Given the history of mushing and the Iditarod, this might be a poor comparison.Originally Posted by Kookork
Its harder for a dog to get over heated in sub.0 temps Then it is when the temps are over 80 of 90 deg.
If it do'nt eat you or kill you it makes you stronger
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
Enjoy your outings with your dog. As long as you keep her needs a top priority you both can have a great time.
I start to get faster than my dog (sled dog hybrid) somewhere in the mid 60s F.
When it's cold and I do a 30-35 mile day hike, he sprints up and down the mountains all day.
When it's hot we have to take a few hour break in the middle of the day
I took this little dog for a trail run once. It was a minature pinser / cocker spaniel. We ran 8km in under an hour and it was still dragging me on the leash.
I've had my pyrs and my sheppard both go on sitdown strikes in the winter here in TX...not hot being the point there....this is during along day hike. They will not go on any multiday hikes as a result of this "testing"...
Take almost nothing I say seriously--if it seems to make no sense what so ever it's probably meant as a joke....but do treat your water!
My wife and I live in Damascus right across the street from the Trail and in front of the Methodist Church. It is very distressing to us to see the condition of a great many of the dogs that arrive here. Most of the time the dogs look worn out and walking slow. I have seen a few dogs that seem to be doing OK but also the human was carrying all of the dogs needs. If you ever get the chance to just sit here in Damascus during the hiking season and watch the dogs struggling with the packs it will give you a good idea of how much dogs love people.
Waterboy99
gotta get rid of the pack, man up and carry the dogs gear and food! makes a big difference!!!
too many people think its cool to hike with a dog & the packs like a fasion statement.
i saw it more of taking care of my best friend,and whats with the going into bars and stuff for hours on end with the pooch sitting outside
Do your dog and us (hikers) a favor and leave him or her at home.
The purpose of this forum is stated in the "Sticky", and requests everyone to "Read this before posting". Opinions are like.......everyone has one, they all stink. Based on our posts, we both now have opinions of one another. If you can't contribute to the thread, please fadeaway. Where's my steak sauce?
Welcome to WhiteBlaze. Since you mentioned you are married, I guess you may want to look at the age you mentioned in your profile(12).
Do yourself and us( posters ) a favor and leave your anti dog comment at your mind.
Has anyone had their dog become exhausted while hiking? I could see this happening if the dog were old or overweight, but I have a hard time imagining how a healthy dog could get worn out before a person.
My vet told me that it's nearly impossible to get effective weight loss for a dog by walking or running them. They are too efficient with 4 legs and weight must be controlled through diet. This leads me to believe that it would be hard to exhaust a dog through walking.
Just curious if anyone has had this experience and if so, were there circumstances that contributed?
Below is Beanie the Biscuit Tracker and she covers at least double or triple the miles I walk on the same stretch of trial, running back and forth, but she is always ready for another mile.
I saw an exhausted husky some guy was carrying up Mnt. Washington in NH. The owner was a hiker who didn't bring any water for the dog above treeline which comes quick there. Poor dog, stupid owner.
I love to see dogs on the trails. I must be one of the few who haven't had a bad experience with them.
I took Cuervo, rest in peace, from Abol to Andover. He did awesome, never ever showed signs of being tired. Water was ney an issue in June in Maine on the AT. And I carried some of his food and he carried some of his food. No water! I dont let my dogs carry water, personal choice.
Any dog is capable of becoming tired while hiking. Make sure they have access to as much water as they can drink(and food too) and you should be fine.
Now you didn't ask about this, but I will mention I don't think long distance hiking is for all dogs. You need to make your own judgement based on your dog.
Here's Baxter. He didn't quite work out for us(kept eating our chickens) and went back to the animal shelter.
026.jpg
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This is a couple shots of Washington on the day we saw some guy hauling not only his gear but a big husky too.
mt washington july 2011 060.jpgmt washington july 2011 056.jpg
skinny d
Well we do mature pretty early here in Appalachia . Actually, today is my birthday (Mar 6) and I am 66 today and this Sept will be our 40th anniversey. Also, for those taking dogs on a long hike it is getting harder and harder to find places in Damascus that allow dogs.
There are only two that I know of off hand.
Waterboy99
I have heard of a dog that died on the trail and broke his owners heart. All dogs are different. But all in all it's easier to not hike with a dog. I've heard of dogs getting lost. Parks that don't allow them, if the dog has bad manners like jumping up on people or barking or biting that is not appreciated. Ticks get really bad in summer. One guy had to flick off over fifty in one day, imagine that on a dog.
Happy Birthday
66 years old or 13 ,Welcome to Whiteblaze man. Happy to have you here although you are right beside the trail and I am thousand mile far from it.
My grand parents both lived till 94 years old. They were married for 75 years and funny thing is they never stopped arguing about their differences.
Bill irwin was blind and Orient was not over weight, he was very much in condition and was a service dog. Bill took very good care of him and constantly checked his health,
Bill was an exception due to absolutely needing his dog and took great care of it.
As far as "normal" hikers with a dog, I have seen many a hiker "abuse" their dog by calling it hiking. Their are only 4 hikers that readily hike with dogs that I have respect for and consider "hiking dog experts" not to say that there are not others but these are the ones that I have witnessed and you are in a losing argument going against these four!Bill Irwin, CrumbSnatcher, Wicked and Heald.
geek
Last edited by Jim Adams; 03-06-2012 at 19:17.
You mentioned for names that have your respect. I am not arguing with any of them.who said I am arguing with them?
Unless you have seen my dog and me hiking how do you know I am not the fifth? and in your list I don't see Jim Adams. I am not gonna lose to you in this matter. I am pretty sure about my dog's training and abilities and shortage of him.
Your dog doesn't have a say in the hike...if you think you can do unlimited miles and it won't affect your dog then you really don't understand dogs.
No, I haven't seen you or your dog but as far as I've seen so far, unless you are on that list of 4 names and hiking with a dog, then in my mind you are abusing your dog until I do see how you hike and treat your dog. This is based on ALL of the past hikers that I have seen with dogs.
BTW, Don't take me on about cats...I'll bury you!
geek
Awesome....YO GO!
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
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