The Manual: Take Your Dog Hiking

helpful information, thanks! I am planning to lead some dog friendly hikes in the north florida area soon.

my husband & I are taking a trip to the mountains in a few weeks, and I am so excited to take my Catahoula, he's usually pretty good off leash. He recently had knee surgery due to an ACL tear. He's just at 8 wks right now, and is in the process of short walks to get back into routine. He's a very active little guy, but recovery has been very slow due to conservative measures. I want to take him for a few hikes around the cabin we will be staying at, is that too much?

My dad and i are planing on going on a trip to west vrigina and we are bringing our husky and we need alot of help on finding all the things we need for him so plz help me out

I have hiked with my two huskies over many miles the joy of watching them get lost in their senses is a blast. They are far more aware of things I may miss especally wildlife and sounds. The first time I took them on an overnight hike there were cyotes off in the distance howling a chattering. My dogs joined in and it sparked them into jumping around and playing with each other and me. It was fun to to be a part of and I think the long hikes alone with them has created a stronger bond and pack structure. That said when you take dogs on a hike you do have to be a leader and they must already have that sense with you. They are animals with a free spirit and the backwoods will bring that out in them. You as their leader will need to be especially aware of the dangers to them and in control. In my opinion take your dogs as often as you can and just as in in life the more you do something the less wrong things will happen. Be aware of your dogs physical ability and dont over work them. If they start falling off in pace or behind you its to much and time for a break. Take your dogs...you wont regret it...I know mine are happier and in better shape because of it.

I love to hike with my dog. There is nothing better than getting out in nature with her and seeing the joy on her face as she gets to be just a dog - pure pawsomeness.
Here are five great beginner tips for dog lovers who want to enjoy hiking with their dogs but don't know where to start.
http://www.ilovedogfriendly.com/2011/09/5-tips-safe-enjoyable-hike-dog/

Yeah the people who are "afraid of dogs" crack me up. If you are afraid of dogs then how will you deal with rattlesnakes, bears and other assorted "threats". stay home and watch tv

To not take dogs in the backcountry seems to me a betrayal of the first alliance humans made with another species.

I hike frequently with my dogs who are small. One we even carry in our pack. They are always on a leash (I have a Jack Russell who's nature is to hunt. She is never off lead). Unless you field train your dog they will invariably catch a scent one day and take off. It takes years to train your dog to go off lead and listen to your commands in all situations. We have had the unfortunate situation several times where someones "friendly dog" has lunged towards our dogs. Once we were even stalked and attacked by a dog that was with a Boy Scout troop. The owner's "he has never done this before" wasn't of much comfort after we had to defend ourselves with our hiking poles. In every situation not one of the dogs was on a leash, even though all state parks and pocket wilderness require such. It all goes back to training. Just be respectful of all on the trail.

Dog poop? Seriously? Do the bears pick up their shit? I pick up my dog's poop but honestly, if you can't deal with a little poop then you shouldn't be out there.

@Col.Bobby
People like your friend are the problem dogs have a bad reputation. Why would he go after the dog with a "weapon" and wonder why he/her will react aggressive? Would it be too much to ask the owner whether he could leash the dog because your friend is afraid of dogs?
Also your friend might did completely misinterpreted the dogs behavior, ever thought of that, after all he doesn't sound like a dog type of guy.

Hi there, just my 2 cents on dog poo and how we are supposed to clean up after her/him.
Don't get me wrong I do and I expect the same from hikers but how often did I step into actual men poo very little off trail? I can't really count anymore.
So please don't be too hippocratic here.

My friend was "intimidated" faced with a "snarling, aggressive dog" as he was hiking one day. The owner made no attempt to leash the dog. My friend stopped dead in the middle of the trail, waiting for the other guy to control the dog. He didn't, so my friend said "Hey, I'm not worried, I've got a can of MACE here. And he pulled it out of his pocket and started moving toward the dog. The dog owner finally reacted, to protect HIS DOG!

On 12-30-10 I took my Samoyed on his first camp trip/wagion pulling test.And he loved it.Only 1.4 ml. Close to my home is a secret park the only way i found that it was a park at all was logeing on my gps phone to see a sat pic of the area and came up with the map first.But this area is huge deep woods for being so close to the city.It started out nice all most 60 and it stormed badly and droped to around 19 by morning. He loved it and to my suprise was very well behaved in the tent.So now I am going to see if I can get the right stuff to try backpacking with him.The cart was a little to much to pull back there.So please wish me luck in this my health is not the best and not a lot of money to get the good gear but i am going to try to get it as light as i can so i can hack it.I had my girl help me getting the stuff back there and leading the dog and wagion.My samoyed and I need the workout Thank you Sara Dan In Kansas City

I agree-how the hell do you plan to handle a bear encounter if you cannot even put up with running into a dog? For all you Cadillac Escalade driving, caramel machiatto drinking, Gucci toting, noisy, disrespectful, anal-retentive YUPPIES out there, go back to your 3 million dollar homes and leave the great outdoors to be enjoyed by the rest of us. My dog, my man, my "kinsmen", and I are sick and tired of running into you on the trail with your white tennis sneakers, jeans, smartphones, makeup, whiny kids, cigarettes, and fanny packs. You want to experience the outdoors and "escape from it all"? Go hit up your local manicured park. Just watch out for the dogs... :)

I have no problem with dogs on trails. What I don't take kindly to is not picking up after your dog, on trail or off. If you are the kind of loser that won't clean up after your dog, you are just human feces yourself. Stay home or fall off a cliff soon.

I take my 8 month old Golden on 5 mile hikes. He has been great off lead and I practice recalls repeatedly. He comes right to me every time except recently, when he spotted a deer and he just took off after it. He was completly out of sight. I kept using the same way for recall (Ramsey come and 4 hand claps) and he came back within about 8 min. They were a long 8 minutes for me though. Anyone have any insights on this. I am afraid of losing him and am reluctant to ever hike off lead!!

I think that it all comes down to responsibility when it comes to dogs on the trail, for example Would you just squat and poop right in the middle of the trail.... I dont think so, as responsible hikers we move well out of sight of the trail do our buisness, and bury it. why beacause its polite, and I dont know about you, but I dont like the idea of anyone steping in my poo, the same rule is easy to apply to our dogs, (yes I own one too), when you see them about to go #2 lead them off the trail and then let them go. If your not quick enough for that, I know im not always, at least scoop it up and carry it off the trail. Its not alot of effort.

Im planning a trip in late Sept to hike from Springer to NC about 100miles. Im planning on no more than 10 to 15miles per day. I have a 7yo hound whos in excellent shape but I am concerned about two things.
1.Is this too far and asking too much from him. I plan on only a light pack for him if anything at all.
2.I am starting to research for shuttles back to GA from NC. Im wondering if Im asking for additonal difficulties.
Thanks for any info you may have.

Trail etiquette - I agree with Mike in that being attacked by a dog that the owner says is friendly is NO FUN and downright SCARY! My own dog was attacked pretty brutally (almost had his ear/face ripped off) by another dog that was out walking in front of a women loose while we were hiking on a trail on-leash, thankfully there were other people nearby to help remove my dog, a Wiem., from her dog's death grip. Out of common courtesy to others, including people with other dogs, PLEASE keep your dog on a leash when hiking on the trail. I take mine off only when we are in an open area with no other people around, or with other off-leash dogs and people I trust. Even then, they have electronic collars on and are trained to come back to the heel position instantly should anything unexpected come up. My general rule that has worked for many years is that, when I am running my dogs off leash and someone comes along with no dog or a dog on a leash, I ask my dogs to heel, hook up my dogs or make them sit quietly until the person and/or dogs are passed. That is the respectful thing to do, always assume that other people are there to enjoy the trail and will most likely NOT want to meet your dog no matter how sweet he or she is. If someone comes up on us with a loose dog and my dogs are already loose than we let them sort things out and most likely they will be fine. The incidence off off-leash dogs attacking dogs that are on leash happens more often than not. Plus, I pick up after them, they are all natural but the poo is not with the high-protein diet we feed. It is no different than you or I pooing on the trail even though we could make the same claim. Just be courteous to others, PLEASE!

yeah, with my experience, if you try to make a dog carry much more than 20% of its weight, chances are, he will love the hike for the first mile, but be panting and refusing to walk too much farther after that. it is rough on his paws to carry a lot of weight especially on unfamiliar terrain. Especially if the dog is unexperienced. Be easy on fido! and he will be easy on you. I would recommend 10%-15%.