From the training
Freedom in steps
Here, the trainer describes checking recall around progressively greater distractions before considering more freedom. Keeping the dog close at blind corners remains part of the plan.
Beo · Training lesson
The answer
On film, nobody takes a dog from a six-foot leash to nothing in one decision. Across some seventy dogs the trainers step the connection down and watch what the dog does at each step: a six-foot leash, a retractable, a long line of fifty feet or so that is held and then dragged, a much shorter and lighter line, and finally no line. The exact rungs differ by dog and by handler - five for Lola, four for Finn, three for Bo and Callie, and for Thor a named rotation of fifty feet, about fourteen and about seven (watch 00:11) - and until September 2026 nobody stated one house ladder. Then, narrating Beo's first off-leash walks, Kelton calls it "part of the process that we have for getting a dog off leash": start on the flexi, then long lines of different lengths depending on the dog - fifty feet, then about fifteen - and from there either straight off leash or a ten- or six-foot line first (watch 13:40). The per-dog ladders on film read as branches of that. What is shared is the reason for the steps. "Dogs are not dumb," one trainer says; "they know when the leashes is going back to you" (watch 00:47). One evaluator gives the other half of the reason: more freedom means more chances to fail, and so more chances to correct and learn that the rules are the same further out (watch 10:42). A dog who is reliable while you hold the line has only shown you that; the dragging line matters because it is the stage where he can no longer tell he is attached, and a lighter line feels like less leash because "the lighter the line is the less drag there is" (watch 02:27).
The step down is taken when the handler's confidence says so, not after a set number of days - "how confident do I feel with this dog?" (watch 18:05) - and each step is described as a cost in trust, so the place is chosen to make it affordable: somewhere with a little going on but not busy first, the busy place next (watch 01:00). The confidence that counts at handover is the owner's: Boog's trainer tells his family the off-leash stages are "not the knowledge part" but building their own trust that he will not run, which is "individual to a person" (watch 26:25), and Reaper's offers the fifty-foot line as the owner's safety for exactly that reason (watch 45:26). Three concrete gates appear on film. The recall has to be decisive before the leash comes off, because "taking it off too early is a big problem" and that is how you end up with a loose dog you cannot catch (watch 30:36). The dog should not load the leash at all and should come off pressure the instant she feels it (watch 01:32). And several trainers use a named 'flexi test': a real walk in a relatively busy public place on a retractable that never has to be locked (watch 29:06; watch 46:53), which one handler puts another way - off leash means you can correct the dog with the e-collar only, and if you still need the leash to correct anything you are not ready (watch 24:40).
How far the dog may range is its own thing to train - the radius - and it sits beside the ladder rather than on it: the leash is set at a length, the end of it is marked for a session or two, and the aim is a dog who carries that distance inside him (watch 10:14, 10:30). Some trainers hand the size of that 'bubble' to the family to decide (watch 17:33; watch 09:29).
What is inferred rather than said: the ladders on film are records of what each handler did with one dog, not a timetable. Estimates of how long it takes range from 'eight days' for many dogs (watch 14:16) to holding off leash back until the last week (watch 10:11), and Teddy's file, which gives the fast figure, also carries the line that there is no point getting a dog off leash faster than it needs to be (watch 05:31). An owner should treat a filmed off-leash moment as evidence about that dog in that place, and plan their own dog's next step with their trainer.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Keep the line on until the recall is decisive (watch 30:36). Before any step down, check that your dog never loads the leash and comes off pressure the instant he feels it (watch 01:32). Take the first attempt at each new stage somewhere quiet, not busy (watch 01:00), pick up or switch off a dragging line before crossing a road (watch 23:39; watch 16:15), and ask your trainer which stage your own dog is on.
What the trainers say
Dogs are not dumb. They know when the leashes is going back to you. They can see they sense a difference
on the recall got the long flexi got the long line and then once they're proficient you take
away from you without it being clear that you're attached see because you see how he looked up at
basically you have to trust the dog more to do that because which i am starting to trust them
it's also very light so he feels increased freedom because the lighter the line is the less drag there is the less they feel like they're on leash
But my hypothesis is that he will not do that.
12 to 15 feet it's a lot smaller so she can get away get away from me a lot easier so you need to have a little bit more trust to put this line on but she's doing good right now and we're not an incredibly high stakes environment or anything like that
This is like the next this is the last one that I do before I take the leash off. Okay. Cuz this feels like nothing to the dog.
Yeah. For me, it's like, all right, how confident do I feel with this dog?
so implied stay and the heel which funny enough she does significantly worse with the implied stay on it flexi versus a off leash scenario or like the long line that i have right like i have like a 40 foot long line and her implied stay is infinitely better on something like that
we're going to start keeping a tighter radius as soon as i'm a little bit happier with how she's doing with the recall good girl from further away and then we'll start doing that with uh with a long line and then we'll do it completely off leash
There's this look in a dog's eye um uh that uh it's funny. I see I see it all the time. Um because a lot of times it's the first time that they consider that they could go somewhere.
you can also see that she walks on a very loose leash if i do hold the leash she's um she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash um when she feels the pressure she comes right off of it
Because they know you're not holding it. They're not dumb. Yep. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, never think, oh, the dog won't notice. They'll definitely notice.
straight from the flexi because the flexi you they can see you holding it right um they notice stuff
See, that's why you don't go straight from the Flexi to fully off-leash.
so I want to see a little bit more like decisiveness and sureness in his recall before I'm confident in it to take the leash off taking it off too early is a big problem then that's how you end up with a loose dog that you can't get
i do what's called a flexi test okay i take them out on a 26 foot flexi and if i can make it through a 45 minute walk without locking the flexi ever
the flexi test so flexi test is can I take the dog out to a public area that's relatively busy it doesn't have to be insane we're relatively busy and um walk with her and um with only maybe one or two mistakes total but without having to use the flexi right
My goal for the rest of the walk is that I can correct her with only the e-collar because that's what it means to have off leash with a dog is that you can correct them with e-collar only if you have to constantly use the leash still to correct anything whether it's the heel or the sit or the down or the place or the recall then you are definitely not ready to go
Long line's not quite the same as off-leash, you know? It's close, but not exactly the same.
part of the reason that i you know delay it until like the last week sometimes is just because when i take this dog off leash i don't want it to be like he's gonna take off and just forget that i exist
all good. But her feel, she kind of has like a a mental field of like this is how far I should be from my handler. So that's why you let her free room first, get around just so when you're closing the circle, it's more efficient.
Alright, so now that he kind of understands the concept, I'm going to loosen up a little bit because I don't want him to become a Velcro dog.
okay see how good it is on like a long line and not on the six foot leash he thinks about
I'm happy with her. She's checking in with me, even off-leash, which is exactly what she's going to be looking for in an off-leash, ready dog.
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
this is kind of part of the process that we have for getting a dog off leash we we start all on the flexi and then we move to like depending on the dog like different lengths of long lines
maybe 15 foot or something like that which is what this one is and then um depending on the dog sometimes i'll just jump straight off leash from there sometimes i kind of like knock them down like a 10 foot or to a six foot or something like that so i had something i can grab if i need to
And this is something both of you want to do because it's not the knowledge part. It's the building the trust in him that you know he's not going to run away. And that's like individual to a person, right?
it lets you kind of have a trial run of if they're gonna act the fool off leash or not
you want to basically have him off leash but you have a safety
So I just have this little tiny petite long line on her right now. Because I think she's pretty good and close to being off-leash. So I'll use this as a first test.
But I haven't had Cain off-leash fully yet, so I'm going to try them out with this little petite long line first before I decide to go off-leash with them
This is kind of the first step for me
because they do know the difference between collar and no collar or leash and no leash even if it's a very short one
add the more chances the dog has to fail right which then means i can correct and they can learn
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
if you only ever train it with the leash on so that's a perfect middle ground is
time if you can't make the dog listen like 99 of the time with you on leash yeah don't move
good test to see like hey could I take this dog off of a leash well if I can
How it looks, dog by dog
Finn
Each step down is described as an admission that the line could no longer stop him, and the next line is picked for weight as well as length because drag is what tells a dog he is attached. On a six-foot cord the handler states his prediction before dropping it, then takes the line off entirely. He names the one rung he is unsure of as psychological: the moment the dog realises nothing is holding him back. A September Short records the last step - the short cord comes off for his first off-leash outing - with the handler's reason for the earlier steps: dogs know the difference between leash and no leash, 'even if it's a very short one'.
On film
more to not bolt but you have to in this case because the shorter that line gets
In fact, I'm going to go ahead and take it off because I think Finn's going to stay with me.
but this is also partially like psychologically he he knows he still has something on um because i'm not sure if he's fully ready for that like that moment where he's like i have nothing holding me back i'm not 100 on how he'd respond to that
because they do know the difference between collar and no collar or leash and no leash even if it's a very short one
Lola
A nervous dog whose file treats the line as a dial: a twenty-six-foot retractable, a fifty-footer dragging, a petite line of twelve to fifteen feet, a five-and-a-half-foot light leash that 'feels like nothing', then nothing. The switching criterion is the handler's own confidence, and each step is priced in trust with the setting chosen to afford it. It also gives the line a job for other people - picked up, not shortened, when a stranger approaches.
On film
That is a petite long line, so it's not only a lot thinner than this one and a lot lighter than this one, but it's also about 35 feet shorter. I think that that one's maybe 15 feet long.
There's tiny tiny tiny little with the flexi. Okay. So, you don't even notice. Yes. Just from the retraction. There's always a tiny bit of tension. So, they they can feel the difference.
say somebody comes with another dog and I feel nervous about it like now I can go Lola come right and then I can pick this leash up and I don't have to like hold it tight and make the choice for her by managing.
Bo
Bo's session gives the plan in order - long flexi, long line, then off once proficient - and the reason for the order: the dog senses the difference between lines, so the dragging line is where he can walk away without it being clear he is attached. His file shows the ladder across three sessions and stops at a ten-footer named as next; the top rung is not on film.
On film
it's not quite as awkward good boy let's go this is how we start building towards true off leash
them completely off and the advantages of the long line is that you can actually let them walk
Roxy
Roxy's file names the staircase - better recall at the current distance, a tighter radius, a long line, then completely off - and adds a trainer's account, told at handover, of the moment he watches for: the first time a dog considers she could go somewhere. He describes her testing it on a long line, a single yelp, and her loping back, and calls it the learning experience she needed. Ramsey, in the same household, shows leash length used as an instrument: where the dog walks depends on where you let her walk.
On film
Um, and like they need that learning experience where they go, "Whoa, that didn't work at all." Right?
the reason is because puppies are deceptive as they grow up. Um, the reason is not they're not purposely deceptive. It's just you have a deceptive feeling of safety.
so where she walks is entirely depending on where you let her walk
you know people who don't train assume that like once you got the training then you have to do all the training again off leash and that's not entirely untrue it's not entirely true either
Dolce
One rung, argued before it is taken: a fifty-footer swapped for an eight- or nine-foot superlight line, then dropped. Two sentences after the milestone the first repetition is called 'very sloppy'.
On film
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
we aren't trying it in like in incredibly difficult circumstances, it's best to start in a little bit.
I'm pretty close to feeling like I can trust her on that. I'd like to see a couple more instances where she, like kind of
Sage
Sage's sessions supply the cognitive claim - the dog knows whether you are holding the line - and the safety rule that goes with it: never let a long line drag across a road, because a car stopping on it can snap the dog's neck. The retractable is kept for owners as the tool that lets 'okay' mean real freedom, which a six-foot leash cannot.
On film
the long lines are really useful tool because because sometimes dogs act differently with the long line than they do with the flexi.
you never walk through a road and let the long line drag on the ground yeah car runs over it oh yeah I can snap their neck
if you have a six-foot leash, this is all you've got. You go, okay, and you're trying to release to freedom, and that's your big reward for them. That ain't a lot to do.
Luna
The radius taught as its own technique: set the leash at a length, mark the end of it with the collar for a session or two, then loosen it, so what remains is 'a mental field' of how far she should be. Free room comes first and the circle closes after. Her file also warns that the radius is the first skill to decay before going home.
On film
And what we'll do is just we tighten that up. So, that's And way I do that is just I I set the the collar, like they set the leash to a specific length, right?
so like I've already seen her on the long line and I know what that looks like and if you know if I weren't to continuously reinforce the radius before she goes home it could not be great
Deuce
Deuce runs the length the other way: shortened to teach the concept, lengthened again as soon as he has it, so he does not become a 'Velcro dog'. His file also calls off leash the short end of a long process - about one session away, because the time is spent before it - and names the check-in as the thing to look for.
On film
maybe one more session he goes off leash I don't the thing about off leash is there's not a long tune-up process for a dog to go off leash you spend most of the time
yeah i like it like that's the big one i look for when the dogs start checking up like where i am
Zeus
Zeus's file is honest about what a line does not do on a fast, strong dog: a shorter long line is 'less room for error', and the retractable is required kit because it stops the handler being a restrainer, so the walk has no confrontation in it. The leash is meant to become 'more of a prop' than a tool.
On film
This is the initial test here. On a shorter long line, because the other one is a 50 footer, so more room for error.
and it's just really frustrating the whole time um but with the flexi and having training There's not any confrontational nature.
so the leash should become more of like a prop instead of a tool that you use to constantly make the dog do stuff right
Zeus (March 2026)
The March Zeus supplies the one stated reason distance itself teaches: on a six-foot leash the dog is carried along, on a long line he has to think about the command.
On film
okay see how good it is on like a long line and not on the six foot leash he thinks about
Dutchess
The rung after the line: leash off, collar on, in a park with squirrels at the end of her program. The evidence offered is negative - the handler did not have to do anything, she backed off the squirrel herself - and the readiness sign is her checking in unasked.
On film
I didn't have to do anything. She automatically just kind of backed off on her own.
I'm happy with her. She's checking in with me, even off-leash, which is exactly what she's going to be looking for in an off-leash, ready dog.
King
King's handover gives the family the dial: think of an invisible bubble, decide how big it is, and call him back each time he crosses it. His first public day is worked earlier than the handler's usual pace, and said to be.
On film
and come right and so it's kind of up to you to decide how far you want him to go
i usually don't do this kind of stuff this early but like you know he's worked a little bit at the facility today's his first day like out in public
Kodak
The long line as a handler skill: it bunches, and a fifty-footer becomes a ten-footer with a dog running away on the end of it. The household file (Kodak and Rocko) also gives the business's reason for the collar in freedom terms - it lets the dogs be more free overall, and an untrained dog's life is made 'uber small' by constant management.
On film
it'll bunch up like this and then suddenly you have a much much uh shorter line no longer lives up to its name
because I want the dogs to be more free overall in their life and the e-collar allows that
Rocko
Kodak's housemate; his session carries the trainer's statement that the collar is used because it makes the dogs freer and because that transfers to the client.
On film
because I want the dogs to be more free overall in their life and the e-collar allows that
Bullet
Bullet's ladder is narrated as a record of trust - a retractable on day one, a yellow fifty-foot line, then a very short hollow-braid cord - with full off leash already done elsewhere. At the last rung the line is 'really just for other people'. He keeps a ten-to-fifteen-foot radius on his own.
On film
taken him just off leash in different places and never had any issues like I said the line is really just for other people at this point
stuff. You don't need to be here. Good job. Go sniffies.
Louie
A relocation rather than a program: at his new home the owner walks him the edges of the land and names where he can and cannot go, and the property is handed over once he knows where it ends. His training file shows the other side - everything worked off leash except the heel, which still needs the line.
On film
Yeah, he's telling him where he can and cannot go.
a lot of stuff off leash, the only thing I'm working on leash with is the heel because he still needs a little bit more guidance. But everything else, he's doing off leash.
Stormie
Stated as a plan rather than worked: the long line is the next step a few days before she goes home, 'that process is really quick'. At handover the family get the gate instead of the technique - half-obeying on leash does not become obedience when the leash comes off.
On film
gonna be tuning up that down and then really like I'm gonna start taking that the long line and getting there prepped and getting there ready to go off leash
if you're going to make them do what I taught them that first week, if they're being stubborn with you and you can only get them to do half the commands
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix)
A textbook run of the whole ladder: the long line stays on while the rules of play are proofed, a light twenty-foot line he can outrun is used to 'mimic' off leash, and then he is off in an open place. A failed sit is used live as the argument for patience.
On film
that's why you don't go off the long line too soon
Because this is essentially we're trying to mimic as close to as fully off leash as possible
dude now off leash and he can run around and enjoy freedom without fear that he's gonna take off and run away
Akira
At the first owner lesson the trainer names two readiness tests and ranks them: the flexi test (a relatively busy public walk, one or two mistakes at most, never locking the retractable), and full off leash with no line or a very short one, which he will not do unless his confidence is high 'because the risk is high'. He rates her off-leash reliability in a busy place at about six and a half to seven out of ten at that point.
On film
the flexi test so flexi test is can I take the dog out to a public area that's relatively busy
um uh that one i don't do that unless i'm very confident like my confidence needs to be up here
as it sits in a public place with a lot of distractions maybe like a six and a half
Rocky
Rocky's file supplies the flexi test with numbers - a twenty-six-foot retractable, a forty-five-minute walk, never locked - and the rung after it: a very light hollow-braided line of about fourteen and a half feet, 'an in-between step' that lets the handler simulate off leash where it is not legal. Passing both, he says, he could go straight to off leash.
On film
i do what's called a flexi test okay i take them out on a 26 foot flexi and if i can make it through a 45 minute walk without locking the flexi ever
out i like it a lot because um it's a little bit more than dropping a six foot but it's also like
because that way I can kind of simulate doing off-leash without being a terrible person,
Penny
Penny's proofing walk defines the finish line in terms of the correction channel: off leash means every correction can be made with the collar alone, and needing the leash for anything - heel, sit, down, place or recall - means not ready. The flexi test is run on camera and the retractable has not been locked 'in a while'.
On film
Even though I'm not locking the flex, I haven't locked the flex in a while now.
be called the flexi test um and all it is going to be is we're going to be walking and i'm going to see if i can not lock the flexi for the whole lot
Callie
Six-foot leash, then retractable, then a dragged line - and when her recall is slow on the dropped line the trainer uses it on the spot as the argument against jumping from the retractable to fully off. The family go home with a thirty-six-foot retractable described as 'being off leash but not really'.
On film
Because if you do, you can end up with a problem.
being off leash but not really being off leash
Milo
Milo's lessons give the same cognitive reason from a different handler - you do not go straight from the retractable because they can see you holding it - and take the lines off one dog at a time, after checking the collar is on properly. The family are told they decide the radius, rather than calling the dog back every time he moves away.
On film
straight from the flexi because the flexi you they can see you holding it right um they notice stuff
Let me just check and make sure the e-collar's on properly.
and over again if you go a little further away then like you get called back every single time
Roofus
The gate stated as a warning: the leash stays on until the recall is decisive, because taking it off early is how you end up with a loose dog you cannot catch.
On film
so I want to see a little bit more like decisiveness and sureness in his recall before I'm confident in it to take the leash off
Shadow (Siberian Husky)
A husky whose off leash is held back to the last week, so that the first time he is loose he does not 'take off and just forget that i exist'. The final week is not on film.
On film
part of the reason that i you know delay it until like the last week sometimes is just because when i take this dog off leash i don't want it to be like he's gonna take off and just forget that i exist
Apollo (the Sharkie)
A six-foot leash, then a ten-foot line cut down from a longer one so it can be dropped easily, then a dragged line near dogs, children and strollers, then off in open fields. The road rule appears here too, from a different handler: pick the line up before crossing.
On film
like 15 feet that way i can make a little bit shorter long line so that i can graduate it and
Also makes it where I can drop it a little bit more easily.
Because you don't want this laying in the road and then a car driving across it when we go across.
Teddy
Off leash on a hike within about a week of sessions, collar kept as backup, and one real test where he runs off and comes back. His file carries both the fast estimate and the brake on it: many dogs can do this in eight days, and there is no point getting a dog off leash faster than it needs to be.
On film
we're gonna go off leash for him I think he's totally fine here he's recalling just fine
So in eight days, a very, very great many of dogs, we can just do this. We can trust each other and go out on hikes.
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
Phoebe (the Rottweiler)
After good recalls on the long line, the line comes off 'to have real freedom', with the reason stated: a long line is close to off leash but not the same.
On film
Long line's not quite the same as off-leash, you know? It's close, but not exactly the same.
Murphy
Longer leads, then a dragging line, with the venue deciding the step - some parks are less tolerant, so the line stays on there. A small handling rule: a dragging line should run straight, because balled up it creates more drag.
On film
It's always good if it drags, if it doesn't ball up. Because when it's balled up, there's a little bit more drag that's created.
I probably won't take him off the leash here just because they're a little bit more
Clark Kent
The home version handed to the family: a fifty-foot line staked in the ground, keep recalling, and give more freedom as the recall becomes consistent. House freedom is said to depend on the dog.
On film
You know, have him be on a very long leash, like a 50-foot rope or something like that, and put it into a stake on the ground
Hey look, if they're okay for it, some dogs are really bad for it and some dogs are great for it.
Levi
A new dog starts on a six-foot leash even though the retractable is at hand; the longer line follows once the recall is good.
On film
here we go um I have him on my six foot leash I do have my flexi but because it was the first
Doja
Retractable, long line, off lead - with the owners building their own confidence on the retractable first, because it gives them room to troubleshoot.
On film
recalling her because then you have an opportunity to troubleshoot and build your own confidence
Major
A fifty-foot line in parks that require a leash, long enough to 'simulate' off leash within the rules.
On film
we can't be without a leash so this is long enough to simulate quote unquote that they're off leash
Nash
Freedom framed as conditional and ongoing: he keeps it as long as he keeps making good choices.
On film
And so as long as he make good choices like that, then he gets to retain the freedom
Boog
Freedom inside the leash length: sniffing is allowed until the end of the radius or an ignored 'let's go', and sniffing itself is used as his reward. At go-home his trainer frames the off-leash stages as the owners' own trust-building - 'it's not the knowledge part', it is trusting he will not run, and that is individual to each person - and asks whether they got the long line that was sent; the family say off leash will be rare where they live.
On film
his reward can be sniffing oh yeah he goes nuts
There's stages to getting the off-leash ready.
And this is something both of you want to do because it's not the knowledge part. It's the building the trust in him that you know he's not going to run away. And that's like individual to a person, right?
Wrigley
Given all the freedom in the world to sniff, with a default heel near people and dogs.
On film
give them all the freedom in the world.
Angus
Public places are gated on the basics going well; a lighter, shorter line follows the fifty-footer, and a store visit is named as coming soon.
On film
and of course we'll be reinforcing the let's go and the recall and everything else that we've been working on already
Pepper
The first step from house to public is gated on impulse control indoors; if it is not high enough, the indoor work is redone before trying again.
On film
Especially with higher distractions, we make sure that impulse control is high enough here so that we can then try it in public.
Bandit
Not a map member; read because Bandit's off leash is reached in steps within his last week of filmed sessions. On one walk he wears a light line of about ten feet that 'he can barely feel' - 'the first step for me' before fully off leash. Four days later at Dix Park the trainer plans to put a little line on first, but is already confident and leaves it off; the only step he says is left is a busier area with more people.
On film
And I just have this little like teeth like line on him right now, so he can barely feel it
This is kind of the first step for me
i'll probably put a little line on him first and just make just to make sure but But I'm already pretty confident, so I don't foresee any kind of issues.
The only thing left after that is just I want to take him down to a busier, like, higher traffic, like, walking area with more people
Beo
Narrating Beo's first walks off leash, Kelton states the ladder as 'part of the process that we have for getting a dog off leash': everything starts on the flexi, then long lines of different lengths depending on the dog - a 50-foot line, then about 15 feet (the line Beo is on) - and from there, depending on the dog and his other commands, either straight off leash or a 10- or 6-foot line first, so there is something to grab.
On film
this is kind of part of the process that we have for getting a dog off leash we we start all on the flexi and then we move to like depending on the dog like different lengths of long lines
we go from longer like a 50 foot long line
maybe 15 foot or something like that which is what this one is and then um depending on the dog sometimes i'll just jump straight off leash from there sometimes i kind of like knock them down like a 10 foot or to a six foot or something like that so i had something i can grab if i need to
Kali
Kali's last step is filmed across two uploads of one outing. A 'little tiny petite long line', chosen as 'a first test' because she seems close, is left to drag while the trainer checks that she recalls once she realises he is not holding the leash; then the line comes off in an open area so she can 'romp around'. Four days later, at the park with Kane, she is simply off leash because she has been off leash there before.
On film
So I just have this little tiny petite long line on her right now. Because I think she's pretty good and close to being off-leash. So I'll use this as a first test.
as long as she recalls well with me she realizes that i'm not holding the leash now
cali's off leash now it's fun to be in like a more open area so she could kind of romp around a little bit
Kane
Not a map member; read because Kane's first step off leash is filmed at the park with Kali. Kali is already free; Kane has not been fully off leash yet, so he goes on 'this little petite long line first', which is then dropped to see how both dogs do.
On film
But I haven't had Cain off-leash fully yet, so I'm going to try them out with this little petite long line first before I decide to go off-leash with them
So I just dropped that little line there now, and I'm going to let them walk around, see how they do.
Reaper
Not a map member; read because at an in-program owner lesson the trainer gives the long line its place for an owner: someone who is not a professional trainer may not be comfortable taking the dog off leash even after seeing it on video, and the 50-foot line lets them have him effectively off leash in a big field 'but you have a safety' - which matters for a dog as fast as Reaper.
On film
you're not a professional trainer and so you might feel uncomfortable with it right the long line especially that 50 foot long line that yellow one is nice if you want to take your dog out in a big field
you want to basically have him off leash but you have a safety
Sofia
Not a map member; read because Sofia's trainer announces off leash as the next step - 'muy pronto vamos a caminar sin correa' (very soon we will walk without a leash) - right after saying she is coming back very fast now ('regresando muy rápido'). The step itself is not filmed in this session.
On film
muy pronto vamos a caminar sin correa
ya está mejorando mucho ahora regresando muy rápido
Stormi
At Stormi's in-program owner lesson the trainer puts on a very long line that nobody holds, as the trial stage: it shows how off leash is going to look with the owner, the line is there in case she does not listen, and it gives 'a trial run of if they're gonna act the fool off leash or not'. Her case file adds that off leash with the trainer is kept as the safety margin for on leash with the owner.
On film
this lets me kind of see how the off-leash is gonna look so like I want to see how she does with you
not to listen but you don't actually hold anything so it's just a line they kind of drag around
it lets you kind of have a trial run of if they're gonna act the fool off leash or not
Apollo (the Bully)
In a new, smell-heavy store Christian sees Apollo getting more distracted and steps back a rung: more on-leash heel first, then a little more off-leash heel.
On film
and a lot of the smells he is getting a little more distracted so we're going to be practicing
on leash heel a little more first and then practice a little more of the off-leash heel
Bernie
Bernie's file shows the whole ladder. The retractable is a privilege for a dog who obeys and yields; the next rung is a light ten-foot line, 'very very nearly off leash' but something to grab while testing; and at go-home the trainer gives the family the test he used, a long public walk on the flexi without ever having to lock it.
On film
him to be on a flexi but you can only be on a retractable leash if and when you know your
at that point but it's to be able to do like more awfully style work where it's very very nearly
off leash but without having him fully off leash this is where i have something i can pick up and
good test to see like hey could I take this dog off of a leash well if I can
Bun
After distance, duration and distraction work on his down and heel, the trainer judges Bun ready to start 'foraying into the off-leash world' and runs his first fully off-leash walk as a test.
On film
completely off leash because I think he's at the point where he's ready to
and get him fully off leash uh hopefully today boy and do our first test of his fully off-leash walk
Cosmo
At the household go-home lesson the trainer holds a rung back: Cosmo is rusty on impulse control, so he would not go off leash until after the follow-up sessions.
On film
this kind of stuff that he's like rusty at now right like that impulse control type stuff i
really would not take him off leash until we've done like some of our follow-ups because right
Drago
Drago's trainer lays out the tool ladder for the heel: proof it with the e-collar and a little prong pop, move to the e-collar alone so the heel can go off leash, then the flexi. On long-line proofing he expects small heel mistakes on a long line or fully off leash, because the heel is a harder, chained skill.
On film
going to start using e-collar so that he can more easily do the uh heel off leash good boy drago
um and then i will go into using the flexi for it um i'll push him back on the club
there um especially if he's on like a long line or completely off leash just because uh that's a
Egg
The trainer expects Egg off leash in the forest fairly soon but will not hurry it: there is no point getting a dog off leash faster than needed, and he wants to be '1,000% sure' first.
On film
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
if you're not 1,000% sure that they're ready.
Fiona
Fiona's recall is tested at the park on a dragging eight-foot line around bigger distractions. Asked by the family how to get her off leash, the trainer gives the order: master it on the leash, then a long line that simulates off leash with the line still there, then the e-collar.
On film
I have her dragging a little eight-foot long line.
so then so then with off leash you would have to practice it um with a long line so it simulates
Hattie
Hattie's trainer states the sequence in one line: flexi, then long line, then off leash. A fifty-foot line in the park simulates off-leash walking while keeping the leash the law requires, and a Short makes the case for giving distance on purpose, because a dog with no experience of being far away freezes and then bolts.
On film
good job that's about it we just do that rinse wash repeat with the flexi rinse wash repeat with
this is a 50 foot line, to simulate off-leash walking. So she basically is going to behave
to get your dog and yourself used to letting them go a little further away from you so
Josi
Josi recalls well on the flexi and the long line, so the next test is fully off leash, where the e-collar takes over from the line and distractions such as a scent trail are the real test.
On film
When we're completely off the leash because see that would have been easy if she was on the long line, right?
This is where the e-collar comes in and she recalls great on the flexi on the long line and she normally recalls
Kalypso
In a busier store the trainer gives Kalypso spells out of the heel and judges them by one criterion, non-problematic behaviour; at home her calm-liberty time has a set boundary in which she may wander but must stay chill.
On film
Good girl. Let's go and then we'll see how she does if I give her freedom. So she's not in the heel and
I'm going to put a little boundary.
Lucia
Lucia's off-leash recall is held back until the on-leash recall is good: 'we're not on the off-leash recall yet'.
On film
We're not on the off-leash recall yet, but I'm hoping next week we will start working on that.
We just need to make sure that her recall is good.
Lucy
At Lucy's evaluation the family is told what a reliable recall buys: once she flips round and comes back even mid-chase, she can be allowed to chase for five or ten seconds before being called.
On film
you're like then the cool part is you can let him chase him if you want to for a moment you can let
too far you go ah lucy here and she recalls but you can even let her chase her for five or ten
Max
At Max's evaluation the trainer gives the reason for adding freedom: more freedom means more chances to fail, which means chances to correct and learn that the rules are the same further out. In training his sniffing breaks are handed back after each good position, setting habits now so he can move to off leash.
On film
right so that's mostly the idea of like adding more freedom there you go is the more freedom you
add the more chances the dog has to fail right which then means i can correct and they can learn
what he wants to do and we're just setting those habits and boundaries right
Mazi
Mazi's radius is built on a long run of line: once he reaches a certain distance he checks in, and the check-in is what is rewarded.
On film
like he said one more run now watch this let's see that's how we're gonna create the radius is
once he gets to a certain length away from me right okay he's he's doing the
Oscar
Oscar's Shorts show the rungs: leash, then a long line for range, picked up when other dogs draw him; then, judging he no longer needs the leash, a first off-leash test in a quiet area with a busier one next; and a wider radius 'because he's been getting lots of freedom'.
On film
smart boy oscar that's a smart doggy smart doggy i'm gonna pick up the long line here
and i don't think he actually needs the leash anymore so we're going to test it out good thing
we're going to do this in a little bit lower distraction area you can see there's not a lot
I'm going to have him with a little bit more of a radius now.
Peque (PK)
Peque (PK) is given range on a long flexi, on the reasoning that a dog already given freedom comes back when called, and is put in heel when people or dogs pass. The trainer is open that she is not at off leash yet; the long line is the next step, and a later Short records her first session on it.
On film
giant flexi just great the longer the flexi the more freedom you give them the more leash
training we are not at the off-leash yet as you can see but i think next week i will definitely
good day are you having a good day pk's first session with the long line yeah
Phoebe
On Phoebe's loose-leash day the six-foot leash comes first; the flexi, with more room to sniff and test the recall, waits until she is more obedient on the six-foot.
On film
Once she kind of, I would consider doing the flexi
when she's a little more obedient with the six foot,
Piglet
Kelton keeps the end of a fifty-foot line in his hand so he can still reinforce while Piglet moves out ahead. In a later public session the leash comes off for a 'tiny' line about the length of a regular leash, just something to grab, and that comes off too as long as she seems ready.
On film
pig let's go come on good girl I'm actually just gonna keep the end of the 50 foot in my hand
it's almost the same length as the regular leash just gives me something to kind of grab if i need
to and as long as i feel like she's ready for it i'll take that leash completely off
Samson
Samson is shown on 'a much shorter line today' as a mark of how well he is doing; after a quick check of down and heel the very light line is dropped.
On film
All right, here's Samson on a much shorter line today, this is how good he's been doing. Good boy.
doing just fine. So I'm going to drop that line. It's really, really lightweight, so he's going to
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
Connor keeps a leash on Shadow in the house until the behaviour is better proofed, and tells the family that an off-leash recall cannot be trained only on leash: the middle ground is a very long line nobody holds.
On film
do the leash in the house until the behavior is a little bit better proof.
if you only ever train it with the leash on so that's a perfect middle ground is
that it's super long but you're not actively holding it and so we can test
Simba
Off leash in a home-improvement store, Simba is reminded that it is a test with a safeguard: 'I still have an e-collar on you so you're not free'.
On film
pretty good all right i'm gonna test you out okay i still have an e-collar on you so you're not free
Stormy
Stormy's owner is shown the flexi as a dial, changing moment to moment how much the dog may do. In a later lesson the trainer is firm about order: so that she never learns she can run off, she stays attached by leash until the e-collar is introduced and she can be fully off leash with control.
On film
they're useful is because you can change very quickly what you're letting the dog do right so
make sure she never ever ever is off where she can like run without like she should always be
be attached to you by leash forever um until yeah we introduce the e-collar and have her fully off
Thor
Thor's trainer names his own line rotation on film: a fifty-foot long line, then one cut to about fourteen feet, then very thin lines of about seven feet; a later play session swaps the long line for the shorter one.
On film
now it's uh this is um the next leash that i normally have in kind of like the rotation
here this is like a leash that's cut to about 14 feet um and then i have other ones that are
that big huge long line right now we can use the shorter one let me go find the shorter
Thumper
Pulling is stopped early 'so that they can have freedom', and the flexi's twenty-six feet come after a loose-leash warm-up. When Thumper hesitates on a come, the trainer points out that this is why the leash is still on. At go-home the family's wish to walk him past his yard boundary is handled the same way: leash on at first, recalls reinforced with the e-collar.
On film
him to pull me on a regular leash right of course at the beginning they want to do that when they
first come to training but we make sure that we nip that in the bud so that they can have freedom
come come this is why you still have the leash on come so if we had gone off leash already
the leash i suggest you just keep the leash on oh yeah um and and then recall him a couple of times
Titan
Connor tells Titan's family that off leash comes at the end, and at go-home gives the gate: if the dog does not listen about 99% of the time with you on leash, do not move on; he compares the leash to training wheels. In a session Titan's radius is built before the off-leash work.
On film
is a few yeah i'm about to say i was like he's um the off lease does not come till the end because
time if you can't make the dog listen like 99 of the time with you on leash yeah don't move
That way his off leash is looking good, so I'm just kind of creating this radius
Wiley
On a narrow riverside path Wiley is kept in heel so he does not think he is free and jump off; sniffing is 'not allowed yet'. Later, after a couple of sessions completely off the leash, the trainer says he no longer needs the leash and heels off leash fine.
On film
He's not allowed to go do that yet.
last last couple of sessions i've just had him completely off the leash
so he definitely doesn't need this thing anymore he heals off leash just fine
Why it works
The trainers' stated mechanism is discrimination. A dog can tell a held retractable from a dragging long line from nothing - 'they know when the leashes is going back to you' (watch 00:47), 'never think, oh, the dog won't notice' (watch 21:04), 'they can see you holding it' (watch 52:10) - so reliability on one line does not carry to the next, and the dragging line is the load-bearing stage because it is the one where the dog stops being able to tell (watch 01:42). The physical channel is drag: weight as well as length (watch 02:27), a line that runs straight rather than balled up (watch 00:44), and a retractable that is never fully slack, which one nervous dog's held commands measurably show (watch 08:27; watch 12:39). The finish line is stated as a change of correction channel: off leash means the collar alone can correct everything (watch 24:40). The radius has a separate stated mechanism: repeated marking at a fixed length builds an internal sense of distance that outlasts the leash that taught it (watch 10:30). Distance is also said to change the obedience itself - at six feet the dog is carried along, at distance he has to think (watch 13:34). Inferred, not stated: nothing on film explains why an internal radius should generalise when the ladder's premise is that dogs discriminate lines sharply; both claims sit side by side and nobody reconciles them.
Where the trainers differ
Whether the line gets shorter as trust grows, or longer.
One view
Shorter, in named stages, each one priced in trust.
On film
12 to 15 feet it's a lot smaller so she can get away get away from me a lot easier so you need to have a little bit more trust to put this line on
like 15 feet that way i can make a little bit shorter long line so that i can graduate it and
Another view
Longer, once the dog has the concept, so he does not become a dog who sticks to the handler and cannot go anywhere.
On film
Alright, so now that he kind of understands the concept, I'm going to loosen up a little bit because I don't want him to become a Velcro dog.
stuff. You don't need to be here. Good job. Go sniffies.
How to read it
Probably two different variables - the length of line attached against the distance the dog is encouraged to take - but nobody on film says so.
Whether the retractable can be the last stage before off leash.
One view
Passing the flexi test - a long public walk on a retractable that never has to be locked - is the readiness test for off leash.
On film
i do what's called a flexi test okay i take them out on a 26 foot flexi and if i can make it through a 45 minute walk without locking the flexi ever
to lock the flexi during that walk that's a good test
Another view
Never straight from the retractable to fully off: the dog can see it is held, and a dragged line comes in between.
On film
See, that's why you don't go straight from the Flexi to fully off-leash.
straight from the flexi because the flexi you they can see you holding it right um they notice stuff
this is kind of part of the process that we have for getting a dog off leash we we start all on the flexi and then we move to like depending on the dog like different lengths of long lines
How to read it
Not a flat contradiction: Rocky's handler also puts a light line after the flexi test, and Akira's calls the flexi test one of two tests with full off leash held to a higher confidence. But an owner reading 'the flexi test means ready' alone would skip a stage the others insist on.
Whether the retractable is required kit or a penalty for nervous dogs.
One view
Required of every client: it removes confrontation from the walk and lets 'okay' mean real freedom.
On film
and it's just really frustrating the whole time um but with the flexi and having training There's not any confrontational nature.
if you have a six-foot leash, this is all you've got. You go, okay, and you're trying to release to freedom
Another view
For a nervous dog it carries a measurable penalty, because the retraction is never fully slack.
On film
one thing with lola be careful with the flexi with her she actually has a tendency to maybe like be 15 less open on a flexi than a long line
she's a little more at ease on the long line so I'll probably uh get a chance to take her out on that tomorrow
How to read it
Different dogs, different handlers, never put together. Penny's handler adds a third reading: for an anxious dog, flexi freedom with no command is what lowers anxiety.
How long the off-leash stage takes, and when it should start.
One view
Quickly - many dogs in about eight days of sessions; there is no long tune-up for off leash.
On film
So in eight days, a very, very great many of dogs, we can just do this.
maybe one more session he goes off leash I don't the thing about off leash is there's not a long tune-up process
Another view
Last, and not hurried: off leash is held back to the final week, and there is no point getting a dog off leash faster than necessary.
On film
part of the reason that i you know delay it until like the last week sometimes is just because when i take this dog off leash
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
How to read it
Both may be true together - the off-leash step is short, the work before it is long - which is how the Deuce and Ramsey sessions put it. Left laid out.
How the collar level is found when the radius is being built.
One view
Start low and work up until the dog responds; turn it down when the dog over-reacts.
On film
the radius you start low and default and you keep like if they don't respond you keep hitting turn it up until they're like fine
when he hit the end of the leash there he just freaked out and he was like i don't like that so i'm going to turn down a lot for this …
Another view
Do not start really low if the dog presents as not light, because working up gradually desensitises him.
On film
he's not super light, like he's not feather light on the e-collar unfortunately and it's better to not start really low because if you do it really low and he doesn't get the point …
How to read it
Already before the owner in REVIEW-2026-09-18.md section 3.
Common owner mistakes
- Taking the leash off before the recall is decisive.
On film
so I want to see a little bit more like decisiveness and sureness in his recall before I'm confident in it to take the leash off taking it off too early is a big problem
Roofus · Watch at 30:36 ↗ that's why you don't go off the long line too soon
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix) · Watch at 4:22 ↗ - Assuming the dog cannot tell a held line from a dragging line from nothing.
On film
Because they know you're not holding it. They're not dumb.
Sage · Watch at 21:04 ↗ Dogs are not dumb. They know when the leashes is going back to you.
Bo · Watch at 0:47 ↗ - Going straight from the retractable to fully off.
On film
See, that's why you don't go straight from the Flexi to fully off-leash.
Callie · Watch at 23:02 ↗ - Letting a long line drag across a road.
On film
you never walk through a road and let the long line drag on the ground yeah car runs over it oh yeah I can snap their neck
Sage · Watch at 23:45 ↗ Because you don't want this laying in the road and then a car driving across it when we go across.
Apollo (the Sharkie) · Watch at 16:15 ↗ - Not managing the line: a bunched fifty-footer is a ten-footer.
On film
it'll bunch up like this and then suddenly you have a much much uh shorter line no longer lives up to its name
Kodak · Watch at 8:46 ↗ It's always good if it drags, if it doesn't ball up.
Murphy · Watch at 0:44 ↗ - Taking the first attempt somewhere busy.
On film
it's best not to do this for the first time in a circumstance that's incredibly busy.
Dolce · Watch at 1:09 ↗ - Calling the dog back every time he moves away, instead of setting a radius.
On film
and over again if you go a little further away then like you get called back every single time
Milo · Watch at 9:29 ↗ - Trusting a young puppy's recall because she has never tested it.
On film
the reason is because puppies are deceptive as they grow up.
Roxy · Watch at 33:56 ↗
Questions owners ask
What lines do I need, and in what order?
The filmed ladders share a shape rather than a shopping list: something held (a six-foot leash or a retractable), a long line of around fifty feet that is dragged, a shorter and much lighter line, and then nothing. Lola's handler calls the light line 'the last one that I do before I take the leash off' because it 'feels like nothing to the dog' (watch 17:10); Finn's explains that lighter means less drag, so the dog feels less on leash (watch 02:27). Rocky's handler uses a hollow-braided line of about fourteen and a half feet as 'an in-between step' (watch 17:12). Which lines your dog needs is a question for your trainer; the principle is that each one should feel less like a leash than the last.
On film
This is like the next this is the last one that I do before I take the leash off.
it's also very light so he feels increased freedom because the lighter the line is the less drag there is
out i like it a lot because um it's a little bit more than dropping a six foot but it's also like
How do I know he is ready to come off the leash?
Three tests appear on film. The recall has to be decisive, not just successful (watch 30:36). The dog should never load the leash and should come off pressure the moment he feels it (watch 01:32). And several trainers run a 'flexi test' - a real walk in a moderately busy place on a retractable that never has to be locked (watch 29:06; watch 46:53). One handler states the finish line as: you can correct everything with the collar alone, and if you still need the leash for anything you are not ready (watch 24:40). Even then, another says, not straight from the retractable - a dragged line comes between (watch 23:02).
On film
so I want to see a little bit more like decisiveness and sureness in his recall before I'm confident in it to take the leash off
i do what's called a flexi test okay i take them out on a 26 foot flexi
My goal for the rest of the walk is that I can correct her with only the e-collar
Where should we try it first?
Somewhere with a little going on but not busy. Dolce's handler says it is 'best not to do this for the first time in a circumstance that's incredibly busy' - the busy place is the next stage of proofing, not the first attempt (watch 01:00). Murphy's handler keeps the line on in parks that are less tolerant of loose dogs (watch 00:29), and Major's uses a fifty-foot line where parks require a leash (watch 28:38).
On film
it's best not to do this for the first time in a circumstance that's incredibly busy.
I probably won't take him off the leash here just because they're a little bit more
How far away should he be allowed to go?
That is the radius, and it is trained separately: hold the leash at the distance you want, mark the end of it for a session or two, and the aim is a dog who carries that distance with him (watch 10:14, 10:30). Several trainers leave the size to the family - 'it's kind of up to you to decide how far you want him to go' (watch 17:33) - and warn against calling the dog back every time he moves away, which teaches him not to go out at all (watch 09:29).
On film
all good. But her feel, she kind of has like a a mental field of like this is how far I should be from my handler.
and come right and so it's kind of up to you to decide how far you want him to go
How long does it take?
The trainers disagree, and both sides are on film. One says many dogs can hike off leash in about eight days of sessions (watch 14:16) and another that there is no long tune-up for off leash because the time is spent before it (watch 16:15). Another holds off leash back to the last week (watch 10:11). Teddy's file, which has the eight-day estimate, also has 'there's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be' (watch 05:31).
On film
So in eight days, a very, very great many of dogs, we can just do this.
part of the reason that i you know delay it until like the last week sometimes
There's no point in getting a dog off-leash faster than they need to be.
The lesson
The goal
Plan and run one stage of the ladder: choose the next line by weight as well as length, run the pre-check, choose a quiet place, and know the tests that say the dog is ready for the next stage.
Learn first
- 'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an ending
- The radius
- Hidden help
- Never punish the return
- The flight-risk protocol, and the one command that matters
See it done
- The ladder in order, and why it exists. Watch at 0:44 ↗
- A step down taken mid-walk, priced in trust, with the setting chosen. Watch at 10:05 ↗
- The pre-check and the venue rule before a first drop. Watch at 1:32 ↗
- The flexi test explained to an owner. Watch at 29:06 ↗
- A prediction stated, the line dropped, then removed. Watch at 2:30 ↗
The drill
Hold the line and watch whether the dog puts any weight on it; check he comes off pressure at once (watch 01:32). Choose a place with a little going on but not busy (watch 01:00). Walk the retractable without locking it for the whole walk (watch 29:06). When that is boring, drag a long line, keep it straight so it does not ball up (watch 00:44), recall from distance, and pick it up before any road (watch 23:39). Then a lighter, shorter line; then nothing - and say your prediction aloud before each step (watch 02:30).
Watch out for
- Choosing the next line by length alone, when drag is what the dog reads.
- Going straight from the retractable to fully off (watch 23:02).
- Taking the first attempt somewhere busy (watch 01:09).
- Letting the line bunch or drag across a road (watch 08:46; watch 23:39).
- Removing the line before the recall is decisive (watch 30:36).
Check yourself
Your dog has passed a long retractable walk without you ever locking it. What is the next step, and where do you take it? (A dragged long line, then a lighter one, not straight to off leash; somewhere quiet first.)