who has a trail dog? and what breed do U recommend

“Hey y'all, I've really been thinking lately about getting a good medium size dog for me. (my wife has two chihuahuas). I'm looking for a great dog for the trail... now i know every dog is different but what do y'all recommend for a breed?”

“LABS”

“yea yea yea i know you love your dog... how is ol' trail doing?”

“coolest damn trail dog I ever seen is Mariposa's american indian dog Kodie. Short wire haired so she don't pick up loads of stickers too.”

“A trail dog is any breed that is loyal and will be obiedient when she , he is called to do so. Customer friendly with all the TTer's as long as they treat he, she with foods and touch.”

“the american indian dog is a small working breed, and kodie (from what i have seen) has been trained to mind explicitly. And she's friendly as long as you don't wander into camp after dark too! LOL!”

“I love my dog Forest, He's an English Shepherd, smartest damn dog I've ever known.”

“Don't forget Mugsy, he's a cockapoo. He's a pretty cool trail dog as well. Kodie and Trail are also great dogs!”

“Pit Bulls, Dogo's, Fila's, Cane Corso's”

“get a mutt”

“Get a mean dog that will protect you from all these fools and chase/kill any animals he/she sees. Make sure you don't pick up the poop.”

“lol!

get a dog that you can easily dispatch in case of an emergency. they make a great backup food source if properly managed.”

“get one from the humane society.

Then love it so hard. And he/she will be your forever loyal friend and companion.”

“get a breed that you can train. Thats what counts.”

“i have to laugh. my rottie was rescued from a German Shepard dog rescue. he was such a sweetie that they inducted him into the shelter as an honorary Shepard. his foster mom said she would NEVER have let him go... he was her "baby"... but we had kids and the one thing Elvis loved more than her was kids. he's a real part of the family and the best dog i ever owned. going on 8 now his face is turning grey and he is sleeping more and more (which isn't saying much for a rott). i have always adopted from rescue shelters and always will. ruby is spot on but i'll add that often it takes more than love to rehabilitate a dog (in fact more often than not it takes a LOT more than love). so be careful when you adopt and make sure you are going to a reputable shelter. i tend to stay away from the animal control shelters and focus on the breed specific shelters run by volunteers. they take the time to get to know the dogs better and will work hard to make the match a success. they have placed hundreds of dogs of a specific breed and know what it takes to make a happy ending.”

“get one of them shlts too's.........
last edited: 12/15/07 7:30:35 PM”

“A rescue! Go to your local pound, there are LOT's of options, almost any "generic" breed can be trained to be a great partner!

I'm an old guy & have had / loved dogs all my life. My most recent is a rescue that my son picked out for me as a birthday present from the local pound.

She's the BEST DOG EVER! :), and, everytime I'm out with her on a trail & having fun together, I keep thinking that if she hadn't been "rescued" she'd be dead now! :(

We did about 8 miles together today, I LOOOVVVE this doggie!”

“got all ours at the rescue too......great doggies.........”

“Labs and similar breeds seem to be good dogs, collies too. Malamutes and Huskies are not great trail dogs as they
a) like to hunt things a little too much
b) like to wander off and do what they like when they like.

But shelters are the way to go - you'll find one that is just right for you.”

“I've owned a few dogs, but the best combination of traits I've found for a wilderness companion is an Airedale.

I imagine it has as much or more to do with how he or she is socialized and trained and what they are accustomed to -- I think there are some pretty important variables other than breed.

Having said that, though -- my current and previous Airedales were tremendously loyal and responsive, tough in all terrains with a good hard coat that provides lots of protection but does not shed!

Not shedding is a very nice trait in a tent companion. I do let my dog into the tent in bad bug country or in snowy wet weather.

Any dog that is brought up to indulge their predatory instinct will chase game, but I've been able to keep both my Airedales from going after critters -- well, the current one better than the last.

I remember watching Airedale #1 disappear down the mountainside chasing a mountain goat into the rocks. I honestly thought I'd seen the last of her as she chased the big billy out onto a cliff band.

She caught up to me a half hour later with a silly but happy look on her face.

For sturdy, intelligent, tough, resilient I doubt you could do better. Did I mention hardy?”

“I think any of the hunting or working breeds would be great as long as they're trained well or under control.
I'm hoping our adopted rottie becomes a good one!”

“All I know is that Stinkey Pete who was half Basset hound and half beagle (rest his soul) would have been the worst ever trail dog ever, unless I brought a couch in my backpack and carried him in a padded carrier of some sorts.”

“Ruby and wandererare right on the money.”

“

The closest Pete ever came to camping. Sadly he never stepped foot in show, choosing instead to just pee and poop off the side of the carport.”

“I had such wonderful adventures with my two German Shepherds, Heidi and Sierra, so I know firsthand that German Sheps make fantastic trail partners.





Some doggy pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buckforester/sets/72057594113629477/”

“My buddy brought Abby on a trip with us. She is a great trail dog. I think she found some poo to roll on in this pic.


last edited: 12/15/07 10:27:24 PM”

“Where did you take those pics buck? They are gorgeous.”

“please don't forget that you'll have to live with and take care of your dog the other 90% of the time when you're not backpacking.
first and foremost, honestly evaluate your lifestyle, find a good dog that suits it. the backpacking part will take care of itself-
with the exception of maybe a few pure breeds like those w/ short noses (bulldogs, pugs), or strong prey drives (huskies, beagles)”

“21 I have 4 dogs and at one time or another I've had all of them on the trail.Three of them did just fine, even my daughters Maltipoo did great on the Lost Cove trip but I strongly DO NOT recommend a Husky they have a mind of their own especially out in the woods.You might get one as a pup and get it to do okay.

To be perfectly honest I feel that dogs on the trail are alot of trouble and others that don't have control of their dogs are a real pain in the ass!”

“Do everybody else on the trail a favor and DON'T get a trail dog.

LNT=LDH”

“Hey Rockymountaineer, thank you. My dogs have hiked with me throughout the northern Rockies, the California coast, and most often, the High Sierra. The first image is in Little Lakes Valley in the John Muir Wilderness, and the second one is overlooking First Lake in the John Muir Wilderness. I have 4.2 beeeellion dog-hiking images. I have done countless "solo" hikes with them in the wildest areas of the lower 48, but now that they're gone, solo isn't the same anymore.”

“Nice slide show, Buck........thanks bud.......I'm going to get a German Shepherd after I retire.......got lots of land for em to run on.............”

“Trail Dogs will love you more than they love themselves.”

“Fridge's dogs tore me a new one on Mount Rogers..........

I'm skeered o' them puppies!”

“Holy crap! Yet another inquiry into "oh what kinda dog is best in the backcountry yadda yadda yadda".

You people make us sick! Keep yer freaking dogs AT HOME!”

“The trail is for one's enjoyment, and should be enjoyed. Some people don't enjoy sharing the trail, that is unavoidable, unless you just stay off the trail or stay at home.”

“BOL! for what my daddy sayed.

He bedder be perty carfull in less he wonts me and Gissmaeioux to leeve him at home in sted!

My hubsand Gissmaeioux is a terrierist, bwt. He is a perty good trale dog and doodoos on the leefs and not on the trale

usely.”

“

puggles kick butt on the trail...but they have SERIOUS gas”

“i concur with gojo. my dogs stay at home.”

“I have seen all kinds on the trail. I have a chow, the 4th one. Before that I have had mutts, a dobie, and a dalmatian and all were good trail dogs in their own right.

Train them to do their duty off trail or clean up after them if they don't...waffle stompers and poop is a bad thing.”

“I get a kick out of ppl who will dig a cat hole to bury their poop but will tell you their dogs crap doesn't need to be picked up because the dog is an animal and so it is natural.”

““I get a kick out of ppl who will dig a cat hole to bury their poop but will tell you their dogs crap doesn't need to be picked up because the dog is an animal and so it is natural.”
Jimmy san

Wild animals leave scat...dogs leave #&%!$

My first trip to Otter Creek Wilderness was ruined by a guy who allowed his beagle to drop load on the trail and a camp site.

Of course he did not appreciate it when he let his dog attack mine and I unloaded on it with my trekking pole.”

“Get pound or rescue dog. It's dumb to keep breeders in business when we pay taxes to destroy thousands of dogs a day. My dog is going on 11, a pit mix straight outta the shelter and has been on the trail her whole life. Teach 'em right and make sure YOU are the leader of the pack.”

“I had a dalmatian, named Buckshot, who is a hiking legend.....we had many great adventures together. They are not well suited for real cold temps though. And he did shed alot.

We had to put him down a couple weeks ago because of severe hip and elbow pain. He was 11 yrs old.

On a happier note, we have gotten a farm puppy, 6week old female, that is 1/2 rotweiler and 1/2 german shepard. I think it will be an excellent trail dog. We are giving it to the children on Christmas morning.”

“i have a black lab mix that has made an excellent trail dog...she has all the great traits of a pure bred lab with out all the inbreeded bad traits...plus since she's a mix she's about half the size of a pure breed which is also nice when sharing a tent...she stays right at my heals (no training) and her temperament matches mine...if i want to hike a 15 mile day, she's up for it, but if i just want to chill in camp for the day she's up for that too...plus she's a shelter rescue which like a lot of people on here have said is great...i've put very little to no training in her...i've only had two negative experiences, she like to roll in dead stuff (common hunting dog trait) and for some reason she just does not get along with sticks' dog...his is the only dog she's ever had a problem with...she probably heard that sticks likes to beat other dogs with his trekking pole ;)”

“oh, and everyone's recommending what dog TO get, how bout what NOT to get?

i also have a beagle mix...she's been on a few day hikes with me and she absolutely is NOT a good trail dog...now i'm sure there are those "i can train any dog" people out there who say all dogs are trainable and that may be but i have no desire in putting in the effort to do this...you should also consider that...beagles are very independent, stubborn and are hunters at hart, as well as being high strung which can be very hard to train out”

“I have never met a beagle that listened to its owner.”

“thats what tracking collars and shock collars are used for.”

“get a dog that you can easily dispatch in case of an emergency

Sorry. This made me laugh. The image I had was "What's that Lassie? Jimmy san fell in a well?"”

“�I have never met a beagle that listened to its owner.�

You go it!
They also eat schit and bark at the moon.”