Dogs and Hiking/hillwalking

Weidii

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any advice taking dogs hillwalking?

Would it be ok to take a dog along for a mountain climb and camping?

Thanks.

peasant

As long as the dog is fit and healthy, I can't see any problem ... to the contrary.

I would suggest however that you do a trial run on a few small hills to see what his lead discipline is like ...the last thing you want to deal with when you come to a steep downhill bit is a dog that just keeps on pulling


Also remember ...a lead is a must, what with the sheep everywhere.

Weidii

Thanks Peasant. Yeah, the dog I would bring is very fit and is excellent on the lead. The biggest burden involved in bringing him would be the extra water and food weight I'd have to carry!

Has anyone had any experience camping with a dog? Did you let them sleep inside the tent or tie them up outside?

spadder

Right of way issues with farmers is tricky enough, bringing a dog hillwalking near farm animals is not a good idea.

peasant

Weidii wrote: »

Thanks Peasant. Yeah, the dog I would bring is very fit and is excellent on the lead. The biggest burden involved in bringing him would be the extra water and food weight I'd have to carry!

If he's a big dog, he could carry some of his own stuff ...there are special carrier bags (like saddle bags) available for working dogs. This would involve an element of training and getting used to though.

whitser

if your going walking this time of year keep the dog on a lead cos game birds and other animals will have young that might find it hard to escape from a dog. also if your dog isnt 100% stock broken to sheep,cattle horses etc.. it sholuldnt be off the lead ever.

ValerieR

Aww... Camping with your pet!!! Nothing more pleasant and rewarding. We take our dog everywhere and, as he is the 'baby', we would not leave him sleep outside !

More seriously, the dog will be happy to sleep with his masters. Everything depends of course on the relative size of the dog compared to your tent !

ValerieR

kerrysgold

Sounds like great fun for everybody, I'm sure the dog would love it! and yes if he's a large/strong dog he could carry a small backpack for a few things. I'd avoid tins though, too heavy! some dried food would be a lot easier to carry, maybe put a meals worth in some plastic freezer bags and take enough of those to last plus some light treats like mixed ovals or bonios. water is the heavy one, maybe just take a 2L bottle to fill up along the way if you'll be anywhere near water supply? I suppose it depends if you'll be on a campsite with a tap or just going out the mountains or whatever in which case it'd be a bit more difficult. you can get dog travelling water things though with a light foldable bowl, like canvas or something.

Glowing

http://www.discountpetmedicines.com/luxury-pet-dog-tent.htm

Alun

Take a look here http://www.ruffwear.com/ for doggie outdoor gear !!!

Glowing

Alun wrote: »

Take a look here http://www.ruffwear.com/ for doggie outdoor gear !!!

Oh my! You can get hiking boots for your dog! :pac:
http://www.ruffwear.com/Barkn-Boots-Grip-Trex

Alun

Glowing wrote: »

Oh my! You can get hiking boots for your dog! :pac:
http://www.ruffwear.com/Barkn-Boots-Grip-Trex

Yes, I saw that .. and matching sock liners too! Possibly not that stupid an idea if you're going long distances in rocky conditions, but I'd be afraid of losing them at $60 a pop.

Weidii

Thanks for all the advie guys! The dog is a stocky working dog, so he'd have no trouble adjusting to wear a carrier bag. I'll be sure to keep him on the leash too (although I do trust him, it's better to be safe)

One last question, does anyone know if dogs are ok to drink water that's been purified with iodine?

peasant

Weidii wrote: »

One last question, does anyone know if dogs are ok to drink water that's been purified with iodine?

Why would you want to do that?

Dogs are offal eaters, they are very well able to drink rain or creek water as long as it looks reasonably clean. I'm not sure, but I'd suspect that iodine would possibly do more damage than good.

Our dogs at home always prefer to drink rain water (if they can get it) over the stuff from the tap.

lightening

Did a huge amount of camping/canoeing around Ireland with a mate and his terrier.

Brilliant help, great for relocating where we beached the canoe on islands covered in overgrowth! The dog preferred river, lake and rain water to the water we had, so we `didn't bother bringing water with us. Mind you, we were on rivers, canals and lakes all the time.

Bring dog shampoo, you will be sharing a tent with the dog, this terrier would sometimes roll in a fish carcass or something.

Watch out for electric fences, a bang for a cow, an awful bang for a dog.

Bring a towel or the dog.

Watch out for angry cattle or horses. Avoid livestock basically.

You can get harnesses with handles on for helping the dog on particularly tough terrain.

Weidii

While camping around connemara before we had to drink some awful bogwater. Had to filter, boil and purify it! I was really just wondering if I have to drink that sort of water before whether I shoud give it to the dog before the iodine has been added. Thinking about it I'm sure he'd be fine with the boiled stuff, or even just straight bog water!

Thanks for the tips Lightening, they'll come in handy.

doctor evil

Don't let the dog poop in fields that will be cut for hay, as this can cause abortion in cows. May have trouble with farmers who would have a legitimate concern so keep pooch on a lead. You may have to keep the lead on at night to stop him from wriggling out from the tent, or if you want some fresh while snuggling up.

sharkbite1983

Went camping at the south end of Blessington lakes with my 4 month old lab/collie he loved it and so did I, (let him sleep in the tent, you know you want to :-) ) I'd really recommend it. As for the water issue, try to follow rivers and streams, once as it's not mouldy stagnent water he should be ok to drink from them. Enjoy!

TooManyDogs

I camp regularily with hubby and 6 dogs so they don't stay in the tent, too many! I have a barjo cage system for the car so they sleep there at night with the boot door propped open.

Bring a tie out stake for the dog so they can wander a bit and nose at things without you having to constantly watch them, most campsites dont allow the dogs off lead. But don't tether them too near the tent because if it's possible for a dog to get tangled up in the guy ropes, they will!

You might spend a couple of sleepless nights teaching the dog not to growl or gruff at neighbour noises, it's sounds very different to them compared to being at home, you know yourself that if next door tent coughs it sounds like they're coughing in your tent! I found that my dogs took a while to learn not to react to noises from the neighbours, that their proximity wasn't a threat.

Your dog will probably attract a lot of attention from children on the campsite so maybe be aware of that if your dog doesn't like kids or is afraid or whatever and choose an out of the way spot.

We have a great time camping with ours and would recommend it for anyone.

Wisco

And be careful if there are any cliff edges!!! That was really the only thing I worried about when up high in some places.
I've taken mine a good few places (never camping) but we've gone to b n bs and hotels and lots of walkies in between and never worried about bringing water unless I knew it was a really dry walk or at the sea as my fella seems to find water everywhere.

convert

If you're bringing your dog keep him on the lead at all times, whether you trust him or not. There's lots of farmers who have had bad experiences with 'trusted' dogs killing lambs, chasing in-calf cows and heifers and in foal mares, causing them to injure themselves and abort their young. There's lots of lambs, calves and foals out there at the moment, and some farmers will shoot dogs on sight if they're on their land. Also, there's lots of other young wildlife out there at the moment, so it's best to keep your dog on the lead all the time.

Also, as doctor evil said, stay out of grass meadows and fields with crops in them. Not only could walking in them damage the crops, but dog dirt can be highly dangerous if ingested by animals.

Keeping your dog on a lead will also ensure that he can't fall into bog holes, down crevasses, or get at carcasses of fallen livestock which you may come across.