Advice on training a good trail dog

“I just got a beautiful little red Aussie. I just started training her. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should make sure she does or doesnt do on the trail? Im going to take her on her first trail this weekend. Any good tips and advice on puppy training is welcome. Thanks for all the help.”

“Get her use to other people and dogs as early as possible. Take her for walks where you know you will encounter people and other dogs.”

“Shes only 9 weeks old. Thats why I want to get her on the trail as soon as possible so she can get use to it befor I do an overnighter with her. I have no idea where to take her so she can get use to being around other dogs. I never see any at the park.”

“I took my dog, which is and Aussie mix btw, to obedience training at the local Petsmart. It was great, because not only did my dog and myself learn new things, but it also gave her some exposure to other dogs in the class.”

“Will faril on SNL did a commercial for "dissing ur Dog" its a 30 minute tape that shows you how to properly insult ur dog.

any one see it?”

“I have had several traildogs and the number one thing I train is to poo in the woods and not on the trail. I feel it is the most important thing to train your dog. A curse on those that let their dogs drop a load on the trail. Those that do and don't clean up afterwards are complete a$$holes.
I have trained them most everything else such as come, stay, etc., otherwise they are on a leash.
I use a four foot leash and use a caribiner to hook it to my shoulder harness, down at the bottom by the hip belt. This length works great because it is not dragging the ground or tangling in your feet and leaves your hands free.”

“I agree with sticks 100%. All the training you will need for the trail can be learned at puppy obeadiance classes. Once you get a doggy pack let her wear it around empty on her evening walks to get used to it before doing an overnighter.”

“I have an 8-mo old cockapoo that I take with me on almost every walk/hike I go on. At first, with leash training only, I had to fight him a bit for wanting to bother other walkers and pets. He was just trying to be friendly but I wanted him under better control.

At about 4 months I purchased a remote collar (shock collar) to facilitate his training. Man, did that do the trick. With just a few "corrections" he listens to me completely now. He won't bother another human or pet unless I release him with a "free" command.

I look at it as protection for him. There is no way he would run into the street, for example, if I said "stop" or "come".

I strongly recommend a remote collar. I had a Dogtra model.

As far as pooping on the trail. That might be a tough one. I have him trained to do his business on grass for the most part. He won't soil a bike trail. I don't think he would understand that a dirt trail is off limits. If he does soil a trail I would just clean it up.”

“For a pup that young, its important to have her on a leash until she has proven herself to be very well behaved.

With my dogs, there wasn't much that she needed to learn to hike and backpack that didn't apply to other situations. She needed to know: not to beg, not to take food without being invited to, not to jump on people, not to scare people, to come when called, to stay, to sit, to stay close by. And of course, you do need to be sure there is no poop where it will offend people. The most responsible people will carry it out, next is burying it. I usually make sure it is off trail and out of sight - sometimes I bury it.”

“The remote collar is a life saver. I was at my witts end at one point. Honey wouldn’t listen to a damn thing I said. The training collar worked great. The one thing she does that even the collar doesn’t correct is when she meets people she goes ape chit and jumps on them. This is as bad as biting IMHO. She’s gotten a bit better but not good enough.”

“Giggles,

Only one important little piece of advice from me...

As soon as you can get it through to your puppy (like immediately), teach her the meaning of "No!"

Everything else will come with good consistent training. Take her to Obedience Classes if you can. If the instructors are worth their weight, they'll give you all the advice you need, and your puppy will get some excellent fundamental obedience training. Contact your local kennel club for dates of training sessions they may be offering. If your dog was adopted from a shelter, the kennel club may let you and doggie into the classes for free.”

“The begging comment is a good point. I am to blame for my pup not being that good at controlling this. I never saw a need to correct it at home but at camp it is something I need to work on. The last time I had him with a group he was younger and I didn't have the remote collar. He did pester the other hikers.

Now that he is older and with the remote I think I will be able to correct this problem. Mike and Nicole will find out this weekend at Nordhouse....heheh”

“On the trail or anywhere, I call my chihuahua if she tries to go over and even sniff anyone. There are people that will freak if your dog sniffs them.

I take Capri in local parks and walk her right past ducks that are sitting and walking on the ground to get her used to other types of animals. She's good though, and doesn't pay attention to other animals, but there is something about an animal running, like a squirrel that just makes a dog want to chase after it. My dog just thinks it her cue for playtime.”

“Isn't there a book out there on this subject?

Anyway, I love dogs and don't mind them on the trails. I took a hike this past Spring with some TT'ers and embear had her dog along. I had a lot of fun hanging out with the dog and watching embear spend some time training her. I enjoy them but I do understand that other people don't.

I have an older Austrailian Shepard right now and would like to have a trail dog but I'm not sure I could teach an "old dog" new tricks. Can older dogs benefit from formal training? I'm just asking because I've never trained my dog other than teaching her the meaning of "no".”

“MDSHiker,

Despite any myths to the contrary, you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks! I witnessed it myself during the obedience classes me and my Sparky attended. Sparky's old now, but I still teach him an occasional cutsie trick now and then. He's also learned a few on his own, or with the "assistance" of well-meaning members of my family ...a couple of which I've had to "re-educate" him on, if you know what I mean.

There are a number of dog-training videos that will show you how to train your pooch whether s/he's, young, middle-aged, or old. Check out your local public libray before you buy any of 'em.”

“"Now that he is older and with the remote I think I will be able to correct this problem. Mike and Nicole will find out this weekend at Nordhouse....heheh"

Oh man he's gonna love Nordhouse! Honey had such a great time there running and playing on the beach.”

“I am impressed that this subject didn't get flamed to death by people that don't like dogs on the trail.

As far as training I have found that the heel command is a great one to use on the trail when meeting others. It puts you between them and the dog. I also train them to 'leave' because it is stops them from checking out things that they are curious about...such as what's cooking in the pot or when you meet those with dog phobia. I have to deal with the latter because I have a chow which everyone assumes is going to bite them though she is a cupcake.”

“I have a 24-lb Cockapoo that is too cute for his own good. He is so used to people giving him attention that he assumes everyone is like that.

A cockapoo is not your typical trail dog but Mugsy has impressed the heck out of me so far.

”

“Just say NO.”

“Mugsy likes to steal sandles but is a very good trail dog :) I am debateing weather or not to let sassha come as she's never been backpacking before thogh she is very well behaved off the leash when I walk her through the woods and always comes and stays when I tell her to. I think she worries about me and refuses to go anywhere if I am still. She just stops and looks back at me waiting. However she hasnt been off her leash around other animals and dogs so I dont think its a good idea yet.”

“Wow Cin, I made the exact same little tyveck porch for my SD clip!”

“MDS - thanks!

Giggles - I got my dog from a shelter so she had a lot of behavioral problems in the beginning. I live across the street from a park with hiking trails, so I started taking her over there as much as possible to get used to trails/people/animals. I didnt take her on a backpacking trip until about 9 months ago. There are a lot of people who don\'t like dogs on the trail, so it is important that you do have voice control or a leash for your doggie. I have found that putting a pack on my dog calms her down tremendously.

Layla”

“Here is another pic of Mugs with Crazy Mike's group at Charles Deam in March.

”

“Come on Free, I gotta post another one to be fair to the pup.

”

“ok. I guess I'm dumb. I can't seem to link my dog's picture and I don't know how to post a picture on here:0”

“If we're swappin' pictures of the kids...here's Honey at her first adventure race to cheer on birch...

”

“And here she is at about 8 months after her first backpacking trip. Photo courtecy of Tarabull...Teddybear coutrecy of Budder...

”

“The dog is alittle young for any real training at this age. But this is a great time for you and the dog to bond. Don't expect to much at this point and never get upset and ruin it between you and puppy. Around 12 to 16 weeks in a good time to start expecting results. But don't expect much then. Go slow and never get mad at the dog, you got to remember you have to teach and teach and reward and reward for this to work. Not punishment, never do this. Teach the dog NO, don't teach the dog anger. Time is not the issue, some dogs just take more time than others. Just take him on long walks on the leash. Around cars and trucks, other dogs, and lots of people, try to keep people from stopping and trying to pet the dog. Don't get mean or you will never earn the trust from a dog.”

“aww!!! honey looks just like sassha :)”

“

For some reason sasha sticks to me like glue. Aw I love her so much :)”

“Awe! Honey's the same way. Her goal in life is to meet as amny people as she can and to spend every waking moment with people. :3P”

“Free, Are you bringing Sasha? I think our two pups would have a blast together.”

“Lets try this again.

”

“I'm giving up:(”

“All these pics just make me want a dog more, stop it!”

“chin I was thinking about it but we dont have any equipment for her and I dont know how she'd act on trail with another dog. I want to get her a doggy pack first. She does know stop, come and sit very well. I only had to show those to her once and she knew them since without problem. Sassha is a very smart dog :)”

“sppp embar...get a photobucket account..its free. Load your pictures there then cut and past the url thingy it gives you at the bottom of each picture you have there to here. Simple. Works everytime.”

“Yeah, I tried that before. I\'ll try this again. Argggggg!
Layla”

“I think my browser is just dumb:0”

“This is a picture of my chihuahua, Capri. It's not her best picture. The description of a chihuahua is that they are "swift moving", so I cannot get a good picture of her standing still, lol.

http://www.dogster.com/?34681

She looks big in my lap, but she is only 3-1/2 pounds full grown. She's a great trail dog, but the only problem is that everyone wants to stop you to ask what kind of a dog she is, is she a full grown etc.”

“Free, you should take her! Just take a gallon zip lock of food, a towel and a few toys in your (OK, Mike's) pack and hit the trail. As long as ya keep her on her leash she'll be fine. You'd be surprised how well she can behave on the trail. Best to get her into it before you get a pack.”

“If anyone wants to see how their dogs are with other dogs, take them to parks with off-leash areas and let them go.

I go to this site called meetup.com. It's for all kinds of topics where people meet up and talk about them. They have a chihuahua meet up once a month that they schedule, and I take my dog there to socialize.

From posting my address and area that I live in on another doggie site for WA, I had a gal respond saying she lives in my neighborhood and has 4 chihuahuas, so I invite her over with her doggies for play dates. It's a riot to watch them chase around after each other.”

“If you see a red X, Click on it.
”

“I think it is important that the dog learns how to be off lead. That takes some time of teacher the dog how to heel and how to heel with out a lead. I feel there are serious safty issues about having a dog on lead while hiking. If you are hiking up a tough hill and you need to grab on to a tree, the dog could interupt that. The dog also throws off my hiking pace when she is on lead. If your dog can not be managed without a lead, then you should not bring her/him.

My dog is only on lead when I see horses, breakfast,lunch/dinner and a few trouble spots like a new dog approaches.

When you can show the hikers that hate dogs on trail how much control you have over your dog without a lead, you will make them more at ease and get them to change the perciption of dogs on trails. I have hiked with three or four real dog haters and at the end of the trip, they liked my dog and complemented on what great trail dog she is.

It is all about the time you put in to training your dog before you go. That goes beyond the 6 week obedience school.”

“I need something a little quicker. You know, like the 6 minute abs, but for dogs.”

“ok so I have a cock-a-pooh
she is small, maybe 7 lbs
I want to take her hiking but i am worried about her size. any suggestions on how to get her started? i want to do a short day hike tomorrow for starters”

“if you want to avoid the rath of a few TTers, you better keep her leashed ;)”

“I'd definitely keep her coat trimmed short. Just imagine all the crud that'll get caught up in all that fur.”