Off-Lead or On-Lead? How to Be a Responsible Dog Owner

When I rescued my dog, Anayah, I quickly realised how many dog owners underestimate the responsibility that comes with off-lead freedom. This became clear very early on, as Anayah is dog-reactive.

One of the first times I took her to a quiet park near the town to introduce her to new places, we had a difficult encounter with 2 off-lead dogs. Since then, these incidents have happened time and time again. I know I’m not alone, so many dog owners have faced close calls like mine, and sadly, some have walked away with a seriously injured dog.

This lack of awareness is one of the most frustrating realities of the dog world.

The issue isn’t simply about dogs being off the lead—it’s about dogs being off the lead without reliable control.

In today’s post, we’re going to explore when dogs should and shouldn’t be off lead, the risks involved, and how to train a truly bombproof recall so dogs can enjoy freedom safely and responsibly.

The truth about off-lead dogs

The park I took Anayah to was huge—despite getting busy at times, there was plenty of space to keep a fair distance from other people and dogs. At this stage, Anayah was only mildly reactive to other dogs, but what happened that day changed everything.

My mum and I were walking when a group of people approached from the other direction on the path. They had around eight Dachshunds with them, most on leads—except for two. Wanting to give them space to pass without stressing Anayah, I moved onto the grassed area to let them walk by.

I will never be able to trust Anayah off lead, and that's okay.

Before I had a chance to react, the two off-lead dogs rushed towards us, teeth bared.

Anayah—a German Shepherd cross Siberian Husky—cowered behind me as the Dachshunds charged, barking and growling.

I stepped between them, trying to shield her, but they circled around me, nipping at her as she barked, whined, and tried to escape. She was terrified.

The whole thing happened so fast—yet, at the same time, it felt agonisingly slow. I stayed calm and repeatedly asked the owner to collect his dogs. He took his time, but eventually, they were back under his control on a lead.

Then, as if it were just an unfortunate accident, he apologised and casually admitted that he knew his dogs were aggressive and that they often caused issues with other dogs.

I was speechless. This man knowingly walked through a busy dog park with his aggressive dogs off lead! If they had run up to a dog who was more aggressive than Anayah, those dogs could have ended up seriously hurt. Luckily, Anayah came away with no physical injuries, but her reactivity towards dogs was amped up.

A friend of mine (let's call her Sarah) was at a children's play park with her grandchild and their dog, Buster. While the grandchild played inside the fenced area, Sarah took Buster for a walk around the perimeter.

As she was strolling, a large dog locked eyes on them from across the field and made a beeline straight for Buster for no apparent reason.

In mere seconds, it had crossed the field and lunged for Buster’s throat.

Sarah had never seen this dog before, but after speaking to the owners, she learned that he had lunged at dogs in the past.

After the fight was broken up, Buster was rushed to the vet, needing stitches. Physically, he was mostly unharmed other than a few bite marks, but mentally, the damage was done. Now, Buster is terrified of leaving the house, flinching at the mere sight of another dog.

Sarah admitted she felt lucky that it had been her walking Buster and not her grandchild, as he often held the lead, but she was so angry at the owners of this dog for having him off lead when he knew the dog was prone to aggression.

What do both of these incidents have in common? Dogs with a known history of aggression—off lead, unchecked, and left to decide for themselves how to engage with others.

Would recall have made a difference here? Maybe, maybe not. But as dog owners, it is our responsibility to know our dog's limits and not put them in situations where their bad choices could end up in injured dogs or people.

When Should You Let Your Dog Off Lead—and When Shouldn’t You?

Let’s take a moment to reflect on your dog’s off-lead readiness with a few key questions:

• Do you have complete control over your dog when they are off lead?

• Does your dog reliably listen and respond to voice-only commands?

• Will your dog return to you every single time you call them, without fail?

If you confidently answered yes to all three, then off-lead freedom can be enjoyed in safe spaces like fields, forests, or countryside walks, where minimal risks and distractions allow your dog to explore while staying under control.

If you answered no to any of these, then your dog should remain on a lead unless in a secure, enclosed space.

UK farmers are allowed to shoot your dog if they are threatening livestock (AI image)

Off-lead isn’t just about giving dogs freedom—it’s about ensuring that freedom is earned through trust, training, and responsibility.

There are a few reasons why dogs would be untrustworthy off lead, these include:

• High prey-drive

• Flight risk (they are likely to run off)

• Anxious

• Aggressive/reactive

Some dogs thrive off lead, while others may never be fully reliable—and that’s okay!

A dog who once had great recall may experience an incident or behavioural change that impacts their ability to be off lead safely. On the other hand, a dog who starts off unreliable can, with time, consistency, and the right training, earn that extra freedom.

Recognising your dog’s unique needs and adjusting accordingly is what truly makes a responsible owner.

Society puts so much pressure on us as dog owners to provide every bit of freedom possible to our dogs. I constantly get asked by strangers if I ever let Anayah off the lead to "run it out" because she's an "active breed and walking isn't enough". These comments are made by people who have never met me before, people who don't know Anayah's story, or mine.

It's okay to never be able to let your dog off the lead while out in public places or on country walks; it's a societal expectation that's outdated and not proven by any science.

Don't let what others expect of you determine what you do with your dog.

Many people I know don't let their dogs off lead, not because they don't trust their dog, but because they don't trust other dog owners to be responsible.

There are certain places and situations where dogs should never be off lead, regardless of their obedience, unless they are working dogs (such as herding dogs). These include:

• Fields with young livestock

• Shops, cafés, and pubs

• Areas where signs specifically request dogs to be on a lead

• Towns, cities, and other built-up areas

• Conservation sites where wildlife and habitats need protection

Keeping your dog on a lead is not neglect—it's responsible ownership. If your dog struggles to walk calmly on a lead, it's time to train them! Respect the environment and those around you, while ensuring the safety of both your dog and yourself.

If your dog attacks another dog or livestock while off lead, the consequences can be severe. Depending on the situation, your dog could be put down, and you could face legal repercussions, including charges for damage to property or harm to individuals.

Risks of letting your dog off lead without 100% control

A UK study published in 2020 found that roughly 15% of adult dog owners had seen their pet attacked by another dog within a 12 month period. Many of these incidents involved off-lead dogs initiating the attack.

Additionally, a survey estimated that 64,000 dogs are killed annually and over 44,000 suffer severe injuries due to dog-on-dog aggression in the UK.

These figures highlight the serious risks of uncontrolled off-lead dogs.

Yes, certain breeds may be seen as more "prone" to aggression, but ultimately, any dog is capable of causing harm. The real factors behind behaviour are environment, training, and socialisation—not breed.

That’s why I would never trust Anayah off lead in a public place. I don’t know her history from before I rescued her, only what I have witnessed since. Her behaviours show fear and anxiety around other dogs, and I wouldn’t put her in a situation where she might feel the need to defend herself. Anayah also has a crazily high prey drive, which is in her DNA, recall goes out the window when she sees a squirrel.

But if another dog is off lead and approaches us? That’s completely out of my control. All I can do is try to protect my dog.

Our dogs are precious. We need to keep them safe.

It is illegal for your dog to be "Out of Control" in any area in the UK, so alongside the legal repercussions for you, if your dog does not respond to your recall, your dog could:

• Run off and not return (could be from fear, prey-drive or simply the will to run)

• Get hit by a moving vehicle

• Be involved in a dog fight

• Bite a person

• Get stolen

• Get hurt by wildlife or livestock

• Get shot by a farmer if they are threatening livestock

In my opinion, it is simply not worth the risk. Our dogs are only with us for a short time—15 years if we’re lucky, but more realistically closer to 10. Every moment with them is precious, and it is our responsibility to protect not only them but everyone else around us.

Recall

Recall training is one of the most important skills a dog can learn. Not only does it give them more freedom, but it can also save their life, whether they’ve bolted out the front door or encountered a dangerous situation.

Teaching recall could save your dogs life (AI image)

Imagine this...

You're walking with your dog on a public right-of-way through a farmer’s field. You spot a female deer with her young fawn in the distance before your dog does, and you know he’ll chase if he sees them. You want to get him on a lead before that happens.

"Buddy, come here!"  You call in a happy voice.

Buddy ignores you.

"Buddy, come!" You say louder, adding more grit to your tone. Maybe he didn’t hear you?

This time, Buddy looks at you, but chooses to keep sniffing in the hedge instead.

Your heart starts pounding as the deer move closer. You call Buddy again, frustration creeping in. He still ignores you.

You repeat the command over and over, each time getting more anxious, more annoyed.

Buddy finally looks at you, but now there’s fear in his eyes. You can’t understand why he won’t listen!

You move toward him, trying to grab his collar, but he bolts. You chase after him, but it’s hopeless.

Here are the possible mistakes in this scenario:

1) Have you trained recall before with Buddy? Because if you haven't, how can you expect him to know what "Buddy, come here!" means?

2) The reward for him coming back to you wasn't high enough value. Maybe you didn't have treats with you, or they might have been boring treats.

These are certain mistakes in this scenario:

1) You kept repeating the command despite your dog ignoring you. You repeating yourself over and over isn't going to change the outcome.

2) You becoming angry will change your tone of voice. Yelling at your dog will only confuse them. If Buddy doesn't come back to you, you'll get mad and punish him when you catch him. If he does come back to you, the likelihood is you'll still be mad because your tone of voice suggests so. Either way, your dog doesn't like the outcome.

3) Chasing your dog may be seen either as a game or aggression and will only make matters worse.

How to teach recall:

Firstly, you need to understand that as soon as you start teaching recall, you cannot put your dog in a position where they are likely to fail at recall. Once you start training, you have to be consistent and control their environment to prevent them from unlearning it.

• Pick your command. Whatever you choose, it needs to be your go-to command for recall. Using their name and then the word "Come" works great. Avoid using only their name, as this should not be a command. Here sounds similar to heel, so choose your word wisely to avoid confusion on your dog's part. You could use a certain pattern on a dog whistle, such as two pips or one long pip.

  
  

• Start in a low-distraction setting first, such as your house or garden. Once they have it in that location, move to somewhere slightly harder.

  
  

• Do not advance them too soon or too fast, or you could end up undoing your hard work. This goes for location difficulty as well as step progression.

• Use a high-value reward. Good treats, their favourite toy (kept only for training) or the best but scratches you can muster.

  
  

• Always reward your dog for returning to you, never punish for them not listening straight away or not at all. You want your dog to trust you and want to come back to you, not to avoid you. I use the rule of 3 for training.

  Praise (Good boy!") counts as one point, Affection counts as one point and a treat or toy counts as one point. If your dog comes back to you with great enthusiasm on the first go, you use all 3 points. If your dog takes their time but still comes to you, you use 2 out of 3. If your dog looks at you and takes a step or two towards you, you use 1 point (this would have to be praise if they are far away).

  
  

• Use a long training lead to start with. A 5 to 10 meter lead allows practice while preventing your dog from bolting. It can also help teach the command.

  
  

• Be enthusiastic and excited. You need to be the most exciting thing around. Your dog has to choose you over whatever else is around them.

  When you call "Buddy, come!", start moving backwards to engage your dog's prey drive and chase instinct. Smile and make it fun.

  
  

• As soon as your dog takes steps towards you, praise and move back further and faster (without tripping up, walking into something or injuring yourself!)

  
  

• If your dog does not walk towards you, give the lead a little "tug" to get their attention.

  
  

• Practice regularly in everyday life. Call your dog randomly, not just when needed, even around the house.

  Frequent practice makes recall second nature.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Repeating the command. Saying it once is enough. Repeating teaches them to ignore it.

• Punishing when they return. Even if they took their time, reward the return to keep recall positive.

• Only calling when fun ends. If recall always signals the end of play, they may resist coming back.

• Using a dull voice. Dogs respond to enthusiasm—make recall exciting.

Off-lead alternatives

If your dog is like mine in the sense that you won't ever be able to trust them off lead, do not panic! There are options for you.

There are fields you can hire, they often have agility equipment to use!

• Around the UK, many hireable dog fields are fully enclosed. These often cost about £10 for an hour, and many come with agility equipment, sand pits and pools for your dog to play in.

  If your dog has a dog friend, you could split the cost of the field between you and the other dog owner and let the dogs have a good run. I use these fields quite often with Anayah as they are a great alternative to off-lead walks.

  
  

• Long leads are great because they allow your dog to have extra freedom while still being under your control. Extendable leads are also an option, though there are debates as to whether these are safe to use or not. I used one for many years with my previous family dog and never had an issue.

  
  

• Ask local farmers or landowners if they have an enclosed space you can use now and then.

  
  

• Many rescues, dog training clubs and breed associations have "Doggy play dates" which you can sign up too. These are often held in enclosed fields and allow the dogs to socialise and run at the same time!

Whether it’s ensuring they’re safely on lead in high-risk areas, teaching them reliable recall, or respecting boundaries set by law and community, responsible ownership is about creating an environment where both dogs and people can coexist safely.

A single mistake—one lapse in judgement—could have devastating consequences. Not only could it put your dog at risk, but it could lead to injury, legal repercussions, and even the heartbreaking possibility of losing them entirely. By making thoughtful, informed decisions, we safeguard their well-being and ensure that the time we have with them is filled with positive experiences rather than regret.

Now, go and train some recall and be a good dog owner!