and their dogs.
But I can’t help but also consider this: Is there a possibility that at least some of these dog owners (who believe dogs must always be leashed) are perhaps envious of the owners who can safely allow their dogs to roam free as they wander on their walks or hikes…? I mention one key example in my book that strongly supports the affirmative to this question. I tell how my dog was happily and responsibly off leash, completely ignoring others and their dogs as we passed by, yet I was unduly berated and barked at to, “Get that dog on a leash!” After assessing the situation, it seemed there was no reasoning behind the man’s demand other than a strict blanket belief that one must always walk one’s dog on a leash.
It’s these kinds of people that concern me when it comes to signs such as the one in the picture above. As I said, I am in general agreement and so have no objections per se to this public message. Certainly, it is very consistent with my well-known saying as The DogFather. It goes like this: There’s a big difference between a dog that is off of a leash, and a dog that is trained to be off leash. However, I would want to add a warning: “Even if you have had previous negative experiences, either personally or with others, please don’t develop such an aversion to off leash freedom for dogs that you become an unwavering anchor — either to yourself or to others.”
More than anything, I would want to issue the above warning for the sake of the dogs and the kinds of wonderful lives I know they could all (for the most part - I know there are rare exceptions) lead — if only given the opportunity to get there . . . !