What 14ers next with Lab

Dogs, dogs and even some cats
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ker0uac
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by ker0uac »

Also, your dog needs the proper physical conditioning to hike 14ers. If your dog is a couch potato all week, then he doesn't belong in the mountains in the weekends. I demand a lot from my lab when I go climbing, but he gets ~1hr/day of offleash exercise. Additionall, you can find online strength training exercises for dogs: luring him into the up and down position repeatedly mimics a push up, luring him into the sit-pretty position trains his core, as well as training high-fives or crawling. These are a must for a young teen dog.
Those who travel to mountain-tops are half in love with themselves and half in love with oblivion
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jglimp
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by jglimp »

mattdhicks20 wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:43 am Was wondering if anybody had any suggestions or must knows before going out with a dog on the trail. Obviously have to pack in pack out and bring a lot of water for the pup. But if there are any other suggestions it would be greatly appreciated! Also, I had a few questions for Christmas. The first is a backpack so he can carry his own water/food! Any suggestions?
And for the second, I'm nervous to take him on some trails because they are so rocky and I don't want him to tear up the pads on his paws. Not exactly sure because I don't think the booties or whatever they have are really an option. Does anybody have experience in this area and may have some suggestions?
Not a fancy gear suggestion or complicated hack, but something I wish I'd thought to do sooner... consider making yourself a poo bottle!

Designate an old wide-mouth nalgene (ours is covered in hideous stickers so we don't accidentally use it for anything else) for storing your dog's bagged poop after you pick it up. It's sealed off so you don't have to worry about the bag tearing or popping in transit, or the smell on the ride home. It does take up more space, but I feel like the trade-off is worth it. YMMV :)

Outside of that, like others have suggested, getting your dog in "hiking shape" (including their paws) is probably the most helpful thing. Running and walking our dog on gravel, pavement, and... actually hiking (lol - who woulda thought?!?) is really, really helpful to keep her paws tough.
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mindfolded
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by mindfolded »

jglimp wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:30 pm Not a fancy gear suggestion or complicated hack, but something I wish I'd thought to do sooner... consider making yourself a poo bottle!

Designate an old wide-mouth nalgene (ours is covered in hideous stickers so we don't accidentally use it for anything else) for storing your dog's bagged poop after you pick it up. It's sealed off so you don't have to worry about the bag tearing or popping in transit, or the smell on the ride home. It does take up more space, but I feel like the trade-off is worth it. YMMV :)
This is genius.
timisimaginary
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by timisimaginary »

mindfolded wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:23 pm
jglimp wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:30 pm Not a fancy gear suggestion or complicated hack, but something I wish I'd thought to do sooner... consider making yourself a poo bottle!

Designate an old wide-mouth nalgene (ours is covered in hideous stickers so we don't accidentally use it for anything else) for storing your dog's bagged poop after you pick it up. It's sealed off so you don't have to worry about the bag tearing or popping in transit, or the smell on the ride home. It does take up more space, but I feel like the trade-off is worth it. YMMV :)
This is genius.
it's a good idea, too, for TP, feminine hygiene products, or even human poop (if you're somewhere that requires packing out your own poop, like Whitney). might need a bigger bottle for multi-day trips.
"The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you're emotionally detached from it." - George Carlin
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jglimp
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by jglimp »

mindfolded wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:23 pm
jglimp wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:30 pm Not a fancy gear suggestion or complicated hack, but something I wish I'd thought to do sooner... consider making yourself a poo bottle!

Designate an old wide-mouth nalgene (ours is covered in hideous stickers so we don't accidentally use it for anything else) for storing your dog's bagged poop after you pick it up. It's sealed off so you don't have to worry about the bag tearing or popping in transit, or the smell on the ride home. It does take up more space, but I feel like the trade-off is worth it. YMMV :)
This is genius.
Aw, thanks. I cannot take credit for the idea; poop bottles/tubes have been around!

They do work great for dog poop, which *I* wish I’d figured out sooner. 😅
sseliz1580
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by sseliz1580 »

A suggestion on dog gear...

I have an 11 year old very fit Rez dog rescue. She has climbed about a dozen 14ers over her years and countless other 12'ers, 13'ers, and big days up to 26 miles in the Sierra's. She's fit and tough.

Despite that, a few weekends ago she got too sore and was unable to hike back down Elbert with us. It happens, we made a poor decision and pushed her too hard over the weekend.
My husband and I discussed what to do, whether we keep encouraging her and just go slow, carry her, etc. We then remembered in his pack we had this: https://fidoprotection.com/

Turns out it worked pretty good, we secured our dog in it and were able to carry her down the rest of the way. Our dog weighs about 47lbs so it was a quad burner hiking down, but doable. The sling also is not very comfortable and our shoulders burned up pretty quick. BUT, our dog sure was happy getting a free ride.

This isn't meaning to sound like a promo ad, nor to get additional criticism on our bad decision for which we already have extreme guilt about, but more a warning that an investment in some kind of rescue equipment if your dog is injured is a VERY good idea. We had believed our dog to be able to withstand quite a lot of strenuous days, but at her age we need to be more mindful of her limits. We took a foot/paw soak in the creek at the TH, and then some days lounging in the bed at home, extra table scraps, and she's GTG again.

We have also trained her to drink straight from the hose of our Osprey packs, she just turns around in the trail and looks at us to ask for water. She usually ends up hogging most of it. :lol:
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two lunches
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Re: What 14ers next with Lab

Post by two lunches »

sseliz1580 wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:49 pm Despite that, a few weekends ago she got too sore and was unable to hike back down Elbert with us. It happens, we made a poor decision and pushed her too hard over the weekend.
My husband and I discussed what to do, whether we keep encouraging her and just go slow, carry her, etc. We then remembered in his pack we had this: https://fidoprotection.com/

Turns out it worked pretty good, we secured our dog in it and were able to carry her down the rest of the way. Our dog weighs about 47lbs so it was a quad burner hiking down, but doable. The sling also is not very comfortable and our shoulders burned up pretty quick. BUT, our dog sure was happy getting a free ride.

This isn't meaning to sound like a promo ad, nor to get additional criticism on our bad decision for which we already have extreme guilt about, but more a warning that an investment in some kind of rescue equipment if your dog is injured is a VERY good idea.
As I stated before, OP- do not take your dog hiking if you cannot rescue it yourself. Things just HAPPEN on trail sometimes. A misstep, a dislodged rock or boulder, a rodent/bird hole, slick terrain, altitude sickness, ANYTHING could go wrong for your dog on your hike and it is irresponsible to be unprepared to rescue your best friend. This forum has proved repeatedly that the kindness of strangers can save a life in the mountains (human, canine, and otherwise) but you should never plan for someone else to be available to help you in an emergency situation.

@sseliz1580 hit the nail on the head with this suggestion. If you cannot carry your dog, this is an amazing resource to have in your pack, or in my case, in my dog's pack. On our hikes he brings this (as of yet, unused :thumbup:) emergency rescue harness, his own water, food, leash, and first aid kit. I'm glad to hear it works and I hope no one ever has to use another one, but having one of these on hand is better than having to fashion a litter from hiking poles, medical tape, and an extra layer above treeline.
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
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