Dog walking question

In a word NO - I don't know anyone with a beagle (and I have a lot of members in my beagle group) who can let their dogs off leash except, of course, in a securely fenced yard. I could leave my keeshond off-leash and she'd stay right with me. But beagles are scent hounds and will follow their noses if given the opportunity - if you want Timber to lead a long, healthy, happy life, and not wind up missing or as road kill, please don't even consider letting her off leash. We have a member here (who is also a member of Beagle Bay) who has a 5 year old beagle who has been through obedience training, advanced obedience training, and is a certified therapy dog, but he bolts every chance he gets - does that tell you anything?? There may be a few beagles someplace that you can trust to stay with you - but I don't know anyone who has one. I don't mean to sound negative, and I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong, but I never let any of my dogs off-leash outside of their yard. Perhaps you'll be one of the lucky ones, but I always advise people who adopt my puppies NEVER to let them off leash unless they're safely confined in a fenced yard.

Originally Posted By: P3terWill i ever be able to take Timber off the leash? How do i get her to stay at my side?

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Simple answer - Training Training Training. An un-trained Beagle should NEVER be let off leash.

The earlier you start training the better. It gets harder the longer you leave it. The earlier you teach the recall the easier it is because very young puppies naturally are inclined to stay close and want to come back to their owner as they don't, normally, have the confidence to go far.

I've raised 3 Beagle puppies and all 3 could be let off leash. Rosa is obediant and she doesn't run off and will come back every time I call her. This is down to very early training from the first day I got her at 9 weeks old. It can be done.

Sherry is a rescue and I never let her off leash as she is 10 years old and had no training at all prior to me getting her. Teaching an old dog to come back to you is very hard, teaching a puppy isn't, so do it NOW.

Of course where you let your Beagle off the lead is very important. I'm lucky that I have acres of land behind my house that's a very long way from roads. If, Peter, the only place you have to let Timber off is near roads then don't do it. Even a well trained Beagle is unpredictable.

I think it also depends on where your walking the dog. I let Zoey off her leash on a regular basis but were walking on farm lands away from roads that get heavy traffic. She was intended as a hunting companion so from the get go she was taught good off leash manners and she is remarkably good on call back. The method I used to train call back was the Where are you method. I goes like this: Since a dog hears its name so many times during the course of the day it gets bored with it and is only interested in coming back if you have something better than its sniffing at the moment. The Where are you? callback taps into the playful and curious nature of the dog. It starts as game with several people. You have one person hide while the dog is distracted and have that person call out Where are you or whatever call back word you choose. When the dog gets curious and seeks out that person and finds them its rewarded with a tasty treat. Have differant people hide thoughout the house and repeat the call back phrase or word but have them alternate between praise,treats and play sessions. This keeps the dog guessing as to what the person calling has for them. Since dogs are super curious by nature they seem compelled to find out what awaits them. I also made sure I alternated between differant types and flavors of treats to keep the guessing game going. If you decide for yourself that you are going to let Timber off the leash this might be a good thing to tryto help in calling her back.
BTW: I tryed describing the call back training in the best way i know but sometimes I type confusingly So if anyone would like me to find the book I got it from and copy it to the thread or a PM just let me know

wow,joshua, that is a great game! if nothing else it will entertain the dog, but hopefully help him learn too.

I also have a beagle mix and he is usually very good with out a leash. USUALLY. I can take him outside to go potty without a leash on and im very comfortable. He will come to me when i call him.

EXCEPT - if there is another dog around he will take off FAST. The good thing about this is that other dogs are usually leashed to their owners or very obedient and thus Arty will only run to that dog and stop to play.

The bad thing(s)?
He runs like crazy without looking, meaning it can have dangerous results in traffic.
Some people get very scared to see another dog running towards their dog and will yell at you for not using a leash.
He will not listen to you when he runs away, and the more you chase him the happier he will get bc he thinks it is a game.

I do admit that I take him out without a leash more often than I should, but its a dangerous game and I really shouldnt.

It's a very personal choice, for me it's about quality of life but there's always an element of risk involved. I walk (or cycle) with mine off the lead every day and she loves it, but we also practise recall every day, and I would never walk her off the lead near roads or in an unfamiliar area. It also makes a big difference if there are other dogs with us - as a member of a pack she's much more likely to go further away.

I'd start working with Timber now, (in an enclosed space) as someone else mentioned, it's important to keep her guessing a bit about why you're calling her back (praise, treats, game, back on the lead etc), and, although this sounds mean, you don't want her to feel too secure about what you are going to do / where you are going - so I often turn round and start walking in another direction or even hide behind a tree or something when I see that she's not paying attention. It means that she normally doesn't go off too far for fear of losing me which keeps her within whistling distance. Also, as Artimus said, be aware that if you run after Timber she'll think it's a great game!