With the arrival of COVID 19 and all this free time Cider and I have been spending a considerable amount of time out on the trails. Which is great for both of us, it will be the one thing I will miss most once life gets back to “normal” - whatever that is.

We generally hit the trails early to avoid running into too many people and for the most part the people we have run into with other dogs are pleasant and respectful. There have however been a few encounters that were less than pleasant - not out right dangerous but inappropriate nonetheless.

The first was a few weeks ago, we were getting nearer the end of the trail when a couple and their young, leashed dog was coming up the trail. Exuberant and pushy puppies are not Cider’s favorite so we pulled off to the side, I asked Cider to get up on a rock and stay. As they got closer I let them know that Cider would not want to say hi, to which they responded “It’s ok! He’s friendly!” - as he strained gasping and panting at the end of his leash towards us.

The second incident was just the other day, we were hiking with a friend and her dog. We posed the dogs up on a rock to get a photo when out of nowhere this dog came up the trail- no humans in sight, very stiff and directly towards us right into Cider’s face. He did leave when Cider told him off but the point is our hike shouldn’t have had to end on that note.

The owners of both of these dogs would likely argue “ he is friendly”, “He just wants to say hi/make friends”, and while in many cases that may be true it isn’t always. In fact in both these cases though I wouldn’t necessarily say either dog had ill intent I would say they were very inappropriate in their approach and if they approach the wrong dog that way it could very likely cause a problem.

But really that should all maybe be a different post, the point of this post is that when hiking with your dog you have a responsibility to not impede on anyone else’s space or enjoyment of nature. I think its best whether your dog is on or off leash to assume that no one wants to say hi to your dog, and if they do they will ask.

So what are some useful skills you can work on and other things you can do to make sure you, your dog AND everyone else can enjoy the great out doors?

RECALL

Number one would be a solid recall. Will your dog be able to come away from other hikers, other dogs and even potentially wild life? We have to remember that not all people want to say hi to your dog, being rushed by an unknown dog can be scary for some people. There are also lots of dogs out there who don’t want to say hi to your dog as well. Whether they are afraid of other dogs or the myriad of other reasons dogs might need space allowing your dog to rush into the face of an unknown dog is just plain rude. Even dog tolerant or dog social dogs might take issue with this because it just isn’t a very appropriate greeting. If you are uncertain your dog will recall or you know for a fact they will struggle with it hiking on a long line can be a good option while you work on that recall.

PULL OVER

Teaching your dog to pull over and off the trail to let others by is another important skill. If at all possible when I do this with Cider I will station her on a rock or a log if available, but regardless the expectation when I say the cue “over” is that she will move off the trail and sit until I release her to continue exploring. This is useful for when groups of people and/or dogs are passing, bicyclists, dirt bikes, horses - well you get the picture. This is not only for the comfort of others but if we want the places we enjoy hiking to continue to welcome off leash dog hikes, or dogs at all then we should do our part in making sure that there are no reasons for others to complain.

WAIT

This is a cue I use to let Cider know she is getting too far away and that she should stop so I can catch up. I also use this if we are coming up to a bend or a hill and I cannot see what is ahead. If there is wildlife I want to help her successfully avoid chasing them. If there are people around the bend I want to avoid situations like the one described above when the dog came out of no where ( he did eventually show up again with his humans a few minutes later).

WITH ME

This is sort of an informal heel. I use this if we are going to pass someone instead of pulling off the trail (some times there is no place to pull off, sometimes the other people are stopped and I don’t want to wait for them to continue on). It’s also just useful to have a cue that lets your dog know that you want them to stick by your side whatever the reason.

PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG

I left this for last because… well it would seem to go without saying. Most of the places we frequent people are really good about this but I have definitely hit trails before where that was not the case. Not only is this just gross it’s actually not great for the environment. So make sure you pack plenty of poop bags. On longer hikes I even sometimes put Cider’s pack on her and have her pack her own waste out.