Dog owners all know how readliy their canine companions pick up words, and a dog's depth of understanding of human language sometimes seems downright uncanny. For awhile, our horses were no different. It took no time to teach one to come to a whistle for a treat, a handy trick when a horse gets loose, especially out on one of our extended trail treks. Our dogs, on the other hand, are expected to learn all sorts of orders. During pack trips the dogs range ahead but keep an eye on us so they don't get lost.
River crossings can be tricky, with fast water, quicksand or cobbles.
Lilja showed me how well horses can understand English during a long trek several years ago. Riding the lead mare parallel to the shoreline as I scanned the swift glacial water for a shallow crossing, I was thinking more about my dog than my horse. The words tell them clearly that we are turning around and heading home, so they don't continue ranging ahead. This is a signal they understand well, and it will whip them around in their tracks. Of course, now Lilja will sometimes whip around in her tracks when we shout it out to the dogs.