What to do when encountering dogs on the trail?

My wife and I once almost got trampled by horses running free on a trail.

The owners let them loose near the end of their trip to run down to a corral or something. We were heading up and barely heard them coming around a bend in the trail. We just barely jumped off the trail in time. I shudder to think of what would have happened if they ran over us.

I could write a long screed about horses on foot trails—not about horses but about the humans who ride them. But that would hijack this thread. For some reason riderless wild ponies are a whole different subject—and are trail benign—

Freakish pony in the Mt Rogers backcountry.

I've used Halti collars on two dogs with instant results. I find them to be much more humane and gentle than any kind of pinch or choke collars. Some dogs will paw at them at first, but a little treat and learning that the Halti=a walk usually takes care of that issue. You get to go for a walk with a slack lead and even a small person can control a large dog with one. You are using the simple principle of leading the dog by their head and can direct them away from issues. My theory is that they use an instinctual trigger as a mother dog will correct her pup by mouthing their muzzle, which the Halti does when you take up the slack. IMHO, they are the best way to go.

I've seen a lot of people with the Gentle Lead collars which are similar. I tried one once and found it harder to put on the dog and adjust. They are very light and simple.

The only issue is that some people think they are a muzzle and get freaked out. Rare, but it has happened to me.

Ok. This is an online post. You cannot hear my tone, but please imagine that I am saying this nicely and with absolutely NO malice in my voice. I am not writing this in anger, or frustration, or anything similar. I am simply going to make a point.

I very much enjoy hiking with my dog, who is a very, very good trail dog. He is very well behaved, rarely ventures from his number 2 spot on the trail, and after a great deal of effort, work, and a lot of mistakes on my part, he's turned into a dog most people enjoy meeting on the trail.

Seeing him get to run around free (usually he's stuck in a condo and only gets to go on sidewalk walks in the city), the goofiest grin on his face, he's an image of pure joy and it makes MY hiking experience just amazing.

Ok, maybe you don't like dogs. Why do I have to give up MY hiking experience to save you the 90 seconds out of your whole hike you see my pup because you don't like dogs in the wilderness?

Yes, I agree that I have a big responsibility and it's one I take very seriously. Am I perfect? Of course not. But I just can't get over the nastiness some people have over dogs on the trail.

It's an animal. Like a coyote, or a deer, or a mosquito, or snakes, or ticks, black flies…how is an unpleasant experience with a dog any different from that? Because I brought him there?

I don't like mountain bikes, but hey, on trails where they are allowed? oh well. Horses? Same thing. How about large groups? Or as Tipi said, the sound of helicopters, or nearby roads, or motor boats, or planes……….I guess I don't understand how the purity of YOUR wilderness experience trumps mine…..

Ok. I'm done.

Let the flaming begin :)

Nice point.
Thank you.

You left out my favorite group. Rotten children.

I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Dogs fear my encounter on the trail.

I see no reason for the flaming to begin :) we are just discussing the OP's scenario. And I really have not seen any nastiness here yet just opinions that we are all entitled to. Only a couple of posts have said they don't like dogs in the wilderness and I think it was done in a respectful way and I can see their point. I feel bad that they feel that way. I think Dale Randy Dena and others all threw out helpful suggestions. I don't think the OP's question can be answered with an easy one size fits all answer and that 99%+ of the time there is nothing to worry about, but a dog can be as big of a whack job as their owner and the dog attack statistics are real over 800,000 bites a year in the usa. So I see any thread that helps the dog owner see others point of view as helpful to everyone. So we can all have our wilderness experience.

Without any intention of being defensive, note that I did not call for dogs to be banned from anything. If we want to talk banning, then it should be to ban public lands ranching on designated wilderness, which the cattle lobby got into the the original wilderness bill. But that is another topic.

I simply said I don't like dogs in designated wilderness and would prefer not to experience them there. I also don't like horses or dirt bikes, air planes flying overhead, or trash at campsites, etc. Did I call for new legislative bans. No. I'm realistic (I lived in DC for almost 20 years and work in public policy). But, do I want my wilderness experience to be as pristine as practical. Yes. I would hope most here would too. There is a real debate to have about what we mean by wilderness (there is extensive literature on this topic already).

I would say that there are a lot of people on the trail that probably do not appreciate dogs there. I explicitly said I do like dogs (sadly, our family's just passed away 2 weeks ago). Just not in wilderness. And, it would be great if more people would think twice about bringing their dog or how they handle their dog when in wilderness the same way that we expect smokers be respectful of others by not smoking around them.

"""And, it would be great if more people would think twice about bringing their dog or how they handle their dog when in wilderness the same way that we expect smokers be respectful of others by not smoking around them."""
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I think you have every right to expect people to properly control their dog (regardless of where they are, city, wilderness, whatever) and I understand you're not calling for a ban but I also think your wish for people to not even bring a dog is unreasonable. For many of us, our dogs are our hiking buddies. I hike alone with my dog probably 90% of the time. I am getting ready to start doing overnighters with just my dog because I'm tired of having to work around other people's schedules. My dog is better company than 99% of people. I have to agree with Jennifer on this one- the 90 seconds you might have your wilderness experience spoiled by having to see my dog does not trump my right to have my dog's company and have my own wilderness experience enhanced by it. To be clear, my dog is leashed anywhere there are other people and anywhere it's required whether there are people or not, and I pick up after her and pack out her waste. We step off the trail when people are coming towards us, and I always place myself bodily between my dog and any people. So I think as it goes, I'm pretty respectful of other people on the trail.

Not trying to start an argument, just felt like chiming in on that topic.

I generally prefer encountering dogs on the trail to encountering humans. Dogs are by and large much quieter and leave behind way less trash.

Recently I wound up with a young blue heeler pup living at my house. Smart dog and very nice but an unruly little monster. Anyway, I picked up a shock collar hoping to expedite the training of the little hard head. Having never used one before, I was impressed at how effective the e-collar works for training. It is actually much, much less stressful for both the dog and myself. In about two weeks he obeys commands consistently and I rarely need to even use the collar. He is a happy dog and we get along great.

You can set the stimulus level from the transmitter and, at least for this dog, it only had to be set high enough to get his attention. It also distances the trainer from the punishment phase. He tends to see the adverse reinforcement as being the result of his own bad decisions. I get to be the good guy with treats.

Anyway, I now think that the e-collar is the way to go and well worth the money. You can find the Sportdog 425 collar for about $150 new or cheaper on ebay. If you buy used figure you may have to replace the batteries at $20 per. Other brands or models may work as well but I have no experience with them.

I return you now to the regularly scheduled rant.

oh, here's Kep the Corgi my number one hiking partner:

Do you put the collar on the dog or the owner.

My dog Kep is a nice guy and much more sociable than I am. So you may have a point.

Dena, I've been dogless about 10 years now. :( Due to my work situation, I cannot get a dog. I mostly go bping solo, so I do miss a dogs quiet companionship. My late Pooch alerted me once to a bears presence, surprisingly by growling, him being a Yellow Lab X and a very quiet dog, no aggression, lots of tail wagging around people. I do see the next doggie I get, that I need to be a little more pc when in areas where others frequent or in wilderness that has lots of critters. In the past I had no issues, just one comment about a dog in the wilderness to which I had no reply. I bp mostly in the Sierra Nevada where there are few people. My vacation trips tend to be in more popular areas, so I carry a leash there, especially in Desolation by Lake Tahoe. When I retire, I'll more than likely get another lab or good companion dog.
Duane

My Mighty Dog left this world for the spirit trail after 15 years of backpacking—the holy Thor of dogs. He routinely carried 17 days worth of dog food in his blue dog pack and loved nothing more than a blizzard. People tell me I need to re-outfit with a new model but it's just not going to happen . . . .

He had a strange ability to line up properly for a group photo.

He often broke trail in the worst conditions.

And he always made sure the tent was squared away.

Electric shock training collars are only as good as the critter with the button in its hand. Your timing has to be consistent and immediate. Most people have NO business employing such training collars, because they themselves do NOT have the training to use them properly. The negative consequences increases with the electronic shock, both in terms of physical problems and the dog's complete lack of understanding exactly what they are being punished for. I have treated dogs with burns on their necks because the idiot with the button in his hand had kept yelling at the dog and pushing the button when the dog had NO clue what was expected.

Most training can be accomplished properly without such "aids". I'm not in the touchy-feely camp of dog training that never uses negative reinforcement, because I do think there are times that the dog needs to learn that NO means NO, and not just "when I feel like it". I do think that the average dog owner needs training on how to train the dog–they have no clue now to deal with an animal that doesn't communicate through speech. Most people employ shock collars because they are lazy and don't want to put in the time to train properly.

There are the occasional knot-head dogs that know what is being asked, and choose not to comply–they have no motivation to perform the command. Those are the dogs that electronic collars can be useful for, especially in the matter of the recall command. But they can also learn to associate the weight of the electronic collar with whether or not they need to comply, and ignore the command when the collar is not there. So reinforcement often is necessary. Those are few and far between.

I love dogs and have no problems with seeing them on the trail. As long as they're on their leash. If a dog is off their leash that forces me to interact with the dog because the dog runs right up to me to say hi. You love your dog dearly, I do not and I don't want to be forced into that interaction. I find that to be very rude and selfish to be honest. You're basically saying that you don't care about other peoples experience on their hikes just so your buddy can run around. There's also the fact that most dogs will stick their nose right on you and will more than likely put their paw on you if they're excited. So now my hike has to be hiked with dog snot and mud on my clothes. Have fun with your dog but DO be respectful of others.

What others have said about displaying self confidence is right on. My neighbor had a pitbul that liked to jump the fence. So every now and again I'd go into the backyard and there'd be a growling 100 pound dog there. I would stand straight and calmly walk away ignoring the dog and it's barking. It sorta puts you square in the alpha position because the dog sees that you don't even see them as enough of a threat to even look at them. The only time we had a problem with that dog was when my bud's girlfriend freaked out and ran into the house. The dog followed right after her. Don't run. You'll only get bit tired. ;)

"I have treated dogs with burns on their necks because the idiot with the button in his hand had kept yelling at the dog and pushing the button when the dog had NO clue what was expected. "

Sounds like baloney to me. Show me some evidence that training collars cause burns. The ones I have seen have as much effect as biting on tin foil with a filling.

Unfortunately this last weekend, a couple guys I bp with a few times a year if that much, had their leaderless dogs running here and there, barking at the next camp or hikers coming by. They did apologize for their dogs behavior to folks and went on leaving their dogs off leash. Sorry.
Duane

TipiWalter,
I am so sorry to hear you lost your hiking partner. My own is now almost 13 years old and is slowing wayyyyyyy down. Even when at camp, he spends most of his time sleeping these days. He still gets out with me on shorter hikes, but it's only a matter of time now. Again, Bennie and I are so sorry to hear of your loss.

Matt and Bennie