Predator safety

It seems as though every day lately, somewhere in New Mexico, someone has an encounter with a bear, not only in the forests, but also in our cities and small towns. Here in the high country of southwest corner of the state we share our forest with numerous large predators, bears among them.

A couple of weeks ago on our weekend hike in the Burro mountains, we encountered some bear scat on the trail. Thank goodness we didn't encounter the bear itself, but the bear sign was a reminder that when hiking around here, it's not like taking a walk in a city park. Safety precautions need to be considered when the possibility exists that the dogs may encounter dangerous wildlife.

There are two commands that every dog needs no matter where they walk: "Leave-it" and "Come". Owners need to be able to call their dogs off of anything they encounter that might not be good for them or that might just be unpleasant.

I work informally on recalls, or the "come" command every time we hit the trail. We make it a game and fun, but my motivations are serious. I need my dogs to drop what they're doing an come to me without hesitation. If they can't do this one thing, then I can't have them off leash in the forest. Another thing I try to do is really be aware of everything in my surroundings.  If I see the wildlife before the dogs do, it's easier for me to ensure that we avoid an encounter. 

But, what should animal owners do if an encounter with wildlife actually does happen?  Here's a great post from the Life with Dogs blog that addresses what to do with a few of the more common predators a hiking dog could encounter in the wild.