View Full Version : Help! advice needed...
my wife and I doing a 4 day trip leaving Sunday. we are taking a 5 month old English setter pup with us. Do you increase his rations any when hiking? If so, by how much? I don't really worry about him otherwise - he is a bird dog and I've seem him running and chasing birds for hours. I'm sure at the pace we'll be moving (8-10 mpd) he'll do well. Thanks for any help.
ShelterLeopard
05-20-2011, 12:11
Definitely bring him extra food- treat him like a little human you've brought along. And be ready to slow your mileage down- some dogs need time to adjust to the trail.
bigcranky
05-20-2011, 12:28
Yes to more food. Water, too.
Additional free advice: take a lot of rest breaks, and be willing to cut the hike short if any of you develop problems. Remember that he is very young for a 40 mile hike at this point, and he can't tell you when or where it hurts. Check his pads constantly.
thanks, that's what I thought. we have a relatively flat little trail we hike locally that has a 6 and 8 mile loop. with him running back and forth,checking things out, he seems to do 2.5 miles for every one that i do. I can tell when he's tired, he'll settle down and walk my pace with me.I figure 8/9 miles per day will be very doable for him...however I know I've lost my trail legs.:eek:
He'll have plenty of opportunities to lap up water the whole way.
Hope ya'll have a good hike - the weather is looking good.
Jonnycat
05-21-2011, 20:50
My dogs have always eaten less when on a trip. I don't know if it has to do with them feeling that they need to be more alert than when we are home, but maybe your youngster won't be bothered by that. Definitely bring more than you think until you iron it out, though.
My current fuzz monster will eat dinner, but not breakfast, although he gobbles it (and lunch) up readily at home.
medic mullins
05-26-2011, 09:21
the biggest issue we are having with our dog is ticks
what are you doing for ticks ?
Jonnycat
05-26-2011, 13:40
the biggest issue we are having with our dog is ticks
what are you doing for ticks ?
Frontline Plus
the biggest issue we are having with our dog is ticks
what are you doing for ticks ?
we had used frontline plus but switched to the cheaper generic Wally world stuff. Put it on 2 days before we left. finished our section hike yesterday and spent the night in Hot Springs. got home today, dog is tick free and it was an absolute blast hiking with him. He enjoyed it to state it mildly..
On a different note, met several people out there on the trail just south of and in HS who said they were trying a thru this year.:eek: wish em the best but I would not want to be in HS in late May wanting to get to K.