Trail Dogs

“Looking for advice from other people w/ trail dogs.

I want to start taking our dog backpacking. She's a very smart and loyal, 4 year old mutt (shepherd mix).

She comes w/ us when we car camp and loves it. But, we've never taken her backpacking.

Questions:

Where do your dogs sleep? In the tent, in the vestibule, or outside?

What about doggie booties. Are they for real? Or just a gimmick? I've heard it just depends on the weather. Is that true?

Any other thoughts/suggestions are appreciated!”

“Tarabull, I don't have a dog, but on my first trip a few wks. ago my buds brought their dogs. They have 3. They're all very loyal, well behaved dogs. They slept outside both nights and they really made me feel safe. I thought it would be a pain, but they were great.”

“My dog sleeps in the tent with me, but she also sleeps in the bed with me at home.

I have booties for her, but only use them to protect her paws from burrs and the like if brush encroaches the trail.

I think you should toughen up your dog's pads gradually, and only use the booties for off-trail or very cold conditions.”

“I've yet to meet a dog who'll wear those boots! Our dogs sleep in the tent/tarp. They sleep with us at home so they're happier that way.”

“Pepper sleeps in the tent with me. We keep each other warm. It also keeps her from barking every time she hears a sound.

I've never used the booties - I have a friend who put them on her dog when going to snowy/icy/rocky condiitons but I can't imagine a dog leaving them on (my friend has a golden retreiver who probably didn't have the sense to realize that anything was different).”

“I take my two labs with me (or is it the other way around?) and they sleep in the tent (or they let me sleep in the tent?)...at least one dog has an eye on me at all times lest I actually try and do something without them Being in the tent without them is not a possibility ;-))

One has knee problems so the other gets to pack her food, along with his.

I have one set of boots for them just in case. They've never cracked all fours and can share one set. Problems can develop in both cold, wet, and dry trips.

Aspririn works for sore dogs too so I always carry some for them too.

Dogs rule! (OK, cats are cool, but they don't do well on the trail.)”

“Having my dog sleep in the tent would be my preference as well. The main concern is that we have a two person tent... for two persons. Doesn't leave much room for the dog!

Another concern is her ripping or tearing any part of the tent or screen.

Example: She was taking a nap w/ me in our car camping tent and saw our friends dog trot by. She wanted to play, so she jumped up and trotted right trough the screen door. I couldn't blame her, the mesh is so fine you can barely tell its there. Dogs are great: They're cute even when they screw up! You should have seen her. Half of her body inside the screen. The other half sticking out of the screen. Head cocked to the side and looking backwards, staring at me as if she knew she did something dumb. Love dogs!

pepperDog - I know what you mean about the goldens. My brother has one. She'll wear anything you put on her. Cute but a bit clueless!”

“I take Suzy hiking with me often.

#1 most important thing: Train your dog well. You are going to allow her to hike off leash. (Don't kid yourself. You ain't kidding us.) Your dog is never as good as you think it is. My dog took after another dog to play with it, to my horror. I apologized profusely to the other owners. And this is a dog with quite a list of obedience credentials. Nationally titled, 5 of 8 first place finishes, 2 best of shows.....

I really don't wanna hear from the "no dogs on the trail" section. I know I will. Just because there is a minor incident, with no injuries, (this was a dog playing with a dog incident) I don't think dogs ought to be outright banned.

You need to think about "Leave no Trace" with your dog, cleaning up after it, not allowing it to chase the wildlife and kill it or cause it to use up valuable energy saving it's skin. Also, keep a leash REAL handy and when you come upon other hikers, LEASH that dog. They don't know how good or bad your dog is. They may not want to be sniffed. They may have a childhood fear of dogs, having been once attacked. Some may just attack your unleashed dog for a reason of "general purpose".

If your dog attacks another(dog, critter, person...) Seriously consider a good long obedience session (I'm talking many months here) before you take it hiking again. Do us all a favor.

That will cover the concerns of many hikers. Respect and courtesy towards others goes a long ways.

As far as where Suzy sleeps: I will allow her in the tent if she is clean and dry. Otherwise, it's the vestibule. If it's a shelter, she sleeps out side the shelter, directly at the end of my feet. Big plus: No critters getting into the packs or food bags. Another plus: Many hikers, upon finding out that she really is pretty well behaved, welcome the oppurtunity to play with her. Oh yeah, you don't have to worry about crumbs all over the site to attract the critters that eat up the packs.

Aspirin is good for sore dogs. Also, it's better to toughen up the pads before you take them hiking and forget about the bootys. Emergency use only. And bring Fido a carrot or two. They're good for them.

Let your dog have fun too.

Happy Trails”

“On my last trip it was me and my two dogs. They NEVER went off leash except in the tent/tarp. At camp they remaind tied to a 20' steel dog lead (which they carried).

Just get em out there,see what they do and go from there.”

“Uphill - We practice Leave No Trace today w/ her on dayhikes. we've been taking her for hikes on trails for a long time. She's always leashed. She carries her own backpack w/water, collapsable bowl, treats, plastic poop baggies, etc. I imagine this has toughened up her pads enough. Of course, I have no way of knowing for sure.

As far as obedience goes: Basic, Advanced, and the Canine Good Citizen test. I was really hoping to find some sort of class specifically designed to go over backpacking w/ a dog. I've read a couple books.

Your mentioning carrots brings up another good question. What other "people" foods are good for dogs. My dog LOVES grapes and corn on the cob (she eats it right off the cob). I have read some articles that talk about feeding dogs only fresh meats and produce but am skeptical. I would love to pack fresh food for her... any suggestions there?

Why are carrots good for dogs, anyway? I'm sure she'd love it. She loves crunchy foods.”

“Hyper - My dog will remain leashed as well. I am very confident that she would stay by me off the leash... But, there is always that chance that something will be way too distracting. I love her too much to chance her running off or getting injured because she was out of my control.

Thanks for your input.”

“I am not sure why carrots are good for dogs, my instructor told me they were. Uh, I guess I don't really know for sure. Does any one out there know? I do know that when I am picking them out of my garden that she goes wild for them, and if I set them down, she thinks they were set down for her. I hear that some people food is bad for them, but some is good for them. I just don't really know, other than I've heard from a trusted friend in the know that carrots were good.

Good job with the dog training!!

Uh,...how do you do the rock scrambles with lekis and dogs on leash? I turn Suzy loose and let her do her own thing while I do mine.

Great idea having her carry her own stuff. I do also. Just don't overload her. I did Suzy once and she came up lame. I felt awful and had to feed her aspirin.

The hardest thing about a dog on the trail is getting them not to chase the wildlife. And to keep them away from others who may not appreciate them. (Honestly, I haven't run into many like that, but I have some). After that, it's keeping them off fragile soils... Beyond that, let your dog enjoy the wild as much as you do.”

“Obedience train the dog!

Bring a bedsheet, and when you get yer tent/tarp set up, throw it over everything. It'll keep everything cleaner...maybe not drier, but cleaner.

Obedience train the dog!

Don't buy the booties, unless your dog will be hiking over hot rocky terrain. And if you ever think you going to hike over hot rocky terrain...don't bring the dog!

And...obedience train the dog!”

“Leave the dog at home. There is a good chance I'll be practicing LNT on it...”

“Licking The Nuts is "LTN" (not LNT), Mr.SlapMyAss!”

“LOL

Thanks Buddur. That was exactly what he asked for!”

“Or how about Leave No Trace... JACKA$$”

“So LNT means yer gonna wipe them clean after ya LTN?”

“Buddur it's nice to see tarbull's B!tch coming to the rescue”

“So LNT means yer gonna wipe them clean after ya LTN?”

“Buddur, rumor has it that you made a sleeping bag for your dog. Can you tell me about the basic construction? What insulation and fabric did you use, and did you sew it yourself? Making small bags for my dogs sounds like just the ticket for keeping them warm during winter nights.

BTW, most vegetables are good for dogs, but they must be crushed (a masticating juicer works best) for the dog to get any benefit. Dogs are omnivores and need the vitamins/nutrients found in veggies, but lack teeth designed for crushing food. So carrots would be good for your dog if you crushed it. I give my dogs carrots for treats. They love the crunchy texture, but the carrots exit the dogs pretty much the same way they went into the dogs. The orange chunks do make their waste easy to find in the yard when it is cleanup time. ;-)”

“Yeah I made a sleeping system for Buddur after a very cold trip. I woke to find him freezing and shivering and ended up sleeping with him wrapped in my bag to keep him warm.

I cut the bottom half off an old mummy sleeping bag (hemmed the edges) and used the top half, cut off the zipper and attached velcro squares every 14" around the edges. It's more like a blanket that I get him to lay on, and then fold the rest over and velcro it down so it doesn't slip off during the night. I also bring a small groundpad to isolate him from the cold ground.”

“Buddur, this is a great idea! Thanks for the response. Now its time to start checking ebay for a couple nice and cheap bags to modify.”

“Good thread! Frodo always slept in the tent with us. We're not tall folks so he slept at the end of our Thermarests. I made him a fleece sleeping bag (we don't do much true winter packing). He was on a 20ft. lead most of the time, simply because he was intimidating to look at. Most of the time I didn't even hold on to it, I'd pick it up when we crossed paths with other hikers. I sure do miss that dog!

As far as hiking poles and a leash, buy a carabiner and hook it to your belt loop or the hand loop on yout hiking pole (as long as your dog isn't a leash tugger).

Our recent canine adoptees haven't been out yet. I think one will do fine in warm weather. The other... she may be a bit too nuerotic to ever make a good trail dog. *sigh*”

“What about a hat? Don't dogs need hats when it gets cold?”

“If you think you can get my dog to wear a hat, you just be my guest!”

“Buddur, this is a great idea! Thanks for the response. Now its time to start checking ebay for a couple nice and cheap bags to modify.”

“bacpac, you might be right under certain (windy and cold) conditions and with certain (short hair and cropped) breeds. I have fashioned neck gaiters for my dogs out of an old fleece jacket sleeves. This way their ears and head are protected when needed. The look is quite becoming on Jazz as well!

Speaking of head gear, you getting much mileage out of your arafat doo-rag these days?”

“What part of "Leave the dog at home" did you not understand from the last trail dog thread? If I had a pet cow would you want me to take it with me on a backpacking trip. Do you want to see cow flops all along the trail that I didn't clean up. And how would you like it if someone else's cow got in your tent and got cow hair all over your sleeping bag and stuff?
So now you're saying: nobody in their right mind would take a cow on the trail with them. I think the same of dogs.”

“man dogs on da trail”

“BS, go hug a root. We are well aware of your feelings about dogs, and nobody cares.

This thread was brought up for the specific purpose of discussing how to deal with cold winter temperatures and our dogs.

It does not concern you.

Go away.”

“Is it a sign of getting old when you have no idea what the hell tea is talking about?”

“Okay, BobK.
Advice for people who are concerned about taking their dogs backpacking in the cold winter months:

Leave the dog at home so at least one of you will be warm. It's the only sain thing to do.”

“Much better, BS!”

“I try.
I leave my cow at home.”

“BobK, I think you have to have a translator sometimes to understand Tea. Mine's not home from school yet.”

“"sane".
You need to lern how to rite good you crazy man.

I see my pakpak in the truk and I am reddy to go! I do not care how much it is code. Woofs sleeps in the code and my reel daddy is a woof so I can sleep in the code to but I dont. I sleep in the tent with my sleepy bag you crazy man.”

“oops! My spelling has gone to the dogs.”

“Man! Sarabelle's been taking everyone to school lately!”

“I think Sarabelle and Ice Tea are the same person. Just look at the spelling and sentence structure. It's so similar it's down right scary!!”

“I have my bovine pack a bunch of buns, mustard and bb sauce but they always seem nervous when we go on an overnighter. What can I do to ease their minds and slaughter this odd behavior?”

“Promise them you'll take them to McD's after the hike!”

“Spanky, whoda thunk it?”

“Gee I take my dogs all the time, sometimes one sometimes both. And yes I admit they are off leads but when people approach I put them on. The only thing they would do is lick you to death. But some people don't like so I must control their manners.
I have not tried the boots yet but haven't had the need.
My little dog Zoe, and she is the only hiking poodle I know.And my outdoor stores are named after her, sleeps in the tent she is afraid of the dark.
And she sleeps with us at home so why change.
My other dog Shellie is a border collie and sleeps in the vestible unless I am hiking alone then she sleeps in the tent to keep me company and also a great foot warmer. She lets me know if she needs to go outside I wake up with her nose in my face...I love it.
I must agree with some of the other comments train your dog.
Both my dogs stay on the trail most of the time. They stay ahead or right behind my feet.
They both do very well but when together sometimes get into more things...nothing bad just having fun.
Dogs are company and part of my family and are treated just like a person. They give the respect back to you everytime.
Barbara”

“Yay, Barb.

I no longer bother with Belle's leash - she never wears it any more. I did keep her on it at Cumberland Island (while walking) last spring, but that was because of the wildlife that awaits around every turn. But even there, I kept it off around camp.
She all but ignored a horse that passed close to the camp one evening.

She wouldn't bother anyone -
except maybe bacpac and Dirtbag Darrell.”

“But bacpac and Dirtbag do!”

“Sorry, can't type much now, cleaning my gun.....”

“Polishing tha barrel, eh?

Just keep yer keyboard clean =8)”