Would your dogs be trustworthy not to go anywhere if you were standing outside of your fenced area with them?
I was looking at a story in our paper, which is actually quite sad, and some people had their dogs outside with them. The dogs were sniffing around, but staying pretty close.
Frankie is like that. He'll sniff around, but he won't go far from Ds, and Ds can't walk without him being right there.
When we lived in L.A., I never could imagine any of our dogs, from my childhood or adulthood, being out without a leash. The couple of times that one got out, they took off like a shot, and it was a traumatic event to get them back.
Then we moved here.
Suddenly, a couple of our dogs would go with us or the children down to the fields and back, and would do so off-leash without wandering at all. The other 2 wouldn't. Though, Maggie the Australian Shepherd, was allowed off leash when herding with us, but not otherwise.
After that, several of the dogs that we had up here did not need to be on a leash, and never went anywhere. I had learned that it was possible.
Beyorne was a good example. He would hang out when we were out at the road and talking to someone, (always between us/the kids and the person/people.) often lying down but paying close attention.
The same with Pepsi the JRT, and also my McDuff the brindle scotty, even though we had brought him with us from L.A.
But, more recently? No. And, I don't know the difference. I wouldn't have let my last 5 or so dogs out without a leash.
And, most certainly not Krypto. A thousand times no.
I don't know the difference. Maybe how and where they were raised. Also, partly breed. I don't think that it's a coincidence that 4 of the dogs who were fine out were small-medium terriers. (Pure JRT - Pepsi, part JRT - Frankie, part scotty - Taj, and pure Scotty - McDuff.)
Just as I don't trust hounds out, because a scent or something to chase, and they will follow it. My beagles, for example.
The pure and part labs were a mixed lot. Some pretty much stayed with you, while others didn't, which could have been what they were mixed with, or, again, how they were raised.
The livestock guards were pretty good at staying put. Beyorne was part Pyrenees, and Beau was a Komondor. On the other hand, the neighbor's Kuvasz, Fred, came down here quite a bit. I'm not sure if he was exploring the world, or just liked us, our dogs, or our goats and sheep.
The herders have been a mixed lot.
The Chihuahuas weren't bad at all, as a whole.
But, the guard-type breeds were a mixed lot...Rottweiler, Doberman, and now GSD. Of course, some GSD's take a lot after their herding side, such as Krypto does.
Brax was fine when we were there, but I wouldn't have left him to his own devises. Thunder the dobie was a great dog, but I didn't feel comfortable with him not with us, and Krypto...well, he's another kettle of fish.
He has no clue that he shouldn't run over to check out squirrels, deer, etc. Nor that the road is dangerous, etc. He's always had to go out on a leash, so he'd need to be specifically trained to stay with us off leash.
How about you? Your current dogs? Past dogs?
And, if some would and some wouldn't, what do you think that the difference was/is? Breed? Personality? Or....?
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