[SilverKismet]

Question in title, would be much appriciated!

 

[RosCole]

We would love to but will not let them off their leads unless we are in the dog park.
Too many dogs, hounds in particular, go missing and if anything happened to any one of my guys because I let them off their leash I would be devastated!
I do not recommend it but that is just my opinion.

 

[nmartin32]

Only in fenced parks or when I am with someone else to help me chase after him when he runs off.

 

[theregalbeagle]

Not very often! I sometimes practice with it in a somewhat contained environment, but I'm on edge the whole time.

Perfect example, last night had the dog on the leash in my in-law's back yard. Handful of treats in my pocket. He saw my husband round the corner and wanted to run towards him, so I let him. He ran to my husband who gave him lots of praise and a good pat. But then the little boy continued to prance around the yard a bit. So after a couple minutes, I grabbed a treat and rounded him up.

 

[vonny]

Ido.
I have always let mine have some freedom in suitable areas.
Most have been quite good but I only risk it away from roads and always have treats on me.

 

[tntnjmom]

We don't. I wish we could trust that she'd be okay, but truthfully, she'd catch a scent and be gone.
I also wish we had a bigger back-yard, but we make do.

We had a lab growing up who did better off-leash than on. But, we lived lived on a small island and it was just us an one other house...lots of open land. Wasn't much to worry about as far as where he'd go...


Honestly, I think it's between you and your dog, and what your gut tells you.

 

[Brien]

Hell no! The second Bodie got a whiff of a cat, dog, squirrel, etc. he would be long gone.

 

[andreab]

Our trainer recommended letting Molly run loose at a very young age(10 weeks) to form a bond/trust with us. At first we were really paranoid but we never had any problems. Nowdays I only let her run loose away from traffic in the forest, she always makes sure she has me in sight and comes running like a mad thing if she cant make visual contact. The only issue is when there are other dogs/people around, she runs off immediately and doesnt react to any commmands to return - this said she has now started coming back of her own accord once she has satisfied her curiosity. I understand people not wanting to risk anything happening to the dog but if you have the opportunity I think it is a fantastic to let a beagle run free and sniff around, it has really enhanced our walks.

 

[AJollyBengali]

The only time I let Oreo off-leash is when we are walking around my neighborhood or in my backyard. Very familiar places, familiar smells where I know he'll listen if I call. And I don't let him go more than a 10-15 yards before I call him back.

On hikes or in parks, no way. And I can tell that it would be bad to let him off-leash in those places because he barely listens to me when he's on-leash. He's too busy smelling new and exciting objects.

It's also worth noting that I rarely let him off leash in my neighborhood anyway because I don't want to run afoul of leash laws.

 

[silleb]

We do.

Other than our backyard, Ben goes off leash in three areas only. A large forested park with trails, an naturally enclosed beach area near my inlaws house, and the other is a hydro corridor that runs behind our street.

We started last fall going off leash. He still wore the leash but dragged it behind him. When we were first training him we always had a pocket full of MEAT or cheese to bring him back. We only had once occurance where he got a little to far away for our liking but he was quickly retrieved. Now he recalls with little problem and doesn't like to be too far out of our sight.

 

[Murphys Dad]

In a word... <span style="font-weight: bold">NO!</span>

One exception would be in a completely fenced in dog park after I have checked it for holes.

Unless you have trained your beagle to have ABSOLUTE RECALL, no off-leash should be allowed.

 

[Mel14]

Only if we are in a fenced in area like the dog park or my backyard that is fenced in. His recall is really bad when we are outside so I would never chance it. My Pit Bull though is awesome off leash.

 

[mrsjenlester]

NO!!! They are faster than most people realize and once on a scent they don't hear you anymore. I do not enjoy running down the street screaming PUPPY TREAT and I have slipped and fell while chasing them. They have slipped past us a time or two while opening the front door to company, pizza man, whatever and it is scary because if a car is coming there is nothing you can do. They don't see or hear anything other than the scent they are on!
I think it's great that some people have good recall with their beagles and it works for them. The only safe places are fenced in ones and even then you have to be careful someone does not open a gate(i.e. dog park) and let your beagle out.

 

[Joe Johnston]

ONLY in a fenced in enclosure. Instinct always wins the battle against obedience.

 

[bubbles]

Never! The thought of Snoopy running off and losing her forever is enough for me to keep her restrained. I do let her off lead at the local dog park only because it is secure.

 

[Smeagle]

Only in fenced areas or when we are training and I know she will keep 110% focus on me. If I'm even slightly unsure the leash stays on.

 

[TwoLu]

Wow! I am amazed at the number of people that never let their dogs off leash. I let my dogs off leash all the time. At parks, my own yard, our 600 acres of property with woods, streams, and farmland. I do not worry about them ever taking off after anything or at least not coming back when called. All 3 of my current dogs are obedience trained and have been trained since bringing them home day one. I also train them with the aid of an electric shock collar. Although, none of them ever wear the collar anymore. Buck, the beagle, only had to wear it one time, during the initial two weeks of beeper training. He never even had to actually be shocked except one time. It is a great piece of mind to have a solid recall.

 

[Smeagle]

Originally Posted By: TwoLuWow! I am amazed at the number of people that never let their dogs off leash. I let my dogs off leash all the time. At parks, my own yard, our 600 acres of property with woods, streams, and farmland. I do not worry about them ever taking off after anything or at least not coming back when called. All 3 of my current dogs are obedience trained and have been trained since bringing them home day one. I also train them with the aid of an electric shock collar. Although, none of them ever wear the collar anymore. Buck, the beagle, only had to wear it one time, during the initial two weeks of beeper training. He never even had to actually be shocked except one time. It is a great piece of mind to have a solid recall.

Not everyone has the ability or inclination to put the work in to get a solid recall - I would rather see beagle owners be cautious than let their dogs off leash when they aren't 110% sure they will come back each time they are called.

I am training a solid recall at the moment but it takes time and knowledge to do so properly with a scent hound. It's also important to remember that each dog is different, with different levels of nerve and drive.

 

[Karebru]

The Beagle was designed through breeding, to find a scent and follow it through hell and high water, and as far as they’re concerned, across streets and highways. Unlike retrievers, they’re breeding tells them to LEAD the hunt. That means if you chase them in order to catch them, they try harder to lead you to the prey. Recall is not in their breeding. For the average owner, training it into them is iffy at best. It goes against their instincts. They come back when they decide the hunt is over.

 

[ncdogstar]

No way! Mine are only off leash in my backyard and once or twice in a dog park. I never knew Teddy could move so fast as the time he got out of the fence(DH's friend accidentally left the gate cracked open), caught a scent and took off like a bullet. DH was in hot pursuit, but says the only reason he caught him was when Ted came to a creek behind our house, he wavered just long enough for DH to nab him!Teddy is very obedient too. Phoebe....that's a whole different story.Lol.