Taking the Dog skiing.....

[MuleSkinner]

I adopted a 10 month old Choc lab about a month ago and am going to take him skiing up on the pass for the first time tomorrow....I am not worried about him running off but more about him maybe jumping in front of me, chasing skis, etc.

Does anyone have any pointers on training dogs to be good ski dogs? Thanks.

[ill-advised strategy]

**Brace yourself for people ranting about dog shit on skin tracks. Some mags seem to get pretty pissy about that.

[MuleSkinner]

Thanks for the warning and for the record - poop bags are carried everywhere......and used.

[elevens]

Becareful - my buddy's dog cut his legs up pretty bad once on his owners ski edges when he ran in front of him.

[co lurker]

I put my dog in a sit-stay behind me before I head down the slope. I don't start if he is in front of me. I don't let other people go if he is in front. I do this everytime I stop & go on the down slope.

[Ferniefreeheels]

Taking dogs into avalanche terrain is bad news, I just don't ski with dogs in any big terrain.
However I do take my dog out onto mellow slopes, usually early in the season. I make her sit until I get a small headstart and then call her. She runs behind, usually in my track and never gets ahead of me. Make sure you stop or slow down once in a while to let him/her catch up.

[A-wreck]

Heyyyy there water booooyy, wontcha bring that bucket round. If you don't like yer jooooob, putcher water bucket down.---mule skinner blues.

Nice sn.
Good song.
Better movie.

[Pinner]

Training a good trail dog takes time and patience.

I took my pooch out skiing the first winter I had him and pretty much let him do his thing.

It wasn't until the following spring and summer that I really taught him how to behave on the trail. It's important that the dog:

-follow you
-not cut you off
-respond immediately to voice command
-not step on the tails of your skis
-not race ahead of you into trailhead parking lots

I had a problem with my Labradude busting out in front of me and cutting me off on tight descents which got dangerous, and so he needed to be taught that as the Alpha, I ALWAYS go first through any tight spot. To teach this, on several summertime hikes I short-leashed him (I'm talking about maybe two or three inches of lead) and took off at a good click down a tight, rocky trail with the leash wrapped tightly around my fist. Every time he got ahead of my knee, he got a good jerk and was told to "walk with me." It was a pain in the ass, and it took a while, but eventually the lesson was learned. Now all it takes is an open palm held at my side, in front of his nose, and a "walk with me."

Consistency is important. He now follows behind and to the right of me on every descent. Unlike shepherd owners I've never once worried about lacerations.

On the skin track, windmilling ski poles are the fastest way to teach them to give you a bubble. Pretty simple really, step on my skis, get whacked upside the head. All dog training is done this way-- sharp, quick, instant correction, then praise for doing it right.

Up until about 11 months, most dogs learn really well. What can be frustrating is that from 11-13 months they tend to forget everything and you'll think you've got a rotten, stupid, naughty dog. Be consistent with your training, spend lots of time working on a leash (it helps them focus if they're slightly tired from playing) and have faith that from about 14 months on, they will only get more obedient and pleasant.

Nothing sucks worse than a poorly trained dog, and nothing is as pleasant as a well trained one.

It's very important to keep Fido well hydrated in the mountains, so take along a lot of extra water. Check his feet periodically to make sure they aren't getting shredded form abrasive snow, and be careful of not running him too fast in unconsolidated or heavy snow (ACL reconstruction is expensive).

Have fun and post pics!

[Blurred]

Pinners advice is really :gulp:...good. Along with everything he said, remember that running a young lab through deep snow isn't good for their hips, try and keep it in moderation.

[MuleSkinner]

Heyyyy there water booooyy, wontcha bring that bucket round. If you don't like yer jooooob, putcher water bucket down.---mule skinner blues.

Nice sn.
Good song.
Better movie.

I like to work
I'm rolling all the time
I can pop my initials
On a mule's behind

[LaramieSkiBum]

Pinners advice is really :gulp:...good. Along with everything he said, remember that running a young lab through deep snow isn't good for their hips, try and keep it in moderation.

word - my dogs hips were ruined after her first year and a half. Probably predisposed, but myself and three siblings used to take her every where every day. That first winter she first hurt her hip while sledding with us. Unstable surfaces, not so much snow (except high speed i suppose) but ice and slick floors = hip danger especially for labs since alot are predisposed to it.

[MuleSkinner]

Thanks - definitely planning on taking him on something mellow and short tomorrow and am planning on keeping the trips short and to the minimum until he is older to protect hips. Looking forward to putting your advice to work this summer -

[Stanley]

How much training does your dog have?
Is he going to race ahead of you and annoy the shit out of the people above you?
Is he going to venture out onto the windlip on the Glory uptrack, break it off, and send a slide to the road?
Is he going to steal some poor saps bagel off his pack while he gulps water at the top of Edelweiss?
If you are not sure what he is going to do, why in the hell would you take a dog out on a day with a Considerable Avy rating, especially one so young?

[kneedropper]

You should hold off until the dog is trained and 2 years old. If the trail/area you're hitting is completly packed, it may be all right for a short jaunt, but if the dog is postholling it will mess him/her up for sure.

[Lurch]

All good advice above, I just wanted to add that you should not let your dog post hole untill he gets older. Letting him post hole, jump etc. when he is young will cause hip problems.

[MuleSkinner]

How much training does your dog have?
Is he going to race ahead of you and annoy the shit out of the people above you?
Is he going to venture out onto the windlip on the Glory uptrack, break it off, and send a slide to the road?
Is he going to steal some poor saps bagel off his pack while he gulps water at the top of Edelweiss?
If you are not sure what he is going to do, why in the hell would you take a dog out on a day with a Considerable Avy rating, especially one so young?

Those are all good points. However, he does have quite a bit of training or else I wouldn't even think of taking him up there - he does respond immediately to voice command and stays close on all walks,etc. I am just not sure how he is going to act to someone on skis - that is the big question. We are planning on taking him up Chivers to see how he does - it's not like we are planning on skiing the Gut or Chickenscratch Also, this is still only a plan, the decision will be made tomorrow on whether to go or not or to take him but do want to get advice from other folks on training because my dog will ski with me - not all the time or all terrain but I want to make sure that I have a well trained ski dog.