My dog won't recall outside. When can she go off-leash safely?

Question

She is well trained, walks pretty good on leash, but goes wild without leash. She ends up running away and not recalling at all. She does it perfectly inside. We don't have option to take her to fenced area for training outside recall. Should we keep her on leash until summer, when we plan on installing backyard fence so she can run freely? We would love to take her to woods and fields, but she might run off and end up getting hurt. She always comes back, but not when called. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 4 months old | 37 lbs

Maria DVM · Accepted Answer

Some dogs cannot go off leash outside. I would keep her on a leash until you can have the fence installed in the summer. Once the fence is installed you can work with her a lot easier to try to get her to listen to come back to you when called. My concern would be that she would run and get hit by a car, attacked by another animal or run after someone (even if she would never hurt them it can still scare someone). I would try to get a trainer to work with you now since she is so young. If you have a trainer and are consistent you may be able to have her off the leash one day. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

My dog won't recall outside. When can she go off-leash safely?

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