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Should hikers allow their dogs off-leash?
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so long as the dogs are well behaved and friendly, then certainly the dogs should be allowed off leash.
as much as I would love for dogs to have the same freedom that we do on the trail, twice in the past few years in the Blue Ridge, I have almost been knocked over by dogs racing ahead of me from behind (on very narrow trails) and nearly knocking me over. Obviously, the dogs belonged to someone hiking far enough behind me for me not to be aware of the owners presence. A narrow trail plus a heavy backpack combined with a surprise passing equals disaster.
Dog owners need to consider the behavior of their dog and the quality of control that they have of their dog off leash. My dog does not chase wildlife, does not run at other hikers nor jump on them, and responds reliably to sit and stay commands. She is therefore always allowed off leash and loves it! However, I have had other dogs that could not be let off leash. Owners just need to use common sense.
I agree with Rodney – it is all about the education of the owners. One of my dogs does great with verbal commands and stays right by us, and the other one I wouldn’t even think about taking off leash. Something that works well is the Sport Dog wireless collar, http://www.sportdog.com/Gear/E-Collars/FieldTrainer.aspx. I really enjoy it when hiking with my dog off of a physical leash, but when I need him by me, I just send him a beep and he comes back. I don’t even have to use the static correction on it, he responds to the beep. It all comes down to what Rodney said, “owners just need to use common sense”.
A dog is by nature a wild animal and should always be on a leash when in contact with the public. No matter how great a dog handler you are and no matter how wonderfully behaved they are, they are still wild animals with instincts that cannot be predicted. I own dogs and am an animal lover but do yourself and your animal a favor and keep them on a leash. Everyone on the trail should be able to enjoy nature without feeling threatened by an out of control animal.
I guess it all depends on the dog. If he follows commands well and is not aggressive to other dogs / hikers, sure take him off the leash. However, there is always the person that thinks their dog is special, and should be able to do as they please. These are the ones that always cause trouble for the others. Just remember, not everyone in the woods loves “Fido” the way you do. Be respectful.
It depends on the dog, well behaved should be allowed to be unleashed.
jamie hale
Yes as long as they are well behaved and will listen to your commands when other hiker/bikers etc approach then yes they should
This kind of reminds me of my opinion about the “Should we carry guns in the woods” argument we had here a few months back (http://bit.ly/7ujmA7)
Not that a dog is a gun, or that you should be required have a permit for a dog, but that what it comes down to is personal responsibility. The issue is not what we should be allowed to do, but rather what kind of decisions we can all make when we’re empowered to decide.
You know your dog (gun). You are well educated and experienced with the potential for action that comes with your dog (gun). You feel confident in possession of your dog (gun) in the presence of other people.
These are all things that a good dog (gun) owner would agree with. Are there bad dog owners and stupid gun owners out there? Yep. There are also drunk drivers, con artists, bankers, MySpace users, and Dan Snyder apologists. Freedom is about letting people make their own decisions.
Sorry for getting on my high horse, I forgot we were talking about dogs. And sorry for the Dan Snyder remark, he has no apologists.
Many of you think that dogs are fine to be let off a leash if they are well behaved. The problem is that everyone thinks their dog is well behaved when in many cases they are not. So if the rule is your dog can be off a leash if it is well behaved then how is it enforced? Who decides if your dog is well behaved?
Not no but HELL no. The law in most areas states that an owner must have “complete control” over their pet AT ALL TIMES. That is impossible, even with the best behaved dogs, when the owner and animal are separated, even out of sight of one another at times. NO NO NO.
Obviously, it depends on the dog. But if your dog charges, or barks, or is inclined confront people or other (leashed) dogs, it should be under your control. If your bites me it’s YOUR fault.
For there record I don’t like dogs that have to be restrained by the leash. If you have to struggle and really use that leash to keep your dog from biting or jumping on me or whatever – keep it in your yard and not on the trail. My 2 cents.
I agree with the majority of comments here that a dog that is well behaved and is controllable by their owner should have free reign of the trail. That is keeping your dog within a reasonable distance depending on the terrain and speed you are keeping. If you are a owner that has a dog that jumps on ppl or is over protective by all means leash them and step off the trail when other hikers approach. If for some reason your dog does bite a hiker, you are liable for their actions because it was your decision to let the dog off the leash in the first place.
I have come upon other hikers with less manners than the majority of dogs I have met on the trail. For the few people that say it is the law, plz don’t ever let me catch you speeding.
When I’m hiking and there is no one else close by, I let my dog off leash. At the approach of other hikers, she goes back on the lead. But I also acknowledge that she does not stray far from me and does respond to command to return to the leash. I do this for the protection of other hikers as well as my dog. Some people fear dogs and there are some people that cause dogs to fear or act unpredictably. My personal sentiment is that it is better to err on the side of caution and to give others the courtesy of restraining my dog.
First, not all dogs behave. I am personally terrified of dogs because of a bad experience and no matter what any dog owner thinks, they cannot control their dog (especially a large one). Secondly, I don’t want a loose dog running up on me when I’m taking a lunch break and diving into my food or just running towards me thinking I want to pet him. Thirdly, what happens if two dogs start growling or fight with each other and you are caught nearby? If a dog gets into my personal space, I will mace it – dogs are too unpredictable and as I said, I am terrified of dogs -especially large ones. After all, anytime there’s a dog attack on a person, invariably the dog owner’s quote is “I don’t understand, my dog wouldn’t hurt a soul.” duh
Our family visited Cataloochee to see the elk one fall. While we were there an unleashed large dog ran into the field and started to herd the elk. The owner was not out trying to get the dog and at some point the dog returned on his own to the owner. While this happened we also watched a Ranger remove his rifle from his vehicle and start tracking the dog. He informed another visitor that if the dog threatened the elk or didn’t have a collar he would shoot the dog. When the dog left the area the Ranger followed to locate the owner and the dog. In this case it would have been helpful for all involved for the dog to have a leash on.
I allow one of my dogs off leash while hiking because she is highly trained, listens consistently, stays very close, stays on the trail and will not chase wildlife. However, I totally understand how irresponsible many people are with their dogs and that not everyone is comfortable around dogs. Therefore, the minute I see another person on the trail, she is called in to heel and is put on leash, 100% of the time. Sadly, I rarely see other people do this with their dogs when they are off leash and this is where the problem lies. It makes me angry too because my dog has been attacked by other dogs running loose. It’s all a matter of the humans being responsible and that is sorely lacking.
Dogs should absolutely be on leashes when on public lands. Sometimes I think even the length of the leash needs to be pointed out to some oblivious dog owners. More than once I have been running on a greenway and had a dog on a 20-foot leash dart across the path in front of me and send me head over heels. Dogs are not allowed at all in national parks, even on leashes. Though domesticated to some extent, dogs are hunters and carnivores and their presence disturbs the other wildlife (see the story above about the elk in Cataloochee. While your Fido may be the sweetest pet on earth, when he comes running at me on the trail with no owner in sight, it’s scary.
It’s a matter of personal responsibility. Traildog hikers have the responsibility to:
1) Control their dogs so that the dogs don’t endanger themselves (bears, rattlesnakes, rivers, etc.)
2) Control their dogs so that dogs don’t unreasonably infringe on other visitors (knock them down, trample their food, etc.)
3) Control their dogs so that they don’t harm the resource (chase animals, trample sensitive plants or cryptobiotic soils, etc.).
That’s usually best accomplished by a leash. Most owners don’t sufficiently train their dogs for that sort of off-lead experience. And leashes need to be kept short enough at any given time that other visitors aren’t “clothes-lined” between owner and dog. Owners with the necessary level of control ought to be allowed to exercise it, though. Penalize the ones that don’t. Because of 3) above, I’m ok with the ranger’s actions at Cataloochee. The Park’s 1st priority is protection of wildlife. OTOH, I no longer buy the argument that the mere presence of traildogs constitutes an unusual stressor on game. The now-ubiquitous presence of coyotes means that game are almost constantly surrounded by canines anyhow. One more dog under control could only have a negligible effect. Statements that “(d)ogs are not allowed at all in national parks, even on leashes” are inaccurate. The Park Service leaves that decision to the superintendent of the individual Park service property. Almost all NP’s allow leashed dogs on roads and frontcountry sites. Many NP’s, such as Shenandoah, as well as National Recreation Areas and National Battlefield Parks allow them on backcountry trails, too. I vehemently disagree with certain contentions, best summarized by the statement that “no matter what any dog owner thinks, they cannot control their dog (especially a large one)”. That is a gross over-generalization that is disputed by the thousands of traildog owners & SAR dogs handlers out there who have spent dozens or hundreds of hours (and sometimes =#s of $s) to perfect their off-lead control.
Offleash skills are VERY important to me as I do a lot of technical hiking with a very heavy pack. My dogs carry heavy packs as well as they are working pack dogs earning titles. Having my dogs onleash hinders all of us, especially in technical areas, so having them lffleash makes it much easier and safer for everyone. My dogs are guardians and therefore need an even higher level of offleash control to make up for their guarding inclinations. I am a single woman and if I didn’t have my guard dogs, I would not feel safe hiking, so I take their offleash manners VERY seriously. My dogs come when called, stay within a certain radius of me at all times, always come back to me and do a downstay when encountering any other trail users, do not approach strangers without permission, and do not chase wildlife (other than the occasional coyote who sniffs too close to our campsites. They would engage any predator who was foolish enough to attack but that is not likely to ever be a problem as most wildlife is smarter than that. My concern is more for human predators.) My point dog even knows that if she rounds a corner and I loose my line of sight, she must wait until I make eye contact with her again before she continues. If she has stopped to pee and I have passed her, she knows only to pass me on the left and only after I signal that she may dog so (this is especially important when hiking steep ridgelines and the like. A dog flying past you unexpectedly and whacking you with her pack behind your knee could mean a deadly fall.) My drag dog hikes directly behind me and slightly to my left, only passing me (again, only to the left) when I send her forward to negotiate an obstacle, and once she has crossed it, she stands and waits for me to pass her again.
Before anyone says I must have super easy to train dogs, know that my traildogs are a Chow/Siberian Husky cross and a Central Asian Ovcharka. I also have a Borzoi, who, while he does not go backpacking, does go on dayhikes and is also offleash anywhere it is allowed (I seek out such places because, as I have already mentioned, hiking with my dogs onleash is a major pain in the butt, and I don’t want to break the rules so I go places where the rules suit me already.). They are NOT easy dogs by any stretch. It is simply a matter of putting in the time and effort. Any dog can and should have excellent offleash manners. Anyone who does not have offleash control of her dog has not spent enough time developing a working relationship with her dog. Patience, consistency, PRACTICE, and HEAVILY rewarding desired behaviors while simultaneously blocking undesired ones are the keys. There is no magic bullet but it can be done. As the above posted mentioned, the thousands of working SAR and traildogs the world over are proof that it is so.
If, however, you don’t have the time or the inclination to train your dogs, then you must leash your dogs. Don’t ruin it for those of us who bust our butts to make our dogs respectable and well-mannered. We are 100% responsible for our dogs’ behavior and it definitely sucks to be accosted by some goofy, ill-mannered and/or snarky, unsocialized dog who leaps all over me and gets its butt kicked by my dogs who have not left my side. I find most of these dogs are found at trailheads (where I always DO leash my dogs) and that the dogs I’ve encountered in the backcountry are as well-trained as my own. Backpacking dogs are much like backpacking people, it seems. When they are out there, they don’t want to socialize, they just want to enjoy being with their people in the wildnerness. Trailheads, on the other hand, are peopled (dogged?) with less mind-their-own-business types. If we’re going to ban anything, I’d say ban people who stand at the top of a long, steep flight of stairs leading back to the parking area, blocking its passage, so they can take photos of “the girls with all the dogs carrying those adorable little saddle bags!” when the “girls with all the dogs” have been out for 4 days in the rain and everyone is exhausted, grumpy, hungry, and in desperate need of a hot shower, and were not asked if they wanted to be photographed just then.
It depends on the trail. Trails used by a lot of the public, dogs on leash. Off on your own going up the side of a mountain on a little used trail, dogs go free. (Better check your homeowners or renters policy to see if you are covered!)
But, if it is Gypsy the wonder dog from Staunton, VA, the dog rules and the owner does what he/she is suppose to at all times.
Actually a dog is a domesticated animal. That fact aside, dog owners must invest the training time and energy required to ensure that the dog can remain under reliable voice command if they are to allow them off-leash. Otherwise by all means, keep them physically restrained.
Wait…….so we can share the trail with other wild animals but not dogs huh? Uptight hikers take note: you are in the wilderness. Dont know if you got the memo but unleashed animals live there. Lots of them too. That said, I do feel that a responsible owner would never bring an out of control dog on the trail, but for someone to tell another that they are prohibited from bringing their dog unless it is leashed is a little over the top for me. If you can handle an animal or two crossing your path, maybe you have the wrong hobby ( and for the record, I dont own a dog and never took one hiking. And for those who says its dangerous, so is walking hundreds of miles in the snow on your own….
While I understand that most dog owners think that their unleashed dog is not a problem, it can still be a nuisance to others using the trail and, at worst, could become involved in a confrontation. Please keep your dogs on leashes!
I love dogs! But they should be on a leash for their protection and ours. Dog owners should always be on a leash.
i love dogs and i have a dog but she is always on leash when on the trail for two reasons: 1. consideration of others 2. safety of my dog. i have seen far too many “lost dog” posters on the trail. please consider other people on the trail. if a person is afraid of dogs, especially due to a previous attack or other trauma, they should not be subjected to an unleashed dog. i love to run trails, but i always stop running when a dog is approaching. one never knows how a dog will react to strangers, even “friendly” dogs. please, keep your dog on leash.
post script: i have also come in contact with some people who should be on leash; but, that’s another topic! people: keep fido leashed when on the trail.
As long as your dog is well behaved and does not pose a threat…ABSOLUTELY!
No Dogs!! I have Golden Retrievers and love dogs but there is a place for them; the yard…not the neighbors yard, the sidewalk …not the middle of the road, a doggy trail…but every freaking trail no way!! When I hike I want to step on dirt ..not dog dirt or cat dirt or even worse folks is horse dirt. When I hike I want to smell the forest ..not dog dirt, dog piss, cat dirt cat piss, etc. When I hike I want to hear the wild forest … away from the barking neighbors dog and cat and I dont want some sloppy dog or cat bounceing down the trail scarring all the wildlife away and then stopping by my pack and dragging out my lunch and drooling all over my pack, and then jumping on me. Not all hikers are friendly do we have to believe every freaking dog and cat out there is friendly? What about water on these hikes? Are’nt you a little pissed when you go to get some water out of a stream and there’s a freaking dog and cat sittin in it. The idea of hiking is to get away from what we dragged into the square box called home…leave them ( dogs, cats, horses) there, if you want to take them for a hike then fine some fine park, doogy trail, old dirt road and socialize with others just like you. Leave all trails to the people who need them, take care of them and use them to get away from your dog and cat, and horse and lizard, and ferrat. Put your heads on right folks!
Odd that responders, in an earlier debate, overwhelmingly felt that hunters should not be anywhere in the woods where hikers are because they could be at risk. On the other hand, they overwhelmingly think that they have the right to put other hikers at risk with their own pets loose on a trail. I assure you that few owners know what their dog is or is not capable of when confronted by strangers, other pets or wild animals–in spite of their assertions. Trauma cases in veterinary clinics and human hospitals have been an ongoing testament to that fact for a long time. On public trails, keep pets on leashes where they belong–for the benefit of the pet and other hikers. Roy McCorkle, DVM
I have a wonderful dog and I always keep her on leash. Out of respect for others and often the rules of the trail, it is often required that dogs be kept on leash and I run into other dog owners all the time who disobey the rules and let their dog run loose. This disregard for the rules is why there are places where dogs are not allowed at all. Many of these places, I would like to hike with my dog but because of others disregard and disrespect for the rules, dogs are not allowed even on leash. Let us face the facts, there are rude hikers/dogowners in this world.
You don’t have any more right to the air you breath or the ground you stand on than a dog. If you’re scared of dogs that is your problem. Maybe you need to be socialized properly.
Dogs have been walking through the woods unleashed with humans for tens of thousands of years. It is its natural behavior.
On the leash maybe, off the leash, nope, not fair to the dog or other hikers on the trail. Besides, what off the leash dog is going to miss the chance to investigate that alluring odor that only comes from a bear, the out come of which could spell disaster for either party.
Well-behaved dogs under voice and sight control should be allowed to be leash-free. Dogs that don’t meet these criteria need a leash.
Of course, I say that as the owner of a dog that pretty much follows at my heels or within a ten-foot radius of me at all times. We’ll see how my tune changes if my next dog is just plain unruly.
Sure I do!!So do my three dogs!
My dog will def be with me on the trail and he is one of the main reasons I love to get outdoors and hike. I have a Siberian Husky and he loves to wander and he might just wander up the trail a little out of my vision. He however has no bad intentions what so ever and anyone who really knows the temperament of a Husky knows that they are the sweetest dogs basically you can buy. It amazes me how ignorant people can be when they look at your dog and automatically freak out because he looks like a wolf or he has blue eye….but that’s another story
I have the same rights as anyone else on the trail and if I want to let my dog off the leash, I am going to. Having said that, I would never do it if I wasn’t comfortable and certain that my dog would cause no harm to anyone. I have leashed him at certain times if I see other hikers coming through but most of the time I have let him be and have had no problems on the trail with other hikers.
Like I read above…if you get upset about a dog being off a leash and it really ruins your day, you just need to get off the trail and rethink your hobby. I love when I see other dogs on the trail, they always look so happy and their owners are usually just the same. Remember: YOU’RE IN THE WILDERNESS! Again, I would never let my dog if I wasn’t comfortable with the situation. Happy Hiking to everyone!
Yes, if it’s a friendly dog.
I own two Siberian Huskies and I almost never allow them off leash on trails because I respect other hikers. When they are off-leash and on a trail, they are always by my side. I believe that a dog should not walk in front of you, I feel that is rude and that is when owners lose control.
I don’t appreciate off-leash dogs coming up to me or my dogs. My male does not enjoy encounters from hyper labs and will always react defensive. He does not attack but he will panic which sometimes causes dog fights with the other dogs.
When I see owners with their dogs off-leash and their dogs are being ill-mannered, I WILL get upset and tell the owners to leash their animals. I believe that everyone has a right to hike with their pets but those of you who have low-expectations for your dog better think again. No one appreciates a dog that hogs the trail, runs into people, greets your dogs, chases wildlife or is overly protective of their owners.
The ONLY time a dog should be allowed off leash is in open areas where you can see other people and animals. If the dog will be off leash on trails, they better be at your side or reachable in case of an emergency (about fifteen feet or less). I cannot stress enough the importance of recall training and teaching your dogs to ‘leave-it’. The only dogs I have ever liked that were off leash the entire time were dogs who did not approach me or my pups.
Thank you to the owners who leash their dogs in populated areas, when other dog owners are walking by and when people are near. I appreciate your efforts and people like you are people who make hiking a pleasurable experience.
Also:
For those of you who see dogs that are being out of control with owners that are careless, PLEASE CONFRONT THE OWNERS!
Only responsible people should be permitted dogs on trails and rangers cannot be everywhere. Help the hiking community by warning these pet owners and letting them know that if they break the rules, they will not only ruin the experience for themselves (when they are kicked out or their dog is hurt) but they will ruin the experience for everyone else who has a well behaved dog (when the dogs are banned from parks).
It does not matter if YOUR dog is well trained or not…what would happen if your dog was off his leash up ahead of you 20ft off its leash and a unhappy wolf or pack of coyotes decides to make him there lunch then what can you do besides watch in horror as they drag him off it not like you can try to get him free with his leash. AND what if your dog is the best most frendly dog in the world and he gose to go say “hi” to another dog and that dog isent happy so the mean dog attacks the nice dog
i think yes dogs should have a leash when you are in public because when it runs and bites someone its your falt!
What happens when your well behaved dog is attacked by another dog that is no well behaved and is running loose?
my advice; keep your dog off the trails, make everyone happy.
I have been personaly been attacked by a free runing dog on a trail.
I have met an owner that would admit that his/her dog was not well trained;
after reading all these posts I think most will agree with me, na never happen.
It’s to bad that some of these dogs are real terrors in the woods.
The people on here are so close minded. Sometimes the problem is not your pet. For instance my Basset is young and aggressive towards other dogs. He’s been through professional training and still hasn’t shaken the habit and therefore i keep him on a leash . My neighbors have very well behaved pets that they let off the leash. They often walk right up to my dog even after i warn the owner about him, and my dog of course barks and nips at them. One of these days hes going to kill one of those dogs. Luckily i had animal control on my side telling the owner of the off leash dogs that if my on leash dog bit their dog it was their fault and not mine. So yeah let your dogs off the leash, but remember if anything happens with an on-leash dog, by law everything is your fault!
No! I love animals and still often wonder why dog lovers insist and impose their dogs onto our property or out in public places such as store shopping carts…. typical all about me syndrome/center of the universe (I think).
While hiking last Sunday I was met by a galloping dog who repeatedly jumped and snapped at me. It was not a friendly greeting.
At one point, his jaws were around my arm. Fortunately, for me, I had a very heavy jacket on. He snapped repeatedly at my face and almost made me drop my camera. The owner did not make much of an effort to draw the dog away. Henceforth, I will always carry pepper spray and will use it quite liberally if approached in the same fashion.
NO! There are other dogs, who are on the leash, that might not be so friendly towards the ones that are off the leash. The dogs that are off the leash, will certainly go towards the dogs that are on the leash, not knowing they are a threat.
My dog is 20lbs and very friendly. I keep him on a leash at all times when in public out of respect for everyone else trying to enjoy their day no matter where we are.
I took him hiking, which he loves, and two separate occassions I had huge dogs off their leashes come after him as soon as they seen him. It was and still is traumatizing.
So yes, I agree, out of common courtesy, a leash would be much appreciated.
I immediately mace off leash dogs that make me uncomfortable in any way, for the safety of my dog and myself. Its legal where I live. There is also a leash law.
oh lard bear