Oli’s First Hike – Swan Falls Dam

Oli successfully completed his off leash training and was able to go on his first hike. There were a few things we did first in hopes of making it a big success for all of us.

First, tick season is upon us, so we made sure he was able to get some medication to prevent fleas and ticks.

Second, we made sure we were prepared by have a couple leash options, so we could work at his level and give him more and more freedom as he demonstrated he was able to perform at a proper level.

Third, we did some research and asked questions of the trainer, but also of others in a hiking community we belong to (shout out Hiking Idaho Facebook group).

Finally, we selected a location with minimal traffic and that we were familiar with, even if Oli wasn’t yet.

We parked at the Swan Falls Dam Park parking area. We started Oli off with his short leash. This leash hooks to his harness with one end and the other end is a looped cinching collar. This allows us better control with him when needed, like when visiting a new area. We also attached his tone collar and turned it on.

After we crossed the dam and had reached the trailhead, we swapped out the short collar for a 16′ retractable leash clipped to his harness. We stored the short leash in our backpacks and started down the trail. We gave him a little more leash every 20 feet (6.1 m) or so and adjusted as needed until we’d gone about 100 yards (91.44 m). At this point, he had found his rhythm and wasn’t pulling on the leash at all, so we removed it.

With the leash off and only his tone collar in place, Oli performed like a champ. He would only venture off about 10-15 ft at the most before checking in with us. I only toned him 3 times, once as a test and the other two when we encountered people on the trail and I called him back as the passed by. He was excellent, though I did have to tone him twice the last time when a family was coming up the hill as we were returning. He was so fun to watch as he explored and even chased the lizards as they ran across the trail.

Oli was having so much fun and was really getting a good workout as well. We did a pretty solid elevation climb with him on this first one, and he was panting pretty good. That thick coat of his really keeps him warm in all seasons. We made sure to take lots of breaks and made sure he was getting water throughout the hike. He did magnificent.

On the final stretch of the hike, he didn’t want to walk in front of me anymore, but he also wouldn’t walk behind me. The trail narrowed too much for him to walk beside me, so we compromised. He walked between my legs. This made my stride a little awkward, but it made him happy, so I was happy. However, I was glad when the trail opened up after about 100 yards (91.44 m) of walking with his broad shoulders between my stride.

Here, just ahead of the dam, the trailed opened up and there were some people ahead. I watched Oli closely, but didn’t tone him or reattach the leash. He performed beautifully. He stayed by me and didn’t even seem to notice the people except for a few ear perks for on a moment or two.

Now back at the Dam, we reattached his leash and walked across the grated walkway. He didn’t seem as scared this time as he was when we first crossed it at the beginning of our hike.

Back to the park, where we found a shady spot under a tree and rested. We gave him some more water and let him lie in the cool grass under the shady tree. We showered him with his favorite things, pets, and cuddles. He was tired, but happy as could be. After a little rest, we loaded back into the car and headed for home.

It was a successful first hike for our good boy Oli. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. We are looking forward to our next adventure with him and can’t wait to share more of all our adventures with everyone.