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People with well behaved crag dogs, what training did you do?
Adam Brinkwrote: I'll make a poop tube for both our shit as we are often away from places to dispose of the bags for a week or so at a time. Is there a good way to keep the smell down from a poop tube without pre-filling the bag for poop with kitty litter or sawdust? Any odor proof dry bags people like?
That's a great solution for you and yours but not helpful for me. |
Andrew Whitmorewrote: This is terrible advice. Dogs are like Saiyans they will only come back stronger. So, if you wear them out one day their energy pool will only be bigger the next day which perpetuates. They can condition and recover faster than you for the majority of the dogs life. The rest of the advice in the post is very solid. |
Jordan Wilsonwrote: It was a surprising piece of advice from a person that has dogs bred to pull sleds for hundreds of miles but I am glad it works for them. Maybe if the dogs are typically couch potatoes this would work or if they are off leash and doing a lot of sniffing and sprinting to catch up. Sniff walks are supposed to burn a lot of energy. So far my dog seems to want to sleep 18 to 20 hours out of the day and quickly fell asleep when I took her bouldering, it was just her and me out there though so she may be more alert if there are other people/dogs about. Newly adopted so I know there is a few months of adjustment but so far I'm optimistic that she is well adjusted and that I won't fuck her up. From what I have learned it is much more efficient to tire a dog out by having them use their brain. Will I have the same problem and end up with a super smarty that needs to take a calc exam before each climbing outing? We will see. |
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not everyone agrees with them but I used an e-collar to help train my border collie in conjunction with treats. Someone else mentioned getting into running because a tired dog is a well behaved dog. Along the same lines, and due to the fact that my dog is a working dog breed, I’ve had to learn how to keep him very engaged. Telling him to sit and stay IS an engagement. But the main kicker for me personally has been fetch. Not really an option at all crags, but at many crags, I’m able to play fetch with my BC enough that by the time im up in a rope he’s silently waiting at the base with his ball in his mouth. I also crate trained him, leash and off leash trained him very very early on. He was at a crag with me the day after I got him as a 3 month old. Lastly, do your best not to react to whines/whimpers/barks while at home and it’ll pay off away from home. My dog is nearly silent, only in odd instances will he bark because I’ve don’t grant any beckons or calls with a response |
Dog Ownerwrote: On the way in, I always bag up poop and carry it with me then set it next to my bag at the crag until I have a trash bag going then I toss it in there so I don't forget it for the hike out. The way I see it is packing poop out always is the price of admission for owning a dog; all dog owners know what they are getting into when it comes to picking up waste and if you don't like doing it then don't get a dog. I personally never bury my waste and always have either dog bags or wag bags with me. I always keep a treat bag on me or nearby so I can get her attention or reward her when she is being good. One thing I told myself when I started taking my dog to the crag was that I always have to be prepared to abandon my day of climbing or move if she is a problem or if there are other problems in the area and I know that I'll get far less climbing done with her there. It took a little bit and I had to abandon many climbing days early on but now I've got a great crag dog that people often compliment but that doesn't mean I still don't have run-ins with other dog owners or people who just don't want to see dogs at the crag but that's just life. |
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I think you are on the right path by starting off in low stress, minimally busy areas. Like Wyatt, the e-collar has been a total game changer with my dog once she was old enough to start using one. The ability to give my dog more freedom when the situation is right helps her to settle down significantly when she does need to be tied up. Also, the vibrate or beep function give you the ability to communicate with your dog at a distance without having to make a bunch of noise. At the end of the day, if you see your dog reacting to a certain situation in a way you don't like, figure out a way to train a different reaction or behavior pattern. Your dog hops up on people; have them sit and wait next to you with some treats and let people pass by, etc. |
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Most crag dog issues would be solved by those dogs remaining leashed/tied. As a dog owner myself, here's my hot take: crags aren't fun for dogs. My dog certainly doesn't enjoy being tied up while I do things she doesn't understand. It stresses her out. Which is why she almost always stays at home. Save yourself the trouble. |
  I teach my dog to sleep at the crag. |
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I had three dogs who were good crag dogs. They passed, and I got the current dog. He is both human and dog aggressive. No amount of professional training seems to take that out of him. He is muzzled whenever he is around humans and dogs, and he doesn’t go climbing with me. Just to let folks know, sometimes you get a dog, and you will not be able to train it to be a good crag dog. |
J Awrote: What do you mean by this? Do you honestly think your dog is entitled to eat the food someone took out of their pack (or, worse, the food they left inside an unzipped pack)? Your dog is not entitled to be off leash roaming the crag for snacks (or to be unattended on a leash within snack-eating distance of another party). If your dog is going to eat someone's food, you're not attending to it well enough. It doesn't need to have the self restraint to not eat random food unattended, but if it's got that instinct it needs the attention to steer it away from that behavior. Eating food is not the same as sniffing a passerby's hand or a _rare_ bark/whine for attention - there's a line of reasonable pup behavior and eating someone else's food is well beyond it. It doesn't make your dog a bad dog, it makes you a bad owner. My dog, if unleashed, would probably eat someone's unattended loose food, but I'd be mortified if I found myself in a situation where he was able to do so. |
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lol... are people really laying a bare sandwich down on the ground, outside, and expecting every human and animal to respect its boundaries? I've seen a lot of yard sales and flea markets of gear strewn about (I just walk all over it if it's too egregious), but I haven't seen the crag buffet spread yet. About leashes: Many (most?) dogs get extra defensive when left alone on a leash. Probably any animal, including humans, would. I've found an e-collar + training + regular socialization is a far better solution than "just leash them up". Shortly after adopting her, my current dog chewed through a heavy-duty leash, only to walk 20 feet away, sniff some plants, and then lay down. She's much more relaxed when not confined. There's a bunch of info online showing completely chill dogs until you put them behind a fence or put a leash on them. I've been bitten twice, (and a few attempts too - luckily no broken skin), and in all cases, the dog was leashed and tied to something. Anyway, just something to be aware of. There's no one-size-fits-all solution though, you just have to figure out what you're dealing with, and then train/plan accordingly. Definitely be watchful and considerate to everyone there, but keep in mind there's also the rare full-blown Karen waiting to complain about a dog just looking at them wrong. |
Brandon Rwrote: I've only ever had dogs take food out of my bag, or off my chair while I step up to get water. I've had squirrels do the same but I hope you can see how one is a local and the other is a visitor who came only because someone wanted a pet they don't know how to take care of. If someone I don't know at the crag walked up to my bag and took my peanut M&Ms out of my bag I would talk to them to see why they thought that was appropriate, same if their dog did it. |
Mark Pilatewrote: How do you train him to find, but not eat the edibles? |
Jordan Wilsonwrote: There is nothing natural about allowing the local wildlife to eat your improperly stored food. Human fail. I hope you can see that. I also hope you can see that what you bring up is a strawman, and one that I already agree with at that. PSA: In Yosemite, and probably other national parks too, you can get a hefty ticket for negligently allowing wildlife to take your food. |
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The Koehler Method of Dog Training |
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A dog’s personality matters. Training can only do so much. If you see a great crag dog, some of that may just be that dog in particular. A friend of mine used a puppy personality test to help pick a calm dog and it was incredibly well behaved, while living a life on the road and being around strangers pretty regularly. I recognize this advice is too late for the original poster, who already has a dog. You have to learn your dog’s personality and then temper expectations based on that. |
James -wrote: I did something similar and have the option to take her back to the rescue if we find that it does not work out. So far it seems very unlikely. She would be happy to go back to her foster and would be rehomed shortly.
I have fostered reactive dogs in the past and somewhat understand your struggle. This time I chose not to play rescue roulette. I am not good at managing reactivity and do not have a suitable home environment for such a dog.
Dogs are individuals just as we people are with our own personalities and desires. I'm glad you listened to your dog and learned not to take her anymore.
From what I have learned dogs are natural scavengers so many have a strong drive to scavenge for food. We are in agreement that it would be irresponsible to not mitigate the risk of the natural drives of our companions causing trouble for others. They have a tendency to chew when bored as well, this is why I do not leave things out I think she may want to chew while I am away (other than things I have specifically for her to chew). This logic extends to the crag. I've had crag dogs take bites of food in my hand before I even have the chance to myself, very upsetting and I would not want anyone else to experience that.
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Dave Schultzwrote: Did you use a relaxation protocol or something like that? https://www.scottsschoolfordogs.com/tips/relaxation-protocol/ |
Dave Schultzwrote: Schultz… nice Dalmatian. I have had 2 who were the best crag dogs ever. Dog lover… I had Dalmatians- dogs known for being hyper, uncontrollable… The secret- run them. Like the dog whisperer always says “tired dogs are calm and submissive…” Lots of people I know just bring dogs out and expect that is enough excuse for them. It’s not obviously. I would run my Dalmatians between 5-12 miles per day- with my mt bike |
Dog Ownerwrote: Nope. Both our Dalmatians are/were really active, so they also take every opportunity to nap. Now the old one is happy to sleep like 22 hrs a day, with eating as his primary exercise. Another trick is to teach them to like booties, otherwise you end up carrying him down the hot road at woodson when you stayed too long:  He does like booties for the snow, though:  |
