Tramp makes dogs etc recoil (4)
I believe the answer is:
step
'tramp' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'dogs etc recoil' is the wordplay.
'dogs etc' becomes 'pets'.
'recoil' is a reversal indicator.
'pets' written backwards gives 'STEP'.
'makes' is the link.
(Other definitions for step that I've seen before include "Single pace" , "some progress" , "Stage - pace" , "Pest (anag.)" , "Footfall" .)