Question about trusting your dog to run free for exercise ...

[cali]

I teach grass barriers, I start with a long lead or a flexi and play loads of chase games(AKA dog chases ME, never ever ever the other war round) when the dog gets near the edge of the grass I ran away bouncing and calling lik "oh happy day!" lol when the dog comes running(placing front paws ON me) I praise and praise like no tomorow, play tug and such. once the dog has that down at least 99% of the time I start letting the dog off leash for short periods, when apporching the edge of the grass, run away calling and bouncing, when the dog comes a running more praise and games. eventually they figer out that edge of grass mean run back to mom! I have never had issues with this, and I have done this with 3 dogs and it has yet to fail. it was pretty funny how impressed people were when a biker went by on the other side of the street and Misty went galloping and barking right to the edge of the grass and went right into a U-turn back to me as soon as she reached the edge lol

[bckrazy]

You should look out for off-leash Obedience classes, with an Obedience club. Gonzo has a very solid recall & stay after going through a few months of classes and practicing a lot.

I also don't recommend bringing him off-leash in any unfenced area until you've practiced a lot in fenced areas with distractions, and you're fully confident. I would never let my dogs off-leash near any cars, ever.