training a trail dog

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jjpptt2
jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Probably better suited to one of the general forums, but I refuse to go in those, so you're stuck with me/it here.

I recently adopted 2 dogs, and one of them is a natural runner. I'd like to train her to be a trail dog. For those of you that have trail dogs, how did you train them to stay with/near you, and not go chasing wildlife or other distractions they encounter on the trail?

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  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    Start slow. So I begin by teaching them "walk close" that means walk right next to me. We go on two full weeks of two ten minute walks a day "walking close." She has a special shorter leash for this so she knows when it's not a for-fun walk. When she walks along side you with no tugging, training treat. When she pulls, short quick correction. Start in less trafficked areas and move to more populated/distraction-prone areas as she gets better at paying attention. Then, you can increase the speed to speed walking/slow running.

    Also, make sure she's skeletally-mature. I have a great dane mix, and their skeletons are not fused together to safely run until 18 months. Smaller dogs are different, of course, but make sure she is "structurally sound" to run.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Thanks. I've only had them for 2 weeks, so right now we are still in the getting to know each other phase. We walk daily, road and/or trail, to get them exposed to as much as possible, and accustomed to being on a leash. They seem to be more curious (have to check everything out) rather than excitable (all over the place) and are doing fairly well so far.

    The short leash for training is a good call.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    put them on a leash. Basic obedience classes are always good. keep lots of treats with you, any time the dog looks into the woods at a sound, distract them with a treat. take water and a bowl and poop clean up bags with you . And break them into long trail walks or runs slowly, just like you would do. take time so they can build up their joints and pads and get in shape.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    I second the idea of getting a special leash for running. I have a waist leash that I use for running and my dog has learned the difference between the two leashes, so she knows when we are going for a walk vs. a run. I kept her leash very short when we first started running to train her to run along side of me too. My dog is a hound dog, so she is keen to stop and sniff. I have to accept that this is her nature and be patient with her when we are running. I can rarely get through an entire mile without at least one brief stop, so if I am out for a timed training run of some sort, I leave my dog at home. Our time for running together is as much for her as it is for me, so I don't expect my runs with my dog to be the same as when I am running alone.
  • fbchick51
    fbchick51 Posts: 240 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    Basic obedience classes are always good.

    Pretty much this. Focus on heeling, which is essentially teach the dog to stay at your side regardless of how fast or slow you are moving. Once they are well trained in heeling, adjusting them to the activity you'd like to do with them is pretty easy and takes very little time to transition. I had dogs running along side a bike on trail rides (with leash of course). Granted, my roommate and I took a few spills teaching them that trick, but it was worth it.
  • DStroyNKonker
    DStroyNKonker Posts: 19 Member
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    I third the basic obedience comment. I use a waist leash when I run on the street/sidewalk and it's always off-leash on the trails. She knows I'm the boss. I let her run ahead and though she barks to alert me when someone is up ahead, she knows the "back" command and returns to my side when I ask. She's almost three and it took awhile for her to listen as well as she does, or for me to learn how to lead, but we've come a long way. If you're more comfortable using the long leash then do that first. It gives you more control for the time being.

    Happy trails!
  • Kollane
    Kollane Posts: 45 Member
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    Look into canicross perhaps? Instead of letting you dog go off-leash, they're trained to pull you with special harness/leash/waist belt combo. It's super fun and slightly scary sometimes. :D You can also safely do it in cities and eventually try skiing, skateboarding or rollerblading instead of running.
    Some dogs, depending of the breed, can never be let off-leash safely, as the instinct might make them run away and go exploring or hunting. This goes for huskies, malamutes, all hounds.. . That's why I'll only have herding and working breeds.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    To be clear... allowing the dog(s) off-leash is not a priority, and even in the best case, would rarely happen. The vast majority of the time, there are other people using the trails, who may or may not appreciate a loose dog. And often times, there are people with other dogs on the trail, and who knows how well behaved those other dogs are. Allowing them off-lease in the yard would be nice, but that's secondary.

    But I would like to get to where the dogs, for lack of a better phrase, understand staying on the trail. Taking them hiking or trail running is much more enjoyable when I'm not fighting with them because they want to go go 100 different directions at the same time.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
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    Check out Zak George's YouTube channel. He's great with using positive reinforcement to get dogs to do what you want. Good luck!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I think the key is to make sure the dog knows and follows the commands "stop" and "come."
    Then, realize you are always taking a chance when a dog is not on a leash. A dog is not a robot.
    You cannot expect a dog to be perfect. I don't care how well-trained your dog is. This is one of my pet peeves. I absolutely hate the way people show off how "obedient" their dog is, by such things as letting their dog ride in the back of the pick-up or walking off-leash along a busy street.
    You and I forget ourselves. We have accidents. We react when we should not. AND WE ARE PEOPLE!
    Don't think your dog won't screw up. She will. A squirrel may dart and instinct may take over. Just be aware and try to minimize the dangers and be considerate of others.
    A dog needs to run. Good for you for trying to learn how to do it as safely as possible.
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    To be clear... allowing the dog(s) off-leash is not a priority, and even in the best case, would rarely happen. The vast majority of the time, there are other people using the trails, who may or may not appreciate a loose dog. And often times, there are people with other dogs on the trail, and who knows how well behaved those other dogs are. Allowing them off-lease in the yard would be nice, but that's secondary.

    But I would like to get to where the dogs, for lack of a better phrase, understand staying on the trail. Taking them hiking or trail running is much more enjoyable when I'm not fighting with them because they want to go go 100 different directions at the same time.

    I love that you are a responsible and courteous dog owner!! We (me and my dogs) really appreciate it.

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    The shorter leash has made a HUGE difference. I can much more effectively "steer" the dogs, and they pick up on my cues very quickly.
  • zilkah
    zilkah Posts: 207 Member
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    Not going to be a popular answer due to political correctness but look into reputable and smart e collar training. Both my dogs are e collar trained . Aside from a leash it's the only other way to have reliable control and it is not difficult to do properly with guidance. Only buy extremely high quality equipment and it's important to couple e collar recall training with positive reinforcement. I train dogs for a living . Never had a dog that reacted to it poorly when properly introduced :)

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