{"id":16978,"date":"2021-11-17T00:19:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T00:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=16978"},"modified":"2021-11-16T21:30:43","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T21:30:43","slug":"real-sun-valley-dogs-have-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/17\/real-sun-valley-dogs-have-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"REAL Sun Valley Dogs Have Etiquette!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hike responsibly and safely<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Fran Jewell<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that time of year to hit the trails with our dogs. Nothing is finer than a great walk with your dogs through\u00a0one of our wonderful national forest hiking paths.\u00a0We love to let our dogs off leash and to run to their heart\u2019s content.\u00a0What a wonderful opportunity we have!<\/p>\n

But, in doing so, we also have certain responsibilities.\u00a0Those include being considerate of your fellow recreationalists. That might be someone hiking, too, with their dogs, or riding a horse, mountain biking or some other mode of travel. If your dog scares a horse and the rider falls, do you know\u00a0you are liable for the damages?\u00a0If your dog jumps on or bites someone on a mountain bike, and they fall, you are also liable.\u00a0Having a dog is a responsibility and a privilege.\u00a0Your dog does not have a God-given right to harass others off leash.\u00a0Please be considerate.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Train your dog to COME when called the first time, NO MATTER WHAT THE DISTRACTION.<\/b>\u00a0If your dog cannot come the FIRST time, he should not be off a leash.\u00a0This can be a matter of life and death out on the trails.\u00a0A dog that chases game or other people or dogs is a dog likely to get lost or killed by a predatory animal.\u00a0Don\u2019t fool yourself.\u00a0We live in a wilderness environment with bears, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, badgers, etc., that can make quick pickings of your dog. Even if you don\u2019t see wild animals, they are there. Statistically, you are being watched by a mountain lion on nine out of 10 of your hikes!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Carry a leash with you so you can leash your dog, if needed.<\/b>\u00a0Carry treats and practice \u201ccome\u201d along your hike.\u00a0Teach your\u00a0dog that the command \u201cCOME\u201d does not mean the end of a good time and\u00a0that he\u00a0gets to return to his hike.\u00a0He\u00a0is far more likely to come in an emergency if you practice on every hike.\u00a0Leashes are not evil things. It is a way to be \u201cCONNECTED\u201d with your dog.\u00a0Your dog will respect you more for it.\u00a0Any dog will\u00a0respond to commands more readily if he respects you.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Carry citronella spray in a canister to use on dogs that are aggressive with your dog.\u00a0<\/b>As many of you know, I had an off-leash dog attack and bite my Brinx FOUR times IN TOWN!!! Protect yourself and your dog from other dogs that do NOT have good manners.\u00a0If you or your dog is attacked by another dog, be sure to get a description, name if possible and REPORT THEM to the authorities for the area you are in.\u00a0Document their description, time and location. TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOUR CELLPHONE OF THE DOG and OWNER!<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Call your dog and move OFF the trail when someone approaches. <\/b>Have your dog do a sit or down-stay while the other people\/dogs\/horses\/mountain bikes pass by.\u00a0Your dog does NOT have to play with every dog that comes along.\u00a0And besides, many other dogs are NOT in the control of their owners and DO NOT have good manners.\u00a0Protect your dog from others who are not as responsible as you are.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Put a Swiss bell on your dog at all times in the forest.<\/b>\u00a0This alarms other animals that your dog is near so they will leave and there are not confrontations with wild animals.\u00a0This also helps you to hear where your dog is and\u00a0also allows others hiking to hear an approaching dog and be prepared to move off the trail in courtesy to you.\u00a0Swiss bells are made to last and are audible over long distances.<\/p>\n

If you ride horses,<\/b> accustom your horse to the sound of bells, so he\/she is not startled or over-excited at the sound.<\/p>\n

6. Put a reflective collar on\u00a0your dog for visibility and a reflective vest in the fall so hunters see you have a dog.\u00a0<\/b>Be sure to include a nametag even if your dog is microchipped.<\/p>\n

7. Carry plastic bags to pick up waste your dog leaves.\u00a0<\/b>This is not only unsightly, but unhealthy for wildlife and other dogs. Your dog packs it in; you pack it out.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Carry water for your dog and a small bag of treats<\/b> or kibble in the event you are not able to get home and are forced to stay in the woods overnight, and especially to reward that perfect recall you practice on your hike!<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Carry a whistle<\/b> and teach your dog that a whistle means treat!\u00a0A whistle will carry much farther than your voice if your dog does run off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hike responsibly and safely By Fran Jewell It\u2019s that time of year to hit the trails with our dogs. Nothing is finer than a great walk with your dogs through\u00a0one of our wonderful national forest hiking paths.\u00a0We love to let our dogs off leash and to run to their heart\u2019s content.\u00a0What a wonderful opportunity we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16978","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-no-bones-about-it"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16978"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16982,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16978\/revisions\/16982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}