View Full Version : Dogs and Ladders
ChinMusic
03-15-2009, 16:18
I have a trip sched for later this month that has several ladders to climb/descend. I'm told I would have to tie a rope to my dog's pack and lift him up (or lower him down). I have pulled him up some minor climbs without an issue but not a ladder. Weight is not an issue as he is only 30 pounds.
I practiced today with his pack and rope only to find he can wiggle himself backward and slip out of the pack while I'm lifting him....not good at crunch time. I tried tightening the pack with no luck. It's like Houdini getting out of a straight jacket.
Any ideas???
karoberts
03-15-2009, 16:23
I used several strategies.
#1: Let the dog go under - ladders are often over fences that the dog can climb under
#2: Push the dog up by the butt - let the dog go first and support his hind quarters
#3: Use a webbing harness - my dog wears the webmaster by Ruff Wear
#4: Climb to the top and call dog - hope for the best
superman
03-15-2009, 17:09
Winter is a 70 lb German shepherd. She hiked the AT, LT and sizeable sections of other trails. She always figured out how to get up or down what ever there was. The problem is that you aren't looking at the situation from the dog’s perspective. It would be a long list of things that she dealt with on her own. Just to mention a few, she figured out how to deal with cow stiles, she climbed wood ladders unassisted, dropped ledge to ledge down dragon tooth. Some places that I was sure she would need my help she just walked around. I don't know how many times people said that she'd never be able to get up or down something and then she did it easily. Mostly she'd be to the top and waiting for me with that look like I'm handicapped for only having two feet. Basically, Winter is just another female that's smarter than me and tells me what to do.
Experience will tell you what you need to do to help your dog. You might learn that it's better to leave it home for the more difficult hikes.
ChinMusic
03-15-2009, 17:28
You might learn that it's better to leave it home for the more difficult hikes.
I'm considering that option, but the trail in question looked fairly tame. Reasonably level.
Mugsy is built well for climbing. If he was an auto, he'd be a Jeep. Like your experience, I'd think I was gonna need to help him, only to see him at the top, with what a swear was a "smile".
Our group is hiking at Big South Fork in TN. I just found out about the ladders. I have no idea how severe these are.
Spirit Walker
03-15-2009, 20:25
If your dog only weighs 30 lbs, you may be able to carry him. Maybe put him inside your jacket and zip it shut? I watched somebody carry their big Chesapeake Bay Retriever up the rocks in New York. That was a BIG dog. I've also watched other dogs just dance up a sheer rock face.
Ladders are hard though. On the AT they're pretty short, but I've climbed some long ones where I really needed both hands to stay on. Having a dog on my shoulder or in my arms wouldn't have been possible. In Mahoosic Notch a woman hiking right behind us had to turn back because her dog couldn't handle the climbs. We heard its mournful howling as we clambered through the rocks.
ChinMusic
03-15-2009, 20:37
I got ahold of my buddy regarding Big South Fork. It shouldn't be much of an issue with ladders UNDER 10 feet, maybe less than 7 feet. I could just toss him up there at 7 feet or hand him off at 10. My bet is he finds his own way up.
Still, I want to know what tricks others have used for larger ladders.
wrongway_08
03-15-2009, 21:15
If you have a Ruff wear pack, or any pack that has a sturdy handle - just hold the handle and walk up the ladder with him.
Erwin is 45 pounds and that how i do it. Youll have the pack on your back, the dog in one hand, two feet on the ladder and a free hand to hold on the ladder with - not a big deal.
No need to worry or leave the doggie at home.
ChinMusic
03-15-2009, 21:45
If you have a Ruff wear pack, or any pack that has a sturdy handle - just hold the handle and walk up the ladder with him.
Erwin is 45 pounds and that how i do it. Youll have the pack on your back, the dog in one hand, two feet on the ladder and a free hand to hold on the ladder with - not a big deal.
I have a MountainSmith Dog Pack 1. It seems to fit him well but I have noticed some sores on his front legs on long days. I think I'll try having him wear a light "shirt" to cover that area the next long day.
The Mountainsmith does have a handle. He just lets his front legs go limp and slides out at times. This would worry me if I had to pull him up by rope.
I think let him find his own way up is Plan A
Toss him up Plan B
Carry him in one arm Plan C
...maybe your dog doesn't want to climb ladders!
geek
Jim Adams
03-15-2009, 22:31
#9....see geek, not Boudin.
geek
This is a topic I have also been thinking of since I am a small female with a medium dog. He is only fifty-five pounds and very athletic but I would hate to be stuck in a situation where I would have to turn around mid-hike because of something as simple as a ladder.
Are these ladders that people are talking about going over rocks or just over fences?
I believe I can solve my problem by getting some basic ladder training for my pooch at the local agility school.
timebreaks
02-25-2010, 12:34
They make special 5-point dog harnesses with handles for helping lift your dog over obstacles, like boulders if you're scrambling, or ladders. They make them as just harnesses, but also as packs: http://www.abc-of-rockclimbing.com/shopitems/dog-outdoor-gear/approachdogpack-dog-outdoor-gear.asp
Farr Away
02-25-2010, 14:25
...
Are these ladders that people are talking about going over rocks or just over fences?
...
The ones that I've seen in Big South Fork are to get up a cliff. I'll see if I can upload a pic.
-FA
Okay, I uploaded the pic. http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/9/7/4/9/s5002282_thumb.jpg
If the link doesn't work, just check my images. I think that's the only pic I've ever uploaded.
ChinMusic
02-25-2010, 14:29
The ones that I've seen in Big South Fork are to get up a cliff. I'll see if I can upload a pic.
-FA
I did the loop at Big South Fork last year and my dog had no troubles finding his own way up. It turned out to be a non-issue at Big South Fork.
There might be other ladders on other trails in the park, but the ones we encountered were nothing to worry about.
Superman, are you saying that your 70 lb German Shephard negotiated the ladders on Mt Manssfield on the LT? If that is so you have a special dog! I would think cow stiles on the AT are a little for a dog to climb.
Someone I chased up the Long Trail north of The Maine Junction in 1981 told me, when asked, she carried her golden retriever up them. She carried a big pack too. I'm not sure if she winked or not and I didn't dare question it.
Wise Old Owl
02-25-2010, 20:15
anything is possible....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF0W_lKOVZM
Descending is hard on canine knees too.
sasquatch2014
02-25-2010, 20:29
Only problem with the dog doing the stiles on their own is sometimes the bottom wire is "hot" make for a yelping dog that tends to go in the other direction. I just picked Hank up by the Harness for short hauls and for the one longer ladder I slung him over my shoulder. Hew stayed put but I got real muddy.
Rockhound
02-25-2010, 22:43
If you are going up a ladder use rope. If you are going down a ladder use gravity.:D This is a joke. This is only a joke. Had this been a serious response it would not have been made by me. carry on
Dirty Nails
04-04-2010, 15:07
Are these ladders verticle or horizontal? If verticle, I would carry my dog in the "fireman" carry, allowing both hands on the ladder (rails, not rungs) and dog across the arms. That will work up or down. In a horizontal crossing, I don't know.
I'm panning a trip to Dragons Tooth soon. I hear there are some tough climbs and some re-bar drilled in the rocks. How have you folks gotten your dogs across this? Is this the toughest spot on the A/T for a dog?
strayerkl
07-01-2010, 08:27
If hauling up by the pack doesn't work you can tie a swiss seat of a sorts, you just have to double it for a dog, run a rope through the two loops you tied and haul away. Works in a pinch, have done it a few times. But never had to haul the dog over more than 15ft or so.
As a side note:
"Dogs and Ladders" sounds like a great name for a pub!
tucker0104
07-01-2010, 19:32
My dog hasn't been stopped by anything yet.