Geocaching Dogies

[+HotFix]

Looks like the wife and I are getting a puppy next weekend. Any tips on Geocache training for your dogs (or any other outdoor logistics for a four legged friend)?

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Looks like the wife and I are getting a puppy next weekend. Any tips on Geocache training for your dogs (or any other outdoor logistics for a four legged friend)?

 

Whew, you had me intrigued there for a minute. I thought you were getting a Geocaching Dogie

[+team moxiepup]

Once the puppy has had it's full round of shots, a puppy class that provides socialization, and basic manners would be great! It's never too early to start training a dog, as they do much of their learning while young. A good puppy class teaches how to deal with normal puppy behaviors, before they become problem behaviors in the adult dog and gives them the foundations to build on for later obedience classes. As your dog will very likely meet other dogs on trails, the socialization at these classes will make your dog much better behaved when it encounters other dogs later in life.

 

One thing I'm very thankfull we taught Moxie was to "Come By". I know this may mean something different to dogs trained for sheep herding, but we use it to tell her to untangle herself from trees.

When Moxie was little, and would wrap her leash around a tree, we would gently guide her to walk back around the way she needed to untangle herself, all the while saying "come by" and praising her lavishly when done. It wasn't long before she figured out that it meant to come back the other direction and to folow her leash. Every once and awhile she'll still get herself wrapped, especially on braches that snag the leash, or in very thick underbrush, but by and large, she's very leash aware and we can see her figuring out the way to comeback to us.

This is amazingly helpful on the trail!

 

Once your pup is old enough, I highly reccomend getting him or her a Lyme disease vaccination. It's difficult enough finding the regular sized dog ticks, let alone the deer ticks!

 

Good luck with your new family member!

Edited May 10, 2006 by team moxiepup

[magellan315]

What breed is Moxie?

[+HoundGrrls]

Looks like the wife and I are getting a puppy next weekend. Any tips on Geocache training for your dogs (or any other outdoor logistics for a four legged friend)?

 

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

[+team moxiepup]

"What breed is Moxie?"- magellan315

(Sorry, but I'm on a mac laptop at work and I can't get it to make the quote function work!)

 

We were told that her mother was a Miniature Pinscher, and her father a Pomeranian, but she looks kinda like a jack russell or small basenji.

She has short hair but you can see the Min Pin in her in her ears and the wrinkles on her forehead, and the Pom in her curly tail and her love of snow. She was a rescue dog, that we got as a pup at 8 weeks old, and she has the best traits out of all the breeds we had been looking at! She's a great dog!

I'll post a more recent picture, later when I'm at home and on my own computer.

[+sbell111]

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

On the other hand, my best advice is to get your new pup trained, but keep him on a leash. Nothing is worse than off leash dogs submitted to the excitement of a strange place, new people, other dogs, and wildlife. Invest in a variety of quality leashes and make sure you bring twice as much water as you think your dog will need.

[+Sean Connery]

You got some good advice from Team Moxiepup. My geo-dog is a purebred Brittany that we've had since we bought as a pup. She is now 9 years old. I would say a good puppy class cannot be overemphasized. It is very helpful to both the pup and the owner. Dogs need as much taining and education as any human child to succeed and excel in the game of life and geocaching in particular. While my dog has been trained as a bird dog by myself and paid professionals, I was able to adapt her former training to help her find geocaches. Yes, it can be done, but it is a lot of work. Using much the same tactics she learned to find dead birds, she has found caches ahead of me or the wife.

 

Good luck with your puppy pick. I hope you get a keeper.

[+team moxiepup]

Here's Moxie, pretending she's a pointer.

 

Gonna post another pic on the other thread... if I can find the one I want.

[RubiconJW]

That pus's got a lotta spirit!! Looks like ya got a good bud there..

 

My dog's an 8 yr old Austrailian Shepard & Golden retriever mix. Total squashead but obedient & friendly to all. She's been over 1000 miles on the back of a 4 wheeler & the only time I leash her is when I go in a store. Very rarely barks for any reason. Had her since puppydom.

 

 

..Friday & JW

[+HoundGrrls]

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

On the other hand, my best advice is to get your new pup trained, but keep him on a leash. Nothing is worse than off leash dogs submitted to the excitement of a strange place, new people, other dogs, and wildlife. Invest in a variety of quality leashes and make sure you bring twice as much water as you think your dog will need.

 

There certainly lots of dog trainers in the US and abroad who won't train dogs to off leash reliability. It is unfortunate. Leashes break, slip, and are kind of a bother when doing any bushwacking.

 

Happy Trails which ever way you all go with your training!

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

On the other hand, my best advice is to get your new pup trained, but keep him on a leash. Nothing is worse than off leash dogs submitted to the excitement of a strange place, new people, other dogs, and wildlife. Invest in a variety of quality leashes and make sure you bring twice as much water as you think your dog will need.

 

Agreed. Sure, off leash freedom is nice, but do you really want your little fella distracted by a bunny or something and chase it right into the path of a car, a larger or more dangerous animal, off a precipice or anything like that? Get a nice long retractable for the open spaces. The freedom of off-leash with the security of a lead when you need it. IMHO, letting your dog run free anywhere but on your own property is irresponsible at best, and potentially catastrophic at worst.

[+HoundGrrls]

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

On the other hand, my best advice is to get your new pup trained, but keep him on a leash. Nothing is worse than off leash dogs submitted to the excitement of a strange place, new people, other dogs, and wildlife. Invest in a variety of quality leashes and make sure you bring twice as much water as you think your dog will need.

 

Agreed. Sure, off leash freedom is nice, but do you really want your little fella distracted by a bunny or something and chase it right into the path of a car, a larger or more dangerous animal, off a precipice or anything like that? Get a nice long retractable for the open spaces. The freedom of off-leash with the security of a lead when you need it. IMHO, letting your dog run free anywhere but on your own property is irresponsible at best, and potentially catastrophic at worst.

 

*That* is what reliable means- able to call off prey etc. There are way too many dog trainers that settle for less, demean the intellect of dogs, and unnecessarily restrict the human-canine bond.

 

Since this is no longer geo related we can take to the OT spot or anyone is free to email me about how to get a for real everyday and not so everyday situations recall (and heel, stay, and fetch too).

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Off leash reliability!

If you are getting a young pup (under 4 mos) then you can do some training of course but be prepared to redo the training once the teenage time kicks in.

 

Find a trainer that will help you call your dog no matter the distraction. Email me if you want more info.

 

Happy Hunting!

On the other hand, my best advice is to get your new pup trained, but keep him on a leash. Nothing is worse than off leash dogs submitted to the excitement of a strange place, new people, other dogs, and wildlife. Invest in a variety of quality leashes and make sure you bring twice as much water as you think your dog will need.

 

Agreed. Sure, off leash freedom is nice, but do you really want your little fella distracted by a bunny or something and chase it right into the path of a car, a larger or more dangerous animal, off a precipice or anything like that? Get a nice long retractable for the open spaces. The freedom of off-leash with the security of a lead when you need it. IMHO, letting your dog run free anywhere but on your own property is irresponsible at best, and potentially catastrophic at worst.

 

*That* is what reliable means- able to call off prey etc. There are way too many dog trainers that settle for less, demean the intellect of dogs, and unnecessarily restrict the human-canine bond.

 

Since this is no longer geo related we can take to the OT spot or anyone is free to email me about how to get a for real everyday and not so everyday situations recall (and heel, stay, and fetch too).

 

That's OK, we'll just have to agree to disagree. All the training in the world does not change the fact that a dog (like a human) is an animal, and animals have instincts. There is ALWAYS a risk, however small, that your dog (or any animal) may do something unexpected. You may be willing to accept that risk. I, however, am not.