Originally Posted by Pedaling Fool
Looks like we're both disappointed, 4eyed.
Sigh.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
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I'm a dog lover and run my own dog camp. All good advice. Dogs feed off your emotions more than you probably know. Remaining calm will undoubtedly lead to a much more positive experience for both of you. Besides.......it's the SPIDERS you have to watch out for!
Sorry....sarcasm???
How about feeding your dog away from people, i know that some dogs while eating gets really terittorial, and how about keeping your dog leashed i know that i have had some really bad interactions with unleashed dogs and unleashed dogs that torn my gear up.
"How NOT to trigger negative behavior in someone else's dog"
I am hoping for more tips on the original topic. There are many great tips being listed for dog owners. I can't do anything about the other guy. I can only do something about me. There are many threads that advise dog owners on how to handle their dog. Here is hoping we get more tips on the OP.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
Here's a pretty obvious tip, BirdBrain: don't startle the dog. I once did this inadvertently. It was dark, and I was hammocking close enough to the trail that my headlamp was visible to hikers. Someone who started a conversation with me. He was looking for a certain person, someone I had met earlier in the day. As the conversation continued, it seemed like a good idea to get out of the hammock and talk to the man. Well, I didn't know he had a dog off leash. As I descended from the hammock a howling doberman leaped at me, his eyes an unearthly yellow in the headlamp. The man was shouting "He's friendly," and I was thinking "Yeah, right" as I started to fend the dog off. Well, the dog was friendly as soon as he saw that I wasn't a threat. In a couple of minutes, I was petting him, as we continued to chat.
Couple of tips I found. If wearing a head net, I remove it before getting too close to the dog so it can see my face and recognize me as a human. If I'm using trekking poles, I hold them in one hand along my side opposite of the dog in the hopes that it doesn't misinterpret my use of the poles as a threat to them or their owner. So far so good on both. (Not being a fan of animal cruelty, I don't try to startle them by sneaking up on them and stomping my feet.)
I am not sure one can avoid triggering negative behavior in someone else's dog if you don't know the dog, person, or if the owner is oblivious. In reality, its incumbent on the owner to control the dog, not the passer by. Most of the time casual encounters with dogs are not an issue and pleasant. Unfortunately its the encounters that don't go well that we remember and apply to future encounters as a possibility.
I think we're all in agreement that should be the dog owner's responsibility, but i think that most of us have had encounters that prove that some dog owners are either irresponsible or well intentioned but ignorant. While it may be owner's responsibility on paper, that doesn't matter much to me when I am approached by a strange dog with no other human in site.
The good news is that there really is a lot a person can do to minimize having problems with an unfamiliar dog. The first and best thing is to learn about body language, dogs use these cues to communicate and I can usually size a dog up within a second or two based on how looks when it is approaching me. Likewise dogs read que's from your body language that heavily affect how they approach you.
The majority of dogs I encounter are either friendly or standoffish, and if the owner isn't around I greet the in a very friendly manner like I'm expecting to see them, they almost always warm right up and leave wth their tails wagging.
If a dog appears fearful, territorial, or fear agressive then I calmly plant my hiking poles in front of me (note, this is different from raising the up or swinging them around) the I turn to the side in a non dominant non aggressive pose and either speak to the softly and calmly, or say something like "get" depending on what the situation warrants.
While they are rare All of the problem dogs's I've met on the trail have been what I would classify as fear aggressive, likely from being out of their element and comfort zone. I have never encountered a full on aggressive dog on the trail, and while I have been snapped at and lunged at before, I realized in hindsite that I could have likely diffused those situations if I acted differently.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
be respectful to the dogs needs and ask the owner before doing anything around the dog, take a few minutes and let the dog settle down from the days hike and get used to the people around it and then ask the owner how well behaved it is, ask the owner if it's okay to pet.
If the dog is big enough and grabs the whole fist then the best thing to do is PUSH. The first reaction is to pull away but the problem is their teeth are curved slightly to prevent this. pushing forces them to open wide instead of biting down.
I often meet dog running loose on local trails. I hold out the left hand, in a loose fist, for the dog to smell. At the same time I grip my hiking pole in my right hand ready to hit if needed. I have never had to hit a dog. Usually I've up dropping the pole so I could pet them instead.
I have had dogs most my life and love well trained and behaved dogs. It is the owners responsibility to control their dog, and I follow that personal rule by controlling mine. I view a trail as having been established for people to travers which means they get the right-of-way. Of course service dogs are a different subject. I leave other dogs alone unless invited by the owner to meet the dog. I expect owners to ensure their dog leaves me along.
I read this ignorant comment a few days ago and held my tongue (fingers)
Upon revisiting this thread and seeing your replies to the comments made to you, I have speak up.
I don't care who you are, if my dog is sitting there, doing what I told him to do i.e. sit, stay etc and he was going as he was told. Then some A-hole comes and does as you have described. The problem would not be with the dog, it would be with the accompanying human(s). I know that I am not the only one here that thinks so either. Just something to keep in mind as you do your sneaking.
I am with you. Great advice in this thread. I especially like the tips from Elf. The post you had issue with belongs in a thread on how to provoke a dog. In general, bad dog behavior lays at the feet of people. The dog either has a bad owner or someone has done something stupid like trying to jump a dog. I find dogs to be wonderful creatures by nature. Yes, there are always exceptions. Much more common when it comes to people.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
It looks like Pedaling Fool was having a bit of fun with us, I don't think his comments were
meant to be taken sneriously.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Did you see post #41 above? More than having a bit of fun with us Mr. Fool finds it "entertaining" to scare other people's dogs.
Thanks for that tip! That hadn't occurred to me.
thank you for all the advice I have been reading on Dogs I currently have a 7month old Pitbull and we have been hiking our local trails, because of her breed I always keep her leashed and I want her to help get people unafraid of her (again Her breed issue) Most people I have come in contact ask me if the can greet her which I always say yes , other times I can tell a person is nervous so I get between them and then there was a time that a person saw her when she was 4 months old and said THAT'S A PITBULL and Ran in the other direction ,I am always aware of her when we are in public and she is still learning ....but as for Pedaling Foot LOOK if you came up to my Girl that way you best look out for me, I do not take it kindly someone purposely scaring my dog you are just asking for the animal to react badly to you and cause of your poor judgement could cost someone their beloved pet for no other reason than the animal was provoked , Some of us look at our pets as children would you do this to a child ? SMH
Still round the corner there may wait , A new road or a secret gate
Thank you for the great info. I want to take my dog hiking on the AT in May and need some good, honest advice and info since this will be my first time taking my one-year old dog. He's super friendly and wrk -behaved. I honestly didn't think about keeping him on a leash the entire time because every time I've been in the trail I've ran into numerous hikers with dogs and I've never seen a leash on a single dog. I agree that it is the best thing to do. As I said, need some good, honest advice about hiking with a dog. Any info will be helpful!
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