So today we thought we’d take Nibbler (11 1/2 months) for a short walk up a hill for the first time - chose a small local hill that just takes 25 minutes to top - so about forty minutes up and down. Not too steep. Thought best to keep him on lead as other dogs and mountain bikers about. Uphill he was great - bit of pulling but ok. At top of hill was fine but when we started down he pulled so hard I ended up losing my footing and slamming down on my backside -flat out.Ouch. Had to let him off lead to keep myself safe- he was great off lead - stayed at heel even when passing other dogs and people. Nightmare whenever we had to put him back on lead -kept pulling usoff our feet. My dreams of going lots of hikes up hills with him are fading fast. Any advice from others - what type of lead harness is best. Was just a wee hill - would like to train him up to do larger hills but don’t know if I can trust him to be safe he just gets too excited.
It’s simply a case of proofing him to walk on a loose leash in that environment. Don’t try to do it all in one go, walk back and forth on the same section of ten to twenty metres, or whatever he can manage. Use a high rate of reinforcement as you would teaching a pup the very first stages of how to walk on a loose lead - that’s basically what this is, as he finds this environment very arousing.
I trained a "slowly" cue for going down steps or steep hills (I really exaggerate the word, "sloooooooooowly") I have a few walks with massive flights of very steep steps so I really needed a cue for safety. Xena's a good loose lead walker most of the time, but "slowly" just means I need extra focus on me and gives me extra peace of mind. I don't think it'd stand up to a cat running past, but in that case I'd drop the lead rather than risk a broken neck.
Yes, the ‘slowly’ cue is really useful, though I think mine would be distracted by any moving object too! The best bit about going up hills/steps with dogs is that mine have also learnt just the right amount of pulling to get me up!
OH and I do a lot of walking, including hillwalks. We had the same problem with Holly and her predecessors. The ' slowly' cue and a good 'heel' command are essential to prevent pulling downhill or crossing steep hillsides. On more adventurous hillwalks, especially on narrow and rough paths (or no paths), we sandwich the dog between us. The one at the back has the lead. For crossing streams and obstacles one moves, we pass the lead, then the other catches up. A pair of long leads makes this really easy as we can both have control of the dog while she moves between us, allowing us to cross wider obstacles with the dog under control. A good harness such as the Julius can be useful for some walks, for example lowland walks with lots of stiles. The handle is good for steadying the dog. On rocky and narrow tracks a harness can snag do a collar is often better. For long or hard walks we do some training with increasingly long walks over a period of weeks. This gets the dog (and us) in shape so none of us get injured.
I have "slowly" and "behind" cues too for going down steep hills and narrow paths, Hattie takes it really easy on a loose lead and takes care of me xx Don't give up @Nibbler's Mum you don't need to give up your hill walking it just takes time to train and proof. x
I also have a behind cue that I trained and is very useful for narrow paths and steep downhill. I started by holding a treat behind me together with my lead in my hand. Practise on flat but narrow paths where the dog can’t get past you. Heath and heather are perfect for this. You can refill your hand without moving it from your other hand. I can now cue the behaviour with the word behind or just by moving my lead hand and clamping it to my bottom. It does look a little silly but then I’m not known for my elegance particularly downhill.
Thanks all - behind sounds like a good idea - couldn’t get any more undignified than flat out on your back with a dog trying to hump you while you were down . Will give it a try.
Sorry, I shouldn't laugh but.. Ella's had me "skiing" down a gravel path towards a stream, flat out on my face on the beach and straight on my bum (massive square bruise on my bum cheek from my phone in my pocket) while 8.5months pregnant at dog club in front of A LOT of people
