Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: Doggie Paddle :: How far can your dog hike?
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nofish |
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. |
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jwartman59 |
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UphillHarry |
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! |
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RRHD |
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.) |
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RRHD |
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barracuda |
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. |