7 Tips to Better Enjoy Your Hikes with Your Dog

If you think you have skills in canine behavior because you didn't miss an episode of Peanuts when you were little, well I have some news for you. Snoopy is a character we've humanized to the point that he seems even more human than his owner Charlie Brown.

And if so many people have problems with their pets, it's because too often we still need to humanize them.

I received lots of great comments following the article 7 advantages of hiking with your dog. It made me want to share some tips that will help you better enjoy your outings with your dog.

Don't hesitate to share your experiences with me, it always adds some nuance to my words.

I certainly don't claim to be a specialist in canine behavior, but I can assure you that there are plenty of simple little things you can do to improve your experience with your dog.

1. Training

It's the foundation. There's nothing fun about walking with a dog that does whatever it wants. Even less so in the forest where olfactory stimuli awaken its hunting instinct. Make sure you have a good foundation in canine behavior before heading out on trails you don't know.

Unless your name is César or you grew up in a wolf pack, obedience classes are a necessity to ensure you properly understand your pet's needs.

Dogs are not humans. You'll never be able to build a beautiful relationship with the animal if you can't communicate effectively with it. But be careful!

It's trendy nowadays. More and more people want to work for themselves and since demand is growing, it's quite easy to claim to be a dog trainer without having obtained certification.

Before choosing a trainer, do research and ask questions. Make sure you feel comfortable with the approach by going to see how a class goes before signing a check.

Recommendations from someone close to you can be useful. But generally, it's not very difficult to find schools that are established and have proven themselves.

2. Trust Your Instinct

There are all kinds of dogs, some more docile than others. You'll then have to learn to follow your instinct to know what's right to do in all circumstances. Between what you're told or what you read, only what you feel really matters.

To learn to know your animal well, it's essential that you play with it to better understand its reactions to the unknown.

Between training classes and play, we learn to decode the subtle signals that the animal's body sends us, which can prove very useful in the woods facing an unexpected situation where the canine trainer isn't by our side to give us advice.

3. Keep Your Dog on a Leash

Regardless of your skill level in training your animal, make sure it's always on a leash. Not only for its safety, but for your safety too.

If you walk often in the woods, you'll quickly realize that survival instinct determined by millions of years of evolution is much more powerful than conditioning obtained in a few hours through training.

When your little wolf goes after a squirrel you hadn't noticed, you'll find your leash very useful.

Plus, it sends a clear message to those you'll encounter that you have the situation well in hand. All it takes is for a child to panic seeing that your dog isn't tied up for the beast to sense their fear and start growling.

And then you're in trouble!

Because in today's world, a dog that growls is automatically a potential killer. Even if it has beautiful big gentle eyes, a little bow around its neck, and is called Sweetie.

If you think I'm exaggerating, it's either because your cat is bigger than your dog, or you've never left your tiny hometown with your dog.

But yet, it's the sad reality you have to face. Just because you love Fido doesn't mean the entire planet has to think like you.

So stop getting upset about society's intolerance toward animals, and prove to everyone that humans and animals can coexist in harmony. Put a leash on your dog and it will be happy to feel your increased confidence.

4. Choose Your Route

Make sure dogs are allowed where you're going. Take time to learn about the trail length and its features. Go at your own pace.

Choose a route based on the animal's capabilities and your level of physical and psychological comfort with the adventure.

There aren't really limits to what you can accomplish with your dog, but going step by step is an excellent way to get to know each other and progress in harmony.

It's also much easier to choose wider, developed trails for your first outings. Because for Fido, heeling isn't as obvious on rough terrain where it can lose its footing at any moment.

5. Respect Your Environment

Yes, I know, excrement is somewhat natural fertilizer. But that's no reason to leave it lying around in the middle of the path!

You might think you're contributing to ecosystem flourishing by honoring the soil with your baby's beautiful little poops, but they're full of bacteria that can carry diseases.

For your information, many dogs are fond of other animals' feces which are a source of nutrients for them. They swallow it so fast that we often miss it.

And they tend to want a little kiss for dessert...

So, even if it's well-behaved and does its business off the trail: PICK IT UP!

Oh and by the way, if your dog tends to bark at a falling leaf, well you might be better off starting to get it used to stimuli in a park.

Noise pollution isn't pleasant for anyone, especially not in nature where we often go for the silence.

6. Think Practical

Like for any hike, it's necessary to plan your stuff. At minimum bring several plastic bags to pick up your dog's contribution to the earth. Think about bringing water. After exercise, dogs, like humans, need water.

This is even more true if it's hot. Members of the canine species regulate their body temperature through their mouth (that's why they always have their mouth open during exercise).

Water helps cool them down as well as quench their thirst. In winter, you'll notice your dog often eats snow during exercise.

There are now plenty of accessories sold in pet stores that will make your life easier. Water bottles with an integrated container allow, among other things, to save space in your bag.

If you want to go out longer, think about your dog's food, a first aid kit, tick pliers and its comfort for the night. To feel safe in a new environment, the animal must be able to sleep near you and be sheltered from bad weather.

To repel fleas and ticks, add 30 drops of lavender and 20 drops of concentrated lemon (available in natural food stores) in 750 ml of water. Spray your dog's coat before leaving.

If you think that's too many things to carry, there are bags that are installed on the dog's back. This way, doggy will be delighted to contribute to the expedition's efforts. Most dogs love to work and feel useful.

7. Share Your Experience

Nowadays, it's increasingly easy to join groups of people who have the same passions as you. It can be interesting to share your experience for several reasons.

Between hiking partners we can exchange tips, talk about places we've visited and challenge each other.

Not only will this allow you to meet new people, but the experience will allow your dog to become familiar with the presence of other representatives of its species.

If the adventure is successful, Sweetie will be less reactive to the presence of other dogs and your forest adventures will only be more pleasant.

Sharing experiences also helps put your challenges in perspective. Sometimes, just knowing that we're not the only ones living a difficult situation provides immense relief.

Often, what we conceived as an immense challenge turns out to be just a lack of communication. This is particularly true in our relationship with dogs where a small communication problem can create big behavioral problems.

In Conclusion

You've surely already felt it, your life seems richer, more complete when you're in harmony with nature. Dogs represent the animal species that has evolved most closely with humans. They've been in our lives for millennia.

We can choose to refuse to approach them or even despise them, but we can no longer ignore them. They know us so well that they've ended up appropriating some of our suffering.

Creating opportunities to move forward with this species is giving ourselves opportunities to become better.

A dog is a milestone that life has placed on the human's path to find their way back.

Nothing better than hiking in nature to write a new chapter of this story between our species.

And above all don't get discouraged, if sometimes the process seems difficult, tell yourself that there's an immense gift of consciousness behind all the trials...

Sources:

http://www.geopleinair.com/destinations/quand-le-chien-fait-partie-de-expedition/