New AT Hiker with service dog....lots of questions

[Candy Korn]

I will be hiking northbound from springer Mtn and doing the first 109 miles at the end of September. This is my first section attempt of the AT to see if i really like it, because id like to do the whole thing one day! I am soloish. I will be hiking with my service dog. We have been training on trails here in Fl and doing good. He is adapting to trail etiquette pretty well so far. I plan for us to stay in a tent the whole time as to not disturb the shelters. we are very good at LNT :) He has only barked more than once at a hog and at a gator, both quickly moved along, but they were single solitary animals. I have heard people talk of packs of wild hogs/boars attacking dogs and bears. I'm not paranoid, I just really want to be prepared and know what to do so I don't panic (which we all know can be worse) And here's where my questions begin.....
Hogs- Will hogs attack my dog? Only if he barks at them? How do we avoid a pack of hogs in the event there is one? What do I do in the event hogs attack my dog?
Bears- Will bears attack my dog on the AT? Has this happened? If he barks will they charge us and/ or attack? If we see a bear, how can we avoid him/ how can I get my dog to back away as apposed to turning around? If he barks and alerts the bear, can we still back away safely? What do I do if a bear charges and/ or attacks my dog/me?
Food- Do I need to store my dogs food in a bear bag and hang it as well? I have read books about long hikes with dogs and them losing their apatite, is there anything you can recommend to prevent this or ways to get them to eat?
Parasites- I have heard frontline is the best for fleas, ticks, and Mosquitos but would you recommend something better? Are there other parasites to worry about? If so, what and how to i prevent them or combat them? I will be filtering his water as well, so no worries about water parasites.
Ok, I think that is it so far for questions with my dog! I appreciate any, and all advice :)

[max patch]

I don't hike with a dog so I'm not going to address those questions.

Re hogs, the only place I've seen hogs was in the GSMNP. I wouldn't worry about them on a Springer to Franklin hike.

Most hiker interactions with bears take place in the spring before the bears natural food supply is ample. I suspect that if you see a bear in September it will be his butt as he runs away from you.

[SawnieRobertson]

My Standard Poodle was thrust out on the trail with me as I did a few sections in 2003. This had not been expected, so there was no training ahead. She chose, nevertheless, to pee and poop off trail, so that was no problem. We saw no hogs or bears even though we hiked in New Jersey at a time when bears were getting pretty aggressive. At home in Colorado, however, we had lots of coyotes and some bears pass through what she regarded as her yard/territory. She watched them intently but never uttered a sound. We were definitely attacked by ticks though. She developed an eye infection also because of the gnats that would get on/into them. I took her to a vet who gave me the eye ointment that took care of the infection and also told me about Advantix, which not only repels but also kills ticks and mosquitoes (and who knows what else). Every morning thereafter I would find dead ticks on the floor of our tent. That plus permethrin applied on my clothes correctly are the ticket. I would not feed her in the mornings because Standard Poodles are prone to bloat when food and exercise get together, so I would feed her after the tent was set up in the evening. By then she was not hungry. Well,, maybe she was hungry, but she knew how to manipulate me a bit. I would feed her by hand until her dinner was done. This was she would finish her food for the day did. Barking was definitely a problem at the beginning of the hike. When I learned that she would have to go with me, I chose to begin hiking at Mohigan Outdoor Center because I knew that we would encounter few other hikers and even fewer other dogs. Still, she would see a backpacker even at a considerable distance and immediately go into a frenzy of barking. The way that stopped was amazing to me but confirmed that intelligent dogs listen carefully. We needed a hitch to town. No one, NO ONE, would stop. She was a big, athletic Poodle. As we sat, patiently waiting for someone to take pity on us, I talked to her quietly, telling her that people would like her better if she would stop barking at them. I guess she listened because that was the last time she barked at a backpacker. We did get a ride too. The previous day we had walked a little with a young woman who worked at a summer camp nearby. She had told her husband about us. He was passing by in his pickup, saw us, and let us in. See how it works?

[slbirdnerd]

Your hike sounds very exciting and it seems like your doing all the right planning and asking all the right questions! I don't have any dog specific advice either, but we were down there in June and like max patch said, we saw a bear: the butt of it as it was running away. I'm assuming since it's a service dog he or she is very well trained. If it were me, I'd keep mine at least on a flexi leash, but maybe yours listens well even with the lure of animals? I would think you need to hang his food, too. And, THANK YOU, for practicing good LNT! Yay!!! :) Have a wonderful time!

[Candy Korn]

Thanks everyone for the advice!
a follow up question....does bear spray work on bear? And will it work on hogs?

[rickb]

Thanks everyone for the advice!
a follow up question....does bear spray work on bear? And will it work on hogs?

I can't help but wonder if bear spray has every been used on bear on the AT, much less on a wild boar on the AT.

Perhaps it has, but I can't remember even a second or third hand account of that on the AT.

[slbirdnerd]

Most people will tell you you don't need bear spray on the AT. Educate yourself about BLACK bear safety (not brown), and I think you will find it is a pretty manageable threat without worrying too much or lugging a big can of spray along. The wild hog thing is new to me, the last couple weeks is the first of heard of it, so I'm not really sure what to think there. You could drive yourself crazy with ever concern someone raises on here, but don't. Educate, evaluate, mitigate--and go hiking.

[peakbagger]

Skunks and porkies are probably more or an issue as they do visit shelters and dont have any significant fear of dogs. If your dog is well trained it may not be an issue but if the dog decides to defend you from either you will have to deal with the results. The few wildhogs I have encountered ran off when they saw us. I would expect the same if you were with a well trained dog.

[SawnieRobertson]

I am very interested in knowing how a service dog is trained for hiking. Certainly, the famous Orient was prepared for his job, and he did it well. Can you give any references to help others who need to have a trail service dog? And the one most special thing that I believe a dog on the trail needs is the habit of walking behind its master. The trail pathway is quite often too narrow for two to walk side by side.

[Candy Korn]

He was trained the same way for the trail as he was for being a service dog, with LOTS of patience. His hiking pack was a quick transition from his service vest and he knows that when it is on, he is working and needs to act accordingly. I'm not saying he is perfect, there is still the occasional slip up (barks at hogs on the trails here if they get to close, forgets that he is working in really large crowds and decides everyone there is there to give him attention) but we take a break and have a talk and correct the behavior with positive reinforcements. It's has been an uphill battle, but a rewarding one.

[FarmerChef]

I have hiked extensively with my Alaskan Husky. She is well trained for a husky. ;) She is not a barker as Huskies I've owned or interacted with have always been talkers not barkers and so we've never had a problem with that on the trail (about 1,400 miles and counting). She's also spent a night in a shelter with us when a porcupine was chewing on it to get at the salt. She barely raised an eyebrow (thankfully).

We've run into bears on two occasions, once with a mom and 2 cubs running straight at me (neither of us saw the other until the last moment). But then it was their butts running the opposite way. Again, not a bark from my dog. That said, we purposefully kept her back if we thought a bear was near and were prepared to let her off leash if there was a confrontation. She would be better off not tethered to us if things got really, dicey. We'd do everything we could to keep that from happening but she couldn't really defend herself on a 6 foot lead.

Food - yes you need to hang your dog's food (or put it in a bear box or on a bear pole or however else you store your food). Whether or not you need to hang your food at all is a separate argument debated ad nauseum here. Regardless, treat his food like your food. To a bear or mouse it all smells the same.

Hogs - I can't comment. I haven't hiked that section yet nor have I encountered feral pigs on the trail. But as for bear spray, I've never carried and don't see much need for it on the AT. Again, that comes down to your comfort factor.

Parasites - I've filtered my dogs water and I've let her drink from clear flowing stream when we are high up on a ridge (never down low). So far so good. For ticks and other bugs we use Advantix and it works like a charm. What it won't stop is Mosquitoes from annoying your dogs eyes and the thin hair on her nose and face. Our husky tries to bite them or covers her face with her paws.

As far as my experience on the trail has been concerned, a well-behaved dog has been a well-liked dog. Not barking, not getting into other peoples food and especially appearing obedient help to calm people's initial jitters and make them more comfortable with having the dog in the area. Tenting with your dog versus staying at the shelters is probably a good idea. I've stayed at plenty of shelters and never once had a problem, even when other dogs were present but that's my dog. You'll have to see how your dog handles those kinds of situations and make your own decision with the benefit of experience. Enjoy your hike!

[Candy Korn]

FarmerChief- Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for! I carry a bear vault ( I know what people say, but I like it cause it keeps my food dry, free from crawlies, and it makes a good seat) so I will put his food in there at night with mine :) Frontline claims it keeps Mosquitos off dogs as well so I may have to try both and see what works best for him. That sounds like a close call with the bear, glad it turned :) I keep him on a 6ft lead and its good to know to let him off in sketchy situations. The times he has barked at hogs I feel like we're necessary and he does not bark at other animals so far. The first time he barked at hogs, there was a pack of about 5 moving through the brush right towards the trail and they came busting out of it less than 20ft away, they were on a mission though and just busted into the other side of the trail without even taking notice of me and him (he had stopped barking at this point and was standing guard quietly). The second was amazing and horrible all at the same time. A dear came out on the trail and was eating. We both stopped and he was completely silent and just sat down watching the dear, then it seamed like it was out of no where, a hog came out of the brush from the side of the trail and barreled into the dear and attacked it, then my dog was barking like crazy. I'm not sure if he was just wanting to go after the hog or trying to protect the dear but he was not a happy camper. Any other animals or other hikers and other dogs we have encountered have been fine. I am slightly concerned with other dogs being off lease and running up to us, just because people allow their dogs off lease doesn't mean they are good dogs or good with other dogs. Thanks again for all the advice :)

[Hill Ape]

A hogs first reaction, same as a black bear, is to run away. I hesitate to say this, soon as I do someone chime in its happened to them. Although hogs don't like dogs, they won't go out of their way to attack them. Never corner any wild animal. And my personal opinion on spray, if you are close enough to use it, you've already made a series of mistakes. Honestly, if you're hiking around Myakka SP you've probably already encountered more hogs than you are likely to on the trail. A bark in those situation is not a bad thing. You already know how your dog responds.

Overall, you sound like you are already way ahead of the learning curve. My gut feeling, you're going to do just fine. I expect that you and your dog are going to have a great hike.

[FarmerChef]

Candy Korn - you're welcome. One thing I want to clarify is that I would only let my dog off leash if I felt that being on leash put her in more danger than off. My dog is well behaved but sometimes that squirrel, rabbit, bird, you name it, is just too irresistible and only the leash and a redirection keep her with me. We definitely don't want to have her causing a confrontation with any other animal (including other dogs) on the trail and Huskies are nomadic and prone to run anyway. It just make sense to keep her on the leash at all times.

I imagine you caught the gist of that in my previous comments but I just wanted to be clear. Letting a dog off leash too early in a potential confrontation can make the situation worse and put your dog and you in harms way.

With regard to other dogs on the trail, the trickiest times we've had off leash dog confrontations is in tall grass and narrow trail (together). This makes it so really only one person can go through at a time and our dog can't see around corners. In that instance, your dog, like mine, may feel that they're personal space or property is being invaded and become defensive. So far, we've been able to remain calm and keep the situation from bubbling up and the best advice I can give in light of my experience is if you find yourself in the same situation, remain calm, don't signal your dog that you are tense, and move calmly to an area that's wider. This can give the dogs a chance to meet as dogs do without your dog also feeling like he needs to defend his territory. Most other off leash dogs we've met have been fine. Many are not well-trained so we are really proud of our dog when she handles the frequently hyper, nervous dog with grace and calm.

[Candy Korn]

Great info everyone! Thank you! I have some more questions :) So I am giving us 10-12 days to do the hike. We are doing resupply in Neels Gap. I am trying new, better dog food with him. The better dog food seguests serving sizes much smaller than his old pedigree. I am just worried that the servings are not enough to eat. Keep in mind he is a 65# solid muscle, pit/ boxer mix and will eat anything I give him. Here's my plan on how he will eat one the hike. I have read quite a few books and done a lot of research, but I just want to see if anyone has had personal experiences with this and what they do!
Morning- 1/2 cup high nutrients food 30-45 minutes before we leave camp
Snack- 2 biskit bones
Lunch- 1/4 cup high nutrients food with a little powdered gravy, his food is given to him first and he eats while I make and eat my lunch, 30min-1 hr break for both of us
Snack- 2pieces of jerky
Dinner- 1cup high nutrients food with powdered gravy
With the high nutrients foods, he is eating 3/4 cups less a day. Does anyone know if this if still ok for him? Will this be enough for him on the hike per day?