A previous post concerning whether a dog is "right" for the trail has led me to ponder the overall health conditions of a dog during a thru-hike. If you have answers or experience with thru-hiking with a dog, please post to the following questions:
1) Will a dog build feet pads and muscles much like a human hiker and consequently be able to hike more miles after he/she gets the "trail legs?"
2) Are consecutive 20-25 mile days (building up to these days of course) realistic for a dog to complete without tearing his/her feet to shreds?
3)How will a dog be affected by the end result of a hike for most: A meager 2-3 mile walk the rest of his/her days, living the rest of time out in a house?
4) How do you know when your dog has had enough for one day? What are signs of the dog's limits???
Thanks for your input...I'm seriously considering bringing our dog along on our hike and I'm striving for as much information as I can get before making the decision.