Preparing dog to hike

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Oct 21, 2013
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Location
Bitteroot Valley
My 6.5 mo black lab/blue Heeler, Gunner, is ready to start hiking with me. This will be the first dog I've had that I'll be taking on hikes and scouting trips so I'm totally new to this. Are there anythings beyond the ordinary I need to consider?

What first aid stuff to add?
Boots to protect feet in the winter?
Any exercises to practice to keep him calm if we bump into deer or elk?
Good idea to get a big bell for his collar?

Looking for any and all suggestions, thanks!
c52b530db5bf6cec58cf538039184387.jpg
 
Are you going to be in a grizzly area? I have a lab that I really don't worry too much about. Quick dry super glue will fix most cuts along with duct tape. She packs her own food and usually a towel to sleep on. She stays in sight and will come when called. Basic obidience will go a long way. As far as the deer/elk thing goes you will just have to see how he reacts. Some dogs will want to chase others won't. Heeler in him may make him want to chase.
 
Are you going to be in a grizzly area? I have a lab that I really don't worry too much about. Quick dry super glue will fix most cuts along with duct tape. She packs her own food and usually a towel to sleep on. She stays in sight and will come when called. Basic obidience will go a long way. As far as the deer/elk thing goes you will just have to see how he reacts. Some dogs will want to chase others won't. Heeler in him may make him want to chase.

No Grizzlies, mostly looking at the bell so I can keep tabs on him when my in sight. With I'm having Heeler on him he tends to stick pretty close and does real good when called. I've thought about getting a shock caller but kinda want to avoid that.

Did it take much for your dog to get used to the pack for his stuff?
 
Not at all she did really good the first time out with it. Try and make it as comfortable as possible for them by making sure the weight is even.
 
First aid: EMT gel, vet wrap, and super glue. I'd pack a syringe with some benedryl if you're into snakes.
Feet: I bet his feet are fine, especially by winter, if you've had him out and about at all over the summer/fall. But, Musher's Secret is good in snow/ice, and if you go boots the Lewis boots are hands down the best, but learn to put them on right.
Bumping deer/elk: you could whoa train him. Some dogs just like to watch with keen interest, like they are prey, but still not chase. You want to associate whoa with game, so you can warn him, and then he knows to stop, slow down, and look out. Hopefully he just enjoys watching them run away.

I hate bells, and I bet a heeler will want to stay close to you, but you know your dog.
 
First aid: EMT gel, vet wrap, and super glue. I'd pack a syringe with some benedryl if you're into snakes.
Feet: I bet his feet are fine, especially by winter, if you've had him out and about at all over the summer/fall. But, Musher's Secret is good in snow/ice, and if you go boots the Lewis boots are hands down the best, but learn to put them on right.
Bumping deer/elk: you could whoa train him. Some dogs just like to watch with keen interest, like they are prey, but still not chase. You want to associate whoa with game, so you can warn him, and then he knows to stop, slow down, and look out. Hopefully he just enjoys watching them run away.

I hate bells, and I bet a heeler will want to stay close to you, but you know your dog.

All great info, thanks. I will work on the whoa, great idea.

The bell was mostly an after thought. I'll take him on a few hikes before I make a decision on that.
 
All good info here. Another option if you're worried about chasing game would be to start training with a 30-50ft check leash. This could be used in conjunction with the "whoa" command, and will help them to better understand their range limitations. I've seen this used on a number of pheasant dogs to prevent them from chasing after birds. Only difference is the "whoa" command is substituted with a gun shot in most cases.
 
The main concern I always have is my dog getting shot by someone thinking she is a coyote. Yours is the wrong color but still. I always try to have orange on her. We never have to worry about snow or sore feet down here though.
 
I like taking my dog for long hikes, people will ask us what type he is and I'll joke that he's part brittany, part mountain goat, and part donkey. I've found that my dog likes birds, rabbits, deer and bear scat (he's pretty good at finding piles), but that's pretty much it and he's never chased a deer or any other game. He's also whistle trained and I bring a whistle when we're hiking. It's easier to get his attention and get him to stop with that and than me yelling his name and whoa 15 times because he can't or won't hear me (part donkey). Practice with a pack for short-ish distances and lengthen them. They may develop rough spots or blisters if they're not fitted right. Plus they need to get used to having the extra girth. I've seen him run between saplings checking out a scent and get stuck or bounced around because he forgot he had his pack on. Orange is never a bad idea, even just a collar. I may have a lucked out, but he likes hanging around the camp site and I haven't had to worry about him running off exploring and not coming back. He knows where his dinner is. A couple of toots on the whistle and he comes charging back to camp.
 
Collars are for when you have the dog's obedience at 100% and need to extend the range of your control over them past the length of a check cord. For a heeler I would doubt if its stupid enough to need a training collar, but they can be smart enough to come to the opinion that "hey, I'm far enough away from the human I can do what I want." Solid obedience will overcome that in time.

My biggest issues with hiking dogs is the lack of control when approaching other people. My lab takes a huge amount of control when people get within 30 feet. She loves people, but I don't love it when she climbs all over them with her affection. Its rude of me to let it happen. But I find many folks just don't care if their dogs accost others. It boggles my mind.
 
Lots of good suggestions in the replies so far. I'm a huge fan of both EMT gel and super glue and don't leave the house with my dog without them both. The other thing to keep in mind is that at 6.5 months old, your boy is still a very young puppy despite his size and apparent energy and stamina. So I'd suggest taking it very easy on him until he's matured a bit more. They're growing like crazy at that age and repeated hard work can be tough on them.

Looks like you got a good partner on your hands and have lots of fun to look forward to.
 
I like taking my dog for long hikes, people will ask us what type he is and I'll joke that he's part brittany, part mountain goat, and part donkey. I've found that my dog likes birds, rabbits, deer and bear scat (he's pretty good at finding piles), but that's pretty much it and he's never chased a deer or any other game. He's also whistle trained and I bring a whistle when we're hiking. It's easier to get his attention and get him to stop with that and than me yelling his name and whoa 15 times because he can't or won't hear me (part donkey). Practice with a pack for short-ish distances and lengthen them. They may develop rough spots or blisters if they're not fitted right. Plus they need to get used to having the extra girth. I've seen him run between saplings checking out a scent and get stuck or bounced around because he forgot he had his pack on. Orange is never a bad idea, even just a collar. I may have a lucked out, but he likes hanging around the camp site and I haven't had to worry about him running off exploring and not coming back. He knows where his dinner is. A couple of toots on the whistle and he comes charging back to camp.

I like the idea of the whistle, I will have to pick one up. As far as training with it: do you simply use the whistle to get their attention and then throw out the normal commands (stay, come, etc..)?

Great suggestions everyone, greatly appreciated.
 
My 6.5 mo black lab/blue Heeler, Gunner, is ready to start hiking with me. This will be the first dog I've had that I'll be taking on hikes and scouting trips so I'm totally new to this. Are there anythings beyond the ordinary I need to consider?

What first aid stuff to add?
Boots to protect feet in the winter?
Any exercises to practice to keep him calm if we bump into deer or elk?
Good idea to get a big bell for his collar?

Looking for any and all suggestions, thanks!
c52b530db5bf6cec58cf538039184387.jpg

That is an interesting mix, does he have balanced traits of both breeds? I have had quite a few Labs over the years and put my last one down a couple years ago so I've been looking at Healers and Labs lately but I think I would jump all over an opportunity for a dog like yours.
Let me know if the parents breed again!
 
I like the idea of the whistle, I will have to pick one up. As far as training with it: do you simply use the whistle to get their attention and then throw out the normal commands (stay, come, etc..)?

Great suggestions everyone, greatly appreciated.
Usually one toot to get him to stop, three or more for here/come. If your pup is already trained to here/come, it's easy enough to switch over to the whistle. My hunting partner trained his kids' dachshund/bassett mix to come to a whistle with bits of hotdog. She'll crash through a door to get to him if he blows that whistle now. There are plenty of guides online on how to train them to the whistle, keep it simple and always reward and they'll learn eventually. It's a helpful tool to have.
 
That is an interesting mix, does he have balanced traits of both breeds? I have had quite a few Labs over the years and put my last one down a couple years ago so I've been looking at Healers and Labs lately but I think I would jump all over an opportunity for a dog like yours.
Let me know if the parents breed again!

He's a great dog! Very smart, tons of energy and very athletic. I would say he definitely took on the Heeler traits a lot more. Currently, he stands about 18" at the shoulder and weighs about 38#'s. I don't see him getting much over 45#. He acts like a Heeler as well. Took on the coloration and face of the lab though, his ears have been trying to stand up also.

Unfortunately, he came from an accidental litter.
 
Some dogs can be really active hunters, and others chasers, and some do both. I have had sheep dogs in the past and now bird dogs. If you happen to have a dog that enjoys chasing deer, it is really handy to to have an electric collar. For chasing deer, it has only taken exposing my dogs 1-2 times to deer or moose with the electric collar as a puppy to get rid of any wish they have to ever want to chase ungulates again. For an active hunting dog that you want to stay closer, it is helpful to always have the electric collar on as a reminder. If you want the dog to stay within a certain range, it is really helpful to touch the dog gently with the collar at the end of the range, and then say "here". A dog trainer once told me that doing this sometimes makes certain that the dog is not pushing the boundaries all of the time and waiting for you to call them before they move back closer. When I remember, I take a whistle and use 2 short whistles for "Here" (which means come back this way or change directions with me or don't get any further away), and 1 long whistle for for "Right Here" (which means come all of the way to me now). The whistle will get a dog's attention better than voice when they are hunting.
 
Whoa is really nice for when you run into horses on the trail, so the dog just freezes whereever they are, since some horses get pretty nervous around dogs.
 
Since you actually asked the question you are way ahead of most trail dogs. I'd just take him for a hike. He'll care less about the pack after about ten seconds and at that age from here on out that pack will be nothing short of an "on" button.

Keep him close and carry a leash so you can correct any bad behavior immediately as any bad habits learned on those first few trips will be a lifelong challenge if not taken care of promptly. Don't let any training opportunity pass. Be it stock, deer or swimmers just try and teach him that this is normal and nothing to be excited about. If he gets overly excited or starts to roam just go thru a basic training session. Make him think rather than just letting him be a happy dog on the trail.

All dogs have quirks. It's your job to manage the bad quirks and promote the good ones. For example there are folks who will yell and scream all day at their dog to stop barking at a chipmunk. That's a waste of time (short of bringing out a shock collar and going full boar force training) while the smart dog owner tosses a stick in the lake. Guess what. The pups no longer barking at chipmunks and that quirk is taken care of in about 2 seconds.

But I'd guess he'll be just fine and I don't think it will be very difficult for you as he's the perfect mix for a trail dog.
 
I'm on my 3rd mountain dog now (all chocolate labs). I agree with above that the whistle can be a huge advantage!! I also train my dogs with hand signals as well so just in case we run into elk I wont have to make a bunch of noise to get the dog back to me. I also take each of my dogs out around cattle (lots of free range cattle around here) so they get used to something big wondering around. I do also pack benadryl for the dog in case of them biting at bee's and getting stung. I couldn't imagine hiking without a dog with me anymore, they truly are your best friend on the trail. Best thing is they always want to go wherever you decide to go!!
 
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