Keeping your dogs from getting lost on long walks... (wild, cost, garden)
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Once your thread hits that "Active threads around the Forum" box (and this one did), all kinds of pooch-lovers, animal-rights crowd, and snowflakes up the wazoo will find their way over here.
Just train your dogs to respond to a whistle or a voice command, and ignore the scaredy-cats. Truth be told, dogs can survive better out in the woods than (most) people can. And they will find YOU, more easily than you will find THEM. Just wait till suppertime!
I agree with you mostly but that is not the problem here. She asked in an open forum about how to keep her dogs safe and from getting lost on long walks. I found none of the answers to cross the line and most seemed to be helpful, especially since she seems to care about her dogs.
Then she got all bitchy and went all real housewives of the Klondike on us.
I remember when people thought of dogs as property and work animals. Now people name them and are looking for ways to make sure they are safe when they go out for walks. Like I said delicate snowflakes have taken over our land.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoGuy
Sorry this is likely not the designated forum for issues like this. It is where I hang and the folks here generally exercise some common sense....after reading first. In other words....our "meds" are weak.
I like to take my beloved dogs on hikes...they love this to death. They scamper all over the place in an obvious state of joy. There is relatively unexplored terrain in every direction in this mountain locale.
Tried a new area today. Lots of trails and thick cover. The collie got separated twice...had to backtrack to find her both times. The heeler got separated once. They are among the very few good things going on my life.
Leashes are a no go. Yet I need someway to keep the girls from getting lost. Wondering about scent pads for shoes to allow them to backtrack to the car. A dog whistle seems like a good idea...perhaps the sound travels a long ways? Maybe a radio collar but that seems expensive? Sound and/or proven ideas?
Good for the snowflakes. OP would be an example. Since his dogs are so beloved, he ostensibly doesn't think of them as property and doesn't want them to get lost. And even if dogs are considered work animals, they are valued as such and the owner wouldn't want a tool, in this case a dog, to get lost or damaged. I'm fine with being called a softie, snowflake, or tree hugger any day, because people view me as a more humane individual than those who aren't.
Good for the snowflakes. OP would be an example. Since his dogs are so beloved, he ostensibly doesn't think of them as property and doesn't want them to get lost. And even if dogs are considered work animals, they are valued as such and the owner wouldn't want a tool, in this case a dog, to get lost or damaged. I'm fine with being called a softie, snowflake, or tree hugger any day, because people view me as a more humane individual than those who aren't.
I totally agree with you but I would not put a $35 alarm system on a tool that cost me less than $10 to replace, nor would I post about how not to lose such an inexpensive tool on a forum?
Counting all the training I have done with my dogs and the vetting, I wouldn't consider my dogs $10 tools. Even though I got them by fostering, thereby cutting down the adoption fee, that alone makes them quite a bit more than cheap tools. By the time I add in the training - and mine are so well trained that 1 is now my service dog - these dogs are worth quite a few "bigger bills" were I to sell.
Although trained to stay at my side or within sight of me, I would not permit mine to roam in the woods around here where wild boar, bear, and yotes abound. Neither is a small dog and one is a cur, meaning boar and bear hunting are quite within her capabilities.
On an adventure scale of 1-10, taking dogs for a walk is about a 1. I seem to remember when even the most timid, even the most fearful, would scoff at the level of fearfullness found thus far. Delicate little snowflakes have taken over our land.
I tend to respect climbers, mountaineers, farmers, ranchers, loggers, commercial fishermen....people who live with nominal risk on a daily basis. People who would scoff at a leash in the woods.
Like I said....delicate snowflakes have taken over our land. My neighbor, the logger/log home builder, and I commiserate over this sad fact on ocassion.
Now the tampons will be let loose......
I need to take a hiatus from this.....we'll see if my account is still alive in awhile.
Hah. I'm an avid outdoorsperson with survival skills and hardly a delicate flower, and I think folks who let their dogs run around off leash in the wilderness areas I'm trying to enjoy are jackasses. I don't want your dog in my camp, startling me on the trail, chasing off the wildlife I'm trying to enjoy, leaving crap for me to step in, etc. It has nothing to do with "fearfulness" and everything to do with respect.
YOU'RE the special snowflake here, thinking your dogs are so wonderful that everyone should just love to have them running around unrestrained.
You have two breeds of dog that are working dogs - they are excellent at following commands once trained. Yes, use the GPS collars, but also work on recall with them. It's the only command I really care about with my dogs. I can call my Catahoula back from halfway down the lane in flyball - which is crazy considering how high-drive he is. But I worked the recall with extremely high value treats when i first got them. Find a treat your dogs love and use it only for working recall. Have the treat on you whenever you go hiking. If you train them rigorously to respond to recall, you probably won't need to have it on you, but it's like insurance - they'll definitely come back to you then.
I totally agree with you but I would not put a $35 alarm system on a tool that cost me less than $10 to replace, nor would I post about how not to lose such an inexpensive tool on a forum?
Got to argue with that one.
The dogs I use cost around $1000 each, untrained as 3 month old pups. Add to that, training can take a year or more depending on the dog, so the investment of money and effort is a lot more than $10.
However, I've never used an electronic tracker, and my dogs do run free while we are working, (a leash isn't an option when working cattle), but my dogs are working so they have their attention on their work and it's a far different situation than simply taking a hike in the woods.
My dogs stay close at hand, I don't just let them run, however they have engaged with dangerous animals in defense of our stock, but that's part of the job of a ranch dog.
In any case, they are very valuable to my operation, far more than $10.
You have two breeds of dog that are working dogs - they are excellent at following commands once trained. Yes, use the GPS collars, but also work on recall with them. It's the only command I really care about with my dogs. I can call my Catahoula back from halfway down the lane in flyball - which is crazy considering how high-drive he is. But I worked the recall with extremely high value treats when i first got them. Find a treat your dogs love and use it only for working recall. Have the treat on you whenever you go hiking. If you train them rigorously to respond to recall, you probably won't need to have it on you, but it's like insurance - they'll definitely come back to you then.
You can't ever be sure about that. Dogs are animals and they will always behave like animals. Ultimately the owner is responsible for their behavior. No tool is 100% reliable, and once a dog smells or sees something irresistible, all bets are off, no matter how great they are trained. Sure, some are trained better than others, but no amount of training or fancy tools can replace having a responsible human owner nearby.
Sorry this is likely not the designated forum for issues like this. It is where I hang and the folks here generally exercise some common sense....after reading first. In other words....our "meds" are weak.
I like to take my beloved dogs on hikes...they love this to death. They scamper all over the place in an obvious state of joy. There is relatively unexplored terrain in every direction in this mountain locale.
Tried a new area today. Lots of trails and thick cover. The collie got separated twice...had to backtrack to find her both times. The heeler got separated once. They are among the very few good things going on my life.
Leashes are a no go. Yet I need someway to keep the girls from getting lost. Wondering about scent pads for shoes to allow them to backtrack to the car. A dog whistle seems like a good idea...perhaps the sound travels a long ways? Maybe a radio collar but that seems expensive? Sound and/or proven ideas?
These "No leashes" people have to remember, that due to rules I can legally shoot your dog if it is not on a leash and approaches me. Don't matter if you scream "They're not dangerous", the law is the law,
I remember when people thought of dogs as property and work animals. Now people name them and are looking for ways to make sure they are safe when they go out for walks. Like I said delicate snowflakes have taken over our land.
You must be mighty old. Dogs have been living with humans as family members for 25,000 years. Their remains have been found buried with their humans. Man formed an alliance with wolves. Those wolves evolved into dogs. The Maltese, as a breed, is five thousand years old.
When Odysseus returned to Ithaca he was moved by the sight of his ancient dog who wagged his tail with his last bit of strength. Odysseus had never felt this way about any human. Homer composed those lines more than three thousand years ago.
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