Taking Puppy Hiking

“We're taking our 5 1/2 month old German Shepherd for her first overnight trip this weekend. Distance will only be 2 miles over flat terrain with frequent breaks. Suggestions for her comfort, needs, etc? We're carrying her food and we'll be tarping it so she can sleep with us and see what's going on around her.”

“I wouldn't try to fit her into anything smaller than a 5000 ci backpack with a good lumbar support.”

“You may want to bring along some of her favorite toys along from home in case she needs something to play with.”

“That'll be easy, she likes a tennis ball, frisbee and my shoes!”

“I ran into currahee and his lovely wife at Oktoberfest last weekend. They are spoiling that dog already. You should see how they give it water, that is a good idea though.”

“She's a water hog that's for sure!
Good to see you by the way Ewker.

She does love her gulpy!
last edited: 10/11/05 2:31:06 PM”

“Bring chew toys and poop bags unless you intend to bury the poop. Treats are good too. That's a really nice water/bowl setup!

I found this thing next to my campsite left from a previous camper though I have't used it yet. It's a piece of metal that you pound into the ground with a leash attached to it or you attach a leash so your dog can walk around within a restricted area which is good while you are at the campsite cooking or setting up camp etc.”

“If you are going to tarp it, make sure your puppy is not the type to wander off in the dark, or at least leave a light leash on her. Smells and sounds will make a dog go dog. You can use a caribeaner on the end of a leash and wrap the end around a tree to restrict her instead of the heavy duty spiral tie out thing.”

“use a wire, if she has any smarts then given time to work it out, she'll chew through the leash in about 30 seconds.

I'm not sure I'd tarp it first time out. Doggie will be way over-stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. Mine freaked out and didn't sleep all night wanting to chase bambi. Tent gives you a lil more control.”

“Goodluck with the first trip. I haven't taken my lab on an overnight yet, but wish that I had given him an earlier start getting used to it. Make sure you post a trip report for all of us. By the way, how much does the Gulpy hold?”

“Thanks y'all. The Gulpy only holds about 16 ounces. It's good for walking around town.”

“I'm finding this thread from another board useful as I think about my new puppy and hiking:

http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4787”

“Ped - you have a new puppy too? I miss a lot here, since I am not so 'regular' anymo'
:\
Do tell!

Curr - Number one rule for bringing your dog is do not spoil him. Nobody likes a spoiled dog. By the way, I loooove that water thing! I think Asherdog MUST have one immediately.

:D”

“I bring a very small stainless steele cup that's meant for a bird cage w/bottled water for Capri whether we are hiking or driving long distances. She always gets bottled spring water anyway since I don't trust my tap water.”

“If anyone is an expert on camping with dogs, it has to be me. I've been taking my 2 dogs camping since one was 4 weeks old and the other was about 2 months. 2 summers ago we found husky mix on a camping trip and now she comes with us too. Stangely, our cat also camps with us. He follows closely on hikes and has the time of his life.

Since we often camp in grounds where we have easy access to the kayak put-in and biking trails, there are times when we have to tie our dogs. We use that yellow plastic-y, nylon-like rope that you can get anywhere for really cheap and it's strong enough that even our pit mix can't break it. Rather than just tying them to a tree we string it between two trees and use a caribeaner to attach the handle of the leash so they can run back and forth. String it just high enough so the leach touches the ground and your dog won't tangle her feet if she gets excited. After a long day of hiking, our dogs don't mind at all being on the line. We give them their own blankets to lay on, tons of water and food and they are more than content.

I would never again bring my dogs' toys on a camping trip. The balls end up rolling down hills never to be seen again and frisbees end up in trees. My dogs love to chase sticks and it's fun to see them search around to find the exact one you threw amongst a million others that look just alike. Plus when it gets lost, she will never be at want for something to play with.

Get your dog used to water immediately. Our 2 that we've always had LOVE to swim but the one we found is sooo finicky. She will barely get her claws wet, let alone forge across water with any depth. On the other hand, my boyfriend's Newfoundland allowed himself to be swept over a waterfall once and we almost lost him again on the Nantahala. Luckily he's a really strong swimmer and made it out ok. My shepherd mix, though, got swept down a relatively slow section of the Chatooga in TN and ended up breaking his back. We had to swim to the middle and DRAG his snarly butt to shore. He was only 2 years old and he has never been the same. He can't even come for hikes with us anymore because his back never healed right. Poor guy. So be careful. Especially at 6 months old she will have no idea that it's a bad idea to jump into rapids or swim just upstream from a 10-foot waterfall.

I'm sure I have a million things I could tell you but this is long and I have to get to work. Just remember to give your dog all the freedom she can safely have. Just like people, they learn from mistakes and she'll learn how to behave if she is given a little guidance and a lot of time to explore her world.

Have fun. You'll never want to camp without your dog again. :)

Bex”

“Yep it's a pleasure to have a "friendly" un-leashed dog come runnning/barking/snapping up to you, especially at night. Dog poo on the trail is nice too. Everybody says they keep their dogs leashed & clean up after them so I always wonder where they/it all comes from?”

“Out of respect, do not let your dog approach anyone, not even to sniff them. Some people get really upset about dogs going near them and I respect that.

If camping with others, be aware that people don't necessarily want a dog near their food when they are preparing it or eating it.”

“LNT=LDH”

“When are you going to post a picture of her?”

“whats the training that german breeds go through to get "certified" and must pass most of them in order to be breedable. My boss had his black german shepard go though it since his parents were of german stock, and he said its well worth the money..more so than obedience school. A lady offers it here in nashville...i can find out about it if you want.”

“Shutzhund is the working dog training you are talking about Opie. When Angie gets home tonight, I'll post some pics. We just got some back from Walgreens today.
She did real well this weekend on our delayed trip. No water hazards to speak of on the trip. We passed a couple of stagnant pools that she turned her nose up at. We kept her on a 25 foot leash the during the 2.5 miles in and out. She barked once when a hiker passed our campsite but immediatly settled down when we told her to. She also barked about 2 in the morning when the drunks in the next campsite came looking for firewood near our tent. Hell they woke me up and I almost barked at them. When she pooped (once) we picked it up and disposed of it in the privy. She had a hard time settling down in the middle of the night, but once she did she slept soundly. All in all it was a fantastic experience. The other hikers we encountered (there were a lot) all enjoyed her easy going demeanor and she got lots of scratches and pats on the head.
I would have liked to seen her eat more out there but there was to much other fun stuff to do I guess.”

“Barks at drunks wandering near your tent? That could be a really good thing. A nice deep growl is even better.”

“My dog doesn't eat much on the trail. If it's just an overnighter I don't even take dog food. I just make sure I have a little extra dinner and let the dog clean my dishes.
My vet said not to worry about it. Just make sure there's plenty of water available. My dog drinks twice as much water as I do. If it's dry out I just pop the end off my platy bag and pour it right in his mouth. If it's wet out he drinks out of anything. There's no stopping him. It doesn't matter if it's a mosquito infested puddle of mud, he'll drink it if I don't stop him. He's good for plopping down in nasty pools of water too.
Keef had giardia when I got him and it doesn't seem to upset him to drink any kind of nasty water. I still stop him when i can though. I wonder if you get immunity to the buggers once you've had em?”

“The drunks f*cked off after a couple of deep barks. She'll have a real intimidating bark when she's fully grown. Right now she's already 53 lbs at almost 6 months.

About the giardia, I think you do develop an immunity to it after you've had it. Kinda like Chicken Pox. I'll ask Angie.

The not eating I've seen before. She doesn't eat when she's in a different environment like her buddys house or in a cabib/hotel room.”

“My pup sounds very scary when he barks. He thinks he's so freakin tough but our 7 year old golden retraiver can pin him in a second! LOL”

“THis weekend if it wasn't for my 3 year old brittany spaniel, my cousin and I would have been sleeping under the trees on saturday night. We were headin down tripyramid at 5 oclock... and i made a very big mistake, and trust me, i usually never make these mistakes. I forgot my headlamp. By the time it was pitch black, and I mean absolutely pitch black, we had another 4 miles to go. My dog lead myself, my cousin, and three guys we found stranded on the trail, right back to our cars. We didn't even have to walk a little on the road, he lead us right to the trail head and by all means we never stayed on the trail. I don't think i'll ever make the mistake of not bringing my dog anymore.”