28/08/2026
When your dog is off lead, how far is too far?
This was a great question asked at puppy class this week. 👌
The honest answer is that it depends entirely on how solid your dog’s recall is in that specific environment, as well as their prey drive and hunting instincts.
When you’re first experimenting with off-lead freedom or working on a long line, bring high-value rewards on every walk. You’re competing with the environment, so you need to be more valuable to come back to than whatever has caught their attention. Practice recalling every few minutes—especially with dogs that like to range further out—and test the recall when they’re mildly distracted.
In the video, you can see my Maggie on a regular walk across an open stretch of countryside. She loves to run, create distance, hunt, and track, whereas my other dogs naturally stay much closer.
Allowing that kind of distance is only an option because I know I can get her back. In unfamiliar places, I recall her in to stay much closer. If she ignores a recall more than once on a walk, she goes straight back on the lead for the rest of the trip. If her head is somewhere else on that occasion, safety comes first. Ill have ac whistle handy that can be hard over a greater distances to!
Sorry, for the sound, it was a very windy day!
