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Here is a mosaic from Pompeii showing a Roman dog in a leash:

Mosaic of dog in leash
(Image from Wikipedia.)

Other similar pictures of mosaics are easy to find online, so I am confident that dog leashes were a well known thing in Roman culture. But I have yet to see a similar picture with the other end of the leash in a human hand.

Did the Romans walk their dogs in leashes the way we modern people often do? Or were leashes just used to tether the dog to a building or other structure to prevent them from leaving their guard post or otherwise escaping? I am interested in any kind of evidence, but we should probably try to focus on written evidence as this is a language site. Are there passages in Roman literature that describe what dogs in leashes do?

Any written descriptions of dogs in leashes would help here. If, for example, all or most written mentions of a dog in a leash have nothing to do with walking a dog, I will happily accept that the Romans did not probably walk their dogs. If they had no concept for walking a dog, I would not assume anyone to have explicitly mention their not doing so. But given the archaeological evidence, I would be very surprised not to have several written accounts of dogs in leashes.

This is connected to whether dogs were kept indoors or outdoors. If some were kept indoors, then they had to be left out to do their business — any such accounts would be great to see. If only outdoors, then walking a dog might be less useful.

Joonas Ilmavirta
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  • I've never been a dog-owner, but my impression was that any dog needs to be exercised (both physically and mentally) regularly by going for a walk or similar, far beyond the mere necessity of 'doing their business'. I can't imagine that being any different for Roman dogs. – dbmag9 Sep 01 '22 at 12:51
  • @dbmag9 I've had dogs and I agree. I didn't want to assume too much in the question, but I do expect Roman dogs to have had a variety of daily activities. – Joonas Ilmavirta Sep 01 '22 at 14:00
  • Were dogs kept as pets, or only as working animals? – Colin Fine Sep 01 '22 at 23:08
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    A dog on a leash, how offensive. This must have been Photomosaicked. – Cerberus Sep 02 '22 at 01:21
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    @Cerberus Did you mean Mosaicshopped? I agree that this was probably produced by a skilled mosaic shop. – Joonas Ilmavirta Sep 02 '22 at 07:18
  • @Joonas llmavirta: We know that the Romans had guard-dogs (Pompeii: the "CAVE CANEM" mosaic.). Guard dogs, at night, would be living inside the house. As dbmag9 has said, dogs must be exercised; formally (daily ritual with owner) or informally (given space to run wild). Without this dogs become frustrated and start gnawing the furniture, which nobody wants. Roman cities had their traffic problems: delivery carts, chariots, horses with impatient riders. Putting dogs on a lead would have been as sensible then, as it is now. We just need confirmation from the literature. – tony Sep 02 '22 at 08:23
  • @JoonasIlmavirta: I suppose that would be more correct. But it doesn't change the offence. – Cerberus Sep 02 '22 at 16:21

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