snoots unleashed

how I worked on recall training with the snoots

Hello, I’m back to answer frequently asked questions. Today’s is: “How the heck do you feel comfortable letting your dogs off-leash? Aren’t you scared you’re going to lose them?!” And the short answer is: “Yes, absolutely, that is my nightmare.” But the long answer is that I do a lot of background research, training, and bargaining with the void to keep the noodles around. So, this little blurb is going to provide insight into the "rules of thumb" I follow that have helped me get my dogs to a reliable recall. Please keep in mind that I am not a dog trainer, I am not a professional, and this is my first time owning sighthounds, so take everything WITH MANY grains of salt. This is just what worked for me.

If you’re in the sighthound community or sighthound-adjacent, you’ve probably heard people warn against letting sighthounds off-leash, especially Borzois and Greyhounds. And there’s a real reason for that: sighthounds are fast m*therf*ckers and they are highly prey driven. GOOD LUCK CATCHING THAT NOODLE. Not only are they fast, they’re slippery little devils, so always approach off-leash situations with extreme caution. I feel it’s important to mention that not all sighthounds are created equal. Some are naturally 'velcro' dogs, which makes training much easier, while others couldn’t give a fluff and aren't really suited to being off-leash. Cleo and Abby fall somewhere in between—neither completely velcro nor indifferent. This is because both have high prey drives, but they are also highly food- and handler- motivated. As a result, training them has taken time, but it has come to them relatively easily.

My off-leash journey started with Cleo. Hiking has always been a big part of my life, and I knew I wanted a dog who could join me on trails. So, when I got Cleo, I started prioritizing her recall training as a puppy. I was SUPER cautious with her because: 1) she was my precious angel baby, and I didn’t want anything to happen to her, and 2) I knew what people said about sighthounds and wanted to take that seriously. I started by taking her to the small dog parks in our area, which only had a few little fluffy white dogs running around. I would wait for her to get distracted by a smell or the other dogs, then call her to me, immediately praising and treating her when she came. It became a game for us. I’d hide behind trees or try to get as far away from her as possible without her noticing, practicing her always running back. I even had friends come and practice calling her back and forth across the park. I did this for many months, and it wasn’t until she was almost a year old that I even attempted to let her off-leash on a hike. (I’ll say that at the time, I didn’t know about long lines, but I definitely would’ve utilized that for peace of mind if I had.)

The first off-leash hike I did with Cleo was with a friend who had a dog with reliable recall. This was HUGE for her, and I would HIGHLY recommend doing this. I kept her leashed for the first mile while the other dog was off so Cleo could see how he stuck around, checked back in, and waited. Once we got to a denser part of the trail where she couldn’t easily veer off into the brush, I let her off. She just walked nicely next to my friend’s dog and followed his lead. If she got too far ahead playing with him or wasn’t checking back in, I’d call her back like we practiced, and she’d always come flying back. She wasn’t off-leash for more than 20 minutes on that hike, but I will say, I was SWEATING the entire time. It was just a practice run, but it was also a really scary step—giving her that much freedom and relying solely on trust and months of training. From there, we continued to practice, and I gave her more and more freedom. It was not an easy process, and it was definitely not glamorous. There were many days I felt absolutely defeated because I couldn’t call her off a dog or a squirrel like I wanted to. It takes time and a lot of grace.

For Cleo specifically, she has a poop-eating problem. It’s something we’ve worked on for years, but it remains her guilty pleasure. Having to run her down in the woods because she didn’t recall off a pile of poop has scarred me for life. Thankfully, over time, I’ve been able to call her off them, but every once in a while, she’ll sneak a little bite. Her other downfall is dead stinky things. I can call Cleo off game, off dogs, off almost anything, but if she gets a whiff of something dead and I don’t redirect her immediately, there is no stopping her from running to roll in it. Cleo is definitely not perfect, but when it really matters, she listens, and I’m proud of her for that.

I will say, Abby is every stereotype about Borzois being off-leash that there is. When she starts running, she forgets who you are, she forgets who she is, she forgets she’s a dog, and just becomes pure instinct. That is why, when she was younger, she was never off-leash—ever. It wasn’t until she was four or five, and Cleo had a reliable recall, that we even attempted it with Abby. It helped to have a dog with reliable recall as a good example, but also that all Abby cared about back then was hunting Cleo. So, if Cleo was running back to us at full speed, you bet Abby was right behind her. And we worked from there, praising and rewarding her, making her check back in, etc.

I think it’s important to mention that any off-leash practice we attempted, we made sure we knew exactly what we were getting into, as far as environment. This might be disconcerting to hear, but I truly believe every off-leash trip is a risk. You really can’t predict everything. There are so many unknown factors that can come into play, so it’s SO important to set yourself and your sighthound up for success. And by that, I mean, do your research on the trails you’re taking your dog to. Know how people use the trail (is it normal for dogs to be off-leash, or do people only walk leashed dogs there?), are there mountain bikers, is there a lot of wildlife, is it near a street or have a lot of trail outlets that go right into a busy road, are the trails dense, what is the visibility like, etc.? There are so many factors to consider before you even decide to unclip your dog, far beyond just a good recall. A lot of the trails we go to are either dog parks, dog-friendly/dog-specific trails, trails the community implicitly uses for dogs, beaches that are naturally fenced in, or trails we frequent so often we know when they’re less busy.

With Marcy, I’ve definitely fast-tracked her off-leash training. I did some initial recall training at a fully fenced-in dog park, similar to what I did with Cleo, and once I knew she had her basic ‘come’ command down, I felt comfortable taking her to some partially fenced-in dog parks that are usually not very busy. I wanted her to see Cleo and Abby in action and normalize from a young age that being off-leash and sticking around is just what we do. Right now, her recall rivals Cleo’s, but I know Marcy is still very much a puppy and has a lot of growing and development to do—especially behaviorally. I’m expecting in the coming months we’ll get to the “too cool to listen to mom” phase, and I’ll reevaluate her freedoms then. Right now, she’s not displaying much of a prey drive, but I’m sure that may change in the future.

My Rules of Thumb for Off-Leash Hiking

Know your trails
If I try a new trail, I do the entire thing leashed a few times to get an idea of the type of people and dogs who frequent the trail, how they use it, and if there are any unsafe areas or water. That’s why some outings I only take certain dogs—I know their strengths and weaknesses. I know certain hikes I like to do require specific reaction times, so I tend to take Cleo on more solo hikes because she is the most dependable, does well on tough terrain, and has the stamina.

Avoid busy times
I always try to go during the least busy times—whether that’s early in the morning, during lunch hours, or really late in the evening. It also helps if you don’t mind going out in poor weather. Some of my best hikes have been in the rain or blistering cold because I get the whole place to myself. It’s just more peace of mind knowing you have the trail to yourself.

Don’t let them off immediately
Sighthounds are runners, and when they get going, they can cover a lot of ground before doubling back. Because of this, I always walk about a quarter to half a mile into any trail before letting them off-leash. I don’t want them feeling comfortable near the trail entrance, by cars or roads. I structure it so that if they do run back, there’s a good amount of trail to ensure they’re not putting themselves in danger.

Check for listening ears
My dogs are just dogs; their training gives them room to make their own decisions, and it relies on a lot of trust. So I’m always checking in with them and seeing their mindset. If I’m entering a trail and Cleo and Abby are pulling and frantic, they’re not being let off. If I let them off and they don’t sit and wait to be released or at least pause and give me eye contact, I put them back on leash. If they’re not checking back in or roaming further than normal, I leash them. If I’m not getting consistent eye contact, I know the girls aren’t in the right mindset to be off-leash, and I don’t push it—we can enjoy a hike just as much on-leash.

Be aware of your surroundings
I’m always on high alert on trails because I’m looking for people, other dogs, wildlife, and poop piles (🥲). I want to spot all of these before the dogs do to better ensure their safety. Sometimes that isn’t possible, but that’s why I’m also watching the dogs for their specific tells that they’re on to something I haven’t noticed. For Abby, her ears go up, and she starts prancing with wild eyes, which usually means she’s spotted wildlife or another dog in the distance. I immediately disrupt her attention and either redirect her or leash her. For Cleo, she goes very still, sniffs a bunch, then backtracks quickly. This usually means she’s caught the scent of something dead—once she’s on the scent, I have a few seconds to redirect her, or there’s no stopping her. With people and dogs, I always err on the side of extreme caution. If I see another dog, even if it’s off-leash, I’ll always leash mine to pass or have the girls step off the trail and sit while they pass (unless it’s a dog park or dog-specific trail). Cleo, Abby, and Marcy are social dogs, but when they encounter a strange dog or person on the trail, they usually freeze and get unsure. I’ve always capitalized on that instinct to call them back and leash them right away.

Always carry a high-value reward
As I mentioned, my girls are VERY treat-motivated. Quite frankly, Cleo could care less about what I say or ask her to do if it doesn’t involve a treat. Bribery is my fail-safe.

Be able to call your dogs off other dogs/wildlife
I started practicing calling my girls off other dogs at dog parks. It’s a safe place for them to interact with other dogs while giving me a great opportunity to practice refocusing them. To ensure I remain their primary focus, I keep moving unpredictably, use high-pitched sounds when calling them, and reward them with high-value treats when they respond as I want. You never know what kind of dogs you’re going to encounter on a trail so it’s better to be over cautious. I always leash my dogs when I see another dog because I never want their handler to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in a public place.

The ability to call my girls off wildlife came from real-world practice. I let the girls chase squirrels because 9 out of 10 times, the squirrels immediately run up trees. Not only does this mean the girls don’t go very far before coming back, but it also presents the perfect opportunity to practice recalling them off something of high value. Deer, however, are always a concern—Abby is crazy for deer, meaning they’re extremely dangerous for her. There is always a risk with off-leash dogs, and over the four years they’ve been off, we’ve had three runs ins with deer. All of these instances were extremely scary, but since we chose trails safe from roads and most foot traffic, they were isolated incidents. Cleo always comes back right away, but Abby definitely gets a look in her eye like she’s planning to run the circumference of the Earth. If we encounter a situation like that, the trail becomes off-limits for a while, because once they’ve had that experience, every time they return they’re on high alert, looking for deer to chase—and that’s not a behavior I want to encourage.

Always keep 'er moving
I find sighthounds have an innate fear of being left behind—at least my girls do. It’s in their nature to move and explore, so if I’m constantly moving and forcing them to be aware of where I am, it keeps them sharp and keeps them close to me. I also find that keeping sighthounds—or any dogs—moving is just the safer means of exercise. That’s why I love dog parks that are trails. Meeting dogs there is much more natural and safe for socialization because they meet and keep moving. A dog park that’s just a giant field where everyone stands around is a nightmare to me.

In Conclusion

I am very aware that my style of off-leashing is fairly loosey-goosey—it leaves a lot up to my dogs’ discretion which is pretty risky. That’s why I will never claim to be an expert in off-leashing my dogs and am always hesitant to give advice to other people about it. Every dog and situation is different, you really have to work and train for the dog in front of you. In the four years of hiking with my girls we have only had a handful of scares, and even those scares have been resolved quickly with them always coming back. Due to that I have always felt confident going out everyday and continuing to hike with them. It is something I am passionate about, I find real joy in and it makes my connection with my girls really strong.

For tax, here are some examples of the girls’ recall (and that is my family in the video, don’t worry, no little girls were spooked in the process of Cleo zooming):