Hiking combines multiple beloved canine activities into a single outing: sniffing, adventuring, barking, running, and maybe even swimming, depending on where you hike. For your dog, it’s the equivalent of taking a child into a candy store – they’re bombarded with sensory input that keeps them motivated, excited, and interested, all day long.
Meanwhile, you get to relax, take in nature, and enjoy a bit of time away from your regular hustle and bustle.
Now, here’s the catch: hiking can be dangerous for both you and your dog if you don’t take the right precautions. From the dangers of standing water to how to determine your dog’s endurance, we’ll teach you how to make it safer in this post.
Use the Right Leash
It can be tempting to let your dog run off-leash when hiking, especially if there aren’t any people or animals nearby (that you’re aware of). However, this is extremely risky, especially if you aren’t 100 percent confident of your dog’s recall skills before you head out. He or she might take off running, hurt themselves on brush, or even accidentally step on a bee’s nest. And then, there’s the risks of running face-to-face with a porcupine or skunk, too.
Instead, keep your dog on a leash whenever you possibly can. Sure, it affords them less freedom. But it’s much safer to start with a leash, at least the first few times you go exploring, than to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills to fix an injured dog.
Need a healthy compromise between a leash and freedom? Try a flexi-leash with an adjustable length, but be sure you know how to use it safely. For safety reasons, you should never allow your dog to retract the leash back and forth by running and returning; instead, give him a specified amount of leash to work with depending on your situation. Adjust it and re-lock it into place as your scenario changes.
Practice Good Recall Skills
Recall – how reliably your dog comes back to you when you ask him to – is a critical safety skill for outdoor canine explorers. Having good recall keeps your dog safe when the outside world is unpredictable; it ensures that you have the ability to command him back to your side if he encounters danger (like animals, people, or other aggressive dogs).
But dogs aren’t just born with good recall skills; they’re taught them over time by human companions. As a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to hone these skills before you head out into the wilderness or even the city – from puppyhood, preferably.
Whole Dog Journal recommends playing fun games that also practice recall at the same time, including “Keep Away,” “Whiplash,” and “Hide and Seek.” These games teach your dog to always seek you out, both when you are and when you are not calling them.
Round Robin recalls, which use multiple “people” as interest points, also help, especially in families where your dog may need to respond equally to parents, kids, or even grandparents during a hike.
If you know your dog has poor recall, reconsider visiting hiking areas where risks are highest, such as common parks, dog owner frequented trails, and wilderness zones with high animal activity. Pick something less triggering at first instead, and practice your recall in safer areas until you improve your dog’s skills.
Judge Your Dog’s Abilities First
If someone heads to the doctor to get clearance to run a marathon, the first thing the doctor asks is how much they exercise currently and whether they’re used to running. This question is important because it helps the physician determine their individual level of endurance and resistance to physical stress.
It’s also important to verify your dog’s suitability for hiking and high levels of activity before an adventure. A visit to the vet to rule out health issues, a good understanding of her endurance, and a few shorter test trips can help you identify potential problems before they happen in the field.
Remember that age, illness, breed, disability, and even lifestyle may impact your dog’s ability to hike for long periods of time. A senior dog who is a little round around the waist is more likely to struggle, as is a tiny puppy who still spends most of the day sleeping. A dog who runs with his owner twice a day, on the other hand, is already primed for long trips and hikes.
Beware of Bad Water-Borne Bugs
REI, one of North America’s largest outdoor activity equipment companies, talks a lot about how to hike with dogs safely in this article. One of the points they touch on is the additional parasites and bacteria your dog encounters on the trail. This includes bugs like Giardia, which come from contaminated water, including puddles, lakes, streams, brooks, and oceans.
Diseases like canine giardia, coccidiosis, and toxin-mediated poisonings from polluted water sources are no fun for your dog. They can make him throw up, experience diarrhea, or even experience life-threatening complications, all of which are extremely difficult to treat on the trail.
To prevent nasty canine G.I. infections, don’t swim in or allow your dog to drink from water sources you aren’t absolutely sure you can trust. Some vets recommend carrying prophylactic antibiotics, but overall, just ensuring you have access to safe water for drinking and washing is best.
Think ocean water is safe? Salt water does carry a lower risk for bacterial infection, but it can still be polluted. Even clean salt water can make your pup sick if he ingests it; the high sodium levels cause rapid dehydration and vomiting.
Start Flea & Tick Medicines Early
REI’s experts also recommend seeing the veterinarian before you start hiking for the first time to address potential flea and tick needs; we agree with this sentiment.
That said, don’t be tempted to medicate right before you leave and then stop treatment as soon as you get back. This can create windows of opportunity for fleas, ticks, and other nasties that allow your dog to become sick or infected. It’s far better to see your vet regularly (at least once a year) and give parasite control medicines year-round, rather than just when you plan to hike.
One point many pet owners overlook is the fact that preventatives, including flea and tick drops or heartworm pills, often take time to become fully effective. You should start treatment at least 30 days before your adventures, and continue it for at least 30 more days, to ensure proper coverage.
Practice Good Trail Etiquette
When hiking with your dog, your goal should always be to have an enjoyable experience without harming the environment or interfering with other hiker experiences along the way. Practice good trail etiquette at all times, including packing out what you pack in, only hiking on dog-friendly trails, and never leaving your dog’s excrement or waste where people walk.
But what about long hikes or backpacking trips? It isn’t always reasonable to pack out poop on week-long trips, but you should still do your best to follow the golden rule of “Leave No Trace.” Bury his feces in a six-inch deep hole well away from traffic at least 200 feet away from trails, water sources, camping areas, and play zones.
Always Control Your Dog
Having good control over your dog while you hike is also a critical part of hiker etiquette, especially in zones where other dogs may be present. This goes back to good recall skills and/or using a leash; both prevent anxieties or fears from escalating into fights and really serious accidents.
If you aren’t confident that you can keep your dog calm in absolutely any situation, including wildlife encounters, consider visiting with a trainer first. A few sessions can help you learn how to identify anxiety, aggression, and fear, so you can better react to them before a bite, lunge, or scratch happens.
Proper socialization also helps; dogs who get along well with most other dogs and people make better hiking companions, especially in popular hiking zones. If your dog is young, or struggles with socialization, spend some time improving his ability to be a Canine Good Citizen. Other hikers will thank you, your dog will thank you, and your hiking experiences will improve, too.