One of the most heated topics in the hiking with dogs world is owners hiking with their dogs off-leash.
All too often, my partner Dave and I encounter a dog on the trail whose human is nowhere in sight, or oblivious, or comatose. The dog may or may not be aggressive, but he’s interrupting our activity to meet our dogs. Maybe he is aggressive and attacks. Maybe he just looks aggressive, but we have no way of knowing his intentions. Perhaps our own dog is not friendly with other dogs. Some people aren’t even hiking with dogs, they just fear them or plain don’t want them in their space.
We seek the trails to find peace, quiet, and solitude, to de-stress, and to spend quality time with friends and our pets.
Off-leash dogs that approach other hikers, whether the dog is friendly or not, can disturb the users’ experience and can cause frustration. In a perfect world, all dogs would be on a leash or have perfect recall, but that’s just not how it works.
We always apply this set of guidelines when we head out on the trail, and we encourage other dog owners to do the same, with the goal of creating a trail etiquette agreement among all of us who hike with our dogs.
We agree to accept our dog for who she is and understand that she may not be the best candidate for off-leash hiking.
If our dog tends to pick fights with other dogs, barks at strangers, ignores recall attempts, or has a high prey drive, then we agree to love our dog regardless, and do our best to avoid altercations with others by keeping her on leash at all times. Unless we hike at 5 am. Then we’re probably okay off-leash.
We agree that if we do wish to hike off-leash with our dogs, then we will manage them attentively.
This means looking ahead and listening for approaching people, other dogs, and wildlife. It does not mean replying to our latest comments on Instagram or gabbing on the phone to our bestie.
We agree to Always Be Training.
The trails offer a perfect opportunity to practice ongoing training with your dog. Recall, sit, stay, wait, leave it, look. Hey, go on enough hikes, and you just might earn your dog off-leash privileges in accordance with this manifesto. Just don’t forget the high-reward treats. No treats, no service.
We agree to always ask permission first before allowing our dog to do any of the following towards another dog or human:
Run, sprint, or walk up to someone, sniff a butt, sniff a face, lick a face, hump, jump on, or any other interaction.
And hey, humans, especially of the parental variety, let’s follow the same rules of asking for ourselves and our kiddos. Just pretend like some stranger is hugging and kissing your kid without asking or encroaching in your personal bubble. You’d probably want to bite, too. We know our dogs are really stinking cute, but if we value our fingers and toes, let’s just practice this courtesy.
We agree to listen when others tell us that their dogs are not friendly, rather than brush it off and continue approaching regardless.
Yep, we know your dog is friendly. And please don’t tell us that you are a dog behaviorist and then inform us that our dog does indeed wish to meet. He doesn’t. I’m fairly certain that I pick up his poop and you do not. You do not know my dog better than I do.
We agree to communicate with others by using the commonly understood, yet highly ignored phrase “my dog is not friendly.”
It’s a tough phrase to say to others because in reality, our dog might not really be all that unfriendly, but perhaps he gets excited easily, or pulls uncontrollably, or is scared or nervous.
We agree to recall our dog, restrain her, and step aside when we see others approaching.
Keep in mind that recall is not simply the act of calling our dog’s name repeatedly while they ignore us, allowing them to continue approaching the unassuming dog and human. Our dog must return in order to score a perfect 10 on recall.
We agree that if we see a human put their body in between your dog and their dog, short leash him, and take out a treat to distract them from meeting yours that this is not an invitation to allow your dog to approach without permission.
On the contrary, it signifies the opposite. This is a non-verbal cue for you to move on. For the love of DOG, we get it, your dog is friendly.
We agree that, if our dog has zero recall, but we refuse to leash him on trails, despite the fact that he never comes when called and we always seem to leave those treats in the car, thus unable to Always Be Training, we solemnly swear that we will never stand like a petrified raccoon 10 feet away from our own dog and watch and stare while our dog accosts the approaching dog whose human has inserted her entire body to block the two dogs from interacting and call his name over and over.
Listen carefully: He’s not coming back to you and he is intruding on someone else’s space and time. Sprint immediately to your dog, remove him from the other dog, leash him, and apologize profusely. Please don’t repeat it with the next dog on the trail.
We agree, nay vow, to never use a retractable leash.
If you need further explanation, read here.
We agree that if we see any of the following users on the trail: runners, horses, mountain bikers, motorized vehicles, groups with multiple dogs, or a gaggle of geese, that we will always, without fail, recall and secure our dog and then step to the side to allow other users to pass.
Think about it practically, how do you really think your dog will fare against a gaggle of hissing geese?
We agree that if we so desire for our dogs to run around and play with other dogs, that we will save this for parks designated for such activities.
They are called dog parks. These differ from hiking trails in that they are allocated for the specific use of co-mingling with other off-leash dogs. In these parks, all humans unanimously agree and understand that their dogs may run amok freely.
We agree to practice Leave No Trace Principles and discard of our pet’s poop.
Bear or coyote poop found on the trail? Pretty cool (or unnerving, depending on your situation). Dog poop? Not cool.
We all carry poop bags, right? Another fondly debated topic in hiking with dogs world is whether or not it is acceptable leaving poop bags on the side of the trail to pick up on return. And then do we always remember to pick it up on our way back? And if we forget, then we run back and go get it, right? There are no excuses, our dogs all poop within the first 200 yards of the trail. It’s not that far. An alternative and preferred method is to use something like a Poo Vault or a Nalgene bottle dedicated to poo stashing. Just don’t drink from it later.
Sometimes we forget poop bags or unexpectedly run out. It’s okay. Just like shit, it happens. Just ask another dog hiker they have an extra bag, or try the old poop stick flick trick. It’s just like being at the driving range. Just find a good stick and flick it away.
These trail etiquette guidelines are not intended to serve as a mandate that all dogs must be on leash at all times. Some dogs perform just fine off leash, others, not so much. Rather, the purpose is to create a set of standards with which we comply in order to keep our experiences on the trail positive, safe, and without incident. Who can argue with that?
This post originally appeared on Long Haul Trekkers.
I am so sorry to read all this. You are not thinking in the dogs at all. You are just being selfish and thinking in what is better for you. Why you have more rights than dogs to be on the hikes? The greatest happines, fullness and contentness that a dog can get is to be free in the nature. So we shouldn’t banalize the fact of use always a leash, sometimes will be necessary, but not as necessary as to look for the mental balance of our dogs.
I really hope you are being sarcastic, because if not, you should realize that you are COMPLETELY missing the point of the article. The point is not to reduce the dog’s enjoyment of the hike, but rather to ensure that all members of the trail (digs and humans) can have an equal experience. When dogs are not controlled, they can detract from other trail users experience in an unfair way.
This article seems to be one sided. In the perfect world, all our dogs would be professionally trained and could stand on their heads on demand. It is not!
I take my small dogs off-leash on my hikes for several reasons: to exercise, they are my best friends and mostly to let them be dogs and do dog things
Thank you to the author for writing this piece.
Here’s another point of view that also isn’t from the dog’s point of view: I love dogs, but I spent two hours trying to hike out of the woods while an off-leash dog attacked me repeatedly. I saw the owner walk by 30 minutes prior, casually calling and looking off into the woods without much worry. After the dog found me, I spent the two full hours fending off nips and bites. I finally scared him off (with a gunshot – I was bird hunting), got back to my car, called the police, then spent the next several hours shaking at home. I’ve been afraid of off-leash dogs since. When I take my four year old hiking, I won’t let dogs near him anymore; my patience for off-leash dogs is gone. This is due to someone (who couldn’t control their dog) acting irresponsibly.
The truth is – you guys don’t care about me, or your fellow hikers. You don’t care that I was attacked by the dog. ‘My dog didn’t do that,’ you’re thinking. Unfortunately, you’re in the realm of irresponsible dog owners, and this article didn’t get through to convincing you to get training for your dog, or put them on a leash.
The dogs referenced are being introduced and managed by their owners. That, alone, incurs certain and specific responsibilities of those owners to ensure the safety, health, and courtesy of bringing dogs on an activity where they are likely to interact with other humans. Newsflash, you’re claiming the author is being selfish when it’s your reply that is evoking that affect. Owners of dogs that bring them on hikes and fail to successfully heel/manage their dogs are the selfish ones. They are not empathizing with fellow trail users at all. This may come as a shock to you but not all people enjoy dogs and quite many people have had traumatizing experiences with aggressive dogs. My Blue Heeler and Chow mix run free on my farm but I’m courteous and respectful of others when I take them out and keep them both on leash. They don’t even tug/pull at the end of the leash, but walk at my pace at all times.
1. People have more rights than animals. In most countries. Look it up.
2. If you’re so concerned about a dog being “happy, full and content” in nature, why would one even own a dog. Ban pets. Wolves only. (High sarcasm content).
3. I bet your dog is a nightmare.
I find ALL of these absolutely spectacular, as someone who hikes with and without dogs, who has owned and does not now own a dog, or just likes dogs. Control. Your. Animal. Simple concept, obviously terribly confusing to understand.
Because the ” hiking trails” were not made for dogs to take priority over humans. Just because you have a dog and like it, doesn’t mean that others want to risk their safety with an unknown dog that approaches or jumps on them or is aggressive. Because you have no right to walk up to a human and stick your head in the human’s crotch, so why should a human let your dog do that?…just because YOU don’t care and you want your dog to run free? And other humans DO have priority over your dog. I would never go inside a dog park and pretend that I have priority over the dogs. You really can’t figure this out? Seriously? Take your dog where no other humans are if you want it to always run free. Or a dog park. We don’t have to accommodate your dog. You have to accommodate humans.
Spot On! Perfectly stated!
A. Didn’t think about the retractable leash hazard, totally going to review my dog’s hiking leash situation.
B. As for dog poop the Nalgene bottle is a great idea! You can pick up cheap used ones at resale shops that would be perfect for it!
Holy smokes. Do I really have to pass a 13 question test before I can take my dog for a walk? The writer should try to focus on what is good for everyone; not just herself. Sure not all dogs are great but there are way less “bad dogs” on the trail than there are “bad people”.
And no one knows which dogs are good and which are bad when they meet them on the trail. You do realize if someone thinks a dog is being agressive they may respond in self defense? That does not usually end well for the dog. Are you OK with making a hike a fearful experience for anyone – especially children – who have had less than positive experiences with dogs? Or are just plain afraid of them?
And BTW, I am a dog owner. Mine is great to walk with, and she is nervous and at the dog park walks around with me (I don’t bother going to the dog park a block from my house much any more) but often wary. It is not good for my dog for “good”, “friendly” dogs to come up to her. It makes her nervous and unpredictable, sometimes jumping around to avoid the other dog.
Point being, it doesn matter if YOUR dog is “good” or not.
I’ve been using a retractable leash for decades. On those very rare occasions I use a leash.
Its common sense. Don’t let your dog bother other people and keep on leash and in control. Don’t want them messing with wild animals either. BTW.. I love dogs!
I would hope for a certain amount of control over the canines. I ride horses and mules and burros and I use pack animals (equines). their innate behavior is to spook upon sight of a “threat” be it canine, other equine, or humans. anything moving, coming down the trail, or up the trail is usually registered as possible threat by equines. if ya don’t wanna control your canine you should apply for a job in the trump kingdom (which is out of control), there’s a few job openings……
Really, you needed to throw in a Trump bash in a conversation about dogs? Silly.
Dear dog owners:
If you are outside and 1) you don’t own the land or 2) have permission from the landowner or 3) there are signs that expressly permit unleashed dogs, KEEP IT ON A LEASH! It’s the law and common decency.
Thank you! A lot of dog owners are oblivious to the problem of their “friendly” dog. While hiking earlier this year I encountered a couple at a trailhead who had two dogs on leashes, though they had dropped the leashes and the dogs were unrestrained nearby. I approached and they initiated a conversation about the trail they were coming off of and I was beginning. I maintained a reasonable distance and we conversed for about 5 minutes. Without warning, without reason, one of the dogs launched at me and bit me on the hip. The couple and I were stunned. They pulled the dog off me and started babbling about how the dog had never done that before, the dog was such a good dog, and how sorry they were. Luckily, I was wearing jeans and the bite just gave me a lasting bruise. So, for those of you thinking your dog is such a sweetheart, think again. You have no idea what your dog is thinking. Keep them on a leash and hold on to that leash. And pick up their shit!
I always keep my pit bull Lucy on leash when hiking, but a number of times I have had other dogs that their owners were allowing off-leash run at her, and once one attacked her. She ran around my legs trying to get away and wrapped me up in the middle of a potential major dogfight. “Gee, I didn’t think anyone else was out here!” Most public trails in parks do not allow dogs off-leash, but people are always doing it anyway.
We walk our lab frequently on preserved land that is open to the public. Although we used to allow her off leash, we’d always call her back and put her on the leash at the sign of any other person or animal. One day several years ago we were walking and an off leash dog in front of us with their owners, turned around and attacked our lab, biting part of her ear off. I was busy trying to control my dog from inflicting any damage on the off leash dog, which meant the other dog had free reign, my lab couldn’t even fight back, it was as if I was holding her, choking her and getting wrapped up in the leash while trying to kick the other dog off. The owners were astonished – “my dog’s never behaved that way before” – it sucked. My dog bleeding profusely (ears have loads of blood vessels), we wrapped it up as best we could and ran the half mile home. It wouldn’t stop bleeding so off to the vet. Nearly $1,000 later she was ok but with a chunk now forever missing from her ear.
Another time, I had my dog at a local music festival, on leash. Another fellow had two large barking and lunging shepherds on leash but not in control. We kept our distance and walked way around them staying at least 100 feet away. NExt thing I know one was loose and had circled around us to corner us between it and the other dog. It ran up and starting attacking my lab. I kicked it in the face as someone else tried to grab it by the loose leash so we could get away – this is at a public music festival with kids running around!! Unbelievable.
Yet another time, I walked into a local feed mill to get some dog food and a huge German Shepherd off leash runs up to me as if he’s a K9 unit and I’m a criminal. He corners me and I’m about to take action when the owner 40 feet away smirks and says “he won’t kill ya, he just might take your arm”. What if I had been a small child? We then exchanged some other words I won’t repeat here.
Then just last week, biking with my dog down the dirt road we live on, a 3 legged Pit Bull off leash runs right up to us with the owner yelling “she’s freindly”. Yeah but now my dog whose been attacked several times is not. Then what, how does your friendly dog react when my dog takes a defensive stance?
Another new neighbor lets their PittBull mix run free around the neighborhood. The dog harrasses other dogs and cats and is over 150 pounds. When confronted about this they reply, he’s freindly. I watched the same dog chase a herd of deer across a busy road nearly casuing an accident.
I’ll end on this note. Once you or your dog have been attacked, bloodied and incurred medical bills from someone else’s lack of training or williness to control their animal that is friendly 99% of the time, your view changes. I am now always sure to leash my dog in public areas and typically do not allow any interaction with other unknown dogs. When we see another dog off leash with or without an owner, we make it clear we want nothing to do with the dog and are willing to defend ourselves. Its out of hand.
I really wish everyone had well behaved and trained dogs, and many do, but those that do not ruin it for everyone else. Please leash your dog or have 100% control and prove you’re not part of the problem.
This has been my experience exactly. I can no longer bring my dog out with me due to poor experiences with other dogs and their owners.
People don’t know how to operate their dogs. There is a large sign at every trailhead around here with both pictures and words (and often poop bags) instructing to keep your dog on a leash. Control your dog and follow the damn rules.
Retractable leashes can cause accidents. My sister (who cycled to work on the Burke Gilman trail when she was working in Queen Anne) could not see that a clear, retractable leash was stretching completely across the trail (owner on one side, dog on the other), and the leash caused her to wipe out on her bike. Luckily she was not injured too badly.
If an owner can’t make sure their dog isn’t a tripping hazard for other people, then that owner needs a new leash. Imagine tripping another hiker on a steep mountain trail, what the consequences could be. I don’t currently own a dog but I personally love dogs, but even I am uncomfortable when a big dog is running amok and I’m walking on a ridge line or a place with “high consequence” falling areas.
Also remember that dogs may be injured if not properly controlled. Google the video of the off-leash German Shepherd at Lake Ingalls who was head butted off a cliff after he chased goats. Dogs are actually prohibited in that area.
That’s a classic crash.
I’ve noticed more and more signs on MUPs that say leashes should be no longer than 6′.
It’s unfortunate that this article even has to be written. I love dogs, but they are domestic animals and have to conform (with some help from their owners) to human society and its rules. I have a 3-year old son that I often hike with. Thankfully it has never happened, but I know that if a dog’s behavior caused me to become concerned about his safety, I would protect him with complete disregard for the well-being of the dog.
These are all great and just good common sense. I would add at least three more agreements, though. First, if the trail is posted either for no pets, or no off-leash pets, we agree to leave Fido home. These rules aren’t just there because some Park administrators dislike dogs. Rather, a dog’s scent, either live or left via marking, can discourage the presence of deer and other wildlife for whom canines are natural predators. If someone has traveled an hour or more for the joy of seeing deer or other critters in their natural habitat, it is extremely disappointing to find none in proximity because they have all been frightened away by the past or current presence of your dog, all the more so if the dog has been allowed to stray from the trail off leash. Second, if we are hiking in an area known to house rattlesnakes, we agree to have taken our dog to a properly accredited rattlesnake avoidance training program, and even then, not off leash. This could be a matter of life or death for your four-legged friend, as rattlers emit pheromones that are extremely attractive to dogs, and dogs tend to investigate things with their noses, meaning most strikes will be to their head. There, the venom causes swelling and bleeding into the brain, leading to disability and death before you can get your pet to veterinary assistance. (Even then, many dogs are allergic to the antivenin.) Third, we agree to carry water and a collapsible bowl for our dogs. Dogs, lacking sweat glands, regulate their body temps through their tongues and paw pads (might add a fourth agreement about ensuring the terrain is not causing damage to the latter). A dog that is panting heavily with its tongue distended is not telling you what a good time it is having; it is suffering and may be in danger of heat stroke.
I have taken to hiking with a tranquilizer gun. Sure, owners of unruly dogs get pissed when I send their pet for an impromptu nap, but I hike with children who are rather susceptible to those charging animals, so I never feel bad when I have to use it.
Think that’s unwarranted? My wife was charged by an off-leash dog and ended up needing knee surgery for a torn meniscus after the altercation. I’ve had stitches torn out in and altercation doing some post-op recovery hiking. And finally, when I had my child attacked by a dog on a trail, I decided enough was enough.
I know a lot of dog owners who are very respectful and responsible. I have nothing against them, and their use of the trails (just clear the poop for the love of Ned). In general I find horses on the trail to be far worse than dogs. But I have never been in a situation where a horse did significant physical injury to me or a loved one; so I won’t tranq the horses – I will curse their rider’s for leaving sh!# everywhere, and if I have a stick, will fling it in their direction – but be prepared to carry your hell-hound home if he gets aggressive with me on the trail…
after reading some of the stories here i’m suprised some dog owners aren’t resorting to pepper spray. it would be a non lethal way to protect your pet from unruly ones.
Both continuous barking (such as the leashed dog on the summit of a recent hike) and continuous yelling at a dog to come, heel or be quiet are also pretty annoying to others.
There’s only one thing worse than an uncontrolled dog out on the trail.
That’s an out of control human.
There’s a lot more of them than people seem to realize.
My dogs are there for my protection.
There is a huge increase of hikers on trails and many with dogs. (Colorado population is increasing about 100k a year) I was so appreciative of this article. For many years I let my dogs run and be ‘free’….to harass wild life and poop at will. Heck, they were an extension of my narcissism.
Then my daughter told me of seeing a dog fall on a 14er, so I started leashing and treating my dogs for their safety. Amazing how far a bit of training goes.
I adopted a dog that has some social issues. Training is part of our daily life. We are on trails every day. We step off to allow hikers, bikers and horses to pass. When I see off leash dogs I call to ‘please call your dog.’ If I am ignored I get out the spray (it’s only citronella, but they don’t know that.) Amazing how quickly the owner gets their dog.
Also don’t just say “he’s friendly”. I have been slammed in the knees many times by friendly labs. Just train your dog!!!
Yes please. In just the last year, I was bit by a dog at trailhead. My son was chased while on his mountain bike, I was taken out and injured by a dog on a trail run, and I had to rescue a woman and her dog, from an off leash dog attack. One person went to the hospital in the attack with injuries to her hand.
In my trail run, the dog had no intention of injuring me, but saw something interesting, and ran straight into my legs, mid stride. I went down hard on rocks injuring my knee.
This is all in addition to the ridiculous bags of poop all over the trails in the Denver Front Range.
Pretend other people use the trails, because they do.
#1 in a dog fight don’t hold your dog grab the other dog so your dog wins
#2. Bear spray is not just for bears
#3 it’s the dog owners fault not the dog. Spray them first.
Be prepared. But the real bottle is of bear spray.
+1 to this.
An off leash dog is just an aggressive animal and should be treated as such.
It takes a lot of courage to stand up to dog owners who think they can disregard the responsibility of being a member of the trail community. Thank you for sharing these guidelines which are cleverly described and leave plenty of room for trail enjoyment both on and off leash.
Dog owners just need to be responsible. I own two high energy hunting dogs that are not very good with other dogs. When in public, on trails, and even on sparsely populated public lands they are always leashed. Further more they are on a short leash with a training collar and are always heeled close by when others are around.
Accept the dog you have and act responsibly to ensure its and others safety.
Thank you for writing this. I appreciate it.