From: amt@linus.mitre.org (Anne Tallant)
Subject: On-lead vs. Off-lead
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Distribution: rec.pets.dogs
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 16:50:43 GMT


I have a question that perhaps the combined net wisdom can answer.  It
is triggered by a recent discussion of dogs being off-lead in farming
communities.  The question involves the following scenario: (1) a farming
environment in which the product produced is grain and not livestock,
(2) the dog has been obedience trained and has proven itself reliable
to the "come" and "down stay/sit stay" commands (I know it only takes
one incident to make the dog unreliable), (3) the dog is in the presence
of its owner (who incidentally is responsible for the obedience training),
(4) the dog is off-lead, (5) let me throw in that the dog is a one year old,
spayed English Springer Spaniel female that lives indoors with two people
who are retired and spend considerable time with her and who take her for
long walks several times a day in all weather (off-lead, except during
her daily training sessions).  The question is:  given the arguments
for/against allowing a dog to be off-lead, specifically in a farming
environment, what do you (net-members) think about this particular
situation?  I would appreciate all responses, preferrably via the
newsgroup as there may be widespread interest.

For those of you who are very interested in this question/discussion,
please read further as I have attempted to be more specific about the
scenario I outlined above.  But I must tell you that it gets kind of long,
so if you don't have time skip it.

The farming environment is is a sparsely populated area of the Flathead
Valley in Montana 10 miles west of Glaciar National Park.  There is no
raising of livestock within 30 - 40 miles of the area in question.  The
major crop is wheat, oats, and rape seed (canola oil source).

The couple are my parents who have previously raised two dogs from
puppy-hood.  They knew little about obedience training in raising the
first dog, a lab, and in a suburban area this proved to be a disaster
(they finally gave the dog to a rancher friend who wanted a companion
for his older lab).

Learning from this mistake, they raised the second dog. a springer
spaniel, also in another suburban area.  She was obedience trained, a
model canine companion (she had six human playmates), and only allowed
outside on-lead with one of us (except when we all went backpacking in
the wilderness areas of Wyoming - please, no flames, this was 20 years
ago before dogs in the backcountry became a heated issue).

My parents now live in this farming community of Montana on a 20 acre
wooded drumlin (glacial hill deposit) in middle of miles of grainfields.
There is a nearby two-lane paved road approximately 1.5 miles from the
house.  Molly has been trained to sit-stay when she comes within ~200 yards
of this road.  The road to the house is a one-lane, dirt, washboard affair
that only my parents and a neighbor have any reason to use (it deadends at
the neighbor's house).  The neighbor raises bloodhounds in a kennel facility
on his property and also runs a pet supply store in town.

A small herd of deer frequently bed down on my parent's property because
(1) the top of the hill is warmer than the valley floor and (2) the deer
see the woods as a refuge from hunters during hunting season.  There are
many coyotes in the area, grouse too numerous to count, and recently a
grizzly sow and her yearling (they were trapped by wildlife management
and returned to the park).

My dad (the primary care giver and trainer) always "walks" Molly off-lead
around the property.  These walks, by the way, last anywhere from an hour
to two hours twice a day in all kinds of weather.  Molly is never allowed
outside the house, UNLESS someone whom she obeys is with her.  She loves
to flush grouse and if she smells them she will even head off into the
grain fields to flush them (the farmers have given their blessing).  If she
scares up deer, she'll give chase at what she considers a safe distance,
until they stop and look at her, at which point she stops and watches them.
She has never been know to give chase beyond a quarter of a mile past the
property boundary and always returns immediately on command.  AND during
hunting season, my dad keeps her on-lead for all walks.  When the grizzlies
were around (they bedded down on my parent's property!), my dad also kept
Molly on-lead at all times.

The one time Molly saw a coyote in the field beyond the property she gave
chase.  The coyote naturally ran from her, and although she was in my dad's
sights she did not respond to his "come" command.  My dad figures she
couldn't hear him, because as soon as he blew her dog whistle (which he
always carries), she turned on a dime and returned immediately to him.

Given this detailed description, do you feel it appropriate that Molly
be off-lead like this?  If not, please explain why not.  If you have
any other comments, please share them.  I am interested for myself
because I will be getting a springer pup soon, and at some point in
time my husband and I will be moving to such a rural setting.  I want
to keep my dog safe and healthy, but also give her that additional
"freedom" if she proves herself after obedience training.

Thank you for listening ... I look forward to hearing from you.

Anne
amt@linus.mitre.org


--


Anne Tallant
MITRE Corporation

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