How I decide whether to let my dog off leash
For our first four years together, my blue heeler Scout was almost always on some form of leash. Since we moved into our converted van, she’s had more off-leash time than ever! This is largely because we finally have access to environments where it’s appropriate for her to be untethered (something lacking in our previous apartment and house neighborhoods).
While I love watching my dog run freely, there’s a time, place, and risk assessment to approach it safely. Here’s how I decide whether or not to let her off leash in a given situation.
TLDR flowchart summary
This flowchart isn’t a flawless representation of the nuance involved in making a decision. No infographic ever is. But it sums up my general thought process!
Is it legal for dogs to be off leash here? If no, keep the leash on. If yes, move to the next question!
Is it safe for my dog to be off leash here (thinking of hazards to her like cliff edges, toxic plants I might not be able to see if she’s far away from me, etc)? If no, use a tether. If yes, next question.
If it safe for the environment to have my dog off leash here… or will she have a negative impact (things like trampling sensitive terrain, disturbing protected wildlife, etc)? If no, stay leashed. If yes, next question.
How has my dog’s recall been lately in environments like this (considering distractions present, how she seems to be feeling, etc)? If solid, next question. If spotty, opt for a long line, flexi, or dragging leash as backup.
Ultimately: Do the benefits outweigh the potential costs of letting my dog off leash? If yes, let’s have a grand untethered adventure! If no, let’s stay on lead.
First: Is it legal for dogs to be off leash in this spot?
“It’s the law” isn’t my favorite reason for things… but legislative intent does matter
I don’t love using “it’s the law” as my only justification for something given that we live in a society where legislation is often flawed. But I do believe in respecting the communities we visit. So for me it comes down to honoring the legislative intent of leash laws!
It isn’t about blindly following every rule out of rote obedience. It’s about understanding why those rules might have been put in place—and what expectations fellow people and pets have in an environment.
In an area where dogs are required to be on leash? Fellow visitors should feel like they can trust that they won’t be approached without permission. Plants and wildlife should remain unharmed. I should make it clear to those around me that my dog is under control.
I think the below Instagram post from my friend Kassidi sums this topic up nicely!
What if the leash rules are ambiguous?
Some places we visit have unclear leash rules. We’ve run into this in a few national forests—physical signs might say something different than a website or range station did, or perhaps guidelines require dogs to be “under control” but don’t specify what exactly that control means.
Here’s how we go about these situations!
In-person signs are my source of truth. This isn’t perfect, but I’ve found it more unlikely for websites to be out of date. We defer to info posted at the trailhead, parking lot, or other main area upon arrival.
When in doubt, we err on the side of caution. I’d personally rather have Scout accidentally on leash in an off-leash area than the reverse.
We gauge the surrounding environment. If it feels like the leash rules in a given space could truly go either way? I’ll make the decision based on the considerations in the following sections!
Alternatives to letting my dog fully off leash in areas with leash laws
Putting her on a visible (preferably brightly colored) long line
Using our retractable leash
Attaching her line to my waist so I can go hands free
Allowing her to drag a leash between us humans
All of the above give Scout more freedom—indeed, she acts almost exactly the same on a long line or flexi as all the way naked—while still giving “she’s under control” cues to those around us in a shared space.
Is it safe for my dog to be off leash (for both her and the environment)?
Is there a much greater chance of Scout getting hurt if she’s off leash versus on?
If we’re going up a steep, rocky trail section… it might be safest for Scout not to be leashed so that she can move completely freely at her own pace. If we’re near a steep cliff edge, though? She’s definitely tethered to us. Each situation has its own risks!
Some environments where our dog is usually on a leash to better ensure her own safety:
Near busy roads
Crowded places with lots of blind corners
Steep edges or other dangerously uneven terrain
Around moose, bears, etc large animals
Areas with venomous snakes (when we lived in Florida, alligators were a bigger concern)
Spots with toxic plants
Will my dog harm plants or wildlife if she romps around?
It’s not just about keeping Scout safe. I have a duty to respect the world around us when we’re out exploring, too! If I think my dog might disturb a sensitive natural environment, we keep her on leash near us.
(Depending on the situation we can also simply use her recall and other commands for short stints, like when we briefly encountered cattle grazing on public land in Utah and New Mexico. Again, each risk assessment has multiple factors!)
Times we keep Scout leashed for the plants and wildlife around us:
Trails near restoration areas
Sand dunes or other fragile terrain
Cryptobiotic soil
Bird nesting habitats
Sea turtle nesting beaches
Any other area marked with endangered species, either flora or fauna
How has my dog’s recall been lately?
As a general rule, I never let Scout fully off leash if I’m not confident I can call her back to me.
Some environments allow for more wiggle room than others—like fenced-in areas or private property where we won’t encounter anybody else—but I want to maintain our recall work regardless.
At this point our cattle dog is pretty darn reliable, so it’s rare we keep her leashed for this reason alone. We used to earlier in our training journey, though!
What distractions are around?
Like all behaviors, recall is affected by the environment. Scout coming back to me when called in our living room is way less difficult than responding at a bustling park around taunting squirrels. I try to keep this in mind when considering if I trust her recall in a given situation.
The other part of this: The consequences of failing a recall differ depending on the distractions around. If we’re in a deserted environment and I have to get her attention twice? It’s really no big deal. If she’s trying to investigate another person or dog, though? I need her to listen right away.
How does my dog seem to be feeling overall?
I also think about the layered stress model here. It’s important to me to be fair in what I ask of my dog. If she’s feeling physically unwell—or if we’ve recently done a bunch of stressful things—I can’t expect her to have the same capacity for impulse control as she might on a day she’s more fresh.
You can read more about health affecting behavior in this piece!
Ultimately: What’s the cost-benefit for letting my dog off leash?
This is what all of the above considerations come down to for me. Do the benefits of off-leash time outweigh the costs?
Sometimes we have a lot more fun off leash
There are absolutely situations where letting Scout off leash makes the experience significantly better for all of us. Bounding over really uneven terrain, safely hiking particularly steep trail sections, playing long-distance fetch… all these things are improved (or made possible in the first place) by our dog being able to move her body as freely as possible!
And selfishly, I love when she gets to be untethered in any environment because it requires less management on my end. No holding a leash, no untangling a snagged line, and so on.
Other times the leash doesn’t make much of a difference
Then there are others situations where it really doesn’t affect our fulfillment if Scout’s on a leash or not. If we’re going for a slow walk where she’s unlikely to want to stray farther than her long line or flexi bounds anyway? No big deal. If we’re in a park environment where it wouldn’t be acceptable to let her wander more than a few feet from us regardless? Same story. You get the idea.
We make a choice we feel good about
If all the previous questions add up to where the costs of her being off leash are much higher than the benefits… she stays tethered. If they add up to where the good outweighs the bad, though? We enjoy an off-leash adventure! It’s case by case depending on the environment and informed by our personal values.
Different gear setups when letting Scout off leash
Naked with us carrying a slip lead
This is our go to in areas where it’s extremely unlikely we’ll encounter many other explorers, like boondocking on remote public land.
If we do need to pass anyone in close proximity, we can recall Scout and easily pop her slip lead on—but chances are she won’t need to be tethered for long.
The risk of her collar getting caught on something feels higher to me than the risk of her getting lost out of sight, hence her being naked sometimes. In truly remote environments it’s also unlikely anyone else would find her before we did.
Wearing a collar or harness with us carrying a standard leash
This is our choice whenever our dog is allowed to be off leash but we think we’ll need to clip her back up more often.
If we’re on a shared trail, I always leash Scout to pass other people or dogs. In busier environments she might need to stay tethered for a few minutes at a time—so a standard clip on a six- or eight-foot leash works better than her short slip.
The risk of her collar getting caught on something in these environments is usually smaller than way out in the backcountry, since there are probably established trails or open areas to romp. Many of these places also require dogs to wear identification, so we follow that guideline when it’s in place!
Dragging a standard leash on a collar or harness
In really busy off-leash places, we might never unclip Scout’s leash fully but still drop it to let her have more freedom.
It’s easier to pick up or step on her leash the second we see somebody else—without having to go through the process of re-clipping it—to make sure they know she’s under control.
She’s pretty neutral to the sensation of dragging a leash. It’s simply more convenient sometimes in areas where the tether won’t get caught on anything (like an open beach).