If you do the training thing, there will likely be a point where you are comfortable with her off the lead.
The only close call I ever had with Ariel (or with his predecessor Shadow, a GSD) was when we were walking a path with a precipitous drop on one side, and came nose to nose with a little lamb who thought it might be a good idea to stand up to him (instead of running away), with Ariel dropping into straight herding mode. Now, I would have not had a question that I could have called him back within moments, but that would have necessitated ground under paw, of which there was a distinct lack. But, he came to heel and the lamb bounded off.