Caching With Dog(s)

[JohnX]

So please ensure your dog is well trained before you let her off the leash, what if she gave chase and you couldn't call her back?

A very well made point.

 

Additionally, what would happen if a cute and friendly, absolutely harmless dog was off leash and ran up to a non-cute and very unfriendly dog on a leash? The loose dog would certainly be the loser in that scenario, and there would be nothing the owner could do but bring what remained of the dog to the vet.

[+sbell111]

My dog, Darby is generally pretty easy to handle on lead, but she will get quickly distracted by small furry or feathered creatures. Way back in May of 2002, the pup and I found this cache. While I was logging the find, I hooked her retractible lead onto a branch. She spotted something tasty and silently broke the lead. She was no where to be found when I looked up.

 

An hour later, my pup made her way back to me, chasing fish in a stream the whole way.

 

If you are not going to keep your dog on a lead because its the law or to protect the dog from people and vice versa, do it so you don't lose her. I count myself fortunate that I didn't lose the pup that day, one way or the other.

[Nick428]

So please ensure your dog is well trained before you let her off the leash, what if she gave chase and you couldn't call her back?

A very well made point.

 

Additionally, what would happen if a cute and friendly, absolutely harmless dog was off leash and ran up to a non-cute and very unfriendly dog on a leash? The loose dog would certainly be the loser in that scenario, and there would be nothing the owner could do but bring what remained of the dog to the vet.

I'm not to worried about that considering my dog is basically part wolf therefore she is pretty good at defending herself. I've seen her lay a pretty good stomping on a boxer when he teased her and got too close. Playfully of course but she definately showed him who is boss. Looks can be decieving I won't under estimate her if anyone tried to harm someone in my family and she was there.

 

Point well made though. You never know what could happen in a situation like that.

 

I'm 100 % sure I want her to be solid with commands before I try any off leash trainin in an open area. I don't want anything to happen like that sad story by Team Red Oak. Anything could happen like that...cliffs, roads, caves etc. It's sad.

[+Ladybug Kids]

Additionally, what would happen if a cute and friendly, absolutely harmless dog was off leash and ran up to a non-cute and very unfriendly dog on a leash? The loose dog would certainly be the loser in that scenario, and there would be nothing the owner could do but bring what remained of the dog to the vet.

The dog on the leash usually ends up the loser because it can't get away. I've been in several situations where I've tried to pull my dog(s) back on a leash or skijor line and the aggressive dog keeps on coming.

 

The Ladybug Kids own five dogs that we have housebroken, obedience trained, and use for skijoring and mushing in the winter and hiking companions in the summer.

 

Even as dog owners and lovers, people should not trust dogs that they do not know. I've lost count of the number of times I've been skijoring, mushing, runjoring (running with a dog on a skijor line) or walking one or more of my dogs on a leash and encountered people with loose dogs on the trails with negative results. Loose dogs tend to take advantage of other restrained dogs and I've made several trips to the vet to have my restrained dogs stitched up after being attacked by loose dogs under "voice control" of their owner(s). Except for exceptionally well trained dogs, loose dogs tend to go deaf when there is something more interesting than their owner in the area such as a moose, new people, porcupines, cats, squirrels, and especially other dogs.

 

We go to great lengths to keep our dogs from interacting with other people and dogs when in public because we know not everyone considers our pets "man's best friend," and we don't know whether the other dogs understand dog body language and etiquette. Many dogs that are from single pet homes seem to forget "dog language" and behave in a way that that incites negative responses from dogs that still do speak their native tongue which is primarily nonverbal. Only once we've had a request "can our dog say "hi" to your dog" or "can I pet your dog" or "can I give your dog a treat" do we let our dogs approach new people/dogs and I wish others would pay us the same courtesy.

 

My bottom line...EVERYONE goes home happier if dogs are kept under complete control. If one is in an area where a leash law is in effect, always follow the law. If one is in an area where a leash law is not in effect, keep your dogs in sight and restrain them the moment you hear other people in the area until you are sure they are dog friendly. If your dogs are not "bomb proof" on verbal commands, don't let them loose. I know this sounds "preachy," but I'm tired of my four-legged friends being beat up by other loose pooches. It's a real bummer to have my dog restrained by leash, line, and/or collar and to have a loose dog keep on coming. At some point I have to decide whether incoming dog is just going to "mess around" or "means business" and release my dog to avoid being bitten myself and to give my dog a chance to get away (which being a trained racing dog usually means the agressive dog is left in the dust).

 

Blue Blaze Irregulars and Justybug provided some nice advice. I especially agree with playing "hide and seek" with one's dog, especially when it's a young puppy. That's kept our dogs always looking back and checking in because they never know when we will disappear on them. We trained all our dogs to heel which has some interesting unintended consequence when racing and training them...it's pretty funny having a string of four to six dogs in front of a sled when they all want to run on the left side of the trail.

 

Off-leash time is a great way for dogs to get exercise and do what dogs like to do unfettered. However, we do it under controlled circumstances when possible negative interactions with wild animals (moose, bear and fox around here), people and other dogs can happen. One of the most enjoyable things for us is to watch our entire group of dogs run loose chasing and cutting off each other, tumbling and wrestling, and then flopping down to pant for awhile before starting all over. Letting them do that builds stamina and agility. Our dogs (and we) also get lots of resistance training by going for runs in harness with us on a skijor line. It's also easy to get above tree line up here with unobstructed sight lines, so we let our dogs range further afield where we can see them and still call them back.

 

I'm now going to retreat to my kennel and cower since I know many dog lovers don't share my same views about dog handling.

Edited July 2, 2005 by Ladybug Kids

[+Alan2]

You've given good advice.

[+One of the Texas Vikings]

If you'd really like to go Wireless (leash-less) with her, you could get a training collar. They have wireless collars that are used to train hunting dogs, as well as behavior collars. I'm sure if you worked with her just a few times at home, she would respond well to it enough to take her with you.

  Some work by slight electrical shock (sounds bad, but isnt!)

 

You have to be kidding !

why not use a shock collar on your kids. Yes, the dogs are animals, but to shock them when they don't listen !!!???

Gee, why not just get a 2 x 4 with a nail in it !

 

I dare you to put that collar around your neck and have someone shock you....

then tell me that it "sounds bad, but isn't."

Edited July 2, 2005 by One of the Texas Vikings

[+deimos444]

If you'd really like to go Wireless (leash-less) with her, you could get a training collar. They have wireless collars that are used to train hunting dogs, as well as behavior collars. I'm sure if you worked with her just a few times at home, she would respond well to it enough to take her with you.

  Some work by slight electrical shock (sounds bad, but isnt!)

 

You have to be kidding !

why not use a shock collar on your kids. Yes, the dogs are animals, but to shock them when they don't listen !!!???

Gee, why not just get a 2 x 4 with a nail in it !

 

I dare you to put that collar around your neck and have someone shock you....

then tell me that it "sounds bad, but isn't."

Gee, can I pull the trigger? Pleeeese.

[+BandR]

My dog goes with me almost everywhere, including caches. When he was about one year old we attended obedience classes, mainly for socialization. Hes 11 years old now, he knows all the commands and is well socialized but is still not 100% trustworth in every situation. As far as training your dog, getting him to understand your commands is the easy part. The hard thing to do is getting him to understand your rules. Spend lots of time and be consistant on the rules. When you say "sit", not only should he know what that means, he needs to know exactly what you expect him to do.

As far as when to leash and when not to leash. Know your dog and use your best judgement, error on the safe side. I know my dog is uneffected by strange people but is excitable and distracted around strange dogs so if the possibility exists that another dog or animal may be around, there are a number of people around, there are people around that are nervious around dogs or we are in a very public place where a leash law exists my dog is leashed.

[+BandR]

I dare you to put that collar around your neck and have someone shock you....

then tell me that it "sounds bad, but isn't."

 

I tried the shock collar thing and it didnt work well because the dog has to do something wrong for the correction. When I had it on the dog, he would do nothing wrong, it was like he knew.

 

I did actually use it on me before putting it on the dog. I wouldnt have it any other way.

If a shock collar bothers you, you wouldve freaked about the "collar of death" as my wife called it, with the teeth that pinch his neck skin when he pulled.

[+Killerb]

Well, it looks like you already have enough suggestions to start a dog obedience class of your own, but I will add my two cents anyway.

I have had quite a few dogs, most of them being of the field breeds. At this time I am the owner and master(you have to be the master) of a two year old Chocolate Lab. I very seldom go caching with out him and he is very well behaved.

I start out with the teaching process of keeping the dog near by at all times by having him on a short leash and choke chain, walking him around the yard at my left side. I walk at a slow pace and hold his head just behind and to the side of my left leg. But not so close that he cannot respond to your sideways movement without getting stepped on first. I calmly but firmly keep telling him to "heel". If he tries to go ahead or fall behind I firmly put pressure on the chain, which in turn givs him a choking effect. This lesson only should last about 15 minutes or so. I do this several times a day lengthing the leash each time which will allow him to advance or fall back at will. When doing so, I respond with a yank on the leash and command him heel. For a dog with any intelligence, it will only be a matter of a few days and he will be responding to heel without the need to put pressure on the leash.

Once I feel confident that I am in full control. I go through this same process in a local park where he will come up against other dogs and the general public, including cars and trucks. This is a much harder lesson for him to learn and it will take time and patience, on your part.

Again back in your own yard where there are not any distractions, allow the dog his freedom with whatever command you would like to use, but also with a forward swinging arm action. Both command and arm movement have to be given before the dog is to be allowed to be free. Now is when you will know if your "heel" command lesson has been learned. Give a sharp command to heel, if and when he returns to your side a "good boy" and a pat on the head will be payment enough for him to know that he has done as he was taught and he has been rewarded for it. When you feel confident that you are in full command take him for his final test at the park again, but ONLY when you are in FULL command.

When in the woods or on the trail, never let him get out too far before you give him some kind of command to let him know that he is overstepping his bounds and he will have to heel if he continues to not respond. I keep a short leash on my belt at all times, if I think that I may run into other hikers or I am in a Leash Law area. When we meet others, he is emmediately given the command to heal and the leash goes on. Many times when he sees a hiker before I do, he returns without being told. Then we both get a "good boy" and maybe even GOLD STARS.

Hope this helps. KillerB and a dog named Bo

[+brodiebunch]

Our dog Brodie is a West Highland Terrier (aka westie). We got him when he was 8 weeks old and started training him early on commands, who are the alphas in his pack, etc. Being a terrier his nose is always to the ground so when we cache, and we are walking himon leash-we are literally dragging him along. Off leash though, he may fall behind to sniff but will always run to keep to up us. If he gets distracted with squirrels or other rodents, other dogs, etc, a sharp "Leave it" stops him. Unfortunately he cannot sniff out caches but will sit patiently while we search an area. We always have his leash ready, not to protect other people but to protect him from more aggressive dogs.

We are very lucky with him

[+SixDogTeam]

We cache with a small Jack Russell Terrier, and when on woods trails we generally keep him on leash unless we're climbing or bushwacking thru dense undergrowth off trail. On occasion I'll let him just drag his leash on trail and he stays right with us and obeys our commands( "on by", "leave it", "wait" etc.). But if we meet people, bikes or horses etc. on the trail , I keep him on the leash, as a matter of courtesy to others.

 

One day we turned a bend in a trail and were confronted by a guy and his off leash PIT BULL (No lie). I picked up Patrick and kept him in my arms. This idiot never realized in what imminent peril his dog was... I was ready to break his neck if it came to that, and I can do it. (The Pit Bull's, not the Idiot's). So it works both ways...

[+Sue Gremlin]

But not all Pit Bulls are killers.