Geocaching with your pups

[+snoopsters]

We have 2 Jack Russells that are a tad energetic to put it mildly. Both my wife and I go out on our caching adventures which makes it a bit easier to handle our pups, but it's still difficult when we're bushwacking through thick bush/forest. We need to keep our guys on leashes, or they'll chase anything that moves. Invariably the dog wants to go under a branch that I'm climbing over, or vice versa. Makes it much slower to find the cache.

 

How do you manage your pups while searching for the cache?

 

Here's a video of our bike setup with our jacks. This predates the start of our caching, but it's how we're going to get to many of the cache locations.

 

Video - cycling with 2 Jacks

[+LukeTrocity]

All aboard the jackmobile!

[+escomag]

We have 2 Jack Russells that are a tad energetic to put it mildly. Both my wife and I go out on our caching adventures which makes it a bit easier to handle our pups, but it's still difficult when we're bushwacking through thick bush/forest. We need to keep our guys on leashes, or they'll chase anything that moves. Invariably the dog wants to go under a branch that I'm climbing over, or vice versa. Makes it much slower to find the cache.

 

How do you manage your pups while searching for the cache?

 

Here's a video of our bike setup with our jacks. This predates the start of our caching, but it's how we're going to get to many of the cache locations.

 

Video - cycling with 2 Jacks

 

Jacks need a lot of exercise. Why not take up Flyball or Agility? I often am able to do a little caching at the parks we compete in. In fact, I looked again for a cache this weekend at a flyball tournament in San Diego , that I again, could not find. ,when it had been found recently.

[+mtn-man]

I think you have the wrong thing going on who should be pulling who there. I've often thought about roller blades, but I am afraid I would fall and break my arm or something. I love seeing Cesar Millan doing that on the Dog Whisperer.

 

With the puppymonster, I know better than to let him off the leash. He is very good about commands, but he is a dog and instinct can kick in. I also cannot outrun him at all, so if he goes he is gone. If he goes, he will be lost typically. For me that is unacceptable and to me is irresponsible as the dog's owner. No matter how much training, they are dogs.

 

One thing we have done over time is get used to being on the leash in brush. I have a long 16 foot extending leash reel, the red one. It is easy to short leash him when needed. When going through brush, I keep him at about 6 - 7 feet. If he goes a way that I cannot, I stop and tell him "whoa". I tell him to come back to me, then I do a pointing motion in the direction I want him to go. Over the years he is very tuned into this and now pretty much knows the right direction to go. Now all I say is "ho", he stops and comes back and he looks at me for the motion of where to go. Many time when he is undecided he stops and waits for me, looks at me and waits for me to motion in the direction to go. We pretty much go with only hand commands at this point, then the reassuring "good boy, good boy" and a pat on his back as he heads in the right direction. Dogs are smart and will learn this quickly, especially your jacks and my border collie/sheltie mix.

 

With the long leash, if he does go the wrong way, you can also drop the leash and pick it up on the other side. If they bolt, the long leash will get tangled on something eventually and you can get them. By doing the training, over time, you will no longer have to worry about that though.

[+Team Taran]

I most often cache with a dog. I started with a Sheltie who gave me my caching name but he crossed the Rainbow Bridge about 3 years ago. My current caching companion is Bilbo who logs his finds as Mr.B.Baggins. He just past a year and quite small. He's doing well developing caching skills. He's pretty much mastered waiting for me to log and is doing well on choosing the same side of trees, but his size makes some bushwhacking not doable. I often use a waist leash and sometimes a flexi. I would not trust him off lead yet and maybe never. There's a lot at stake and a momentary lapse in his or my judgment could be fatal.

[Mr.B.Baggins]

Hi I followed my person here. I think she was mostly right. She didn't give me enough credit though. I've been the first of the team to find 2 caches already and I've hidden two. I like that she mostly takes me interesting places but it would make things easier if she had a better idea of what's it like to be 13 inches tall. She does give me a boost when I need it though and sometimes she lets me choose which way to go.

Bilbo

PS Shelties have better manners than silly terriers but I have been known to chew things I shouldn't. One was a leash.

[+Packanack]

I take my dog out pretty regularly (note I say my dog) actually was my son's idea ---We have to get another dog---and on and on. So last year I said if it will make you happy--go ahead--cause I was the stumbling block. We we get a dog, don't know the first thing about the breed-- Border Collie--so I get the book and the first rule of Border Collie is exercise, work, exercise and more work, then throw in some training--the training is for the owner cause the dog is smarter than the owner. So as I near my 60th birthday I find myself walking 5 miles a day--365 days consecutively--haven't lost an ounce to dispell that walking to lose weight nonsense. But I have come to love the guy and he is all about his humans. Vacation last week, I took him caching every morning. Use a 10 foot loose leash and voice commands, Over here, this way, whoa are the ones he is good with for trail walking and he goes back over the trail on the return like he is gps guided, never makes a mistake, even at a point where 4 trails converged. It is a lot of work, but can be fun. This fall I hope to do some more obedience training, because he is coming into the "adolescent" stage where they start to assert their inate bossiness. BTW, to OP--I am told that if you put them down on their feet, they will walk--so you don't have to pull them in a trailer

 

 

Obedience training works wonders--Here he is in the down position waiting for me to finish.

Edited September 13, 2010 by Packanack

[+Scooter Rider]

May I suggest a Dog scooter

 

dog scooter.com

[+snoopsters]

I most often cache with a dog. I started with a Sheltie who gave me my caching name but he crossed the Rainbow Bridge about 3 years ago. My current caching companion is Bilbo who logs his finds as Mr.B.Baggins. He just past a year and quite small. He's doing well developing caching skills. He's pretty much mastered waiting for me to log and is doing well on choosing the same side of trees, but his size makes some bushwhacking not doable. I often use a waist leash and sometimes a flexi. I would not trust him off lead yet and maybe never. There's a lot at stake and a momentary lapse in his or my judgment could be fatal.

 

Looks like we have something in common. Our first dog passed away 3 years ago as well. She was also the inspiration for our team name.

[+lachupa]

I have an Aussie, much like a BC we do whatever we can to work him until he behaves.

 

He's a great geocacher though, that nose misses nothing.

 

Also there is one of him and two of us so we have numbers on our side.

 

[+snoopsters]

May I suggest a Dog scooter

 

dog scooter.com

 

That's pretty cool, but I think I'd need about 4 more jacks to pull me.

[+snoopsters]

We have 2 Jack Russells that are a tad energetic to put it mildly. Both my wife and I go out on our caching adventures which makes it a bit easier to handle our pups, but it's still difficult when we're bushwacking through thick bush/forest. We need to keep our guys on leashes, or they'll chase anything that moves. Invariably the dog wants to go under a branch that I'm climbing over, or vice versa. Makes it much slower to find the cache.

 

How do you manage your pups while searching for the cache?

 

Here's a video of our bike setup with our jacks. This predates the start of our caching, but it's how we're going to get to many of the cache locations.

 

Video - cycling with 2 Jacks

 

Jacks need a lot of exercise. Why not take up Flyball or Agility? I often am able to do a little caching at the parks we compete in. In fact, I looked again for a cache this weekend at a flyball tournament in San Diego , that I again, could not find. ,when it had been found recently.

 

I agree. We've taken our dogs to 3 levels of Obedience classes. Our next step is Agility. We start later in the Fall. To give them exercise we take them to our local park twice a day and let them chase a ball or frisbee. I'm the only one who gets exercise from geocaching ... which isn't saying much for my fitness level.

[+Team Dennis]

I have a 16 month old black lab. I take her out to caches where dogs are permitted to run free whenever possible, which is mostly DNR hunting land. It helps a lot that she is pretty well behaved. Knock on wood. My wife says she's going to be taking her to some obedience classes later this year though. I guess a little schooling couldn't hurt.

[+Chokecherry]

I never took my old dog because he was just too old to really enjoy that much (stiff and sore). I got a new puppy that I haven't brought with yet because we're heading to an array of hunting seasons here and I don't want her to get shot (happens a lot here).

 

I'm also leery of taking her on the caches on ATV trails knowing that many of the folks around here tend to barrel down them at very high speed with little regard to what might be on the trail.

[+Ant89]

Try bike-jor*

 

Or Cani-Cross*

 

*With this type of activity, the dog MUST be on a harness, running the dog on a collar will enevitably result in serious damage to the dogs neck. A lengh of bungee should be used to aborb the shock when the dog pulls.

As with any dog sport, the safety and welfare of the dog is the priority.

[+mahgnillig]

I cache with my 2 dogs - one is a lab mix and the other is a coonhound. In fact they're almost always with me when I cache because I like the company and it gives them a lot of exercise as well as me. I rarely use a leash when I'm out in the wilds... I find it annoying to have my hands restricted and it makes it hard if I have to use trekking poles. When I'm looking for a cache and I know I'm close to it I make the dogs heel, then when I get within a few feet I make them sit and wait. They don't like it much, but I have their safety in mind as I'd rather have them bored than lost/injured/eaten. Dogs don't understand complex consequences, which is why they have to be trained to listen to their owner and do what they are told, regardless of what they'd rather be doing. If you train them to know that there are positives when they do as they are told (praise, treat etc.) and negatives when they don't (electric collars are a great training tool), they will soon learn that it is in their best interest to do what you tell them. While my dogs may not understand why I am making them sit and wait (maybe I saw the cliff and they didn't), they do it because they know they have to do what I tell them. I make the decisions about what is safe and what is not safe for them... all they have to do is listen

[+Scooter Rider]

I have an Aussie, much like a BC we do whatever we can to work him until he behaves.

 

He's a great geocacher though, that nose misses nothing.

 

Also there is one of him and two of us so we have numbers on our side.

 

 

Thats what he wants you to think

[+Hollysdaddy]

We have been cacheing with our labs (4) for 3 years. We take them with us if we go early in the am. We let them run and explore all over. If we see people running or walking on the trails we call them and they come a running. They stay by us and if the people are dog friendly we let the take off again. If the people look aperhensive we always have tandem leaches with us. Never had a problem yet.