High Sierra Topix

tarbuckle wrote:My two well behaved buddies. Life in the backcountry would be lonely without them

Nice Pic! Wish my Jack Russell (Bubba) didn't have a bad front shoulder and didn't like to run away. He'd have fun out there. At 13 now, that's not happening.

k9mark wrote:

schmalz wrote:

k9mark wrote:I would just like people to obey the forest service rules....all dogs must be kept on a leash....plain and simple. I've taken too many reports where people were bitten and the owners said, oh, he doesn't bite. I love dogs, owned them, worked them, trained them, but in the right circumstance they will bite. Last thing you need is to get sued.

Most Sierra wilderness does not require dogs to be on leash. I believe Desolation is the one exception.

National forests require pets to be on a leash and or under direct voice control. You have to check with the national forest or park your visiting to verify their individual requirements.

Right, that is what I was getting at. The only area that I've seen that specifically requires leash is Desolation. There might be a couple of others.

As for the beach???????

My dog is better behaved than a lot of the people I run into.

MountainMinstrel wrote: I think that the issue is not with the dogs as much as it is with their owners.

This x a million. For years I had the same experiences and concerns as people in this thread, then I got a dog. And I wanted nothing more than to have one of those rare, perfectly behaved trail dogs that I was lucky enough to run across from time to time.We got Thor (our yellow lab) at 8 weeks old and worked so hard on training during his first year. I am so proud of the trail dog he has become. I'm constantly complimented on what a well behaved dog I have (especially since he's a teenage lab) and I'm so proud. In fact, we focused so much on off leash good behavior that he's a bit of a brat on-leash compared to his impeccable off-leash behavior. One of the things we focused on was keeping him close even when off-leash with a rock solid 'wait' (i.e. STOP and don't do anything until given another command). Luckily, as a lab, he's never interested in straying far from me anyways.

Now, as a dog owner on the trail I have different concerns than before - not only do un-trained dogs on the trail concern me, I worry how they'll react to Thor. Thor isn't protective and would just love to play with any dog that comes along, but a random dog wandering into my camp worries me a lot. When you're so far from medical care and help it's even worse. All of my backcountry worries and fears are elevated when I have my four legged kid with me. I love bringing him with me and he loves being outdoors, but I'm even more sensitive to other dogs now and potential negative experiences, if that makes sense.

BTW I recommend a 'quick draw' leash from Ruffwear that I can grab quickly when needed. It's a great tool. He also wears a pack with a handle. I find that both of these are helpful for training purposes when I can't completely 100% trust his reaction (especially when we first encountered horses on the trail). Both allow me to get quick physical control of him in addition to voice. Of course he is close enough that I can use these tools, which 90% of the off-leash dogs I see are not.

Bonus dog shots - 'helping' me set up camp:


Kisses on his first backpack trip:

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

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

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.

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

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

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.