As pet parents, we know how excited our dogs get when they go for walks. Few activities excite a dog and a nice, long walk is one of their favorites. Taking your dog on a daily walk doesn’t only bring happiness to your dog but it also results in mental stimulation which also comes from exploring new places by sniffing everything around. Moreover, your dog socializes while walking, permitting it to meet new people, other pets, and unfamiliar things like motorcycles, kids, and much more. Today some dogs’ parents choose to walk their dogs “off-leash” to give them more freedom. On the other hand, some dog owners don’t support the idea of walking their furry friend without a leash. Yet, t’s important to take caution for potential problems. Being a responsible pet parent means knowing the pros and cons of off-leash adventures. Pet Barn will guide you with the needed information before considering off-leash dog walking.
PROS OF ON LEASH WALKS
1-Safety: The world around you isn’t the safest place to keep your dog without a leash. No matter how much your dog is trained to listen to you, there are unfortunately some dangerous situations that could happen out of your control. Having your dog on a leash will be safer.
2-Control of sudden reaction: Whether you are living in a big city or suburban neighborhood, some unusual accident could happen, like a car honking or another wild animal that could attack or show up scaring your dog and pushing him to react instinctively, which can lead to an unexpected disaster.
3-Discipline: Connecting the walks out with leashing can act as a reminder that you are the leader and the one who takes the decisions and the rules. It’s not just about leading, it’s important to keep your dog’s training and obeying journey simple.
4-No Roaming: Dogs are creatures of adventure, they just love to sniff, lick or eat everything around them which could sometimes cause further problems and unexpected allergies. When your dog is on a leash, it will permit you to control the situation by distracting them from what he’s roaming around and make sure to not let him approach, touch, or sniff anything that could hurt him.
5-Extra Politeness: One of the most important reasons to have your dog on a leash is that it’s much easier to control any kind of interaction with other people or dogs. Even if your dog is among the friendly and sweet dogs, some people don’t like to be approached by dogs or have a phobia of animals in general, so the leash will make them feel more secure because you can control your dog to not touch or interact with them. Also, you can never expect how your dog is gonna react when seeing someone new. Remember, dogs can be judging and moody!
6-Problems with other dogs: The same moody rule applies to other dogs, unfortunately, some dogs are unfriendly and can act aggressively towards your dog while others are just not trained to play or interact with other dogs. Having your dog on a leash will assure both parents are taking hold of the situation because no one would be happy if the sweet dog-Hooman walk ended with an accident.
But what if your dog is happier without a leash?
CONS OF OFF-LEASH WALKS:
1-Freedom to explore: Dogs love to explore everything around them and go on adventures by sniffing everything. Having your dog off-leash will give them the freedom and the time to do what they want, which will surely make your buddy happier.
2-Relaxation: Some people feel that when they remove the leash from their dog it makes him much more relaxed during their walks because it will allow the dog to act more independently and freely, it also turns the pet-parent relationship between the dog and his owner to companion and companion relationship.
3-Physical & Mental exercise: Walking your dog will give him a daily exercise of stretching, moving his body, and getting some fresh air which is very important for him. Having your dog off-leash will not only allow his body to get the freedom of moving just like he wants but also it will give him the ability to use his brain to decide what to do rather than being controlled or guided by you.
4-Promote good behaviors: Being able to walk your dog off-leash means you have reached an optimal training phase ensuring that your furry friend is safe no matter what. Training your dog allows it to be more disciplined, it will teach them to learn and obey your orders when they should. It will also create a special trusting relationship between the both of you.
Conclusion:
Although it seems to be an effortless task to walk a dog off-leash. It’s not easy as it looks and requires a lot of professional training so that your dog could face any potential issues. However many pet-parent wants to make their best friend happy and free with the ability to walk by themselves without being leashed, it isn’t always the best decision for every dog. Pet Barn listed the pros and cons of each decision you consider whether to take whether to walk your dog with a leash or off-leash, the safety of your furry best friend comes first. What about you? Do you prefer off-leash or on-leash walks for your dog? We would love to hear in the comments!
