I am considering doing the Sioux-Hustler trail with my almost 6 month old dog at the end of September. I can effortlessly hike 8 miles with my pack, and have been known to hike 20 mile days (though, honestly, then I need a rest day.) But I have no firm idea what Calcifer can handle. He's been in the BWCA 4 times so far, but the longest portage was around 250 rods, and in between he just lazes around in the canoe. We walk him 2-3 times a day, 45 minutes each time, and he runs a lot in the yard...

Anyone have any thoughts on what I can/should expect from my little guy? (And by little I mean very tall 50 pound lab/something big cross.)

Brought my 6yo lab into stuart lake, then on to Sterling and then back. That is 7 miles of double portaging just to Stuart lake, 20+ miles or so of portaging over 5 days. She did great, swam and fetched on our rest day, and ran the whole time off leash, she is also very active at home. I still think I could hike more than her but barely.

Brought my 1yo 50lb mix up to finger lake via Nina Moose Entry, he was mainly on leash so less running around, but he still double portaged. Maybe 20 miles of walking over 5 days but he came home with a small blister on his pad. Made a big deal of it at times and limped like his foot was going to fall off. He was also very tired on the way home, I would not have wanted to push him too much harder as a result.

So watch those baby feet, your walks at home should help with that but maybe some mushers wax?

Just like human athletes our dogs need training to run and hike long distances. You guys already are doing 2.5 hrs plus at home so with plenty of breaks, water, and a good first aid kit, 4 hours of hiking a day seems reasonable to me. My young pup still likes a small mid-day meal when we work that hard too.

He is still a growing pup with developing joints so be sure to limit him somewhat. He will be able to do more in a year or 2.

Thank you that was really helpful.

This can be somewhat dependent on the dog. It can depend on breed and what sort of condition the dog is in and how well it is prepared for the distances you want to go.

You are the one who knows your dog best and what his physical capabilities are in terms of endurance.

Given that he is only 6 months old you'll just need to keep an eye on him and watch for signs of fatigue. Often times dogs will push themselves harder and longer than they should and we need to be looking out for that so we can restrain them when needed.

Maybe set up a schedule of taking breaks every 2 miles or every hour so that he can rest, get water, and maybe a mid day snack if needed. You can also try keeping him on leash so that he has to walk and not run. I know when I hike the trails in or around the BWCA I'll let my dog off leash at times and he probably covers 5x more distance than I do with his running up and back and side to side. If you can limit that you'll extend the number of miles you can cover.

Also make sure that you don't put a pack on him. He's still too young to be carrying much weight if any. Given the distances you want to go he really shouldn't be carrying any weight at all.

I've hiked and backpacked with my dog on the Superior Hiking Trail many times. He's good for roughly 10 miles a day on a sustainable basis with no problems (if it's not too hot out). A couple of times when he was younger he really tired himself out (off leash part of the time), so having a flexible schedule is a good idea, especially with a young dog. I've learned to really watch for changes in his behavior, because he just wants to go and go if I let him.

I have done as much as 17 miles on a cool day and he had no trouble with that, though we were both happy to do only 4 miles the next day.

Hiking with a dog can be wonderful. Have a great time!

heat kills my lab, he'll need an amazing amount of water. skijoring he can go about six miles, full speed, pulling my son along with his cousin. the three of them are the fastest things on snow.