26/10/2021
Recall on trail is challenging, mainly because there are SO many smells and distractions. However, you need to always be in control of your dog and recall back when necessary. Wild animals, mule trains, aggressive dogs, people are always out there, and we need our dogs to come back to us when we call them. This is still a work in progress for puppy Taquito, but I use treats as much as possible to recall him back to me. I carry a squeaky toy bone on the trail as Moo learned recall from squeaky toys. Whenever I want to recall Moo, I squeak the bone, and she comes back. Every dog is different, so you have to experiment on what works and what does not work. If you are not confident in recall, then I would recommend keeping your dog on leash. I always leash my dogs in the morning and evening on the trail and at camp, as I call these times “coyote hour.” Although my dogs are off-leash most of the trail, I always carry a leash in my hand, and I am always ready to leash a dog when I need to.
