How old was your puppy when you let him/her out in fenced yard without a leash?

I asked a similar question in another thread, but am curious at what age you let your Cavs out in the yard by themselves. Cori is only 5 mos. old, so I'm not planning to do it soon, but it would be nice to not have to go out 10+ times a day at some point! Many times she doesn't need to go to the bathroom--she just loves being outside.

My main concern with being OK with her going out in the yard alone is that she tries to eat everything and I'm worried she'll make herself really sick or worse. We don't have any toxic plants out there, but she eats mulch, sticks, bark, leaves and has picked up small rocks many times (which I retrieve from her mouth before she has a chance to swallow them). She also loves to eat rabbit poop and it has made her sick on several occasions. We are trying to catch this rabbit, but haven't had luck yet!!

Am I doomed to taking her out on her leash to go in the yard forever?

Amy

I started taking Remy out in the fenced backyard without a leash when we got him at 10 weeks. I followed him around like a hawk, actually when he was younger he would follow me. I always had yummy treats to help cement that part. Our yard is very large (almost an acre) and is a combination of grass and woods so I still never let him out unattended.

He is now almost two. I am afraid there are too many things that he could get into between eating something he is not supposed to, snakes, bees nests and sometimes we have an occasional fox or coyote. If our yard was smaller, more manicured and all areas visible from the house I would be more apt to letting him out without me. Also, his personality is fearless so he would not approach with caution if he saw something potentially dangerous unlike my other dog (not a cav).

I think a lot just depends on the personality of your dog, the layout of your yard and whether or not you can observe things from a door or window.

We did put up a gate so he can be contained on the deck, but if I let him out and I don't go with him he just wants to come right back in again.

Sorry if my answer was not much help.

You could try training Cori to do her business in one particular spot, close to the house - perhaps making a low-fenced three-sided enclosure to mark the place (big enough for her to use several times a day, no dog likes going in exactly the same place). Then take her there every time and reward her there for doing her business. Also reward her when you get back in the house, so she gets the idea that if she goes out, does her business in her toilet area and comes back into the house even when you aren't with her, she will get a reward and lots of fuss. Also only one place for you to clean up!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Hi wolf23! It's definitely helpful to hear other people's stories, so thank you. It helps give me perspective and like you said, you have to know your dog and your situation to determine what to do. I appreciate your reply!

Amy

Kate, thanks so much for your reply. We should have trained Cori to go to the bathroom in one area, but we had started out with us just going in the yard with her unleashed for various reasons, but when we saw her propensity for eating stuff off the ground, we started using the leash. It had only been a few days that she was going in the yard unleashed (with us right there), but she was already going in lots of places and wasn't crazy about going while on the leash, so we let her go wherever she wanted to.

She generally goes to the same area to pee, but tends to go all over to poop. I wonder how she would take to going in a smaller area? I really like your idea of making a smaller enclosure and rewarding her there and back in the house. I'll have to see if we can make something. Thank you!!

Amy

I don't have a fenced yard, so I am always out there with the dogs. However, they are not on a leash, since they come when called and running away has never been an issue. That being said, if you have a dog that likes to eat off the ground, I would never let him in the yard unsupervised. For instance, a cat could have come by at some point, and dropped a dead bird, the wind blew in some bad berries, etc.... I once found Bosco with a field mouse in his mouth -- UGH! Fortunately, I was there to have him DROP. On occassion, I have found him wanting to eat a rock. So, in summary -- if the dogs are out, I'm out.

Joan

I started letting BellaMia out alone when she was about a year old, BUT I am always watching from the window or door. Milo isn't yet allowed alone outside, so as Joan said, if he's outside, I'm outside. It's what actually helped potty train him. He learned if he asked to go out, we did. Sometimes he went potty, sometimes not. He always got praise for asking to go out, then a treat for coming back in. The in and out is inconvient at times, but it does get easier as they get older. When its dark out, neither one are allowed outside without me or my husband.

As to your other question, I kept them on leash outside, with me holding it, for about a month. After that, I let them explore, dragging the leash behind them, it made it easier to catch them! Once they started learning the come command, I stopped using it. I do have a fenced yard, so if they ran off, I knew they wouldn't get out.

. My main concern with being OK with her going out in the yard alone is that she tries to eat everything and I'm worried she'll make herself really sick or worse. We don't have any toxic plants out there, but she eats mulch, sticks, bark, leaves and has picked up small rocks many times (which I retrieve from her mouth before she has a chance to swallow them). She also loves to eat rabbit poop and it has made her sick on several occasions. We are trying to catch this rabbit, but haven't had luck yet!!

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I had this issue too and it gets really old fast constantly saying NO, DROP IT, etc. Plus sometimes our tone may not be the happiest at that time. What I sometimes do, as Milo comes happily running toward me with something in his mouth, is say in a really happy voice "oh what kind of treasure did you bring me?" Then I hold out my hand, tickle him under his chin, and more often than not he drops it in my hand. Of course there is always a treat waiting for him! Now if it is something dangerous, I do use my firm voice for LEAVE IT or DROP IT.

The other thing I do, is if I see him somewhere where I know he'll grab something he shouldn't is practice the COME command as soon as I see his head go down.

Sometimes its a matter of attitude and perspective.

Joan, It's going to be tough to never let her out unsupervised! I remember we let our first Cav out alone (don't remember what age), but he was never out very long and didn't eat more than the occasional piece of bark or little stick and never once got sick.

Maybe Cori will ask to go out less when she is older, although she loves to go just to be in the yard, not necessarily to go to the bathroom. She is at the door a dozen times a day. I feel like I can't get anything done with having to take her out so many times a day. Once the kids are home from school, they can take her out, but they aren't as quick to catch her eating something or as good at getting it away from her. We are currently working on leave it/drop it.

Thanks as always for your advice! We'll figure something out!
Amy

Joyce, our potty training is going great, too, I'm sure in part b/c we take her out and stay with her. I could try doing the leash dragging in the yard, but she truly is constantly eating stuff off the ground, that I feel like I can't be less than a foot from her!

Yes, it gets tiring constantly saying leave it or drop it or having to move her away from what she's trying to eat. I need to remember to always have treats with me to give her something good in return for dropping things in the yard. We've been working more on leave it. I just introduced drop it.

It's sounding like not too many people let their dogs out alone. I don't know anyone around here who doesn't just open their back door for their dog to go out. Kate had mentioned building a small area for her to go out into, but the way our yard is set up, I don't think it will work. Or I would have to walk her out to the small area and if I'm going to leash her and walk her down there (we have to go through a screened in deck and down a flight of 15 stairs to get to the yard), then I might as well go out there with her.

Oh well, like I said, we'll figure it out.

I appreciate your feedback as always!

Amy