About a year ago, I saw an off-leash puppy run out into traffic on a busy street. Fortunately, the drivers were more on-the-ball than the owner, and the puppy was safely recovered, but it was nerve-wracking to witness until then, and could have ended horribly.

My dogs love off leash, it such wonderful freedom for dogs to wander, sniff and run back and forth to their hearts desire - all of them just go maybe 10 or 15ft away from us while walking but the only place I let the two chis off leash are some beautiful long beaches in the West which are mostly deserted and also on bog walks in the West.

My bigger chi mix goes off leash on a hill walk here in the city - fortunately all the other dogs we have ever met and there are hundreds which do that hill walk every day, have never been in any way misbehaved, my two little ones can be a bit frightened of bigger dogs, so I keep them on leash, but that's their fear rather than other dogs misbehaving - so I suppose we are lucky.

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Thanks for all the replies

I no longer feel so mean about keeping Max on his lead all the time!

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Mine have off-lead exercise every day, I think it is really important. They run, climb, jump and do all kinds of things they can't do on a lead.
They are both well-mannered around other dogs, and I am experienced enough to be able to read other dogs body language and act appropriately. Mostly I let them meet other off-lead dogs, only once have I had to physically remove them from harms way.
I started letting them off-lead as puppies, it is a puppies natural instinct to follow. Now they don't go far, and if I change direction, they are instantly with me. I think a lot of dogs misbehave when loose because it is a novelty to them.

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Mine go off lead too. There are no dog parks here and my garden is just 10ft x 20ft so if I didnt let them off they would never be able to have a proper run. Also they are much more fearful of other dogs when on lead then off so would probably be more at risk of creating problems if I kept them on lead all the time!
Just today they were tearing about over some local scrubland getting muddy and filthy!LOL Heidi usually stays close to me but Adam will go off for an explore and Hannah has been fitted with a loud bell so when she disappears into the nearest hedgerow I can still hear her! They are very submissive with other dogs though and have good manners, also have never been spooked and run away. And other then Hannahs bird/fox flushing attempts they all have a good recall.
I do try and walk them off peak times though and tend to avoid any big bouncy dogs.

I'm quite lucky where I live that I can go into secure rural areas and the times I usually walk I don't really meet other offlead dogs, if anyone at all.
I walk noah off lead alot now because I like to take advantage of his puppy instincts to follow! He is rather nervous to walk away from home and hits the breaks on the lead so I unclip and walk off -evil- and call him to follow and he is soon trotting beside me as he doesn't want to be left behind!

I also believe it does wonders for his confidence, he does run off ahead sometimes in fields but doesn't go far and comes back when called, how long this will last? I do not know but I always carry highreward treats such as sausage so it's rewarding to stick close and I'm hoping this training will pay off as he grows up and becomes more rebellious&brave.

I think it's lovely for the dog walk off lead personally and I think it's a great feeling to have them follow you!

My Chis are walked 4 times per day. From the moment they leave the
apartment, all the way through the streets, up to the destination they
are on leash. Why? Simple, too many cars, other dogs, tiny sidewalks, etc.
Once we are at the destination, which is either either a forest, mountain,
field, etc. then they are off leash. I spent a LOT of time training my dogs,
they will not move away from my feet unless I give them the "go play" command.
I trust them 100%. However I do not trust other dogs, therefore if there is
another dog anywhere in sight, mine don't go off leash. It is important for
dogs to be able to release their energy to their hearts' desire, but it must
be done in safety. If you do not trust Max just yet, you can buy a long
training lead, 15 or 20 feet long, and practice his recall. This is necessary
to any dog, whether or not their owner ever lets them off leash. Also you
can find enclosed area where your pup can run free without risk of getting
hit by a car, running away, etc. Chihuahuas are brilliant dogs, extremely
easy to train compared to many other breeds, they love to please, and
you can go very far with help of positive reinforcement.

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I let mine off. He loves to run with my friend's dog. On the street and stuff he is leashed at all times though.