The one thing to keep in mind is, what a long and lonely journey, going home will be "if you lose your dog!!"
Next, is the best preparation for the "unexpected...is a well trained dog!"
A solid recall is obviously of utmost importance! But that can be difficult to achieve, it will happen but takes time.Next is "Stay" and then "Down" both these will stop your dogs forward movement first, which gives them time for there brain to catch up with there feet! Stay, Down, an then Recall, repeat, repeat, repeat in training! Before even thinking, about off leash! Find a confined area first and most likely this is where you need to use a long line.
CGC, test includes a 2 minute out of sight, of the owner Stay...so bear that in mind! 15 sec Stay...not good enough! So a stay somewhere between 15 sec and 45 sec for awhile would be best. Then a minuet then start working on the out of sight thing. All of that takes time.
And of course...I got more!
Struddell had all the above down cold so no problem, turns out when we moved...yeah not so much! When we moved from San Jose, City to Rural NV, nothing but open desert and a lot of low growing shrubs. You can see for miles without obstruction! Exercising the dogs was easy, our favourite spot was about a two mile drive from home, open desert, we would pull of the hwy, about a quarter mile.
So the Mountains to the North, the Highway to the South about quarter to a half mile away, depending on angle. This is the setup to where I got the worst scare of my life by stumbling into circumstances that were easily forseeable!
We had been in NV about one week. One day on an open desert walk/run, the dogs about 25 yards in front, of me a Rabbit breaks cover???
Struddel and I both spot it as does Gunther but Struddell has point! She stops and stares hard...what be this????
I look rabbit is moving at well Jack Rabbitt speed!
And is headed North so what the heck, I say OK and bam she is off like a shot and it's game on!!!
She could never catch one but they could not burn her off on the straight either! She would be about one or two Boxer lengths behind the Rabbit! That usually worked with most dogs I am sure, but not with a Boxer! The rabbit would blow by Gunther BullMastiff/APBT/Lab, he moved like a dump truck!
But when they went by Struddell it was game on! The chase always ended when the rabbit would do a quick dash in the brush and then back down the straight! Struddell would follow the Rabbit into the brush and try to find the scent. I'd watch as the rabbit came, instantly back on the straight and sailed away, Struddell nose to the ground in the brush looking for the scent??? The dart in the brush and back on the straight, worked every time!:crazyeye:
This was all great fun! This was the pattern for months. No issues, open desert lots of room and she always checked in with me. Back and forth for hours, If I walked two miles she covered six!
Then one day it changed!! The stupid rabbit broke South towards the Hwy! You would not believe how small a half mile distance seems at Boxer/Jack Rabbit speed!! I tried to call her off, but it was to late and no good, it was on! I lost sight of them (Struddel and the Rabbit).
I was crushed!! I loaded Gunther in the car and headed towards the hwy! No sign of her! Now the same desert that had always been fun for us, all looked vast and barren! My baby girl (Struddell) was out there somewhere, if she had no been hit by a car!!
In despair I turned the car around and parked at the original spot and started to cry. :cry2:
I get out of the car to take a last look. And...guess who comes bounding out of the brush! Yep sure enough it was her!:clap2:
She bounces over to me like.."what's up dad why so gloomy?? Apparently though I could not see it in the brush, the rabbit had at some point gone...oops, the hwy and turned around! So Struddel followed it back towards the mountains and thus back to the car!!
I got a second chance...never again! It took nothing major, the only difference was no more instant chase! If a rabbit broke cover (dogs are both off leash) it was an instant NO! She would stop, if the rabbit broke North (the mountains) it was "OK"...game on and off she'd go!
The point here is...most likely your dog has never seen a Deer or a Rabbit?? The instinct is to chase! If he is well trained and you keep a close eye on him...you will have seconds to issue a command to stop him!!
If you can't do that and he chases after game, his rear end is very well the last thing you may see of him??
And farm dog...most likely he ranges far and wide and your dog may or may not stick by his side??
The off leash thing in and of itself is not a problem but the unexpected appearance of game is!! You have to have absolute control of your dog off leash or you'll know the feeling of losing your dog! It's not a good sensation, trust me on that!
If I sound like an almarist? Well yeah I guess so! I don't want you to have to make a long, very sad journey home without your dog!