Hiking with Dog

[cuonxc]

Hi, I am new to all this, but am interested in hiking with my dog. It was suggested that I start with Mt Arab so I know how much water she drinks. I was thinking about doing that next week and trying to combine it with a trip up Mt Ampersand in the same day. Is Mt Ampersand okay for a pretty athletic australian shepherd? I've heard about narrow/steep rocky passages...

I would like to do Porter and Cascade this fall, so Arab and Ampersand are kind of in preparation for that.

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Alpine1]

One of my hiking companions is an English Springer. He has climbed almost every 46er mountain along with many many others in the Adirondacks. He has no problems. My GF has a miniature Australian Shepard and he so far has had little issue in the High Peaks. If he's(?) athletic than you should have no issues with the length of journey. Steep rock and cliffy areas do give timid dogs troubles sometimes.

[Pumpkin QAAD]

Excellent plan. I would say your pup will be running circles around you on both of those trails. The last mile of Amp is going to be tougher on you I would imagine than on the pup. My suggestions are to ensure you have the proper collar since you say you are new as well so the dog doesn't get caught on something and choke. You are not supposed to have the dog off the leash on the trail and in the event he does get off its a good precaution to have a bell as they can get some distance fast. Both hikes are considered day hikes but planning as you are for water consumption is prudent.

You probably have the ideal dog for hiking, even with elevation, imo.

And you are picking ideal, fairly short, dog test hikes.

[iangoround]

You may want to think about getting a harness or harness/saddlebag combo for your dog. I use a Ruffwear Palisades on my 75lb pit mix. Aside from making her carry some of her own stuff, the harness has a handle in the middle of the back which is helpful for getting her over huge blowdown and pulling her out of the mud pit she didn't expect to be so deep.

Somewhere I think there is a thread on this forum that debates the merits of different dog harnesses and accessories.

[snav3]

I use a harness for my dog in the mountains ($17 at petsmart). It's great for helping him up or down steep sections. Also, with a longer lead it helps keeps the leash from wrapping around his legs.
Keep an eye on your dogs pads and nails, some dogs are more sensitive than others. My friend has an Aussie (not sure how athletic she was) and her paws got torn upon a hike in PA. He had to carry her out and she limped for days.