Hiking with doodles

[Kim Starbuck]

Cisco is about 8 months now, and I wanted to take him hiking up in NH to see the fall foliage this weekend. Does anyone have any hiking with a doodle tips? How do I know what is "too much" for him? How much water should he be drinking? Basically, how do I keep him safe and choose the right trail for him?

Thanks!!

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I always take my guys hiking up to 2 hrs but they are leisure hikes. I do stop and rest maybe 2 or 3 times and carry water with me so they can drink during those rests. Zoe rarely drinks but bender always gulps up anything I give him. I can tell when Zoe gets too tired because her prancing and jumping will turn into a slow steady walk and if it's sunny she will walk from shade to shade.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you should always hike about half as far as you think you could before you turn back : ) but seriously he should have free access to water so bring a lot.

[Sheila & Finnley]

Lot's of water, and some rest breaks will make it a pleasant hike. Maybe a couple of treats. Use the resting time to get some great pictures, that is what I do ! Don't forget your poop bags ! :)

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

we have hiked a few times..flat trails so far.. I bring 3 or 4 water bottles full and he drinks all of them.. I bring snacks for the ride home and I stop in shady areas to let him rest a bit...(and me too) lol

[Kyoko]

http://www.hikewithyourdog.com/Books/DogginPittsburgh.html

I bought this book sometime ago, and attempted to hit all of the site. I think we hiked about half of the locations.

There are lots of book that introduces the hiking trail in the variety of areas, and describe the difficulties, interestiing things about the location, etc...

 I normally pack my back pack with a coule of bottles of water, collapsable water bowl, some food in the ziplock bag. Usually, I have access to the water somewhere in the trail, so I only pack a couple of bottles.

I stared with easiler trail and walked my way up. Once I got lost and the sun was begining to set. I got scared and called 911 just in case if I dont find my way back. They said that they were able to see where I was located in the forest ( LOL) by my GPS onthe phone!!! Eventually, I lost signal but I felt safe that they knew where I was. ( And I found my way out!! LOL!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I got lost with my kids in a forest and it was getting dark. I knew we'd be OK, even overnight, but my mother was expecting us for dinner and I knew she'd be terrified. We managed to go cross country to a house. I asked the man to call a taxi, LOL, no taxis there. But he was kind enough to drive us back to the car. No cell phones back then.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Now that was an adventure, F! I bet the kids still remember that story or were they completely non-plussed about the whole thing? 

[F, Calla & Luca]

They remember but they weren't scared. They prefer stories like remember when mom nearly went off the road, meaning we came to a place where the road ended suddenly : ) or when mom trespassed, such as going into some housing enclave that said residents only : )

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hilarious! sigh.

[Kyoko]

Thank goodness that he was not a creep!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes, he was a bit sketchy but OK in the end.

[Carol and Banjo]

We have a backpack for Banjo which holds two 20 oz bottles on each side.  We carry enough water for ourselves and Banjo if needed (he has plenty in his pak).   We generally hike under five miles total.....I'm not sure what a dog's (puppies) limit is.

  We live in NH, where are you hiking?