Skiing With Dog - Training Question

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Hey dog folks - My 3 yo mutt Jack loves to go touring with me. He has one unfortunate habit though that I NEED to break him of and am wondering what the best way to do it is.

Sometimes he'll get way out in front or off to the side when we're traversing through trees or wherever then he'll come running straight back at me. This is especially dangerous if we've just crested a rise or are on a slight slope or following a pretty well established trail where turning or maneuvering is difficult. I've almost run right over him a couple times. While I'm sure that running into him would teach him the lesson he needs to learn, I don't want to injure him.

In other ways he's learned a lot since I first took him touring last year. He used to step on the backs of skis all the time when following or run up next to you and get wacked with a pole but he's figured out not to do those things any more.

Any suggestions?

[linds-o-rama]

Swing your poles around like a maniac. As much as I love my dog, I don't want her anywhere near me when I have skis on. She is terrified of the poles, so a swing or two will stop her dead in her tracks.

I'm glad you are thinking about this, because lots of dogs get their legs cut up from the edges on skis and snowboards. Way more than I would have guessed...

[ACheateaux]

Taj Mahal (aka the Captain or Captain Fluffy Bottom) comes with 90% of the time. And if you ski with an excited untrained dog, it's not a matter of if but when youll get into them with a ski edge. We did and got really lucky that no tendons or muscle was cut on his front and back legs after he ran up next to me and I didnt see him. It was enough for me to make sure it never happened again.

We spent a lot of time training him to stay "behind" or "inbetween" the govnah and myself. That keeps him on the trail and in sight. One person ski's the pitch while the other keeps his attention and releases after the skier calls for him. We also spent a lot of time training him on directional cues. We can now cliff him out and he can run around based on what direction we say to go. Granted, he doesnt come with us on those days, but we trained him to find his way around after we tell him which way to start off. This also helps in deeper snow if we can get him to run down the skin track.

We did that by going to a tennis court and closing/opening other doors. He's gotten good at it where we dont leave any doors closed but can tell him which direction to go and he uses that door. This is all a lot easier if you work that crap out of them before a training session. For some reason, a tired dog will do whatever it takes to make you happy.

Either way, I a big fan of well behaved dogs in the backcountry. It's safer for everyone and less of a hassle. Its amazing how more welcoming people are if your dog is mellow and cool.

Another tip is a short lead that can attach back to itself around the collar. It gives a good grab point if you meet a surly dog and wildlife for that matter and one more thing to hang onto during the ski pitch sit stay exercise...

[ACheateaux]

x 2 on smacking them with the poles. I flipped mine over and hit him with the handles and now he's better at staying away from them. (not just a come here and let me beat you, but on a hike with him behind me. He now knows to stay back 4-6 feet if he doesnt want a pimp slap)

[dino]

AC - I think maybe I recognize that dog. Any chance that was you and that pooch we (3 of us) ran into last saturday on cameron pass?

[ACheateaux]

While that is the stomping grounds, I was busy eating percoset and nursing a separated shoulder up in Grand county last Saturday.

But I do live int he Fort and ski there a shit load, so you've probably seen the captain before.

Do I look familiar?

[dino]

Funny.


Damn you have a small nose.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Thanks for the tips so far. Jack's not exactly scared of ski poles, but maybe a whack or two will do him some good. Maybe an even better idea would just be to be sure he stays behind me at all times, though that's going to be a real tall order.

Pretty much every time I go touring Jack goes unless we're going into NCNP or some other place where dogs are restricted.

[nickinbc]

I remember talking to a patroller with an avalanche dog who said he kept his ski edges blunt to avoid cutting his dog's legs to ribbons.

[rossibandit]

Calling Nesta to the TGR guest services desk.

[Big Blue]

Jack is a beautiful dog. What breed(s) is he?

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Jack says "thanks!"

I call him a North American Pound Hound. He was a stray that I picked up from a PAWS shelter when he was about 1yo. Best guess is Lab + a couple other things like maybe Shepherd or Chow. He has a double coat and with the pointy ears it's very likely there's some kind of Northern breed in there. I see a LOT of lab mixes that look very similar to him but with floppy ears at the dog parks. (Black with white markings on chest and paws.)

[gimpy]

run over him. seriously. just be sure its a soft relatively deep day and lean wayy back, tips up, and run over his back. sure, sounds dangerous but hey, it works.

[lynchdogger]

Run into the dog maybe but not over the dog. Trying to teach the dog a lesson not crush it's back or injure it.
I've had two ski dogs (both passed of old age) and on my third. Two out of three had/will need to learn this lesson.
The first was a rescued mutt - golden/cocker spaniel mix. He was the smartest most athletic dog ever been around - skied Tuckerman's and Huntington Ravines on Mt. Washington, NH. Skied San Joaquin Chute and all over Telluride and Silverton, CO bc with this guy as well. He was to busy stealing my lines to worry about what I was doing! A true powder hound! Loved ski touring until he was 13 and had to be put down at 16 because of failing health. The whole family still talks about him.
The second was a rescued yellow lab. Great family dog but big, dumb, lazy and not a stellar ski dog. Had to teach him this lesson each season. He finally stopped going out at 8 years old because he couldn't keep up
The third is a golden retriever. He is only 13 months and this will be his first season. He's got potential but know I'll need to teach him this lesson. Like all golden's he loves to hang close!
I would say if you purposely ski into him hard enough to knock him over but not knock him out you'll be doing him a favor. This always worked for me.
I've also seen a couple dogs get cut with ski edges and its a quick way to ruin a good day but more importantly, can seriously injure your dog for life. Good luck.

[kaya]

Not sure if this is as conventional a method but I started first teaching my dog with the bike. She was basically wild when I adopted her, and would just run away if let go. We would practice everyday around the house using the leash and eventually moved on to trails. I found singletrack great for keeping her focused, and since the bike had so many moving parts she respected it.

Once we moved to skiing she translated the same skills. Stays behind but not too close. She's in the habit of leaving a bit of distance between the two of us so she isn't a pain while skinning. Here she is on St. Helens this past June:

[gimpy]

run into the dog and not over it.. ummm yeah, that sounds much safer.

[lhowemt]

Another tip is a short lead that can attach back to itself around the collar. It gives a good grab point if you meet a surly dog and wildlife for that matter and one more thing to hang onto during the ski pitch sit stay exercise...

We have these, pretty handy little things and they stow away nicely so they aren't snag hazards.

http://www.ruffwear.com/Quick-Draw-Leash_2

[ACheateaux]

We have these, pretty handy little things and they stow away nicely so they aren't snag hazards.

http://www.ruffwear.com/Quick-Draw-Leash_2

That would be what we run. I picked up stuff to make them out of climbing webbing as mine has started to deteriorate but have been lagging on getting them together...

[ACheateaux]

run into the dog and not over it.. ummm yeah, that sounds much safer.

And I gotta say, running into or over your dog is a horrible idea. Maybe you can do it safely once or even twice, but in practice its a great way to fuck your dog up. If that's a chance you are willing to take, by all means get on it. But ski edges are sharp, and dogs are soft and cuddly, and there are other ways to train them that don't endanger their ability to walk. Shiving your dog is laziness on your part, not wanting to put in the effort to train teach them or mold them properly. There are way more things in the BC that can hurt your dog (slough/slides, shallow covered rocks, tree wells, etc...), that having a obedient dog in the BC, if you choose to bring them with, is super important.

I really hope that was some trolling there and not constructive advice.

[sqpal2000]

I've taught my dog the 'out' command which basically tells her to move away from me. When I take her bird hunting or hiking off-leash and want her to move ahead of me I yell 'out.' Another helpful command I use it the 'stay' command. If I want to scout ahead of my dog, I make her stay until I release her to make sure it's safe. She's trained to stay even if I'm out of sight.

[Dfrank]

I've been doing some puppy training on the front range recently, where the parts close to the trail head have leash laws. While I wouldn't use this contraption out making turns, it worked great for trail skiing. it is a short lead, duct taped to a trekking pole tip that bungees over the pole tip. it lets me force him to stay a pole length off to my side, so i don't run him over.

It has been a great way to run the dog and get in a little skinning workout.

[splat]

I've been doing some puppy training on the front range recently, where the parts close to the trail head have leash laws. While I wouldn't use this contraption out making turns, it worked great for trail skiing. it is a short lead, duct taped to a trekking pole tip that bungees over the pole tip. it lets me force him to stay a pole length off to my side, so i don't run him over.

It has been a great way to run the dog and get in a little skinning workout.

I don't know what that is but my girlfriend wants one.

Serially, that's quite a contraption. I have a giant 1 year old Great Pyrenees I plan to start taking out. When we walked this past summer, he always bump his nose into the backs of my legs. A few knee high heel lifts cured him of that in a hurry. He's a huge dog and I've been considering harnesses on him and me and some webbing on a quick release. I think he'll want to be my rope tow.

[AltaPowderDaze]

a stick of bamboo from your local resort gives you the extra reach and pop you need to teach that dog how much personal space you need when skiing.

[sequoiashan]

I love skiing with the dogs but they're getting a little old for the long fast runs. When all else fails throw a snowball that way and point it the other, not much chance they'll catch up in any type of fresh snow. Be careful you don't sluff them out when they get beneath you though

[lhowemt]

I've taught my dog the 'out' command which basically tells her to move away from me. When I take her bird hunting or hiking off-leash and want her to move ahead of me I yell 'out.' Another helpful command I use it the 'stay' command. If I want to scout ahead of my dog, I make her stay until I release her to make sure it's safe. She's trained to stay even if I'm out of sight.

I used to use "get back", (to get behind me) which I liked biking and BC'ing so they weren't getting ahead of me. Kind of like a heel, but in my track/trail which seemed better for the dog. Unfortunately I've not used those with our current generation of dogs, we don't bike with them and not getting enough BC anymore. I gotta "get back" at it!