Respectfully Hiking with your Dogs

My pups love to go hiking! Any time spent outdoors is full of fun and our road trips mainly revolve around hiking. We aren’t serious hikers that hike all day every day, but we do enjoy spending as much time outside as possible, weather permitting. I have noticed several things about other hikers (with and without dogs) that I would like to share to help everyone remain respectful of the other living beings enjoying the outdoors as well.

Leash your dogs: It is important to keep your pups on a leash at all times. Very few commonly used hiking trails allow dogs to be off leash and most dogs aren’t fully voice trained. It is the safest for your pups, other pups, and the people involved. While your dogs may love every person and dog they come across, others don’t. You also don’t want to take the chance of your pups running off and getting lost.

• Some people don’t like dogs or are afraid of them. When people are afraid of dogs and an unleashed dog approaches them, it makes them even more fearful. Respect other people’s space even if your dogs are well behaved.
• When dogs are afraid of other dogs and an unleashed dog approaches them, it usually leads to anxiety and fear aggression. My pit mix has struggled with anxiety of other dogs approaching him simply because he was attacked by another dog before we adopted him. We have worked extensively on training and socializing him, and he doesn’t get as anxious and reactive as he used to, but in the beginning it was very difficult to deal with him if another dog approached us. Especially if that dog was off leash. He never attacked another dog because we knew how to handle his behavior, but those types of situations could have been completely avoided if we weren’t approached by unleashed dogs to begin with. Some dogs don’t like other dogs, some dogs are fearful of other dogs, some dogs are recovering from past trauma, and some dogs are recovering from injuries. All dogs deserve the space they need. If both owners want to have their dogs meet, then by all means do! Just make sure the meeting is wanted by both parties and it doesn’t become a surprise meeting that could end badly. 
• Even the most trained dogs get distracted especially by the scent of other animals. Having your pups on a leash makes sure they aren’t running off to chase a rabbit or track a deer. Wild animals own the lands we hike in. They deserve to be left in peace and it’s never fun to have your pups lost.

Pick up your dog poop: No one likes to pick up dog poop, but as responsible dog owners we must! Pick it up right away and bring the bag with you until you find a trash can to throw it away in. Many doggie bag holders now come with a little notch that you can attach your used bag to so you don’t have to actually carry it the whole time.

Train your dog: All dogs need training for them to be the best they can be. If you are still working on training your dogs, getting outside around distractions is a great way to do that. Just keep in mind your dogs’ current training levels, their behavior around other dogs and people, and their limits. There is no sense in taking a reactive dog to the busiest trail around when he hasn’t had any prior socialization. It is just going to make him anxious and likely to react worse. Socialization has to come in small doses. As someone who has gone through this myself, I know how frustrating it can be to have a reactive dog. But with lots of obedience training and lots of small doses of socialization, it gets better. Declan used to not be able to walk by another dog without whining from anxiety and causing a scene. Now he can go on hikes anywhere, attends events like 5ks and the farmers market, and has even been to a doggie dip at our local YMCA. This kind of training and socialization takes time, but all dogs deserve to explore outside and have some fun. This also ties back into why you should always leash your dogs even if they are friendly.

Be respectful to the land: This rule goes for dogs and people alike. Stay on the trail as to not disturb the surrounding areas and keep your pups from digging or chasing wildlife. If you bring anything in, make sure to pack it out with you. If we want to continue to be able to enjoy the nature around us, we must respect and protect it. Leave no trace, take only memories (and lots of pictures).