14ers.com

Looking for a good bread for a hiking companion. #1 priority is a bred that will stay with you and not run off. Any suggestions?

Breed is not as important as training. Almost any dog can be a hiking dog.

i'm a sourdough guy - such flavor with a great chew to it

voredo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:45 am Looking for a good bread for a hiking companion. #1 priority is a bred that will stay with you and not run off. Any suggestions?

Dogs aren't cars or handbags, getting a specific breed and expecting specific behavior has a higher likelihood of disappointment.

As stated above, get a dog with a pleasant personality and put in the time training it to be a good dog.

On the other hand, I will also +1 the sourdough recommendation, especially if it's home made.

I think golden retrievers are the best, just my opinion

For a hiking companion though, you want a bread with staying power. I recommend pumpernickel or rye.

Some of these breads of dog may work:

^ thank you for taking this where you did.

Agree that AKC and specific breed are not the best way to judge. Training, social skills and personality are more important...as is the amount of time and dedication you are willing to pitch in. Many pound pups (state of CO official dog) work out just fine as do smaller dogs. Dogs are a commitment that should not be taken lightly. Their lives are much shorter than our own and parting with them is heartbreaking, and, sometimes, I wonder who is training who. They will teach you loyalty and unconditional love and make you a better human being. Look for connection, not breed. It is just like finding a friend or a partner.

That said, there are definitely some more easily trainable breeds than others, and some that just tend to have "native" skills and intuition required for backcountry. I have a blue heeler and have found heelers, most herders and cattle dogs to be some of the best on and off trail dogs I've ever partnered with for some crazy grueling stuff. As we were wandering through the Wind Rivers last summer, saw a few Border Collies and Australian Shepherds and other cattle dogs. They tend to be medium size (40-50#), and capable of carrying their gear on long range expeditions. Rugged and lots of energy. These are historically working dog breeds. After my heart scarred over from my last lost friend (a red heeler/shepherd mix) a few years back and I went looking for a new partner, for what it is worth, here was my short list; Bernese Mountain Dog, Labs, Retrievers, German Short Hair, Cattle Dogs, Collies, and Australian Shepherds.

If you have not seen it, here is a great video of Ace Kvale's blue heeler...a good glimpse into how important these friends are us...
[VimeoVideo]https://vimeo.com/163509935[/VimeoVideo]

Training plays the biggest role, as others have mentioned. Even with breeds known for certain behaviors, each individual dog's personality can vary wildly. That said, herding dogs are a good place to start. (As long as you have the dedication to put into training and regular exercise.) They're the smartest dogs on the planet and usually prefer to keep their people in sight. Herding is what they were bred for, after all. Breeds like huskies, while incredibly popular as trail dogs, tend to be on the aloof and individualistic side. Again, these are sweeping generalizations -- I've known huskies that wouldn't leave their owner's heel and Aussies that never learned a sit-stay.

A bonus for the herding-dog route: a huge percentage of rescues, especially from reservations, are some mix of cattle dog/shepherd/collie. You can save a life, keep an extra $1,000 in your pocket, and get a wonderful hiking companion through any number of Front Range nonprofits. My favorites are RezDawg Rescue and Colorado Puppy Rescue.

SurfNTurf wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:49 am Training plays the biggest role, as others have mentioned. Even with breeds known for certain behaviors, each individual dog's personality can vary wildly. That said, herding dogs are a good place to start. (As long as you have the dedication to put into training and regular exercise.) They're the smartest dogs on the planet and usually prefer to keep their people in sight.

My Airedale Terrier is similar - they are super smart dogs and she does not let me out of her sight when I've had her offleash in the backcountry.

It's worth considering how much dog you could carry out if needed in an emergency - I'm afraid 65 pounds is too much for me, and that's possibly why you see so many trail dogs in the 45-50 pound range.