Taking your dog on a backcountry hike is one of the most popular things to do in Squamish–but being a good off-leash walker might not be enough to keep your beloved pooch safe while adventuring together.
The Squamish Chief spoke with BC SPCA accredited dog trainer Hilary Webster to find out all the tips and tricks to safely hike the backcountry with your furry friend and what to do if they get themselves into a sticky situation.
Tips and tricks
Before you hit the trails with your dog off-leash, Webster suggests teaching your dog recall.
“I would say recall is obviously number one, especially if you're going on hikes in the backcountry, or you're out of cell phone range, or near rushing rivers,” the Two Blue Tails dog trainer said.
“However, I find that recall in particular can be a challenging one to get into a solid response, because we're competing with so many other motivators in the environment, like wildlife, other dogs and people.
“So, really taking your time with recall in particular is really important. Practice tons when you don't need it so that when you do need it, it's going to be a reliable response.”
Webster suggests practicing with long-line leashes and using the “highest value reinforcer” to reward your dog for its good behaviour.
“Something like people food is really going to do it for the most part, for most dogs. On the contrary, if you're using something like kibble, that might not be enough for that particular behaviour,” she said.
The second tip she encourages working on with your dog is engagement.
“Engagement is essentially the two-way conversation you're having between yourself and your dog. How available are they to respond to something when you cue it and are they just sniffing the ground like you don't exist, or are they checking in with you?” Webster said.
“When you're working on engagement, using food in training can be really beneficial. What that looks like is reinforcing desirable behaviour.
“So whatever your dog does that you like and you want to see more of, give them a treat for that.
“There's a saying in the dog training world, ‘what's reinforced gets repeated’ so that's a really good kind of rule of thumb there.”
While it may be tempting to let your dog explore off-leash for the entire hike, Webster encourages pet owners to “be aware of what your dog's limitations are.”
“If they struggle with chasing deer or squirrels or wildlife in general; something that's really not in your control–perhaps they're not quite ready for off leash yet,” she said.
Dogs in distress
Earlier this month, Squamish Search and Rescue were called to an incident where Maverick, a dog, had fallen into the Cheakamus River and couldn’t be located.
“Thanks to some nearby climbers who heard his barks, and the incredible assistance of Draganflyinc’s thermal-sensing drone, we found Maverick tucked in a small cave just above the water,” Squamish SAR posted on social media.
“This technical rescue involved navigating both swift water and very steep terrain. Our team was able to lower one of our swiftwater technicians down to reach Maverick and successfully brought him back to safety.
“Animal rescues like this one are typically self-funded by Squamish SAR. As dog lovers, we just couldn’t turn this one down.”
Webster said that dogs in distress go into fight or flight mode and hearing their name called repeatedly can often hinder a safe rescue.
“That sympathetic nervous system is activated, and they aren't necessarily using their thinking brain, they're using their survival brain,” Webster said.
“So usually calling their name doesn't actually help this. Again, it kind of depends on the dog and what has happened, but sometimes we actually put them further into that fight or flight response if we're constantly calling them.
“If you've got a dog that's in that fight or flight response and isn't responding to their name and isn't responding to recall because they're scared, hanging back a little bit is good, and so is using food.
“Then that would be a really good opportunity to [find help] and get that search party in.”
If your dog has run off on a hike and isn’t responding to recall, Webster strongly encourages owners not to chase them.
“Chasing them down in that context is going to probably just make them want to flee even more,” she said.
“So having them come to you and waiting for them to approach you is probably a better bet in that context.”
She suggests tossing food towards the dog to encourage it to come towards you without being spooked.
“It's our responsibility as dog owners to prevent and manage situations like this, and that all comes down to knowing your dog, where you're going and what the environmental factors that may affect your dog's behaviour are,” Webster said.
“If they need to be on leash for a portion of the hike or the entire thing then that's okay.”
Webster’s advice to keep your dog safe on the trails
- Practice recall so it becomes a reliable response
- Always carry treats with you on a hike
- Keep your dog's microchipping information up to date.
- Put a tag on its collar with the dog's name and your phone number
- Invest in a Garmin GPS tracker which runs without cell service
- Consider using long-line leashes for dogs who aren’t fully ready for off-leash activities
- If you encounter wildlife, recall them back immediately
- Always bring a first-aid kit with you
