Wworm

I see that Maggie May had the same ?? I did, so decided to start this new thread.

I kept reading to not let basset hounds off leash, as they might follow a scent and are not always good about coming back.

but we live in an area that has a lot of parks and beaches where people let their dogs run off leash all the time. so here I am with Worm on a leash while the other dogs are running around him trying to play with him. Worm can only run as fast as his person, which is not that fast per dog standards plus i can see it may not be that safe to have him on the leash when he's playing like that.

Have people been successful training their bassets to go off leash? And if so, how? all ideas appreciated.

Maggie May

Just got back after a lovely walk thought I would try and wear him out and then attempt off lead - but hey ho here we go again he just does not seem to hear me!!

Mr. Woofus

I agree it's not the best idea. It might work one time, then the next they smell something. When we first got Woofus we were at doggie park. Loaded him up in the car, and in a split second he jumped out past me and took off. I was soooo worried. In 10 mins I got a call from a lady at the golf course. She said she's about 1 mile away....and she works at the snack shack. hahahahahaha.

We have let him off leash at dog beach, but I do that cause Woofus loves chasing dogs and there's so many there that he doesn't want to run away. Maybe just practice with Worms recall for awhile and see how he does.

Maggie May

Bert is so unpredictable and yes if there are other dogs around I stand a good chance of catching up with him - but I worry about him not getting enough exercise whilst I keep him on his leash ?? thankyou for your response (am still learning about this website!)

Esther

yeah we hounds love to just follow our noses.
sometimes we follow it cuz something smells so good and interesting and then when we're done following we don't know where we are and that gives moms and dads a skared. I don't like parents with a skared so i stay on a leash. I don't wanna get lost or hurt cuz that'll make moms and dads have a cry. I cry enough for all of us.

CatherineM

We use the playground at a closed elementary school nearby. Its all fenced in and he can run to his heart's content. He comes back when he gets thirsty. Can't go right now though. The snow is over his head.

LY909

You can start with one of those super long leash and work with your recall in a fenced in area. I have being working with Porter on his recall every since I adopted him last summer and he is pretty good. I carry special treats such as piece of cheese with me when we go out and every time I call him to come back, I kneel down so he can see me kneeling. He would know thats the signal for 'cheese' and he would come back. But if he knows I have no food, he'll just ignore me. Haha the little jerk. Thats the best I can do so far.

Herzo

I to am new to the sight.I have had 4 bassets in my life and all could be off leash.I think that maybe it's where I live because I live in the country and we get to go walking in the hills and Mountains all the time.Even when I lived in town(which is a small town) I could go to the ranch and they were pretty much just happy to walk along with there mom.I did have one, Abigail that was a great hunter and she would take off after rabbits and not stop.But it is real open here and I would just run and run till I would catch her.I never did get her to stop running after foxes but in time I did the rabbits.The fox would usually double back so I could intercept.But my Sidney was a mamma's girl and would only go so far from me so it would limit how far Abigail would go.I also think maybe when they get use to having you lead them and you are a pack they want to stay with you.For some reason they have never gone very far from us when we're in the Mountains, thank goodness.Maybe there not as sure of there selves but we have never had a problem then.My rescue basset was about 2 or 3 when I got her and she never did run away on our walks so she wasn't on a leash very long.I think the long leash and treats would be a good idea I have used them to get them to come back quicker.But like I said I'm in open country and they can go a ways before we run into people.

Annie714

Annie is really good about checking for me when she is off-leash. (knock on wood that it stays this way) She did run home one time we were off-leash at the park near my house. Scared the bee-jeezus out of me even though I could see her the whole time. I think her major attachment to me helps keep her near when she is off-leash but I am super vigilant because you never really know what the heck she is thinking.

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Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

Kirska

If you don't have an off-leash fenced in dog park near you, you can try to find a school yard that's fenced in as was mentioned above. We had a boxer growing up that we could let off the leash whenever we wanted. If they don't pull on the leash, sometimes they don't even realize the leash is no longer in your hand and stay by you anyway.

My parents take their bullmastiff to the beach with a long 20-30 ft lead. Same concept but she can't run away. Might be something to start with if you're worried.

Here is an example of one; this is 50 feet long:
The only thing to worry about is getting dogs or people caught up between you and the dog, but if it's hanging loose they should just step over it.

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Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call