Any breed can learn to walk of leash.

I found that my Westie was brilliant of leash. Even when there were other dogs, I could still get her to come to me.

My advice would be this.

1) When picking the dog, pick the one that comes to you (never rush picking a puppy or a rescue dog)

2) Be your dog's pack leader, making sure it respects you before letting it of leash.

3) Make sure you take the dog to training lessons, particularly if you can learn in a group of dogs and their owners. The socialisation is invaluable to the dog. You need to have good recall and get the dog to learn to heal at your side (or behind - never in front)

I actually don't agree with never letting the dog off leash. This can make the dog aggressive, especially if it senses tension in you. Dogs also feel more comfortable when on leash to be more aggressive, as they feel the owner is there to protect them and therefore they can stir up trouble - particularly small breeds.

Going to dog training classes with a group of people all with the same ambition will make you better aware of which dogs you need to keep away from

When I have been with dogs the ones that have been aggressive are the ones on a lead and they generally are pulling their owners or at least leading them.

Also make sure you know your breed. For instance if your dog was bred to chase foxes then try to be aware where there are foxes and take precautions. Heard of border terrier s for example, domesticated, chase a fox and be killed because their instinct said chase it but they were too domesticated to fight the fox and got killed.

Beagle and Bassett's are scent hounds. So will go off to any interesting smell and may ignore you occasionally. Again this will be a test of how good a pack leader you are and how much you allow the dog to get away with bad behaviour in the home.

When walking of leash in the country side it's best to set a steady pace and don't allow the dog to settle to smell things. If it stops to sniff something keep walking and use recall. That way it's sees you as the leader it has to keep up with.

Obviously never let the dog of leash when there are sheep or cows around - the farmer could mistake your dog for one that is attacking his sheep and has every right to shoot it.

Hope this helps

Oops......