Dogs in Wilderness

[cefire]

As a dog owner, avid hiker, and (mostly) rule-follower: Leash your dog

Leash your dog when it is not well-behaved
Leash your dog when it is well-behaved
Leash your dog when it is required
You decide when it is not required (see below)

Somewhere between 5-10 times now, my dog has been attacked by "friendly" dogs. Dogs are animals, and (like humans) their behavior is variable. Friendly and well-behaved in some contexts, aggressive and captured by impulse in other contexts. As has been mentioned, a dog bite is no small thing when in the backcountry. In the normative instance, the owner will say "he/she never does that!". This may be true, however, all of these "one-off" instances add up. Each dog may only contribute one negative episode but owners fail to consider the aggregate influence.

There seems to be a lot of justification in this thread ("MY" dog mostly obeys me, my dog is almost always friendly/well-behaved/etc.) and a lot of this justification is probably, well...largely justified. However, let's not pretend we can predict how our dogs will behave in every situation. We underestimate the unpredictability of behavior, ergo leash your dog.

Take your dog along! But leash it

[cefire]

I guess I should post a shot of my leashed peak-bagging companion:

[Shhsgirl]

Dogs are different than mules in wilderness, due to the nature of their feces, which shouldn't need more explanation. Please either pick up your dog feces or bury them the way you do human waste.

[Snowtrout]

Kaiser Wilderness - George Lake - stare down with the resident marmot. She was leashed the whole trip.....the dog, not the marmot.

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[sekihiker]

All this dog talk inspired me to write up a trip report for my dog Beans' first multiday hike.
You can find it at: http://www.sierrahiker.com/BeansDinkey2002/index.html

[markskor]

From the notes of the PCT class of 2018 -
Scott Lawson
March 10 at 8:10 AM
Did any of you bring your dog on trail? In short time I was on trail, saw two hiker-k9 duos.

What are lessons learned for those of you who did?

Alan Tuna Capone - I’ve done multiple thurs with my dog. I recommend leaving them home. Most pct hikers don’t have enough experience to maintain themselves let alone a dog on trail.

Tuna Capone - I've taken my pal on small hikes and he loves it. He has his own special pack. I've even had booties for him on the rough terrain. What special equipment did you use?
But, weekends and a 2500+ they hike are very different. First aid backpack weather gear food
Manage


Dave Carter - Big pain in the ass for you the dog and others!

Mariah Boyle - There’s a good backpacker radio episode on this topic - look for the one with Furball/Nadia
Mariah Boyle you have link for the episode?

Scott Lawson - not offhand. You should be able to google it or look it up in your podcast app

Darren Krokum - At risk of making a lot of people mad - don't do it. Your dog is your most loyal companion. They will follow you even if near death. They do not sweat and it is very hard for them to stay cool. As a result you will need to carry 2.5 times the water. You should only hike at night or very early in the morning. A dog does not feel sorry for itself and will not quit no matter the pain. It's very hard on their feet but problems are guaranteed. Only take a dog if you are selfish and do not care for animals. There are many places along the trail where dogs are not allowed.

Scott Lawson - I'm ONLY seeking info from those whom taken their Pals, no other opinions are solicited please.

Darren Krokum - My parents bred and showed dogs before I was born. I have been around dogs all my life. My dog has been with me on numerous 3-4 day trips AND I have hiked SoCal on the PCT. I wouldn't even think of bringing him there because of the terrain and the exposure. I also have hiked with several dog owners with all the research and the gear. They all came to the same conclusion between 50 and 250 miles - either they quit of sent the dog home.
My dog is a strong hiker and loves going but I am the pack leader and as such make the responsible decisions.
It sounds like you have already made your mind up and are just looking for someone to make you feel better about a bad decision.
If you don't want opinions then don't post here.
My guess is that the majority of people are going to advise against it. Not because we hate you but because we know.

[rlown]

Still taking my dog. His break-in training trip to the French basin. If he doesn't cut it, he stays home the next time.
It is a lot of work taking them, but you've got to try at least once. Remember too that dogs do at least twice the mileage the human does with the running up and back to you.

[Wandering Daisy]

Leash or not? The point is to have the dog under control. If your dog is not under control, for any given circumstance, then put them on a leash. But that is not even a guarantee. NOTHING replaces training.

On a busy trail with lots of dogs, our dog IS on a leash. At night our dog is always in the tent with us. Our dog sticks to us like glue. But that is about 10% of miles on our trips. Our dog is off-leash trained, with daily reinforcement walks, so when we are in areas where we see 1-2 people in an entire day and perhaps one other dog (90% of the time), she is off leash AND under control, never out of our sight.

A leashed strong large dog, who is not well trained, and intent on going after something, be it a backpacker, other dog, or deer will simply pull their owner down, perhaps injuring the owner as well as run off or attack others. A leash does not mean you do not have to train your dog. There was a news item on NPR recently that noted the increased injury (falls, broken hips) particularly of older women who walk dogs when their dog bolts. I have had many leashed muddy dogs jump on me in the wilderness. The two dog who did attack my dog and me, WERE on leashes, and pulled out of their owners hands.

Our dog goes on 2-3 short trips a year. Other than that, I prefer to hike without a dog, because it is a lot of work and responsibility to take a dog on my own. And I want to go into areas that do not allow dogs. My husband, on the other hand, will NOT go into any area that does not allow dogs, so my "dog" trips are only family trips. A few years ago in the Wind River Mountains, I ran into a camp, WAY off the beaten path, far from any trail; a family- parents, six kids from 5-15, three dogs, grandparents! What a joy! I was absolutely astounded that they got everyone to that location. And were they having fun. Well behaved dogs too, off leash too. Dogs, families, kids, grandparents, even horses, ALL have a place in the wilderness.

[rlown]

Dogs and altitude:

https://longhaultrekkers.com/high-altit ... ct-my-dog/

Pretty good article.

[Lumbergh21]

A leashed strong large dog, who is not well trained, and intent on going after something, be it a backpacker, other dog, or deer will simply pull their owner down, perhaps injuring the owner as well as run off or attack others. A leash does not mean you do not have to train your dog. There was a news item on NPR recently that noted the increased injury (falls, broken hips) particularly of older women who walk dogs when their dog bolts. I have had many leashed muddy dogs jump on me in the wilderness. The two dog who did attack my dog and me, WERE on leashes, and pulled out of their owners hands.

Funny (or not so funny) thing is a person posted that as a reason that they never leash their dog, because it would pull them over. That response was right up there with, dogs are animals and they need to work it out themselves (he was explaining why his dog attacking was just natural and not a problem; he also said.that he would shoot anybody that tried to intervene and hurt his dog).