Off-Leash Training

Dogs receive off-leash training at Breakthrough K9

Depending on where you and your dog live, your lucky dog may always be off leash, but many dogs are not accustomed to being off leash in the great outdoors. Walking a dog without a leash has many benefits – namely, you can exercise more creatively, explore new terrain, burn more calories and interact with others along the way with no dog leashes to become entangled.

But just who gets these benefits – you or your dog? Actually, you both do, as long as you and your dog are well prepared.

For many dogs and their owners, the leash provides security and instills confidence so off leash activities are a transition, and they’re not quite sure how to make it. This is why they turn to the experts at Breakthrough K9 Training. You can, too, if you want to enjoy the freedom of safe and untethered outings with your favorite canine.

Dogs reap off-leash benefits

As consistent as you may be about walking your dog, there are distinct advantages to leaving the leash behind for some walks. Whether in a fenced backyard or a sprawling park your dog will:

• Exercise more vigorously, which should improve health and well-being.
• Burn off the excess energy that may lead to undesirable behaviors at home.
• Learn to make better choices with confidence, without being guided or reprimanded to do so.

Training mitigates risks

You don’t need an overactive imagination to consider what can go wrong while a dog is off-leash. Dogs can run off, get injured or get into altercations with people or other dogs. Fortunately, with proper off leash training through the use of a remote e-Collar, owners have a way to communicate with their dogs off leash.

Breakthrough K9 Training begins the process of off-leash training with a two-pronged assessment to determine if the dog and owner are ready to embark on this liberating adventure.

Signs that a dog may be ready for off-leash training

There is no doubt that some dogs are easier to train than others but all dogs respond faster and more consistently to balanced training and reinforcement. Dogs who are off-leash will encounter distractions and will need the confidence and training to ignore those distractions.

Knowing this, the trainers at Breakthrough K9 Training generally expect that a dog who is ready for off-leash training:

• Responds and makes eye contact when called.
• Comes running when he is beckoned to do so.
• Understands and follows basic commands
• Is friendly – but not overly so – to people and other animals. In general, aggressive or reactive dogs lack the confidence necessary for successful off-leash training – at least until their aggression is successfully rehabilitated.

Signs that the owner may be ready for off-leash training

Dog owners must be ready to bring their pets under control, too – and not just in spirit but also in action. The experts at Breakthrough K9 Training look for much of this sense of leadership to be demonstrated after they have successfully trained a dog in the ways of wandering outdoors without a leash. But certain human behaviors are important beforehand, including:

• A laser-beam focus on the dog’s movements.
• A willingness to become untethered from the distraction of a smartphone.
• An eagerness to learn and issue new commands and provide leadership.
• Determination, especially if a dog needs to repeat certain lessons at Breakthrough K9 Training.

Revel in the breakthrough of off-leash training

Then again, it’s possible that you may have to repeat certain off-leash lessons, too – especially if you’re unaccustomed to using both verbal cues and a remote e-Collar. This is important because there may be as many times when your dog may not be able to see you as there are times when he cannot hear you while he is off-leash.

At Breakthrough K9 Training, we prepare dogs and their owners for every possibility – and guide them to every breakthrough until they’re confident about “going off-leash.”