Tips for the new Dog

[sierra]

I have a new dog, have had him for about 2 months. So far we average 6 miles a day on relatively modest terrain. He shows no signs of being tired at all, so now we are preparing to hike the 4k's. Ive never had a hiking dog so all you that do, please educate me on things I should know. I will bring plenty of water for him and food. Some random questions I have, booties or no booties? Is ice and snow a problem? My dog is an Austailian Shepard, he is 4 yrs old, the vet has checked him out and given him a perfect bill of health. I will have to keep him on a long leash as he loves to chase wildlife and I cannot stop him. Other then that, I think he is ready, but welcome any suggestions from experienced dog hiking owners. My dogs safety and health are number one to me, so let me know what I might need to know going foward. Thanks in advance.

 

[erugs]

Sounds like you are off to a great start with your new pal. Wishing you many happy hikes. I've taken my granddog hiking a few times and was impressed with how quickly Penny picked up what I expected from her, but then I learned that my son has similar expectations. Should I be surprised? When I have a dog in my life again I am hoping to teach it some hand commands without voice, such as stay, come, sit, probably using American Sign Language for guidance. Wondering if anyone else has tried that?

 

[Scarpy]

I have a Border Collie/Australian Shepard mix & weighs about 40 pounds. I've hiked with him in all four seasons. We've been hiking together for the past two years. I debated booties and a coat for him but he hasn't shown any signs of needing them so I haven't bought them. The longest hike we've done is 12 miles, both in the summer & winter. He has gotten very good at scrambling up challenging sections. He had some trouble at first but has since learned how to do it. I've found the best way to control him is to walk around our home territory with no leash and work on voice control with a pocketful of treats. It took about two months but he will stop giving chase when I tell him to. He minds very well now. We came across about 15 turkeys the other day & although he whined he stayed right next to me. He got a couple treats for that one.

 

[Ignomer]

I've had a few dogs in plenty of different climates. The biggest thing I do with my dogs is make sure they'll let me poke at their feet, and hold still for me to tie a field-expedient muzzle onto them. You use their leash, there's plenty of places on line that can describe how to do it better than me.

The paws are usually a sensitive spot, and if they get hurt somehow on the foot it gets harder to touch them. Usually once I have them trained to lay down, I teach them to roll over on their back. Once they have that I start messing with their feet while they're on their back. Takes some time, but it's good bonding and will come in handy if they're limping or you want to make sure they're not rubbing their pads raw on rocks. If you plan on ever using booties, get them used to them long before they need to be wearing them.

The muzzle is in case of The Evil Porcupine Quills, or if they're hurt bad enough they want to bite you when you try to poke at them to figure out what's wrong. Any first aid supplies you have for two leggers should be fine for the dog, just don't give them any pills unless you ask a vet first.

To the hand signals- any verbal command can be changed to a nonverbal command. Just do your hand signal at the same time you say the command. Make it big and obvious at first, then slowly tone it down. The dog I had to put down last summer would bark if I made a fist with my pinky pointed up, or growl if the pinky was pointed down. I had to start with my arm raised or lowered with the pinky pointing up or down and slowly ease her into the very subtle change between the two, over a few months I think. Teaching them to come to a hand signal is tricky though, they have to be looking at you to see it.

 

[una_dogger]

Ellen, Hand signals are super easy to train.

Most training is started with a lure - sweeping hand signal with treat in hand that is delivered once dog has found position. Then lure is faded and hand signal is slowly made more subtle than initial sweeping gesture. Verbals are usually last marker assigned (as they are the last cue a dog associates - body language is the dog's primary mode of understanding).

Movement and hand signals make up the majority of communication between dog and handler, we use TONS of 'em in Agility, while hiking, and at home.

When you are ready, pm me, I've got tons of books, videos, experience, etc.


Sierra - pic please ;-)

 

[sierra]

Ellen, Hand signals are super easy to train.

Most training is started with a lure - sweeping hand signal with treat in hand that is delivered once dog has found position. Then lure is faded and hand signal is slowly made more subtle than initial sweeping gesture. Verbals are usually last marker assigned (as they are the last cue a dog associates - body language is the dog's primary mode of understanding).

Movement and hand signals make up the majority of communication between dog and handler, we use TONS of 'em in Agility, while hiking, and at home.

When you are ready, pm me, I've got tons of books, videos, experience, etc.


Sierra - pic please ;-)

Thank you all for your help. My dog is training well and will come no matter how far away at one command, I will explore hand signals as I like the idea very much. I will watch his feet and pads, Im lucky my dog will sit, stay and lay for anything I need to do to him. Sabrina Im working on a pic and it wil be up soon..

 

[Little Rickie]

Does anyone use a retractable leash?

The one I have is 16 feet and it seems to define the distance she will go from me off leash. I say whao when she gets to the end of the leash and say whao when she gets too far from me off leash. Except for , squirrels, rabbits, birds etc.....

 

[sierra]

Does anyone use a retractable leash?

The one I have is 16 feet and it seems to define the distance she will go from me off leash. I say whao when she gets to the end of the leash and say whao when she gets too far from me off leash. Except for , squirrels, rabbits, birds etc.....

I use a retractable leash, mine is very long and due to my dogs love to chase wildlife feel its the best compromise, he has plenty of freedom, yet is still under my control at all times. Ive seen way to many lost dog post for my comfort level.

 

[Little Rickie]

I agree. I'd love for her to have the freedom but I'm not confident she can find her way back to me if she sees a deer.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

It's amazing what a volatile issue the leash is. I've had twelve dogs in my life. The first eleven went off leash when walking or hiking and I never lost one of them. The twelfth, Lauky, stays on the leash. While 90% of the time he "would be"/ "is" good with voice and hand signals there is that 10% when he quite frankly looses it and if free he would be gone.

Lauky is five now, he's done four rounds of the 48 including one winter all on a leash so we have a fair amount of experience with the leash.
I've met people on the trail who have insisted that I take him off the leash intimating that it was cruelty to an animal to have him leashed.
I've met folks on the trail whose dog was not on a leash who told me their dog wouldn't do anything and the dog immediately proceeded to jump Lauky. (I was told it was my fault because if Lauky were off the leash it never would have happened.) I might add that I've never encountered a dog on a leash who jumped Lauky.
I am meeting an increasing number of people who thank me for having him on a leash which tells me that there are an increasing number of unpleasant incidents with hikers and unleashed dogs.

You have a breed that normally should obey and if you can trust your dog off lead that's fine. I won't be a hypocrite, if Lauky were like my Duffy he would be off lead too

But if there is a chance that you will lose your dog, even once, I can tell you from personal experience it's not worth the anguish of letting him loose.

If you do hike with a leash there are a couple of things to keep in mind. A retractable leash has the advantage of staying taught. But if you do use one make sure it has the wide band the whole length and not the thin cord which can snap.

A long loose lead will snag on roots if the dog gets behind you. I personally use an expandable 8' to 11' bungee leash and keep it short if he gets behind. There is a model made by Ruff Wear and one by Singing Dog designs. They are very similar. I have both but I've had problems with the clip on the Ruff Wear leash coming off so I prefer the Singing Dog.

On most trails hiking with a leash is not too complicated. But it takes some practice on ledges. You need at least 11' to be safe with ledges. Our rule is that Lauky goes first going up ledges and I go first going down. You have to be sure you have enough leash going up to permit your dog to jump up a ledge ahead of you without yanking him back because he hit the end of the leash. Going down with both hand and voice signals I make Lauky go behind so he won't yank me off the ledge. I also make him go behind when going down steep trails as I have no intention of having to 'brake' for him.

I once thought I could never be happy hiking with a dog on a leash. I've learned in time that it's not all that bad. With Duffy, I was only with him about half the time, Lauky and I are always together. I also am sure that in Lauky's case it has saved his life a couple of times as in a couple of bear encounters. It also has spared him several porcupine encounters. With Duffy I always carried pliers with me to pull out the quills.

Most of the time we just walk along together and I don't think either one of us thinks much of a leash holding us together. It's just nice spending those hours together.

 

[sierra]

Within 4 weeks of getting my dog, I had him off leash with no issues and thought cool no leash. Then a deer ran by us on week 5, have you ever seen an Austrailian Shepard run after a deer? Luckely for me he did not go to far and I got him rather quickly. That was enough for me, Im used to the leash, I use a 16ft retractable and carry back up cord if I need to improvise a short leash. As far as leash verses no leash, I think its up to the owner and I wouldnt tell anyone they should do one or the other, BUT Ive had dogs come up to me on the trail growling at me with no owner in sight, that is not right. My dog loves all people and dogs, yet if an aggressive dog shows aggression towards my dog ( has happened twice) my dog will not back down and can be very ferocious. I do not discourage his defending himself, yet I wish people with aggressive dogs would have the commen sense to keep them away from other dogs, its really not a fun time and can be bad for all involved.

 

[MikeB]

All good advice. I concur that paws are an area of concern - the granite above tree line can be worse than sand paper and can quickly abrade paws. Get your dog used to your poking at his paws, then check them often while hiking. I carry booties, but only to use as first aid to cover the paws if they've been cut. Your dog will have much better purchase scrambling on the rocks without the booties. And taper up your hikes early each season to toughen the paws up.

For winter hiking you might want to consider having a groomer shorten up the fur on the legs and between the toes. Especially with Aussie's long fine fur, snow and ice will ball up, which can get really uncomfortable for the dog. I haven't found a good way to remove it on the trail. There is a waxy stuff called "Musher's Secret" you can find at some pet stores. Rub it into the pads and between the toes before the hike, it does a pretty good job in preventing the worst of snow balling up.

Water is another issue to think about. Dogs can get Giarrdia just like people (but they do tend to have more cast-iron stomachs...), and the results can be unpleasant for both of you. Even if you let your dog drink from streams water opportunities can be far between above tree line. Mia carries water in her doggie pack (along with a collapsible dish, doggie "summit" snacks, and poop bags).

Aussies are great hiking and skiing dogs - smart and strong. Enjoy, and hope to see you on the trails soon!

 

[una_dogger]

Aussies are velcro dogs who do very well off leash in general.

I have 16 foot flexi leahes I use on occaision - caution though- we use the tape type - there are many documented cases of serious rope burns from the cord type - wrapping around the leg of a dog or person or rope burns to the hands can happen with the cord type and can be very quick to occur and severely deep.

Just something to watch out for if you already have one.

 

[Lost Dad]

I have a good friend who lost a finger due to a mishap with a cord type flexi leash. In my book, the cord type leashes are to be avoided at all costs. We enjoy hiking with our dog off leash when we are in the woods; Anywhere near a road and the leash comes out. For conditioning we walk about 3 miles daily on the roads and each weekend day includes at least an hour off leash in the woods. Our small, 17 lb labradoodle has the stamina to go off leash all day. We have serious snow ball issues with Tucker, we have booties and a neoprene body suit for winter hikes. We are still trying to refine the winter gear as he hates the booties, we plan on trying these this winter: http://pawzdogboots.com/about

 

[una_dogger]

Ouch, Lost Dad....that's brutal.

Have a bit more time now to add some more thoughts~

A few thoughts on booties.

I've experimented with many over the years, and lost quite a few.

For your Aussie, Sierra, or any dog that tends to ball ice in the feet -- a few tips.

Keep the fur between the feet trimmed -- this helps somewhat with snow accumulation, and keeps your floors at home cleaner, too. Conditioning to accept gentle handling of feet first, then progressing slowly to allowing the fur on the bottom and between the pads to be trimmed with scissors. It doesn't have to be pretty to be helpful.

Of all the boots I've tried for snow/ice balling issues, these are by far the best I've found:
http://www.ultrapaws.com/Ultra-Paws-Rugged-Dog-Boots/productinfo/303R/

They have two velcro binding straps and this seems to be what keeps them on. The one downside to these (or any boot) I've tried for winter use is that after a period of hours (usually six or more), the boots become wet, they then freeze in shapes that are quite deformed and this concerns me as I feel it can potentially lead to injury as the dog must alter its gait to compensate.

For summer use, in the Presidential Range from Washington northward above treeline we use Ruffwear Griptrex rock booties. Both of my dogs have sustained painful paw pad tears and abrasions in the Northerns. Some dogs do OK there, but the vast majority do not, so I strongly advise thier use. I've found them several times at LL Bean Outlet in Concord for about $10-$15 for a set of four, a bargain. I do not recommend thier use in snow as they fall off more easily and get lost.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ru...tm_campaign=PCGOOGLEPLA2&codes-processed=true

A few thoughts on leashing...I believe Ed n Lauky are using (or have used) a skijorring tug line with bungee shock absorber and quick release that I recommended to them some years ago. This is a workable option for those with dogs that are under good voice control and whom are not likely to pull thier owner's off balance. Bearing in mind that you are effectively short-roping with your dog under these conditions, care must be taken for both you and your dog's safety.
It went something like this and attached to a belt harness on the handler and canicross xback harness on the dog:
http://alpineoutfitters.net/Secure/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=24

I cringe when I see dogs dragging leads because I've seen a dog snag the hand loop end of a leash on a protruding root and nearly hang itself from a ledge. If I were to allow a dog to drag a line, I would purchase a standard six to eight foot length of cotton rope or cut the hand loop off a leash so there would be no chance of snagging.

Now to collars..choke chains pose a significant choking/hanging concern as the heavier end of the chain hangs lower on the dog and can be snagged.

Hydration, hydration, hydration.

All of the things we have learned over the years come from our own experience or the experiences of others. Safety and fun are my top priorities. Training and conditioning a dog such that they know what to expect as well as what is expected of them, as well as developing your own awareness of your dogs needs (as opposed to your "wants" or his/her percieved "desires") all build a connection of joy and friendship and lead to a long lifetime of hiking enjoyment.

Happy hiking, and enjoy your new friend.

Sabrina

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

A few thoughts on leashing...I believe Ed n Lauky are using (or have used) a skijorring tug line with bungee shock absorber and quick release that I recommended to them some years ago. This is a workable option for those with dogs that are under good voice control and whom are not likely to pull thier owner's off balance. Bearing in mind that you are effectively short-roping with your dog under these conditions, care must be taken for both you and your dog's safety.
It went something like this and attached to a belt harness on the handler and canicross xback harness on the dog:
http://alpineoutfitters.net/Secure/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=24

I cringe when I see dogs dragging leads because I've seen a dog snag the hand loop end of a leash on a protruding root and nearly hang itself from a ledge. If I were to allow a dog to drag a line, I would purchase a standard six to eight foot length of cotton rope or cut the hand loop off a leash so there would be no chance of snagging.

Now to collars..choke chains pose a significant choking/hanging concern as the heavier end of the chain hangs lower on the dog and can be snagged. Sabrina

That is the type of leash we use and varying the length according to conditions is vital. I also attach the leash to a separate belt rather than using the built in belt as this give me the option of a longer leash which is necessary on ledges.

I did forget to mention that Lauky is always attached to a classic harness ( I don't like the newer fast mount harnesses) never to a collar which is safer and since he is a smaller dog it also makes it possible on certain occasions to lift him right up in the air without hurting him.

 

[bandana4me]

My dog has become my hiking partner, which is VERY unusual for me as I have been mostly a solo hiker since the mid-late 70's. My suggestion is ALWAYS carry treats with you and reward him/her for good behavior. Marley (a husky) is trained to go 15-20 feet off the trail every time someone approaches (it can be confusing for him in fragile tundra above tree line as I make him sit next to me while hikers pass). Personally, I do not like leashes and Marley has not been on a leash since he was 6-8 months old. There is an old saying "there are no bad employee's just bad training", I believe that is true for dogs as well.

I have never used booties on his paws and he finished his W48 just before turning 2.This does not mean that I oppose them, I check his paws quite frequently but he does not seem to get much balling of snow in between his pads. It takes ALOT of time to understand the dogs limits. Marley does not like hiking in the summer (he has that heavy fur coat on all the time) but at -20 I can not get him to come in the house.

I would say that patients is the key and do not rush him. Marley used to chase wild life as well but they can be trained to stop chasing, he now looks at me for permission to chase an animal, if I deem it ok then I let him go. We have been with in 50-75 feet of a moose without spoking it.

On a final note, after this dog I don't think I will ever get another dog, he has been the best dog EVER. He is a true friend and companion. I can take him any where and never worry about how he will react.

REWARD HIM/HER FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR! REWARD HIM/HER FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR! REWARD HIM/HER FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR!!!!

 

[MikeB]

Another thing I forgot to mention: a blaze-orange hunting vest. Especially this time of year. One for yourself, too... Probably not necessary once you're a mile or so from the trailhead, but any time you're close to a road it's a good idea. I don't think the stylish doggie bandanas are enough.

 

[una_dogger]

Right on, Bandana4me ---cookie cookie cookie and cookie often!! And it doesn't have to be a cookie, its whatever lets your dog know you are pleased with his behavior and motivates more of the same, cookie, ear scratches, verbal praise, tug of war -- I like to use all of these reinforcers and vary them. You can NEVER "cookie" a dog too much.

 

[sierra]

Thanks for all the great tips, it will all help.