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  1. #1
    Registered User Thomas Mackay's Avatar
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    Talking Dog Hiking Rookie

    Hello. I'm sure this is covered somewhere in this forum but I am searching for general info about dogs on the trail. I need to know things like where I can/can't have them, what my options are there and the like. Ive done a lot of backpacking but not with a dog before.

    I am planning a thruhike next summer and all of a sudden, I find myself with a rescue about a month ago. He is mid aged, black lab/hound of some kind and he LOVES to walk. It seems he will walk all day... Also he's sweet as hell. I just had to take him, so now I have to rectify him with my hiking plans. Before next summer I'm going to try and get him out for as many hikes as possible (as soon as I get him some boots.) Wish me luck! We're going to go through a lot of milk bones!

  2. #2
    Registered User Thomas Mackay's Avatar
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    Here is his Mug. He's a good guy. I'm somewhat concerned about the level of complexity he will add to my hike. If he goes, I want to start addressing the details early.
    418521_4583772717075_1543052233_n.jpg

  3. #3
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Well you are off to a good start - what kind of hiking did you have in mind?..

    REGULATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS

    Dogs are NOT ALLOWED in three areas along the Trail:
    • Baxter State Park, Maine
    • Bear Mountain State Park Trailside Museum and Wildlife Center, New York—alternate road walk is available
    • Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina


    Leashes ARE REQUIRED on more than 40 percent of the Trail, including:

    • Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
    • Maryland (entire state)
    • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia
    • Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
    • Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
    • 500+ miles of A.T. land administered by the National Park Service

    We recommend dogs be leashed at all times, as a matter of courtesy to other hikers and to minimize stress to wildlife, regardless of whether it’s required by law.
    TRAIL ETHICS FOR DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS

    People hiking with dogs should be aware of the impact of their animals on the Trail environment and their effect on the Trail experience of others. Be conscientious about cleaning up after your dog and keeping them away from water sources—dogs, like people, can carry and spread giardia and other diseases.
    • Always keep your dog on a leash.
    • Do not allow your pet to chase wildlife.
    • Do not allow your dog to stand in springs or other sources of drinking water.
    • Be mindful of the rights of other hikers not to be bothered by even a friendly dog.
    • Bury your pet's waste as you would your own.

    Take special measures at shelters. Keep your dog leashed in the shelter area, and ask permission of other hikers before allowing your dog in a shelter. Be prepared to "tent out" when a shelter is crowded, and on rainy days.
    Last edited by Wise Old Owl; 08-16-2012 at 21:30.
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  4. #4

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    He looks to be a fine old mutt. I spent 15 years backpacking with my old cur named Shunka and here are some thoughts---
    ** Get him used to wearing a pack. Some dogs hate it. My dog (chow/lab mix) could carry 17 days worth of food and we routinely did 18-20 day trips w/o resupply.

    ** Get a collar and a leash and keep him tied up in camp so he won't chase newcomers hiking into camp.

    ** It's possible to hitch with a dog but it ain't as convenient as being alone.

    ** I can't stand AT shelters and even w/o a dog I avoid them, but with a dog they are off limits in my opinion. Leave the shelters to the civilized bonobo humans who can't stray far from man-made buildings, and camp by yourself with your dog. This keeps the dog's excitement levels down a bit and he won't salivate over strangers in a rat-box.

    Just some thoughts.

  5. #5
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    I like chasing newcomers into camp-oh come on Tipi....
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Mackay View Post
    Here is his Mug. He's a good guy. I'm somewhat concerned about the level of complexity he will add to my hike. If he goes, I want to start addressing the details early.
    418521_4583772717075_1543052233_n.jpg
    What a sweet looking dog. I have had 2 black labs and the white around/underneaththeir snout/ may indicate that he may be actually older than you think. Just make sure you get him checked at the vet and gets cleared for a thru hike/long distance hike. I wish I could take the black lab I have now but she has food allergies and has to be on special food. She also is allergic of insect bites. Bummer.

    I hope it works out for you. If it does, I'm jealous. Good luck!!!

    "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
    From where shall my help come?
    My help comes from the LORD,
    Who made heaven and earth."
    -Psalm 121:1-2

  7. #7
    Registered User Thomas Mackay's Avatar
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    I have in mind some small shakedown backpacking trips next spring to get him ready and a ton of day hikes throughout the winter to keep 'em moving. Ultimately next Summer I want to thru hike.

    I am slightly saddened about Smokies although I did know about Baxter. I do not know what options are available to me for boarding? :/ Also, sounds like a lot of leash time. I may need to send him home for parts of the hike if I can arrange it.

    The white on his nose does seem like he is a big older but I can vouch for his pep. He ain't no old timer, just perhaps prematurely graying

  8. #8
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    Hi there. We did about 1300 miles on the AT this year (GA-NJ) with our dog, a 2.5 year old Weimaraner, and I'd be happy to talk to you about specific questions if you have them. In general though, you have to plan to board him in the Smokies or you will need to skip/blue blaze that section. We boarded ours with Standing Bear Hostel - they came and picked him up in Fontana and we hiked to the hostel to pick him up. They give you 7 days to complete the miles, but you won't need that long.

    As far as the leash goes, we kept him on it through all of the sections that required it, at shelters and in towns. When we were hiking during the day he was often off-leash, but always right with us. He didn't run up ahead or go off trail and we always had him on a leash before someone approached. He's a well-behaved dog, but you just never know how other people or other dogs will react so it's easier to just leash him and avoid any problems.

    The main concerns you usually hear for dogs that thru-hike are their weight and their paws. For us, neither were a problem but we lived on the AT before our hike and our dog was used to hiking on it. He didn't lose any weight, but he did change shape and become really strong like a working dog. We carried regular dry dog food on the trail and always added olive oil to it (for extra calories) and when we were in town we fed him as much food as he would eat. We gave him meat, eggs, yogurt...you name it. It was all stuff he was eating before the trail though, nothing drastically different, just a lot more of it. For his paws we tried boots, but he wasn't having it so we didn't use anything in the beginning. About 2 months into the hike I started using Mushers Wax on his paws in the morning, just to give him extra conditioning and protection from the rocks. We never had any problems with his pads wearing down.

    The one thing we did have problems with were ticks. They are everywhere and our dog was a magnet. We pulled anywhere from 10-20 ticks each day and would have to check him constantly. We did our best, but he still ended up with a tick-borne disease similar to Lymes. It's treatable and he will be absolutely fine long-term, but it was costly and pulled us off the trail for a week.

    The main thing I would say about hiking with a dog is that his/her needs will always come before yours and you have to be okay with that. You may have to stay an extra day in town while your friends hike out or skip the hostel that they are going to. Stuff like that. If that is okay with you and worth it to have your pup along, then go for it. But if you think it might get frustrating it might be good to have him go home every so often to give you both a break.

    Anyway, these are just a few thoughts. If there is anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask.

  9. #9
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    JybbaGirl, thank you for a sensible post full of excellent information.

  10. #10

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    One caveat is be very careful extraplating what your dog will encounter in New England with what other experience down south. The rocks in the whites and the Mahoosucs can tear up the paws of dogs that did fine for the first 3/4s of the trail. Dog boots are great but most dogs wont use them and if you do use them bring many spares.

  11. #11

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    This is for JybbaGirl---


    My dog in black and a weimaraner behind pulling a sort of yin/yang by looking in opposites directions.

  12. #12
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    Peakbagger - fantastic point. Tipi - what a great picture! Here's Rooney...he may look tortured by the coat, but he actually loved it on cold nights.
    Rooney.jpg

  13. #13

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    Boots on the dog is like a leash and a pack; the dog has to get use to wearing them. I had a friend who's Brittany had to wear boots when hunting due to a bad injury from a corn stock. He said he worked for months to get her use to wearing them; in the end he would put human baby sox on her paws before the doggie boots; to dog was fine except when we stopped hunting to regroup/rest. At that point she would work on the "things" on/attacking her feet. He also found that duck tape around the top of the boot (on the boot not on fur) to help hold the boot in place and make it harder for the dog to remove.

  14. #14
    Registered User SassyWindsor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Mackay View Post
    Hello. I'm sure this is covered somewhere in this forum but I am searching for general info about dogs on the trail.............
    Learn to use the "SEARCH" feature on WB, you'll be entertained for years.

  15. #15
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    Great picture!
    "I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Longfan View Post
    Boots on the dog is like a leash and a pack; the dog has to get use to wearing them. I had a friend who's Brittany had to wear boots when hunting due to a bad injury from a corn stock. He said he worked for months to get her use to wearing them; in the end he would put human baby sox on her paws before the doggie boots; to dog was fine except when we stopped hunting to regroup/rest. At that point she would work on the "things" on/attacking her feet. He also found that duck tape around the top of the boot (on the boot not on fur) to help hold the boot in place and make it harder for the dog to remove.
    I had a German Sheperd when I lived out in Montana that loved to hike in the snow. He loved his boots too. When I'd get them out he knew he was going and he'd get all excited and prance and jump around and try to open the front door, then he'd lay down on the rug on his back with all fours in the air and let me put his boots on. He was cool. If I'd of had the money I would of cloned that dog. Super smart, had a vocabulary of about 60 words. If I had worked with him more they tell me it could have been between 90 and 130.
    "Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.

  17. #17
    trash, hiker the goat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    He looks to be a fine old mutt. I spent 15 years backpacking with my old cur named Shunka and here are some thoughts---
    ** Get him used to wearing a pack. Some dogs hate it. My dog (chow/lab mix) could carry 17 days worth of food and we routinely did 18-20 day trips w/o resupply.

    ** Get a collar and a leash and keep him tied up in camp so he won't chase newcomers hiking into camp.

    ** It's possible to hitch with a dog but it ain't as convenient as being alone.

    ** I can't stand AT shelters and even w/o a dog I avoid them, but with a dog they are off limits in my opinion. Leave the shelters to the civilized bonobo humans who can't stray far from man-made buildings, and camp by yourself with your dog. This keeps the dog's excitement levels down a bit and he won't salivate over strangers in a rat-box.

    Just some thoughts.
    great advice, tipi, especially the one a/b getting him used to the pack. in preparation for my hike, i whittled down the weight in my dog's pack until he hiked with me just like he did when he wasn't wearing anything. unfortunately for me, this amounted to 1.5 days of food (i go 6-7 between resupply); definitely made for a heavy pack for me, but then again it was my choice for us to go hikin'.

    having done the trail both without my dog, and another time with my dog; i can tell you the logistics can get pretty complicated when you've got your little buddy along both on the trail and in town.

    Thomas - if you haven't seen the trail in the white mountains of northern NH and the terrain of southern ME, check out some photos to consider if you think he can handle the steep rock climbs. i live not far from you in DC & before my first thru hike, i didn't even know that terrain like that existed on the east coast.
    "The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive." -TJ

  18. #18

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    You can Google and find businesses that pick up your dog when you reach the GSMNP, board them while you hike thru the park, and then return your dog to you when you exit the park. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $250.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by max patch View Post
    You can Google and find businesses that pick up your dog when you reach the GSMNP, board them while you hike thru the park, and then return your dog to you when you exit the park. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $250.
    Similar arrangements can be made for the time you will be in Baxter. Don't know any specifics, although the price should be substantially cheaper.

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