Every so often we sneak a new site into our “Sniff These Out” section but we don’t always chat them up the way we should. So in no particular order …
Dog Paddling Adventures is really responsible for my love of camping with my dog. Back in 2004, my then dog, Dugan, and I joined up with a couple friends and their dogs and traveled up to Ontario, Canada for a six-day canoe and camping trip. It was incredible! We would canoe during the days and camp at night and the dogs never saw the clasp of a leash. The owners and founders started small with weekend trips every once in a while and demand grew quickly. Now they offer year-round opportunities – even skijoring in the winter!
NOVA Trail Dogs is a local organization that promotes safe, responsible canine hiking in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Most events are day hikes, but they have some overnighters thrown in there too for the dog and owner who enjoy camping or backpacking. They also have both on leash and off leash hikes to satisfy different puppy needs.
We’ve talked about Dogs & Ticks in a previous post and it is a must read to bone up (haha) on your pest knowledge.
And finally – for now anyway – a “woof” to Karma’s many great trainers at A Click Above. Solid obedience is key to having a reliable dog on the trail who behaves well and demonstrates that dogs do belong on the trails.
More later on our other great links, but in the meantime Sniff Them Out!
Whenever you travel with your dog, you need to have water – everyone knows that, right? But when you’re hiking, carrying enough water for both of you can be a challenge. How do you lug it around? How much do you need?
How much you need will depend on many factors – what’s the weather? Does your dog drink a lot? Get hot easily? Will there be safe drinking water available?
Cannon and Karma have very different water needs. Cannon, our Africa dog, requires probably half the water Karma does on a typical summer hike. Katina and I have separately paid attention to how much water our dogs go through and have altered how much water we carry to accommodate our boys.
Karma will easily go through a 32oz Nalgene bottle on a 3-4 hour hike in the summer. To do this I have purchased a CamelBak daypack with a reservoir that holds about 48oz of water. I can also fit a 32oz Nalgene in the pack along with a collapsible water bowl and other necessities.
If you’ve ever used a CamelBak or similar product you know that you must bite the straw-like tube and suck the water out like a straw. It’s a little hard to train a dog to do this – haha. However, if you hold the tube open by squeezing it and then squeeze the reservoir – either by wearing the pack and leaning against a tree or taking the pack off and pushing on it – water will flow out and into the dog bowl.
Honestly, I think it’s easier to pour from a bottle but the CamelBak is a great option and it’s much easier to carry the water in this way.
A note on “safe drinking water:” Just because a trail has water – in the form of a stream or pond or other – does not mean it’s safe to drink! It is so easy for your dog (or you!) to pick up a parasite from a stream that looks perfectly fine. When in doubt, try to keep your dog from drinking water that you don’t know anything about. Also, monitor your dog’s health for a few days (especially his poop) following a slurp from an unknown stream.
I am not a vet nor have I ever played one on TV. This is important because you should always take your vet’s advice over mine. Always. That said, I do have some tips and advice to share about making sure you are prepared when you head out on your next adventure.
One argument for always hiking with a buddy – I actually mean a person, not just your dog – is in case of serious injury to you or your dog, there is someone who can go for help. I am not a paranoid person, but it is possible that someone sustains an injury that keeps him or her from hopping out of the woods on his/her own. Also, I have a big dog and I only outweigh him by (ahem) 20 pounds so carrying him anywhere is out of the question!
So in my day pack at all times is the first aid kit from Ruff Wear. It comes with a first aid booklet and let me say, the first time you read this should NOT be on the trail when you need it! Know what information and materials it contains before you head out – you may even want to add to it.
For instance, recently I had to make a muzzle out of an old T-shirt in order to examine Karma’s foot. It worked great and I learned two things: 1) Karma is more the biting type than the submissive type when he’s hurt and 2) the T-shirt worked great. (I cut a 4” strip off the bottom of a cotton T-shirt in one long strip all the way around. I then applied the center of the strip to the top of Karma’s muzzle, then crossed it under his muzzle then wrapped it up behind his ears where I tied it around the high part of his neck.)
You should also have a little kit of other necessities that are more specific to your dog in a waterproof baggie. Karma’s contains Pepto Bismol, K9 aspirin, a tick remover (or tweezers) and that stretchy & sticky bandage stuff known by a brand name of Vetwrap made by 3M. (Be careful with this wonderful invention as you can easily pull it too tight and cause a different problem than the one you’re tying to solve. Practice on yourself to see how it feels it you’ve never used it!)
I also just read about another 3M product – Pet Care Spray-On Liquid Bandage to use on split or cut paw pads. I am definitely going to pick up a bottle of this.
Dog “booties” are another thing to have on hand. On our last hike, Karma started out great, but by the end of 3+ miles and several rock scrambles, a rear foot was hurting him. Dogs have to build up the toughness on their pads just like we would if we suddenly went from walking on grass and sidewalks to gravel. Be sure you are checking their feet throughout the hike and looking for signs of stress.
Finally, I picked up a great book that also comes with a DVD. Dog First Aid by the American Red Cross is a great reference book and video. This is a great reference for every dog owner and covers topics from giving your dog medications all the way to choking and serious injuries. Within the book it also has little disc icons that refer you to the included DVD for more information.
Got a first aid tip to share? Tell us!
These days it seems that every adventure brings its own etiquette – from Twitter to hiking with your dog. While I haven’t personally encountered it, there apparently is a growing contingent of people who want to ban dogs from trails – can you imagine?
So what is our responsibility in all of this? We all have to demonstrate that our dogs can be well behaved on the trails and give others we encounter only positive experiences sharing the trails with our best friends.
Myths & Misunderstandings
Some believe that dogs on trails will discourage wildlife from using the area. So long as dogs are trained not to bark and don’t chase the animals, they actually can alert you by pointing in the direction of wildlife and providing a heads up.
Another myth is that dogs spread disease through feces and waterborne illnesses. Actually, there isn’t any real science behind the feces argument. However, good trail etiquette says you should either pack out your dogs business or bury it off the trail at least 10 feet. As for waterborne illnesses, usually people are talking about glardia which is a real issue but actually humans are the biggest spreaders of the disease. Best for both you and your dog to drink the water you bring with you or trust a high-quality filter system. Ticks can also spread disease, but again, dogs do not worsen the problem.
Some believe dogs can damage sensitive environments, but certainly less so than humans. It is important to keep dogs on the trails and not to let them wander off into fragile areas. Both you and your dog need to respect the environment and keep all six feet on the trail (Um, that’s your two, plus Fido’s four – get it?).
Finally there is an argument that trails are already too crowded and some trails are too narrow or restrictive for dog passage. First of all, if trails are too crowded for dogs, who else will soon be banned? Kids? (The people, not the goats.) This is a silly argument. And if a trail is wide enough for a person, it’s wide enough for a dog.
Responsible Hiking with Fido
We are responsible not only for our actions but also for those of our dog. Simple. We want to make sure that everyone that encounters us has a great experience. Here are some reminders:
- Keep your dog on a leash or under very tight voice command. Most trails require leashes anyway, plus it’s just safer for everyone.
- Be sure to yield to everyone else – horses, hikers coming in the other direction, people passing you. Pull off the trail slightly if possible and make sure people can pass without getting “sniffed.” Remember, some people are deathly afraid of dogs like others are of spiders or clowns.
- Speaking of yielding, when hikers meet other hikers, the group going uphill has the right of way for safety reasons so keep that in mind as well.
- Stay on the trail and minimize your impact in general and obey all rules specific to the trail you are on. Don’t know the rules? Get a guidebook or ask a ranger if there are any special guidelines of which you need to be aware.
- Do not disturb wildlife, creatures or any aspect of the land. Leave it as you found it and try to minimize your impact at all times. This is the only way we will preserve these spaces for generations to come.
- Don’t roll rocks – or anything else – off of overlooks or cliffs as you have no idea what (or who!) may be below you.
- Some advise that your dog should wear a bandana, reflective vest or pack because it helps to make them look friendlier. I guess that could be true. Also, a reflective vest could be especially smart during hunting season; a pack really useful; and a bandana could be soaked with water to help keep you dog cool … so sure, why not?
- Your dog should have basic obedience and listen when you tell him/her to sit, lay down, stay, etc. It’s also really helpful if they have a “no barking” command as they will for sure see or hear something they want to talk about! If you normally have treats to reward/reinforce good behavior, then by all means, bring some along!
At the end of the day, it’s about being a steward for our environment and realizing that not everyone thinks your dog is as perfect as you do. We should all try to convince those we encounter that having dogs on trails is a perfectly pleasant experience!
I HATE ticks. They are sneaky, overly-resilient and in this geography you have to fear them all year long. There are big ones and tiny ones and they don’t seem to care if they latch onto deer, dogs or people. They are evil.
Katina regularly picks ticks off of Cannon – in her backyard, on the trail, on walks. During one two-hour hike, she picked 10 off of Cannon and I picked off – and brutally murdered – two off of me. UGH! What I didn’t say is that I picked ticks off of Karma, because I didn’t. I did check carefully but it’s hard to find them through all that hair! Truth is, I have only ever found one (big) tick on him and that’s because it was feasting above his eye [shudder!].
A percentage of ticks carry Lyme disease which can be dangerous for both humans and dogs which is why you have to be vigilant about checking constantly and thoroughly. Humans will usually notice a “bullseye” redness at the site of the bite. If this occurs, you should see a doctor immediately. Symptoms in people vary wildly and can be dangerous so it’s not something to fool with – take it seriously!
According to the great site http://www.dogsandticks.com, “Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by the deer tick (often referred to as the black-legged tick). Signs of Lyme disease in dogs are difficult to detect, and warning signs may not appear until several months after infection. Signs may come and go and can mimic other conditions. Cases vary from mild to severe. In severe cases of Lyme disease, kidney failure can occur.
“Most common signs of Lyme disease:
- Recurrent arthritis/lameness that lasts 3–4 days, sometimes accompanied by loss of appetite and depression
- Reluctance to move or a stiff, painful gait
- Swollen joints that are warm to the touch
- Pain in the legs or throughout the body
- Fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes”
This site also talks about other illnesses your dog can catch as a result of insects so check it out (at the risk of making you even more paranoid!).
So what are you supposed to do?
Check for ticks several times throughout your hike and camping adventure. According to experts, ticks need to be embedded for at least a day before they begin to spread disease so you have some time. If you find one, make sure you remove the entire creature and do so carefully so that you don’t break it apart. Pet stores sell tick removal devices (I bought one and I like it) or a pair of good tweezers work well too.
Topical products are available, as well as collars, sprays and even tags that are attached to the collar. Talk to your vet to determine which product is best for your dog. You may also want to discuss if the Lyme vaccine is an appropriate option.
As for my furry friend, I use K9 Advantix monthly which is touted to repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. I was using a combined heartworm and flea/tick monthly supplement but found that it wasn’t enough when Karma tested positive for Lyme disease.
When Karma went in for his annual check-up at 16 months of age, my vet tested him for Lyme as a normal part of his blood screening routine and the test came back positive. After a detailed discussion, we decided not to treat him since he wasn’t showing symptoms and to change his flea/tick protocol to something stronger. We agreed that because of Karma’s coloring and excessive amounts of hair (just ask my vacuum), it will always be a challenge to find ticks so prevention becomes even more important.
Every vet has their own opinion on how to address ticks and Lyme disease so it’s important to talk to your vet about your specific situation, habits and outdoor adventures!
