Wag ScotlandWag ScotlandNever let your dog worry or attack farm animals. Do not take your dog into fields with lambs, calves or other young animals. If you must cross a field with farm animals, keep your dog on a short lead or close at heel and stay as far from them as you can. If cattle come at you, let the dog go and take the shortest safe route out.
In the breeding season, usually April to July according to the Access Code (Mountaineering Scotland says usually April to June), keep your dog on a short lead or close at heel on moorland, forest, grassland, loch shores and the seashore.
By law your dog must wear a collar with your name and address on it or on a tag, and must be microchipped.
Start with short days and build up time, distance and ascent as your dog gets fitter. Too much too soon leads to muscle and soft tissue injuries.
A collar with a name tag, a lead, a whistle, a harness, a clip-on light for mist or dusk, a waterproof jacket, food and water. A harness with a handle helps on steep or rocky ground.
Your dog must ignore livestock and wildlife. If it tends to chase, keep it on the lead at all times. A reliable recall and stop command are vital.
Dogs feel heat and cold too. Carry extra water in hot weather, and a waterproof jacket in wet and wind to help prevent hypothermia. Keep your dog on a lead wherever there may be cornices.
Check your dog for ticks after every hill walk and for a couple of days afterwards. Mountain Rescue will respond if your dog is injured or unwell and you cannot get it off the hill: call 999 or use the Emergency Text Service.
Carry paw protectors for ice and snow, a warm waterproof jacket and lights, and consider a portable carrier. Feed your dog at least an hour before strenuous activity. Many routes that suit dogs in summer are too much in winter.
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