Choose a Good Hiking Dog

If you're an avid hiker and backpacker and you're thinking about getting a dog, why not choose one that will be comfortable in the woods with you? Most dogs will enjoy a hike, but not all will be able to handle life on the trail. In order to choose a good hiking dog, you’ll need to consider specific breed characteristics as well as the physical and mental demands that hiking will place on your dog. You’ll also need to devote some time to training your dog to get it ready for the trail. Keeping these things in mind will help you choose the canine hiking partner that’s right for you.

Steps

Assessing Your Dog’s Traits

1. Determine how trainable the dog is. Some breeds are more independent and hard to train than others. If you want your dog to be able to frolic off-leash, you'll need a dog with good recall (comes when called).
   • If you do plan to let your dog off his leash, avoid dogs with a strong prey drive. The last thing you want is for your dog to run away after a squirrel, never to be seen again.
   • Herding, sporting, and retrieving dogs tend to stick close to their owners.
   • If you plan on keeping your dog on a leash on all your hikes, trainability isn't as important.
2. Consider the dog's fur versus your climate. If you're going to be doing a lot of cold-weather or rainy hiking, ideally you want a dog that will have a warm, waterproof coat (consider the Spitz breeds). If you'll be in the sun, a long-haired, dark dog might overheat easily.
   • If you know the breed of the dog, research what they were bred for. Dogs that were bred to work outdoors in an environment like yours will be the most comfortable.
   • Your dog will get dirty on the trail. Be prepared to give a dog with a more generous coat baths more often, or favor a breed that is very fastidious about cleaning itself (e.g. Shiba Inu).
   • Long-haired dogs are likely to get burrs, and are more difficult to inspect for fleas and ticks.
   • Short-haired dogs will get cold more easily and may need to wear special hiking gear (like an insulated jacket) while hiking outdoors.
3. Think about the size and weight of the dog in practical terms. You may encounter specific situations when hiking that require a certain amount of physical strength on your part or that of the dog. Consider the following questions:
   • If the dog gets hurt, would you be able to carry it home? If it falls down to an area where you can't reach it, do you have the strength to hoist it up?
   • If you carpool often, remember that a bigger dog will be harder to squeeze into a vehicle full of hikers.
   • If you need to cross a stream, will you let the dog cross on its own or will you need to carry it?
4. Get a dog that plays nicely with other dogs. If you come across other canine hikers, it'll make life easier for everyone if you have a dog that isn't aggressive toward other dogs (especially if some of your human hiking companions have dogs of their own).
   • If you're getting a puppy, be sure to socialize it during that critical 8-12 week period. Introduce it to well-mannered dogs that are vaccinated.
   • If you're getting an older dog, make sure it already gets along with other dogs.
   • Know how to break up a dog fight, just in case.

Choosing the Right Breed

1. Find a breed that is agile. If you're going to be on trails with steep drop-offs or rocky cliffs and your dog will be off-leash, it's better to have a dog that watches her step and has good balance than to get a dog that in her excitement might slip and fall. An agile dog will be an excellent companion for hiking because they’ll be able to navigate tricky paths and trails without much assistance from their owner. Some dogs that fall in this category include:
   • Weimaraner
   • Akita
2. Choose an easily trainable dog. Dogs that are easy to train usually make excellent hiking companions because they can learn the trails and how you expect them to behave quickly. They will also usually interact well with other hikers and dogs. Some of these breeds include:
   • German Shepherd
   • Labrador Retriever
   • Norwegian Buhund
3. Be cautious about certain breeds. Some dogs (like the Pitt Bull and Rottweiler) are prone to aggression unless trained very diligently. Others are difficult to train – like Huskies and Akitas. Be careful when choosing one of the following breeds as a hiking partner:
   • Pitt Bull
   • Rottweiler
   • Shiba Inu
   • Husky
4. Look for a dog with good endurance. A greyhound or a whippet, for example, will probably not enjoy a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} hike because they are bred for sprinting, not endurance. Additionally, flat-faced breeds such as English Bulldogs will struggle to breathe on long hikes and in hot weather, and so generally shouldn't undertake endurance activities. Some breeds with high endurance include:
   • German Shepherd
   • Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Training Your Dog for Hiking

1. Practice off-leash training. Many people think you should never let your dog off-leash, ever. However, many people do let their dogs off-leash. But if you're going to be one of those people, be prepared, smart, and safe about it. You need to spend some time training your dog to make sure it will behave properly when you let it off the leash.
   • To get your dog ready for off-leash hiking, you’ll need to work with it walking and hiking on the leash first. Encourage your dog not to pull or try to get ahead of the group and reward it with praise and treats when it acts the way you want it to.
   • Over time, you can switch to an extendable leash, but don’t allow the dog to walk past a certain point. When your dog gets to the point that it can stay with you and leave some slack in the leash, try off-leash walking.
2. Use a pack. Train your dog to carry its own supplies by outfitting it with a small pack it can wear on its back. Let the dog wear the empty pack for a while to get used to how it moves and feels on their body first.
   • Once your dog has become accustomed to wearing the pack, add some supplies to it. But make sure it isn’t so heavy that it’ll overload your dog and wear it out.
   • You can put water, a packable container for water, dog food, packable food dish, treats, medication, dog leash, and any other supplies your dog may need in its pack.
3. Consult your veterinarian. Before taking your dog out on its first hike, make sure to discuss the outing with your vet. You’ll need to make sure that your dog has all of the appropriate vaccinations (especially for rabies) before you take it out into the wild.
   • Your vet will also be able to talk to you about any possible physical limitations your specific dog may have or any other health-related problems that may affect your pet’s ability to go on hikes with you.
4. Start slowly. Let your dog ease into the hiking lifestyle. Take your pet on a short, easy hike for the first few times so it can adjust to the new experience and how you expect it to behave.
   • After a while, you can work your way up to longer, more difficult hikes. You might even want to try an overnight camping trip after your dog has shown you it can handle normal hikes.
   • Remember, a dog that is harder to train may need more practice runs before it can go hiking with you the way you want it to. This may include longer time hiking with a leash or shorter overall hikes than you would prefer. Be patient and don’t rush the process.
5. Stay safe on the trail. Only bring your dog on trails that are appropriate for your dog’s levels of physical strength and endurance. Don’t push your dog too hard or you may risk your dog injuring itself.
   • Bring a first aid kit with you on the hike that includes bandages, an antiseptic for wound care, tweezers to remove ticks, and a liquid bandage for paw pad wounds.
   • Be sure to check ahead of time about the rules regarding pets in the area you are planning to hike. Many national parks do not allow dogs at all or require that your dog remain on its leash at all times.

Tips

• Make sure that your dog is not aggressive. If your dog doesn't like other dogs, leave him at home.
• Try to choose a dog that has a lower likelihood of hip dysplasia. That will end her hiking days all too quickly.
• Always clean up after your dog, even in the great outdoors.
• While some people think that when going in bear country dogs are a valuable asset, others disagree. The benefit is that they can smell and/or hear things long before you can, so it gives you an early warning if you're in a bear hot spot. If off leash, though, a dog might find a bear (or a bear cub that has a very protective mother bear nearby) and aggravate it, leading it back to you.

Warnings

• On some trails, it's against the law to have your dog off-leash. Make sure you check ahead of time.
• Don't get a dog for protection on the trail. Expecting a dog to defend you from a bear or cougar is unrealistic. At the very best, a dog will be able to warn you that something dangerous is nearby, but he should not be trained or expected to attack.

Related Articles

• Care for an Akita Inu Dog
• Hike with Your Hound
• Hike Safely

Sources and Citations

See also

• Adopt a Purebred Dog
• Find and Adopt a Healthy and Happy Shelter Dog
• Adopt a Puppy
• Persuade Your Parents to Get a Dog
• Get Started Dog Mushing
• Choose a German Shepherd Puppy
• Choose a Jack Russell Puppy
• Select a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• Choose a Shiba Inu Puppy
• Check a Dog's Pedigree

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