Training a dog for trails

[Bryce88]

Hi all,

Today I adopted an 11 week old border collie cross kelpie from the RSPCA (he was apparently left for dead on the side of the road). He's a super energetic little bugger and I would love to take him out as a trail dog as so many of you guys already do!

My question is, where do I start and at what age? Do you need to focus on certain obedience training first or just start letting them tag along somehow (like on a leash)? At what point do you feel comfortable just letting your dog go free and feel confident that they will just follow you and not run off? I have always have had a fear of dogs running away like that.

Any other tips and tricks would be great!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Knuckles]

Haven't started my border Collie pup on the bike yet, but have started general obedience, as they're fucking mental dogs for the first 18 months or so.

I'd say as long as you have good recall, which luckily collies seem to have intrinsically. Although ours did take off after a rabbit at about 4 months old, an I spent 2 hours looking for him, only to find the bastard waiting at home for me, after I'd given him up for lost. Since then, if he takes off and gets out of sight, he comes back every couple of minutes for a head check. The other issue is their tendency to be clingy and wanting to have contact, could be messy if he goes into your front wheel. Might be an idea to have someone take it on lead beside you on the bike at walking pace until he gets the idea of how it works. Good luck and I'll keep you posted how I get on.

 

[bennyp1]

I've got an ancient cattle dog who has run with me on bikes from about twelve weeks. I just kept her on a short lead with her head just ahead of my foot. It's the same spot they taught us at obedience school. As for how old to start, just take it as far as it does without passing out at a slow pace and build it up. My girl could run for hours back in her day. I always picked my bush to take her in very carefully.

 

[bennyp1]

I highly recommend these

It works like the briddle on a horse. Stops them pulling away and a gentle flick gets there attention back on the job at hand

This photo doesn't help at all but figured I let you see the ancient cattle dog.

 

[thepotatokid]

I'd start with obedience training first off - you want your dog to listen to you. When you feel comfortable walking them off lead and they have good recall (i.e. return when you call them) then they're pretty much ready.

Don't take them until they've stopped most of their growing - it's an easy way to fuck their joints up. 12-18 months should do it. Also start with short rides, most dogs shouldn't be out for much longer than an hour - our springer maxes out at an hour.

Our dog adapted well to running with the bike - it's easy when they listen to you.

 

[Daniel Hale]

the rescue kelpie we adopted just seemed to pick it up real quick -likes to run in front & sticks to the trails [unless a wallaby takes off] it only seems to chase for 1-2mins then it finds it way back to the trails & catches up

 

[slowandold]

Loved taking my B/C on the trails with me until this..

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?268286-Snakes/page23&highlight=snakes

He took to it with no real training, does have great recall though. Don't know how, just does. 2 years since I last took him and he still carries on when I ride away from home without him.
I think that if the dog is used to being off lead, happy to run and follow you, and has good recall, you'll be fine. They really are great trail companions and I miss not taking him. Mates still take their dogs and have never had trouble but I won't risk him getting bit again.

 

[BLKFOZ]

I started with our Vizsla by walking him off-leash. Once I was confident that he wouldn't run away I started riding with him at around 12 months. He doesn't do too well in the summer heat but loves the cold winter rides. Night rides are awesome too. We go to general obedience training with him and have done so from 6 months old (he's now about 20 months). He's absolutely crazy but is sweet when he knows what his role is - like running while I ride.

 

[Mrlinderman]

Just a few things to consider:
Work well on recall and make sure you keep up the training, at least twice a week for 20min, work with recall in tough but controlled situations
As above don't try anything to strenuous until around 1.5years old, Work small and progress upwards
Start on trails where you know there are very little riders if none at all, then move to trails with some riders
My personal opinion is to not trail ride in areas of high risk, e.g busy trails and trails which are run in two directions, stick to single direction trails, this way there is no chance of a head on collision
If you have a quite out the way trail you like to ride and know it well then that's the best place to start, even short runs off lead then jump off the bike and walk a bit with the dog, then back on etc.

My Aussie loves coming out with me but I only bring him in area's where i know there is little to no-one else around

 

[UncleFeet]

The Yankee MBA magazine had a recent article about just this subject.

http://mbaction.com/uncategorized/training-your-perfect-trail-dog

...for what it's worth...

 

[Bryce88]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

By the looks of it I should probably wait until he is about 12 - 18mths old. That's good as I can concentrate on his training. We will probably take him to some obedience classes as he will need them I think.

Our trails are pretty quiet here (Kinross Forest). I've never seen a snake out there in my 5 odd years of riding there (I will now though) and it's probably a great place to take a dog on the trails as it is never that busy.

Thanks guys.

One other random question, what's the best way to keep your dogs preoccupied whilst your at work? He (Raider) has a thousand toys and I hide some treats in a ball for him but when I came home at lunch to check on him he was halfway through eating my thongs.

 

[ianganderton]

My top tip for your trail dog is to ensure he stays light by controlling his food intake. This will make the biggest difference of anything to his joints

Dogs love rides. You could see it in my springers eyrs: "great, a proper run, not a crappy walk!"

Dave did 90km with us once no problem

 

[Anthony B]

One other random question, what's the best way to keep your dogs preoccupied whilst your at work? He (Raider) has a thousand toys and I hide some treats in a ball for him but when I came home at lunch to check on him he was halfway through eating my thongs.

Funny thing about eating thongs, they smell like you so its a bonding moment. Yes it relates to no more thongs but they generally eat shoes & thongs cause they smell like their owners & their toys don't.

Fill a Kong toy with peanut butter & it will keep him preoccupied for awhile, I had to resort to putting a soft bear toy in the dirt clothes basket & gave that to my dog weird solution I know

 

[stirk]

Crotchless leather thongs are the most durable, edible strawberry flavour thongs the least durable.





Gone are my extravagant havianna wearing days, target thongs are cheap and last a week.


Definitely go with toys you can stuff treats into as that will entertain them for a while, hide them so the fun is not gone straight away, but don't bury them unless you want your yard destroyed!

I've found thick rope toys to last the longest, the oinking pig the shortest.

Can't give you training advice, I have the most disobedient dog in the land, little shit knows when its done something wrong and refuses to come to my calls knowing she'll get scolded. She ate a finger bun off the kitchen bench last night, then kept me up all night making noise in her cot downstairs when at 3am I smell something funny, go down stairs and she's done diahorreah all over her pen, lots of sugar and butter are not good for dogs!

 

[JoelFitz]

I think I was lucky.. My dog just naturally did what a trail dog is meant to do. No training required. Sad though that the local area I ride has been cracking down hard on dogs off leech so I don't take her much anymore.

 

[slippy]

Can't give you training advice, I have the most disobedient dog in the land, little shit knows when its done something wrong and refuses to come to my calls knowing she'll get scolded.

Never scold a dog for coming when you call it. It has just obeyed you. This is dog training first principles. It already knows it has done wrong by the tone in your voice, you've effectively told it to stop whatever it's doing and it has. If you punish it now there is no reason for it to obey you next time.

 

[Knuckles]

Never scold a dog for coming when you call it. It has just obeyed you. This is dog training first principles. It already knows it has done wrong by the tone in your voice, you've effectively told it to stop whatever it's doing and it has. If you punish it now there is no reason for it to obey you next time.

Never scold a dog for anything it's done, unless you catch it in the act. Dogs' short term memories are worse than a goldfish. As far as they're concerned, either praise or correction is related only to what they are doing in the preceding 5 seconds.

 

[stirk]

That linked article is good.


Before when I said scold I mean to take back to the scene of the crime and tell her 'bad'

What I am doing is definitely wrong as when I really need her to come to me she wont as she associates come here with doing something bad and flatly refuses to come to me. I figured this was bad on my part, it has krept in from previous dogs that did everything as told no matter what.

We shall go to puppy school and try to unlearn what she has leaned.

 

[Knuckles]

Before when I said scold I mean to take back to the scene of the crime and tell her 'bad

Yeah, the dog's pretty much looking at the hole, thinking "Oh cool he found a hole" and when you say "bad", it's pretty much looking at you thinking "is this idiot for real? That's called a fucking hole, not a bad! Better stay away from this chump, I've heard stupid is contagious. When's he going to let me go, I've got a hankering for a nice poo sandwich.......oh look, a stick......oh cool, Dumbarse, found a hole...."

We shall go to puppy school and try to unlearn what she has leaned.

Puppy school is good, it's pretty much obedience training for peoples, to prepare them for propper obedience classes, I need to put more work into, her indoors, than the dogs, lest she undo all the training.

 

[stirk]

Yeah, the dog's pretty much looking at the hole, thinking "Oh cool he found a hole" and when you say "bad", it's pretty much looking at you thinking "is this idiot for real? That's called a fucking hole, not a bad! Better stay away from this chump, I've heard stupid is contagious. When's he going to let me go, I've got a hankering for a nice poo sandwich.......oh look, a stick......oh cool, Dumbarse, found a hole...."



Puppy school is good, it's pretty much obedience training for peoples, to prepare them for propper obedience classes, I need to put more work into, her indoors, than the dogs, lest she undo all the training.

Hahaha, As always, perceptively true.