Trail Dogs, whatch got?

[MobileBackpacker]

I've got two beagles but rarely take them in the woods anymore, certaintly not backpacking. I used to take em on trails when they were pups but they are just too stubborn now and would run off and probably get themselves lost, plus they are deadly afraid of water.

So, im thinking of getting a good trail dog. Suggestions? What do you have and what do you think.......

[wirerat123]

There are tons of opinions on this, and just about any breed of dog can be a good hiking buddy.  But I have preferences, and there are reasons behind them, it's my personal opinion and nothing more.  Medium build breeds that are known for high intelligence and energy are certainly tops on my list.  I also prefer to get mixed breeds of two such breeds as you ensure no possibility of them being inbred and some of the issues that can crop from that.

Our dogs are part Australian Shepherd part Catahoula.  Two high energy breeds, medium build, notable intelligence, and are known to be very durable animals.  Right now they are on leads because they are escape artists, but once I get the electric fence in place they will be free to run the yard.  Brother and Sister, yet both look very different.  Patch very much looks Aussie, but has the Catahoula stubborn streak in him with Aussie intelligence, and Lucy very much looks Catahoula, yet she has Aussie intelligence, and is eager to please, but really doesn't learn things as fast as patch.  But she is very smart.  They make a good mix of energy and intelligence.  The only issue is the stubborn focus patch has that we're going to have to work out of him.  Once focused it's like he doesn't even hear me anymore.  But I have something for him when I get a few days to really focus on working with him.
They love water, and tend to even stay out in the rain until completely soaked before coming onto the porch.  When it rains, they perk up and play in it like two kids.

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

All breeds have positives and negatives.  All dogs have their own personalities.  But large dogs tend to not be as durable on trail, and lack long term endurance you may desire, not to mention the increased amount of food and water you will need for them, then there is the logistics of caring for a large dog in the case of injury.  Small dogs while durable and some times intelligent, they may also lack long haul endurance as they have to work much harder to go the same distance as you, can become victim of predation, may be unable to navigate some tricky terrain because of their size, etc, they will be easy to pick up and carry if they get injured, and require less food and water.  Medium dogs split the difference well and are the best of both worlds, plus the thought of my animal falling victim to predation rules out small breeds right off the bat.  An Owl can make short work of a smaller dog, and there is nothing you would be able to do about it should the owl decide to eat your small dog.

Now ours are short and long haired.  Lucy will be a breeze to maintain on trail as her coat is short, but she has less protection from brairs, temperature changes, etc etc.  Patch will require a good deal of attention to maintaining his coat while on trail, it will be harder to spot parasites, and burrs, leaves etc will need to be brushed out daily.  That's something else to think about, what level of maintenance are you willing to do on trail, coat types will have an effect on that.

To me the ideal breeds are herding breeds as they are typically medium breed, have high endurance, are exceptionally intelligent.

Small breeds - Less prone to injury, navigating tougher terrain can be an issue, predation should be considered, require less food and water, may lack endurance, not overly temperature sensitive in warm weather depending on coat.
Medium Breeds - Not very injury prone, can navigate most terrain with little issue, typically high energy/endurance, not very temperature sensative depending on coat, requires a reasonable amount of food and water.
Large breeds - Can be injury prone, often high temperature sensitive, typically low endurance, requires larger amounts of food and water.

Top considerations:
(Durability) How hardy is the breed of dog ie energy levels, endurance, etc?
(Intelligence) Can they be trained with fair ease?
(Maintenance) How much maintenance is the animal going to require, and how much am I willing to do when hot and tired?
(Logistics) How much am I or the animal going to have to carry to keep the animal healthy and happy on the trail?

Lucy is really the ideal trail dog.  Patch is a great trail dog, but he has his issues I as the owner will have to address, and coat maintenance will be required daily.

The thought, no matter how minor, of possibly witnessing predation of my companion ruled out small dogs immediately. The possibility of injury and the logistics of handling it with a large dog ruled them out immediately. I likely would be unable to hike out a 70+lb dog if injury happened several miles from a vehicle.

[MobileBackpacker]

wow, great response. It is amazing the difference in the two being bro and sis. Patch definetely has the Aussie face and Lucy still has the markings of an Aussie. We had an aussie (blue merle) that we shaved in the summer and it had a really great set of markings that stood out like Lucy's when shaved, which by the way is great for coat maintenance 

When i first started thinking about it i automatically thought retriever, lab or shephard. But you bring up some really good points for a medium build dog especially with the logistics of backpacking and the agility/mobility that it requires from a dog. Not to mention that if an injury did occur that it would be a nightmare to get them out.

I think my real decision is gonna be on the energy level of the dog. Obviously i want a dog that has a good amount of it but considering that i spend just a handful of days a year in the woods im afraid i couldnt keep it content at home. So i need to find a breed that has the right amount.

Do you have packs for your dogs?

[wirerat123]

wow, great response. It is amazing the difference in the two being bro and sis. Patch definetely has the Aussie face and Lucy still has the markings of an Aussie. We had an aussie (blue merle) that we shaved in the summer and it had a really great set of markings that stood out like Lucy's when shaved, which by the way is great for coat maintenance  

When i first started thinking about it i automatically thought retriever, lab or shephard. But you bring up some really good points for a medium build dog especially with the logistics of backpacking and the agility/mobility that it requires from a dog. Not to mention that if an injury did occur that it would be a nightmare to get them out.

I think my real decision is gonna be on the energy level of the dog. Obviously i want a dog that has a good amount of it but considering that i spend just a handful of days a year in the woods im afraid i couldnt keep it content at home. So i need to find a breed that has the right amount.

Do you have packs for your dogs?

I don't have packs just yet, but I plan to get them soon, they are just getting near the end of their growth, and I didn't want to put packs on them until they were fully developed.

High energy is certainly important, and keeping them content can be tough, I deal with these two getting out every time I take them off the leads, and we have one heck of a fence and a very large yard, I throw things for them to fetch all the time trying to run the energy out of them, and we give them plenty of things to occupy themselves with, but they need more apparently lol.  An Electric fence was the only option left to keep them inside the fence and safe as wireless fence controllers and such will suffer lots of interference with our metal roof, and the nearby power lines.  Plus it's humane once they learn to respect it.  I've got a button activated shock collar to work with Patch, he's insanely hard headed, and he's a bit iffy around my cats to say the least, and the only way to get him to learn to respect my commands will be this type of enforcement, I hate the thought of it, but positive reinforcement has not worked with him.  Once focused and he makes up his mind he hears nothing else, he sees nothing else, and cares about nothing else.  I gotta get his attention somehow.

I think looking into Catahoula would be a good idea, they can get fairly large though.  And Catahoula are commonly marked and colored very similarly to Aussies.  Lucy will likely not weight more than low 50s judging by her build, but she will fill out and muscle up some more.

Here is a fine looking Catahoula.

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

[aubie]

Our hiking buddy is our 2.5 yo German Shepherd. I love that we can let her off leash (she rarely if ever leaves our sight) and has a rock solid recall/stay. But she also walks well on leash since many parks require it.

Teaching a solid recall/stay is imperative for any good hiking companion IMHO. We've used it when coming up on other dogs/people, or if she's seen game such as turkeys/deer.

We use the Ruffeware Approach backpack and love it. It's mainly used for her items, poo bags, snacks, a long line (you never know) a collapsable water bowl and bottled water.

I love having a partner out there with me even when my husband can't be. We haven't done an overnight hike, but the great thing about a Shep is she's got the energy, stamina and willing to please. She'll go as long as you can. We also have a collie/shep mix who is great, he's 13 so he can't go as much as he used to and he has NO recall so has to be on leash, but hiking with dogs is awesome! We actually plan on taking Anna, the shep, to Flagg mountain this weekend.

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

[Verduretiger]

Curbie the wonder dog.  Lab and herding dog mix.

[southmark]

Lucy the sweetie, brown-eyed beauty. Basset and Golden Retriever mix. She just did the 18 miles from Bulls Gap to Porter Gap with me this past weekend. She loved Scott's Lake.

[MobileBackpacker]

By the looks of it, it seems like a mix breed is the way to go. I did a little reading up and think a springer/aussie/catahoula/pointer would be a good medium breed mix. I think i will check the pounds for a young pup soon.

thanks for the replies.

[2dogsrunnin]

You can probably tell from my user name, we have two dogs that hike with us (American Brittany).  They are leggy, medium build, extremely intelligent, very active and the sweetest dogs you will ever meet.  They love the woods and start getting excited when they see my hiking boots come out.  They run out in front of us, but always come back to check in.  Great hunting dogs or hiking companions and good to watch TV with.

[WolfVanZandt]

The lady from Missouri who is a regular at the SEHowl brought a little 8 month old mix breed with her this time. The dog was one of the best hiking dogs I've ever seen, despite the fact that he was only about 18 inches tall. He stuck right with her and, yet, didn't get in the way. He never seemed to tire and nothing seemed to block him. His only drawback is that he's a little small to be packing much.

[Roscoe]

Almost any rescue dog would work. Ours is 10 yrs. old and still does 6-8 mi.

[wirerat123]

Almost any rescue dog would work. Ours is 10 yrs. old and still does 6-8 mi.

Yep, I would rescue as well. Both of my pups came from 2nd Chance Shelter in Boaz. I am unsure of what they have now, but last time I was up there, they had everything from Bloodhounds that looked full blooded to the homely mongrels that make such great pets.

There were about 12 little pups of random breeding in a pen to the side, and there were 4 that looked like Lucy, 2 that looked like patch, and several other pups from random litters. Near the pup kennel they had a young dog kennel that had the prettiest what looked like a less than a year old Black Flat Coat Retriever, I couldn't believe that dog was there.

Trail Dogs, whatch got?

Here is a pic from their puppy kennel, no clue how old it is, but ya never know.  There is certainly an Aussie mix in there bottom right.  That's a pretty dog too, but likely not still there.  You could call them or go there and see. They only ask for a $20 donation. We gave them $200, plus some fencing material. I love no kill shelters! When we have our little one, a few months after we're going to volunteer some time to help clean the kennels and maybe dip some dogs. Help your local no kills!!!

Trail Dogs, whatch got?