backpacking

Anyone do any real backpacking with there dog or dogs ever. I am thinking about doing either a pretty good hike like 9 hours round trip all in one day if possible. If not possible i will stop for the night and camp in a tent. I guess my real worry is other wildlife mostly bears and maybe the heat mid day. Its only supposed to be in the mid to low 70's when i'm gonna go then add i guess you could subtract a few degrees as i will be up at like three to five thousand ft of elevation.

We do at least 2-3 hours of hiking a day now and a couple days a week 3-4 and sometimes up to five so i figure they are in plenty good enough shape. On top of that we run 4 days a week a good 20 min at a time and end it with 20 min on the flirt pole. I may be wrong but i feel like my dogs should be able to hike all day? I might be wrong though hence why i ask what people think?

 

As long as you have water you should be good. I did part of the AT with one of my dogs went for a 3 day hike,if you do that take some small packs of food for the dog.

 

i used to do quite a bit of hiking when i lived up north. we did overnights-even some winter hiking/camping. climbed mt. chocura w/ the dog in my avatar.
my sister and a friend hiked the Long Trail in vermont (265 miles) w/ a mother/son pair of bulldogs. they did encounter a couple of black bears on trail, but as they should-the bears ran.
from what you describe, your dog(s) should be up to it based on what you have posted as your regimen, just watch their pads.

have fun!

 

to me theres nothing better than hiking with a bulldog or two. when i live in pa
(Pocono mntns) we use to have a blast. scare up some game or just pitch rocks into the woods to keep the dogs alert and occupied. to me, a day out with the dogs like
that, is my own slice of heaven.

 

Yeah thats what i figure. I am kinda thinking the hardest part will be lugging all the water and food as one of em eats raw and how heck do i keep it cold without carrying ice packs and a soft cooler in my pack? The hike i am gonna do hits part of the AT itself should be nice goes over three peaks and you end up hiking a pretty narrow ridge for like three miles i think? What did you do with em at night.

 

dogs always carried thier own food and gear. stayed in the tent unless we were open air, then it was a simple couple caribiners and climbing rope tether

http://www.granitegear.com/products/overview/doggear.html

 

That does sound like a blast. My only fear would be like you said other wildlife because my dog chases anything that runs as long as he can. If you have good enough control over your dogs I would say you should be fine. water water water and water some more and have fun

 

Yeah me to thats why i do at least a couple hours of it a day and more on the weekend. A whole day or days of it though is a whole nother kinda heaven pretty excited tbh!! We have had the leash talk on here but from the sounds of it Paddock you let em walk free. I guess my concern with that is DA and running into another dog and the coyotes. Before my girl turned on i used to let her off leash when we got way way out in the woods and one day i seen something white and gray and dog sized blur by us.. before i knew it my dog was gone.. like gone!!! it took me a good 20 min searching to find her. In the end she found me tbh. Was scary as shit i thought i had lost her for sure?

 

Thats some nice stuff and a pretty simple idea with the food and water on there back!! Not sure why i did not think about that? Not sure i can do that with my female though as i gave her a couple of good hygroma about a year ago when the bags full of water bashed her elbows jumping of a 3-4 ft rock. They are all good now but i would hate to re injure those again. It sucked for her and me as i had to let her rest for a few months till they healed.

 

20 ft rope lead, i never could let em off leash...too many damn gray squirrels

 

i gotta say I'm pretty solid at training my dogs...the weight pulling training
is all command based not lure style. i have complete control over my animals.
but i do leash them until it's the proper time to unclasp them. always keep
a keen eye and ear up ahead in case you do have to leash em up. being
alone in the high country should make you stay on point. i never really relax
enough to become another statistic. always stand on the side of caution.
when my dogs were young (under a yr old) i would keep a bell on there collars
for a few reasons...they'll scare those fright flight animals so they wont be an issue,
and they are desensitized by the ringing and are less prey drivin...more-so they just
frolic and won't get themselves into trouble.

 

Yeah i not man enough to let my dogs off a leash. Scares me just thinking about it, one of two very bad things is sure to happen!!!! A 20 ft lead kinda sounds like a pain in the ass though as far as getting hung up on shit all the time? Figure i will just go with the 4ft horse leads and then pack some tow rope to tie them with at night that i could use for walking if needed?

 

I've done some long day hikes with dogs. I've noticed it wears them down to have to hike at my pace on a lead the entire trip and makes an other-wise great time suck ass for them. My dogs stick w/me unless I take more than two. Seems like w/more than a pair they want to run big ass circles, chase deer etc... Then they run themselves into the ground and get hot if it's warmer weather. If they're well trained, let'em off when you can so they can take their own strides.

Have a great time!!

 

my dog and i used to have a long walk. 3 to 5 hours, 4x a week..
and it is very enjoyable! just make sure that it is not too hot, i mean the weather. and bring water, and after the long walk, give your dog a soothing massage!
happy owner and happy dog!:p:p:p:p

 

Gallons of water & don't forget to check for deer ticks afterward - have fun!
If you're near any streams or lakes, good way to cool their core temp if it is a hot day

 

My dogs drink tons of water when i have em out in the heat... not to excited about lugging all that water but i guess i'll get good workout. I feel like i have seen small filters you can use to make stream or lake water safe to drink. I am gonna be near water from time to time i think, better check into that before i go the filter route!!

 

Random but funny!! I dont remember movies like that but always amazes me those that do.

 

If you don't want to lug water around the do seel filters like you said, best way not to carry a lot of water.

 

Also for the bears get a size can of bear mace. that'll stop them right in there tracks and have them running away.

 

Mr. Brownstone, may I respectfully suggest that, as usual, you sift through the advice given to you and discard any self-promoting fantasy dumbshit that could get you or your dogs in trouble.

There is a good thread from a few months ago that makes suggestions about gear and what to carry. Check it out.

Keep control of your dogs at all times. Some may be able to use jedi mind control on their dogs, but real, responsible hikers , with animal aggressive dogs who do not know what may be around the next bend generally respect themselves, their dogs and wildlife too much to go romping through the woods with loost Pit Bull type dogs "scaring up game." I know people with truly well-trained animals whose dogs were lost, injured, met traps, fell into holes, were poisoned, etc. due to silliness.

Don't carry more than you really need to. Keep it light and tight. Carry insect repellent, a reliable phone, a small first-aid kit, make sure people know of your planned route, wear comfortable terrain-appropriate footwear/clothing and just take it easy.

If you are going to overnight control your fires and tie your dogs.
Good luck, and enjoy the stroll.