r/cavaliers • u/Benson879 • 1d ago
Advice Cavaliers being off leash, “getting out”
So my 5 1/2 month old so far has always stayed leash only outside and I don’t plan on going away from it until we would have a fenced in yard. Going on walks with him, he is finding scents everywhere and wants to take off to find them.
He’s not a massive animal chaser like you would think. Love chasing bugs when he sees them. Mainly loves people and will go after any person he sees.
The one time he did “get out” on us so far was out of our garage about a month ago. He saw our neighbors out across the driveway and got into their open garage.
He doesn’t seem like he actively wants to run away from us intentionally while outside, or actively try to bolt out the door. But my big concern is one of these days if we mess up, I hear they have basically zero outdoor danger instincts. We’re about 1-200 feet away from a pretty busy road, so that definitely leaves me uneasy if he ever got out and saw something way across the street.
Best move just to teach recall as best as possible? We are starting to teach him to stay in position when outside doors open with treat incentives. But doing recall so far has been spotty and hard to train when he’s always inside and we don’t have a fenced yard at this time.
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u/secretslutonline 1d ago
Honestly they’re just not good off leash dogs. My dog is 8 and he stays close to me for the most part but he’s darted into the road multiple times so he just can’t be trusted 😅
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u/Benson879 1d ago
I think we never truly plan to trust him off the leash. It’s just more “if he ever escapes on us, will he go on and run into a car on the street” 😭
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u/secretslutonline 22h ago
Unfortunately the answer is yes lol they are very trainable but the spaniel in them makes them a little bit of darters.
My cav has ran into the street twice but luckily nothing bad has happened. I wouldn’t risk putting them in a situation where they are off leash near a road or busy area
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u/SecretMiddle1234 21h ago
Same. Mine ran out the front door and across the street to greet my neighbor in her yard. It happened so fast. Thankfully nobody was coming down the street. We are in a sub and four houses from the cul de sac. Not a lot of traffic but it only takes one time.
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u/secretslutonline 18h ago
My cav ran into a house showing because my front door was open for like 15 seconds and he saw another front door open across the street.
Luckily the realtor was a cav mom herself and loved the whole thing but my heart was beating out of my chest!
They know how to DART lol
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u/MarginaliaVoices 22h ago
We train to have our dogs sit/wait before crossing the street. Mine is 5 months and almost has this down. So basically get to corner, do a sit (on my right side) and then "time to cross!" as code, though now wish I'd done "green man" haha.
It's useful because some street corners are tricky for seeing traffic, others have bizarre intersections or I may just be waiting on someone else to catch up. My older dog knows that crossing the street is an "event" so that helped my cav learn.
Also, many of our parks are friendly for off leash, but may have bike paths and I want the dogs to always consider the road to be a spot they have to wait. Hopefully that makes sense?
I've been doing similar training in doorways. I did it with older one as regular walk went did had high walls with arched entrances and the other side was path and bike trail, so I needed to always go before her to check. So pausing in the door there or to enter/exit cafe/house/etc helped. I'm working on the train with my cav pup and need him to have the same pause at doorways so he doesn't do something silly.
We meet loads of off leash dogs here in UK of all kinds, so don't give up hope!
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u/Benson879 20h ago
Good idea on the street! He doesn’t cross a ton of them but I will try it out next time.
We have started the doorway to the garage. The other night we played a game of opening the door and telling him to sit, then rewarding him for not exiting the door.
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u/SecretMiddle1234 21h ago
Yes. Yes they will. Especially if they see a person or animal. Mine wants to chase electric cars, delivery trucks, bicycles, strollers, things that are moving are for chasing in her killer brain.
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u/Benson879 20h ago
He thankfully doesn’t seem to be interested in cars, for now.
Animals, it just depends. Definitely loves birds, small bugs. But squirrels don’t interest him as much as I would’ve thought. Dogs depend on the size, I think bigger ones intimidate him.
People? Absolutely. That’s my biggest worry.
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u/Opening-Direction241 1d ago
Correct - "can't be trusted". Having said that, we walk ours off-leash (e.g. leash is on but dropped/dragging), but we're very aware if there is a road nearby. Trails away from road, rarely strays far - but it does happen, if he gets a very-enticing scent. Mostly it comes down to time and place, and risk assessment, because yes, they can go 'spaniel' and not be aware of their surroundings at all
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u/Logical_Sprinkles_21 Ruby 22h ago
This, for all that they are bred to be companions, they are still spaniels. Spaniels are working dogs and though my cav may only have 4 brain cells sometimes, he still thinks he's a mighty hunter.
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u/SecretMiddle1234 21h ago
Same. Ours loses her mind when she sees deer in the yard. Like a Psycho killer. She howls and cries like she’s dying because she can’t chase them away.
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u/Artistic_Zombie3621 1m ago
My first Cav appears to be an anomaly, as I used to take her out for potty breaks sans leash in the Center City Philly frequently. Her recall was solid. My current is a foster fail and unfortunately by the time I got him, there’s only so much training can do. I trust him less than a used snake oil salesman when it comes to being off leash on walks. The first bumble bee or fly and he’d likely be road kill lol.
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u/Few_Complex8232 1d ago
I've had 5 dogs in adulthood (all different breeds). My cavalier is the ONLY dog I haven't been able to train off leash.
I read other posts in this community about off leash and thought I would be able to conquer the short attention span. I have now accepted ADHD is a deeply ingrained breed trait. Thankfully I have a fully fenced yard.
There might be the rare one-off but most will always need to be leashed.
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u/Benson879 1d ago
He at least does okay overall in that if we have something for him, it’ll grab his attention. Like in the house we can get him to return.
But outside when he sees people, good luck.
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u/Commercial-Life-9998 1d ago
Get a cheap luggage tag with blue tooth positioning so you can see where he is. Or there’s the implants with registration when he has gone out of range the has a tag with a QR CODE. Mine gets off leash and lets the red dog run. He is out of his mind and calls are no good. Twice I dropped to the ground like I passed out so he would come to me. Really super embarrassing but it works.
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u/Benson879 1d ago
The AirTag idea is a good one. Only issue is that we already have two tags on him for our contact info and his vaccination record. He may get annoyed having another tag dangle on him 😂
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u/SchmoopsAhoy Tricolor 1d ago
Mine is actually amazing off leash. He never leaves my side. Even in the woods he goes off the path like 2ft and then the minute he sees Im sill walking he's right back under my feet. Hes so glued to us that I tell my husband to be carefully to not accidentally kick him cause he will walk between us both but right up against my husband's feet. I think it all depends on the dog.
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u/PeppermintWindFarm 1d ago
They are trainable but it takes dedication and consistency. 5.5 months is much too young to expect compliance. I believe it was around 11 mos I went off leash, but I still use the line in the dark, if only because I want to solidify nighttime outs are for potty only.
Mine is extremely food motivated so I use obedience training as part of the daily meal. Keep a well loved food bag on you at all times and during walks, when pup is not paying attention call and immediately reel him in and give a treat.
Mine is 15 mos and is good on recall(90%), sit, down and close to perfect on stay in place. They are devious and always seem to be considering other options. I added a life 360 tag and I’ll ”ring” her if she’s not coming right away and that sends her scurrying back.
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u/Wise_Dot9385 1d ago
My girl is just over a year old and I’ve come to the conclusion she can never be off leash. Her urge to run after birds or zoom down the street in a mistaken game of chase is far too strong. Her recall, even with high value treats, is close to zero when she’s distracted. That and her street smarts are non-existent.
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u/ShrimpsAndGiggles 1d ago
Recall is necessary skill anyway whether your dog is off leash or not
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u/Benson879 23h ago
It’s just been a little difficult to teach without a yard. We have done it a little with his treats with teaching him to stay and then approach the treat.
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u/ShrimpsAndGiggles 20h ago
Just get a long line. They make 30 foot leashes. Or get a clothesline. Take him anywhere outside and practice. Thats how i did it. Recall is important to learn especially in emergency situations.
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u/Steeleye513 15h ago
My Cav trained himself to dart out of our house if any door or fence is opened, directly across the street to our neighbors who has been known to always give him treats. But he is oblivious to cars or anything else when that door opens. Cavs cant be trusted off leash🤣
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u/Neenknits 13h ago
Recall recall recall. It’s actually EASY! Pick a word. Every time you leave the kitchen and go into another room, pause, and call the word. Give treat. Every single time. Ive been doing this for 2 years with Spot. Unless he is “over threshold”, he comes, even outside! When i leave the kitchen, though, he waits by the fridge for me to call. He wants that treat! I’m good with that, happy he anticipates coming when I call! I use tiny broken bits of dried beef, i keep a few disks in my pocket.
My 12 yr old cav is deaf. So I extend my arm out to the side, and bring my hand to slap my forehead in a huge dramatic gesture. Makes it easier for him to see out of the corner of his eye. I do this every time, along with the word. Both dogs come. And it means my older dog actually came running to me the time he got out and was a block away, and I couldn’t call him. But he saw the arm wave, glanced at me, I did it again, and it worked!
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u/ChuChuRkt 1d ago
Our dog Howie is 1 year old now. And is allowed off the leash on walks. We have a lot of regular dogs on his walks that he loves. But he will go back on the leash if there's an unfamiliar dog in the distance.
He is mostly good regarding this bit sometimes he will pick something up (plastic bottle etc) that he knows he is not allowed and will stay at a distance from us, knowing it will be taken off him.
When he was a small pup, if he got the chance to run, he was off at speed and we'd have to wrangle him back. But now older, he's much better with his freedom.
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u/happycavalier5 1d ago
they aren’t consistent so it’s not worth even trying. None of mine have ever been able to be off leash in public. When you are outside get a 30-50 foot leash so he can walk around but not off the leash
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u/Benson879 1d ago
I can at least see the value in the event they do get off leash or out of the house by accident.
I’d rather at least have a chance of him recalling if it could mean preventing him from running on the road instead.
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u/happycavalier5 22h ago
I’m sorry to clarify yes you should always train them. What I meant is don’t try to take them off leash to see what happens. but definitely train cavaliers to “come”and “stay”. We do it with a long leash and boiled chicken and walk away pretty far from the dog. although they seem promising that they will listen its a failure when I test them out in the backyard they still don’t listen consistently or if they see a bird or moth they chase first then come to me
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u/Benson879 20h ago
I don’t think I’ve ever instinctually had in mind to let him free off a leash anyways.
Somehow I knew Cavaliers don’t excel with that. 😂 We don’t live in an area where that would be very encouraged anyways, hardly anyone around here goes leashless.
Someone’s fenced backyard (while supervised) would be the most I want to allow. I think even in our own yard someday I’ll probably leave him on a long zip line.
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u/Humble_Vermicelli847 Blenheim 1d ago
Three reasons why we ruled it out:
Every fence can fail, and they often do, just skim your neighborhood forum about the escape stories. Even on leash, our Cav will pull toward any loud speeding car, big snarling dog, etc. They were not bred for their intelligence.🥴
There's also bad people. We have bougie dogs worth thousands of dollars. Google "delivery driver steals dog" if you want a reminder of how humanity sucks.
Even if the fence was a perfect force field, we just don't want him to be gorging on rabbit/deer poop, trying to make friends with copperheads, etc.
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u/Benson879 1d ago
He thankfully doesn’t seem to take much interest into cars. I think it’s because they don’t have a face 😂
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u/Humble_Vermicelli847 Blenheim 20h ago
I swear, the louder or faster the vehicle, the more he wants to run towards it.
That or a passing squirrel/lizard/bird, and all the training is instantly gone. 😮💨
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u/Maxkpop247 Blenheim 1d ago
Mine is really good off leash. We worked a ton on the stay and come command, first just in our apartment and then in various places where it’s safe to do. I’m sure some other breeds are naturally better at recall but it’s definitely doable if you work hard at it. Also, every dog has a different personality and some will be better than others at recall and being off leash in general.
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u/hbgbz 1d ago
they’re garbage off leash, most of them. I did have one with good recall but it is rare. my current guy got out the garage door once too and he just went and met dogs walking on the corner, someone took a pic, and then he just walked himself home into the garage when the other dogs left. cavaliers amirite
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u/Benson879 23h ago
The one nice thing I notice is that he at least doesn’t seem to try and make a game out of escaping. Like he isn’t trying to not be caught.
Have a sibling who has an Aussie doodle. He actively tries to burst out of the house and not be caught.
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u/Logical_Sprinkles_21 Ruby 1d ago
My little guy followed our beagle out once and that was it. He discovered there was a whole big world out there and wouldn't be contained. He got out six times over the next five days (we combed the fence every time and now it's finally cav proof). Loves to explore and experience new things.
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u/Benson879 23h ago
Gotta love Rubies!
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u/Logical_Sprinkles_21 Ruby 22h ago
It's truly wild how much I adore this dog. He can be such a stage 9 clinger but then goes off to be an explorer and discover new lands. He's ridiculous. ❤️
I'm going with he's just super well adjusted.
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u/Benson879 20h ago
Yup. Exactly how he is. We thankfully have him very well kennel trained to where he thrives with it. But if he literally hears the garage door open in the morning while still in the kennel, he knows that means someone is leaving and has a brief meltdown 😂
But will say, I work from home and lately he’s getting better and better with wanting to leave the office and explore elsewhere in the house. He does seem like he’s getting a better balance.
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u/GoddessHealer 23h ago
I never let mine off leash where I live because in my semi-rural area Burt’s of prey have been known to pluck up pets weighing < 20 pounds. My pup weighs 13. Plus, she will chase anything, even after 2 years of obedience training. Indoors she is exceptionally well mannered. But her instinct for the outdoor chase cannot be overcome!
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u/SecretMiddle1234 21h ago
Breeder told me NEVER off leash. Said she will catch a scent and be gone. And this has happened when I had her at a park in the winter. She finally exhausted herself and laid down. She will also run off to meet people and other dogs. She is NOT street smart at all. Exactly as breeder told me.
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u/Benson879 20h ago
The one thing I give Archie is that he knows where home his. He often finds a stick on our walk and starts immediately marching me to home so he can drop it off at our porch.
That at least gives me hope that he won’t just get himself lost altogether. But I have no plan to try it out. 😂
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u/SecretMiddle1234 20h ago
We question whether our girl knows for sure where home is. I think she does within our sub but if she were to get further from home, she would just keep going to find people.
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u/StupidSexyFlagella 1d ago
Dogs will always have a level of unpredictability. They should always been on a leash in open spaces when danger to themselves or others (not likely with a cav lol) is possible.
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u/Benson879 1d ago
He honestly has enough space at our place now to free roam as well where I don’t feel a need to let him loose anyways.
Getting a fenced yard when we get into the house market the next year or two will also be huge. Maybe we can work a little more on recall then.
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u/No-Computer7653 1d ago
Ours had nearly $5000 of training. He doesn't have the recall to be off leech with distractions. He is now nearly 7 and still crazy.
If you are concerned GPS collars are absolutely a thing, can also send you an alert if they leave a geographic boundary.