i got a dog whos a little over a year, a german shepherd. one of the main reasons i got her was to have a hiking companion but shes not doing so great so far. the first thing i want to teach her is to stay behind me . i never knew this was important until i read some posts on this site. anyone have any tips for training. i havent tried yet because she loves to trot ahead of me, stop and wait for me, and repeat. thanks
Gone
You should take an AKC obedience course and train the dog to heel. any dog on the trail who is not on a leash is in danger of running into animals or taking off. We hike with our dog and have a special harness that does not go on the dogs collar. It is called a roading harness, but to work well you need to train it heel. Your dog should be trained to halt immodestly when ordered to. this can be important for a number of reason not the least of which is crossing roads. A well trained dog is welcomed on the trail.
FLETCH