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Thread: Dog gear

  1. #81
    •Completed A.T. Section Hike GA to ME 1996 thru 2003 •Donating Member Skyline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrumbSnatcher View Post
    man up and carry your dogs gear. dogs are not built like pack animals. dog packs should be ILLEGAL........................................... .................................................. ............................................

    Oh, please.

    Common sense has to prevail. Don't force a dog to carry too much weight. But no weight? Dog packs should be illegal? "Man up"?

    My dog goes berserk when I pull her pack down from the shelf. In a good way! It means she's going hiking--perhaps for several days. It's a saddlebag pack that weighs about 1.25 lbs. empty. Fully packed with her food, water, shelter, and ground stake it's about 8 lbs. She weighs a bit over 50 lbs. That's less than 1/6 of her body weight. Not a problem. She balks at getting in the truck without her pack if she sees me put my pack in. That says enough for me.

  2. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skyline View Post
    Oh, please.

    Common sense has to prevail. Don't force a dog to carry too much weight. But no weight? Dog packs should be illegal? "Man up"?

    My dog goes berserk when I pull her pack down from the shelf. In a good way! It means she's going hiking--perhaps for several days. It's a saddlebag pack that weighs about 1.25 lbs. empty. Fully packed with her food, water, shelter, and ground stake it's about 8 lbs. She weighs a bit over 50 lbs. That's less than 1/6 of her body weight. Not a problem. She balks at getting in the truck without her pack if she sees me put my pack in. That says enough for me.

    you say common sense has to prevail,but it usally dont. my boyfriend crumbsnatcher has over 8,000 miles on the a.t. and he has seen this common sense you talk about.(or lack of) and just because you have some dont mean everyone else does. he was joking about the illegal part(packs should be illegal) he carried all of bears gear because he wanted to. NOBODY CARES FOR THIER DOG ON THE TRAIL MORE THAN CRUMBSNATCHER, JUST ASK AROUND. bear could hike thirty miles a day, consistantly or twelve miles a day. it was always up to the dog(bear). THE WAY IT SHOULD BE-UP TO THE DOG....

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    Quote Originally Posted by BipolarStroller View Post
    you say common sense has to prevail,but it usally dont. my boyfriend crumbsnatcher has over 8,000 miles on the a.t. and he has seen this common sense you talk about.(or lack of) and just because you have some dont mean everyone else does. he was joking about the illegal part(packs should be illegal) he carried all of bears gear because he wanted to. NOBODY CARES FOR THIER DOG ON THE TRAIL MORE THAN CRUMBSNATCHER, JUST ASK AROUND. bear could hike thirty miles a day, consistantly or twelve miles a day. it was always up to the dog(bear). THE WAY IT SHOULD BE-UP TO THE DOG....
    If I left the days distance up to my dog, I would kill over dead!
    Stumpy

    You can never go wrong with butter or bacon!!!!

  4. #84
    Registered User pittmad's Avatar
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    I'm thru-hiking this year with my dog as well. She's just over a year old and knows how to act/behave on the trail unlike any other dog I've seen. A true natural.

    For those that have hiked with their canines, can I rely on outposts and resupply stops for all of her food?
    Andy Pittman

  5. #85
    •Completed A.T. Section Hike GA to ME 1996 thru 2003 •Donating Member Skyline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BipolarStroller View Post
    you say common sense has to prevail,but it usally dont. my boyfriend crumbsnatcher has over 8,000 miles on the a.t. and he has seen this common sense you talk about.(or lack of) and just because you have some dont mean everyone else does. he was joking about the illegal part(packs should be illegal) he carried all of bears gear because he wanted to. NOBODY CARES FOR THIER DOG ON THE TRAIL MORE THAN CRUMBSNATCHER, JUST ASK AROUND. bear could hike thirty miles a day, consistantly or twelve miles a day. it was always up to the dog(bear). THE WAY IT SHOULD BE-UP TO THE DOG....

    Totally agree. When you hike with a dog, you have to let the dog's abilities guide your routine. Same as when you hike with a group of humans. The abilities of the slowest person has to set the pace for the rest.

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    Registered User pittmad's Avatar
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    I've been looking for ways to make sure my dog is going to have enough calories. Has anyone ever used or heard of this?

    http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Stat-Hig.../dp/B0006N9DXG
    Andy Pittman

  7. #87

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    pittmad, yeah the product you listed works well in small doses.(nutri-cal too) my dog enjoyed alot of the snacks i enjoyed. on trail-beef jerky,tuna,grandmas peanut butter cookies etc. off trail, when i made it to towns or such, can dog food(pedigree)and whenever i had restraunt food, usually cheeseburgers id always go outside and share order double burgers and gave her a patty off the sandwich. most important when you reach your campsite every evening, let your dog settle down before feeding so they dont get a upset stomach. carried daily vitamens too. neosporin works great on dry and cracking pads.(some dog booties work well. ) i carried benadryl (antihistamine) suppose to stop the swelling, incase of snake bite. slows or stops the swelling of thier neck and head so they dont choke to death,get them to a vet as soon as posible.

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    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    pittmad, to up the amount of calories in the dog's diet, try adding some oil to the regular dog food. And don't neglect protein intake, either. Those muscles have to have something to rebuild with!

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    thanks y'all.
    Andy Pittman

  10. #90

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    Can't believe it took me so long to find this discussion.

    Thanks Alwayshiking for the collar site - I just went on and ordered two.

    I'll be heading out from Amicalola on 21 Feb with my Jack Russell "Nails". (You should see her with her pack!) Anyone else in the doggie state of mind going to be around about then?

    Also thanks to whomever mentioned the idea of the dog carrying your stuff and you carrying the food - brilliant thinking. (I was imagining packing each meal into two equal-weight bags so that her pack would always be balanced. What a drag that would have been!)

    My dog's done 60 miles in a 24-hour period with me before, and she's refused to do even 3 miles in the Australian sun sometimes (we're from Sydney originally) - so I totally agree with the idea that the dog's in charge.

    And I think you're right, Cerberus, about just popping into a vet when it comes time for the vaccs. And I bet if they're booked out, they'll help you make a booking at the vet in the next town down the line.

    And finally, fwiw, I've gone with the advice in the article posted on the ATC's site about hiking the AT with dogs: I'm using "Pad-Tough" on her feet at the moment, and she's nice 'n tough now - got the boots and the tape too, just in case. I've also gone with the Science Diet Active food. I'm a diabetic myself, so I've got a long history of nutritional care under my belt, and counting calories for the pup is every bit as important as doing so for you. You can actually see the dog 'bonk' in early afternoon if he's not eating/drinking enough - just like you.

    I'm also a huge advocate of getting the dog to carry around weight - as much as he'll allow you to - for the easy walks around the neighborhood. It's just like a serious runner would do it - train in heavy shoes, and when you get to the main event, bust out the racing flats.

    But you sound like you're in great shape - hope to run into you along the way.

  11. #91
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    and to add to the dog carrying weight: look at the breed, some breeds aren't designed to carry weight, some are, my coco has alot of rottie in her (she's a mutt), rotties are designed for carrying weight, its in their bone structure and muscles (for example rotties are wide set). some are built for speed, companionship, endurance, or sprints; all with varying capacities . i wouldn't make a greyhound carry any weight, they just aren't built for it.

    really the best way to find out, is look up the history of your dog breed, what was its initial purpose, for mutts, figure out the strongest breeds in your dog, a vet can help you w/ this (or anyone very familiar w/ lots of different breeds)

    adjust the weight that you will allow your dog to carry based off of that.
    Gaiter
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gaiter View Post
    and to add to the dog carrying weight: look at the breed, some breeds aren't designed to carry weight, some are, my coco has alot of rottie in her (she's a mutt), rotties are designed for carrying weight, its in their bone structure and muscles (for example rotties are wide set). some are built for speed, companionship, endurance, or sprints; all with varying capacities . i wouldn't make a greyhound carry any weight, they just aren't built for it.

    really the best way to find out, is look up the history of your dog breed, what was its initial purpose, for mutts, figure out the strongest breeds in your dog, a vet can help you w/ this (or anyone very familiar w/ lots of different breeds)

    adjust the weight that you will allow your dog to carry based off of that.

    To add to that:

    Even among breeds there can be very different abilities from dog to dog. A lot of what decides whether a dog can carry weight and how much depends on the individual dog's health and general wellbeing. Always consult a vet before beginning training with a pack. And always work up to weight, start slowly then add on gradually.


    This is a good thread, thanks to the OP for starting it and hopefully other people are gaining knowledge from it as well.

  13. #93
    Registered User pittmad's Avatar
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    my dog that i'm thruhiking with is a Mountain Cur (great trail dog) and she's pretty slender (trying to help her put on some pounds before heading out) so I'm going to carry most of her food. She'll carry jerkey, her meds, leash, and some of her food, but that's about it. I don't want her to be weighed down too much and end up straining her back.
    Andy Pittman

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    Registered User Roots's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AlwaysHiking View Post
    To add to that:

    Even among breeds there can be very different abilities from dog to dog. A lot of what decides whether a dog can carry weight and how much depends on the individual dog's health and general wellbeing. Always consult a vet before beginning training with a pack. And always work up to weight, start slowly then add on gradually.


    This is a good thread, thanks to the OP for starting it and hopefully other people are gaining knowledge from it as well.
    We have a golden/lab mix 17month old. She is a handful with all the energy, but our goal is to one day be able to backpack with her. For now, we just wait for the pup to settle down. Thanks for all this info, it is great to see everyone's input. It helps with our pup's hiking future.
    HAPPY TRAILS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD HIKE!

  15. #95
    Mom of Future Thru-Hiker docllamacoy's Avatar
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    Long thread so I didn't read through it all so I might be repeating a suggestion.
    Ask your vet for a supply of antibiotics. Coy got kennel cough on the PCT. If we had had a 7 day supply of antibiotics on hand, it would have saved us a vet visit.
    Llama, of Doc, Llama & Coy

  16. #96
    Mom of Future Thru-Hiker docllamacoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pittmad View Post

    For those that have hiked with their canines, can I rely on outposts and resupply stops for all of her food?
    Well, we did and were able to find Iams puppy food almost everywhere, but that was truly the best we could find for the most part. And it's crappy food. I tried to mail better food along, but that gets expensive with weight.
    So I guess it depends on what kind of food you want to have. If I were going to do it over again, I would buy Nature's Variety Freeze Dried Food and do mail drops for it. It's expensive, but it's so much better for them than Iams.
    But, yes, to answer your question, you can rely on towns for all of her food if you're not picky about the type.
    Llama, of Doc, Llama & Coy

  17. #97
    Mom of Future Thru-Hiker docllamacoy's Avatar
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    Coy did NOT carry a pack on our '03 thru-hike. She did carry one on our '02 PCT thru-hike, and after that, we really changed our view on them. I don't think they are good for them over a long period of time, unless the weight is VERY minimal. Dayhikes, weekend hikes, sure, but I don't know if I'd ever put a pack on a dog again for a thru-hike.
    Llama, of Doc, Llama & Coy

  18. #98

    Default New Dog

    I am in the middle of a thru hike heading south. My appendix ruptured just at the right time for me to have to go home for the holidays from NJ. So, in Jan I am returning to NJ to continue my thruhike.

    I came across a stray a few days ago. She is my dog now. She is awesome. She will be coming with me to NJ. She is quite hyper and filled with energy, so I do not see to much problem getting her used to hiking that many miles a day. The main thing I am concerned about is what gear do I need to hike with a dog? Its going to be COLD. Oh Boy!! I picked out the dog pack, and I will probably make some leather booties for her. And I have an old foam sleeping pad that I could cut to fit her. But what else? It is going to be cold.

    ~ Z

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    How big is the dog? Where did you find her? What kind of coat does she have?

    My dog, from the FL Keys sleeps under a blanket when we're in colder temps. Depending upon the size of the dog, she can curl up under your jacket if you're not wearing it to sleep in. But, it may get a little doggie smelling!

    I was using a piece of fleece, but, it didn't really work well, because if the dog turned around during the night, the blanket would fall off and she couldn't get back under it. I recently found an old sleeping bag I'm cutting down. It's puffy enough that I think she can cover up on her own, without waking me up, if she turns around during the night.

    A cut a trash compactor bag to use for a rain coat when it was cold and raining. Chamois cloths are super light, dry easily, and are a great thing to dry/wipe off a wet/muddy dog.

    I've got a two man tent (for me and the dog) but sleeping in the vestibule would help on warmth if you've got a smaller tent.

  20. #100

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    She is 35 lbs., but she was kind of skinny when I found her, so I am trying to fatten her up just a bit before the hike. She has spent I assume all her time outside in NC in the fall and early winter and seems fine in 20 degree nights at least. I found her running around in a neighbor hood for about a week. The neighbors had all taken turns taking care of her and feeding her, but none of them wanted to keep her. She is so friendly towards humans. I do not know about other dogs.

    I wish I had a tent, but all I have is a large piece of Tyvec which I love. So light weight. I can normally set it up like a small tent though. I hope that will do for us in that respect. I used a contractor trash bag for me for a while, but did you have any experience with it tearing with the dog? I have a feeling she will love running through brambles. I have a good pack towel that I carry anyways which would work to dry her off, but I do not have a rain jacket except if I made one like you suggested. Should I try to keep her dry during the day completely or just make sure to dry her off at the end of the day when going to sleep? Thanks for the suggestion about the sleeping bag. I was going to use a fleece blanket, but I think I have an old kids sleeping bag lying around from walmart or the like.

    I am trying to get a pack for her as soon as possible to start getting her used to carrying it, but I do not have much time to do this since I am trying to get back on the trail as soon as possible after I heal from surgery and the holidays are over. I would like to end with her carrying all her gear and food, but I understand from my own experience not to start out so heavy. I am going to increase it in increments with me carrying the difference? How long do you think I should take to increase her pack weight to the max compacity with which she should carry?

    Thanks again for the info.

    ~Z

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