Hey folks,

I'm looking at a slow, 3 day 2 night hike from Route 15 in Monson to the West Branch of the Pleasant River with my dog. He's a year old, well trained rescue mutt named Charlie and this is our first summer hiking together.

Will that section be doable for him? He's 50 pounds, LOVES to walk and LOVES the woods. He's a good jumper and has enjoyed the climbing we've done so far. I'd just like to avoid rebar if possible.

Any feedback welcome!

So, my dog tore his ACL about a year ago. I finally thought it was time to start taking him on overnight hikes again. I haven't done much hiking this past year because I am used to taking him with me. I woke up this morning and he was not putting weight on the other leg and was limping on it when he was walking. So, looks like it is time for another expensive ACL surgery and another year waiting time before he can hike again.

I'm looking for a place to take my dog while I hike in Baxter State Park for the day of June 16th. I'm staying at a Pet Friendly hotel so no overnight needed, just a long day while I'm in the park.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

He's a 5 year old everything/body friendly boxer and I really don't want to put him in a crate kennel.

thanks!

Hello,

I am about to do a section hike that contains the 2 PA "Rock Mazes". I heard them described that you some times have to go over rocks almost like a small rock climb. Is this true, or is it's over exaggerated and a dog shouldn't have any issues?

Thanks!

Have 2 BIG friendly dogs that need a place to stay for one day/night while Katahdin is climbed. We will be headed SOBO from Baxter State Park around June 21st and will need to drop dogs off near Abol Bridge so that we can pick them up on the way down.

There was a phone number in the AWOL SOBO AT guide to call & referred to a woman named Connie, but the phone kept ringing and nobody picked up. Please let me know anything regarding the subject.

Also, if people have good connects with dog kennels in places where dogs aren't allowed please post here, they will be used!

I plan to take my dog with me on my next hike! The plan is to cover about 115 miles. He does really well under normal conditions but unfortunately he is afraid of bad weather! How do you deal with this on the trail? I'm a hammock camper so bringing him inside with me isn't an option!
thanks

Lets try to keep this upbeat... This is the dog thread... ya don't like dogs and ya haven't read the sticky & go post somewhere else. Seriously, I have no time for folk with psychological issues. I deal with that every day at work - its not personal ...


OK for those that got past that... now we can have some fun...

I have a old re-tractor ... I didn't like the black cord... I wanted it to have Trip Tease, and be long... so here are some things I found out in my journey...

The spring is the same length of the cord. So it cannot be miss matched, I pulled a thicker black cord and replaced with a thinner Trip Tease as the cord was worn out... cant over wind it just works out that way... must be physics... So if you start with a 30 you end with a 30... all re-tractors do that, the latest ones are not drop proof.... surprise to me...

When you drill the holes for the carabiners you first decide if this is going to be on the left or the right, DO NOT drill dead center of the handle... My dog is trained to stay left at all times, braking of this habit in right handed parks... just sucks... I gave up.

So I have a stay left on the trail dog. (this works out when we are mountain biking...) Don't ask... So I have a hole at the bottom and top of the handle... On the right side 1/4 inch and not at an angle - if its not set up right - you wont get the carabiners into the hole.. (awkward)

So now this attached to the pants... OMG the pain in the lower back with tugging... is just plain awful... OK we are going for hands free,,,, a 60 -70+ pound dog has a big pull so we add a 12-15 inch piece of surgical tubing.. I got mine from an old water bladder system. I love to recycle junk. Do not use anything longer... In dog to dog contact on the trail 15" stretches too far and you just lost control. Keep in mind sniffing butts... oh never-mind...

Some of you do not like Gentle Leader, I am not here to convince you.. watch the videos... dogs get used to it, with the surgical tube... its over the top everyone is happy! serious! I have worked without it, and with it - without question this is a great shortcut, and far less hassle.

The second 1/4 inch hole is to go off leach, its not there for the carabiners to be on the loops, its more for storage,

Want it lighter? remove the handle and leave the tabs for the loops... I really like this over the strap and shoulder strap...

I have already ran into folks on trails and they love it... Some of the ideas are already patented by others, but America is about ingenuity.


here is a pic


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As Radar O'Reilly would say, "Dogs are people, too!" And, just like people, they occasionally need some emergency help.

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-resc...,2781814.story

We are currently socializing our dog and having him adapt to life around other people and other dogs. We have found the socialization Grayson gets from other dogs has been great. Until last week, we have not really had any issues with Grayson on the trail. He sometimes gets nervous around very tall men, but that was about it. Now with that said, this is not going to be a long rant about human and dog behavior but I feel like it needs to be said. When you walk up to a dog, no matter where you are there are certain respectful ground rules that human's really need to follow.
1. Dont assume its ok to pet someones dog.
2. Walking up to a dog with your hand out in front of you is not the way to greet any dog.
3. Just walking up to someone's dog and grabbing their face and dousing the dog with affection does more harm than good.

Something we have learned from obedience training is that dogs are more like humans than we give them credit for. Its ok to tell someone the right way to greet a dog. If they have a problem with it, thats their own problem.
When you greet a dog on the trail, first you should really ask the owner if 1- the dog is friendly and 2- if it is ok to approach the dog. If you and I met on the trail and you walked up to me and grabbed my face, Id probably deck you. So put yourself in the dogs shoes. This natural inclination of holding a hand out to a dog is dangerous. First of all, you should always have your side to the dog when greeting for the first time. Its less aggressive.
We have had multiple issues with a few hikers that have come up the trail and gone right for our dog and frightened him. Now he growls a liitle bit at people and it all started on The Presi's last week when someone just walked up to Grayson and just started to pet him aggresively without the proper introduction. With that said, I know some folks do not like having dogs on the trail, and if you are one those people, simply move along from this thread. Please start trying to understand interactions with dogs on the trail. Humans really should be more considerate of dog owners and dogs on the trail. PLease do you part as humans :)

I'll be section hiking from Hot Springs to about Elk Park with my dog this coming week. I took him hiking around Falls Lake outside of Raleigh for some practice. We were out there for about 36 hrs and during our hike and after I pulled close to 100 ticks off of him. No Exaggeration. A few days before we left I treated him with vector bought from my vet. Most of the ticks I found on him were dead, but I spent hours combing through his fur picking out ticks. What do you do. My dog loves Hiking and I love taking him but I don't feel like its right putting him at risk like that. We hiked all day and after I set up camp all I wanted to do was relax but I had to spend all my time picking those ticks off. I am aware of permethrin and will probably treat his pack and my gear with it, but was just wanting some advice on how to deal with these buggers. Not so much for my sake but for my k9's. Thanks.

I'm no thru hiker, but I will be doing a month on the AT in June. What do you do with your dog when you need to go into a store or restaurant?
If taking a zero I could leave him in the hotel but otherwise how do you deal with this?
Also how difficult is it to find pet friendly accommodations & shuttles?
thanks