Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs

Sandra Foltin; Udo Ganslosser

doi:doi:10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs

Sandra Foltin, Udo Ganslosser

Published in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 6)

Received: 24 November 2021 Accepted: 16 December 2021 Published: 29 December 2021

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Abstract

The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.

Published in	Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
Page(s)	181-190
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Canine, Dog, Walk, Speed, Exploration, Welfare, Behavior

References

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APA Style

Sandra Foltin, Udo Ganslosser. (2021). Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 9(6), 181-190. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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ACS Style

Sandra Foltin; Udo Ganslosser. Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2021, 9(6), 181-190. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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AMA Style

Sandra Foltin, Udo Ganslosser. Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Anim Vet Sci. 2021;9(6):181-190. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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@article{10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14,
  author = {Sandra Foltin and Udo Ganslosser},
  title = {Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {181-190},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20210906.14},
  abstract = {The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs
AU  - Sandra Foltin
AU  - Udo Ganslosser
Y1  - 2021/12/29
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 181
EP  - 190
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
AB  - The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Sandra Foltin

Department of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Udo Ganslosser

Institut of Zoology & Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-Universit?t Jena, Jena, Germany

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Sandra Foltin, Udo Ganslosser. (2021). Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 9(6), 181-190. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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ACS Style

Sandra Foltin; Udo Ganslosser. Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2021, 9(6), 181-190. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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AMA Style

Sandra Foltin, Udo Ganslosser. Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs. Anim Vet Sci. 2021;9(6):181-190. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14

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@article{10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14,
  author = {Sandra Foltin and Udo Ganslosser},
  title = {Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {181-190},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20210906.14},
  abstract = {The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs
AU  - Sandra Foltin
AU  - Udo Ganslosser
Y1  - 2021/12/29
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
T2  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO  - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP  - 181
EP  - 190
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5850
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20210906.14
AB  - The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download