When reactivity became an issue, the thought of taking my dogs hiking and passing other dogs on the trail almost made me hang up my hiking shoes for good. But I’ve learned that with just a little extra preparation, hiking with a reactive or anxious dog can be relatively stress-free for all parties. Here are our own tips for hiking with a reactive or anxious dog.
WHY ARE SOME DOGS ANXIOUS AND REACTIVE?
While reactivity can lead to aggressive behavior, reactivity is not the same as aggression. Reactivity is merely overreacting to certain stimuli or situations (such as by barking excessively, lunging or growling), and most often stems from fear. Triggers can include a strange person or dog, being in certain environments, or being on a leash.
A reactive dog isn’t necessarily trying to cause harm; rather, they are so stressed or overstimulated they can’t control themselves. Managing the environment for your dog and avoiding triggering stimuli can help reduce your dog’s anxiety and make hiking with a reactive dog a pleasurable experience.
Before You Go Hiking With A Reactive Dog
Choose The Right Trail
Yes, reactive dogs have as much a right to use really popular trails as non-reactive dogs. But is the view at the end worth all the added stress and anxiety to both you and your dog from encountering dogs or humans every few minutes on the trail? Often, it’s not.
Trail Traffic: Consider how many other people or dogs might be on the trail. Alltrails lets you filter trails by light, moderate, and heavy trail traffic. I also read reviews, as people often comment on whether or not they encountered a lot of people on the trail.
Trail Type: Do we want to be facing another dog coming our way while stuck in the middle of a narrow path surrounded by brush or water where we can’t step off the trail? Not so much. Read trail descriptions/reviews and look at pictures ahead of time to get a sense of the type of path you’ll be following.
A heavily populated trail doesn’t necessarily mean a heavily dog populated trail. Are you hiking at a vacation spot most people fly to from out of town and leave their dogs at home? Or is it a more local trail where everyone brings their dogs on weekends? This can also factor into your trail decision.
Choose The Right Time
You won’t catch us at 10am on a Saturday on any trail along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire during peak foliage. But a weekday during the spring would draw far fewer crowds. If you can, plan to go on a weekday.
For many people, hiking on weekends might be the only option. That’s where time of day can make a big difference. The earlier you can get on a trail, the better. Our fall weekend hikes are normally started by 7am or 8am at the latest, depending on how far we had to drive beforehand. Trailheads are often empty or only have a couple of cars, and we only really encounter a handful of people or dogs at most when heading back to the car.
Not an early riser? Trails tend to be most crowded between 9am and 4pm, so a late afternoon or early evening hike will also increase your chances of encountering less traffic on the trails. Just make sure to bring a headlamp in case it gets dark on your way back to the trailhead.
Conduct Basic Training
Teach the “look” or “watch me” command to be able to shift your dog’s attention to you and away from possible distractions or triggers. When I’m able to give the “look” command before my dogs spot a dog coming our way, the dogs are more interested in getting a potential treat reward than reacting to the other dog.
We’re not always so lucky to see the other dog coming towards us from a distance. Sometimes we turn a corner and another dog is there unexpectedly. In these instances, it can be too late for an effective “look” or “watch me.” Teaching your dog the “this way” command can help you make an emergency U-turn so your dog follows in the opposite direction.
Maybe you’re on a narrow trail and there isn’t really anywhere else to go. Giving the “this way” command and walking back in the direction you came can at least give your dog some extra time and space to reset. Now that you know another dog is coming, you can maybe implement a “look” command and step aside to avoid a problematic situation.
What To Do ON THE TRAIL
Anticipate Triggers
Keep an eye out for people, dogs, squirrels, etc. that might trigger your dog. Place your body in between your dog and any triggers while staying to the side of the trail. Spotting potential triggers before your dog gives you an opportunity to prepare, distract, and avoid a potential reaction.
Redirect
Once you’ve spotted a trigger, redirect your dog’s attention to you and away from that trigger with the “look” command. Sometimes passing a trigger in close proximity is unavoidable and you know that “look” just won’t be enough. During those times, I take a treat and put it to my dog’s nose and guide his focus away from the trigger. All he smells and sees is the treat! Is it perfect training? Nope. But was I able to safely avoid a reaction and reduce my dog’s stress and anxiety? Yep. Sometimes you have to do what works in the moment. And that is enough.
Keep Moving
Stepping to the side and placing your body in between your dog and the other is the first step. Then keep moving! Stopping while another dog passes is going to focus all of your dog’s attention on that dog. Keep moving forward to both hold your dog’s attention away from the trigger and to quickly create more space between.
Advocate For Your Dog
It’s our responsibility as dog owners to speak up for our dogs. Some owners just don’t realize not everyone wants their “friendly” dog to approach. Calling out a simple “please call/leash your dog” or “mine’s not friendly” can be enough.
Bring a muzzle. Muzzles are great tools to keep your dog and others safe and they immediately send a message to others to give your dog space. A yellow or red leash sleeve can also send a signal to approaching hikers to keep their dog close and not approach.
Does the owner not care or not have control and now there’s an uncontrolled dog coming right at you? Carry pet corrector to startle the dog or pick up a stick to help you keep space between the dog and your own.