On-Leash or Off-Leash? That is a question…

In the world of Otterhounds running off-leash is controversial. Scent hounds are known to follow their nose and the better the scent, the less effective the ‘come’ command. It is true with all hounds so owners must make the right decisions. Has the dog been taught to be off-leash? Does he/she know ‘come’ command?  Is the environment safe? Where can the dog potentially run off?  With our dogs, we rely on pack dynamics. If you control the alpha dog, the pack will follow. Hours of obedience training are critical. But most of all, we always evaluate the surroundings for access to streets, open fields etc. before we make a decision to let the hounds run free. We just have to be smarter than their scent instinct 😉

Also remember to be considerate of the people around you, whether you have the right to be off leash or not. Otterhounds are large, powerful dogs. Safety is vital. Without training and a strong bond with our dogs we would never take the risk.

ONE MORE THING:  Not all Otterhounds were created equal and some of them are simply not off-leash candidates. If their scent instinct or the drive to run is too strong, you may want to stick to the leash walks and fenced environments: back yards and dog parks. Better safe than sorry!