How often do you let your dog offleash

I kept my dog on a leash mostly because other people seemed afraid of him. My dog was a beautiful Boxer ( my avatar). People often asked me if he was mean...LOL. He was(he died recently) the most loving creature I've ever known. He would've never hurt anyone. I live in a neighborhood with stringent H.O.A. rules.

I have had 6 dogs die in my lifetime, all of these were horrible events. You need to get back on you horse right now, and give another dog the happiness that your boxer gave you. Happiness is a two way street, as you made that boxer as happy as they made you, I assure you that there are lots of dogs waiting for you to make them happy, and that want to make you happy as well. You are correct, boxers are the gentlest of animals, the term boxer does not imply fighting, but that they will stand on two legs and seem to punch at you in play. I sometimes fear boxers at a distance, because from afar they resemble pit bulls, which scare me silly as a dog owner, but when I see a boxer, no mater how big, I know that all is well.

So get moving http://www.adoptaboxerrescue.com/

My dogs go to our neighborhood off leash park every day for about an hour. Every single day they're as excited about it as they were the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. Since we go everyday at about the same time they have their usual pack to run and play with and I'm endlessly fascinated by the pack's social dynamic.

I do the same thing here, but not as often as you, dog parks are wonderful as dogs get to see and play with other dogs. What I am more curious about however, is really off leash, where if the dog took off or got lost, recovery would be difficult, if not impossible?

My dog is off-leash most of the time, but we live in a fairly rural area and she is very well trained so she will come instantly if I call her. The only time I use a leash is when it benefits the perception of other people (that don't know us) that she is under control, otherwise it is superfluous.

Cool, there are far too few people who both trust and are trusted by their dogs.

The dog park we go to isn't fenced so they could easily run away. They don't.

We take them to the beach pretty often. They could run miles and miles away from us but they always stay close.

We've let the off leash when hiking before but if there are other people on the trail they stay leashed.

My dogs rarely wander out of shouting range.

I don't know much about that breed of dog, so it's hard for me to know what you should do.

I have a male, miniature Poodle ( 28 pounds), and he's never, off his leash, unless he's at the groomers. My dog has never been in the woods, but Poodles normally are not considered to be hunting dogs.

The woods can be dangerous places because of large animals like bears. Also, I'd be afraid of insects that might bit my dog.

I'm not crazy about walking through woods today because of all the crimes that seem to going on in them and moreover, too many folks have entered the woods and were never seen again.

I have never seen an open dog park, many people could not use this, if you can, you have an excellent companion.

We are just different, I like camping and hiking, and my breed wants nothing more than to be with me and free. If we should encounter a black bear, I would be in more danger than the dog, because the dog can hit 35mph at least. That said a black bear would run away or scoot up a tree when spotted, I have encountered at least 20, and have even been bluff charged. here is a photo of a bear that bluff charged me. This photo is taken at about 30 feet, https://www.flickr.com/photos/105281199@N03/10255239525/in/set-72157636517421753

You should come over to the UK.

We walk for bloody miles through park, golf course and woodland each day and the dogs are only on the lead (Brit for leash) from the front door to just inside the park
On average there are five or six dogs rambling about together. Usually one greyhound, one retriever, a nutty vizsla, a black labrador gun dog (sometimes two) and a cocker spaniel.

They never argue, only occasionally try to shag one another and while we humans walk two miles or so, each dog must run at least ten.

The park, golf course and woods cover about 150 acres, and we usually meet at least fifteen or twenty other dogs and owners en route.
This time of year (christmas/new year fortnight), especially if it snows, one or two of us have been known to turn up with a large thermos flask of mulled wine and we stop half way round and have a refresher.

I get home with my greyhound and he only needs a quick wipe with a towel (teflon coated dog). The retriever owner usually has to spend half sn hour washing off the mud.

My dog then sleeps for at least six hours.

If a dog gets near a golf course across the pond here, the law would be notified as some rich guy might encounter what doggies tend to leave behind. My dog also loves the snow, I think it changes the way she tracks things, as most scents vanish, and the last deer to pass is clearer to her.

Our dog (avatar) is smallish too (35 lb.) but we're also at the dog park every day and she runs around without a leash. Usually she meets 3 to 5 friends at the park and they have a good time playing.
Close by we also have fenced in dog parks, but the dog park we're going to is bigger and not fenced in.

Our local golf course is rare in that it isn't privately owned. The local council owns it and leases it to a golf club. There are loads of designated public footpaths zigzagging across the course in many places, which have been on the maps since the 16th century or earlier, and the woodland beyond is common land, owned essentially by the people and managed by the local Woodland Trust.
Two of our group regularly play golf (not me), and so we tend to know most of the golfers playing through as we wend our way, and we are all very meticulous when it comes to clearing up after our dogs while in the park and golf course.
In the spring, there is one part of the course where there is a view right down a mini valley which is the sixth hole.
There is a rabbit warren in the adjoining woods down at the far end, and more often than not there are a dozen or so rabbits out on the grass, near to the edge of the woods.
My dog (and my previous greyhound) goes barmy if there are rabbits out, and goes absolutely full pelt down the hill to get them, with the rest of our lolloping hounds trying in vain to keep up with him.
The rabbits see my express train about twenty seconds before he arrives, and all lope off down their nearest rabbit hole.
He comes back looking very pleased with himself, and satisfied that he has been allowed to do what he was bred to do for a couple of minutes.
It's nice to see him totally out of breath occasionally.

The biggest pack we ever ended up with was 22, when we just seemed to bump into dog walker after dog walker one day, and they just ended up tagging along. Again, not one single nasty dog, or any sign of aggro.

My dog was a pain yesterday, because it rained the previous two days. So I took her to the dog park, where she ran probably a mile of more, then I took her biking for another 5 miles, then we drove to where I can have her follow me as I drive, and drove probably another 4 miles. When she finally started to slow down, I stopped and opened the door and she jumped in. Sat down next to me, and looked at me as I pet her head and told her she was a good girl. The thing is, this creature, I think she is not even from the Earth, was not even panting or hyperventilating at all, If you didn't see her running 10 or so miles, you never would even have known that it happened. This ought to be a new post, because this can not be real.....

They differ tremendously in stamina.

Greyhounds have a faster acceleration rate to 25mph than a ferrari, can achieve top speed within three or four paces and run at top speed for about 3/4 of a mile.
They are then knackered.

A typical fox/trail hound will lope for miles and hardly raise their pulse rate.

The dalmatian was specifically bred to keep up with stagecoaches in Europe so that they could act as guard dogs for the coach and horses during any overnight rest stops. They can run at almost top speed for miles and miles.

And from experience, the Vizsla was specifically bred to bounce everywhere instead of run, yet still manage to get there before most of the pack.

Most of the dog parks in my city are open. I like it. It assures you that the dogs there have at least some basic training. I've only seen a few out of control dogs and their owners are quickly discouraged from coming back until their dog is civilized.

One reason our city quit fencing them in is that people were abandoning their dogs in the enclosures. I guess they thought another dog lover would eventually take care of it.

My business partner and I would take our dogs and ourselves out to a beach near King Salmon Slough and also near a restaurant, Gil's by the bay. First a pre breakfast run to the nearby beach, which was naturally defined by water and rocky areas. There were other dogs there from time to time, but not many, sometimes none. My dog was a corgi running in sand and hers was a doberman running faster and further in sand. We all loved it.

Mostly where I have lived and had dogs has been citified and dangerous re speeding cars, so the dogs have been on leash for walks. My husband did do obedience training with our foundling irish setter and then subsequent workouts with him, and he obeyed beautifully. But, once, Kelly got out of the yard - don't remember the circumstances - and took himself for a romp to Venice Beach, and through the Marina somehow, and down to Manhattan beach, to which he had followed a blond jogger. That was something like eight miles. The jogger called us.

My husband had found him, skin and bones, in a lumber yard far across the city, when he was about one. The yard people said take him, he's been hanging around.
No results from searches..
Anyway, I have since learned that dogs found in lumber yards or on railroad tracks have a penchant for travel and adventure. Except my corgi. He was found on highway 101 and taken to the local humane society, where he moldered for a month before I saw his photo in the local paper and nabbed him. He never had an inclination to leave his job, which was me.
My theory is that whoever had him was sick of his barking in a truck or car and let him go.

I hate to say it, but an open dog park makes no sense to me, as one of the reasons for having a dog park in the first place, is to let dogs that can not be off leash, be free, they deserve this freedom. What about the dogs that, would take off without a fence? these dogs are not free to use the park, and in this situation the fence makes sense. One thing that dogs at a dog park will do, is play, I am way faster than your dumb ass, and the next thing you see is two or more dogs vanishing into the sunset at 30 to 40 miles per hour, and you are not following, no how no way. Thus a not fenced off dog area would not work for large fast breeds.