Dog owners who hike love hitting the trails with their four-footed companions. Judging by the happy faces on the dogs I’ve seen out there, they love hiking, too. But, there are pros and cons to hiking with your dog. Responsible hikers must also do some additional planning and take precautions before setting off up the trail with their pooch.
The benefits of hiking with your dog are, exercise for both of you and sharing outdoor experiences with your pet. You’ll never have to look for a hiking partner if you take your dog. Exposing your animal to the smells, sights and sounds of the outdoors is also a great way for you to see the hiking world differently, in the way your dog explores.
The main downside is that not all other hikers welcome dogs on the trail. Normally, that’s not a problem, once you demonstrate that you have your animal under control. Most encounters usually end amicably and everyone just hikes along their respective way. Here are a few tips and techniques for enjoying the company of your dog on a hike and returning home safely.
Before your first hike
To get your dog started on trail life, the first requirement is that you train it for a leash. Leash training, whether done by you or a professional dog trainer, is a must. Most local trail networks, like Great Pond Mountain Wildlands, Blue Hill Mountain Land Trust, as well as Acadia National Park, require you to leash your dog when hiking. Dogs are also expected to be leashed at all state parks in Maine. In Baxter State Park, dogs are not allowed, except for service dogs such as guide dogs, which must be leashed.
Even if the trail you choose doesn’t require leashing, it’s the best way to keep your dog from chasing and harassing wild animals, which may transmit diseases such as rabies. Leashing is also the best way to keep your dog from becoming lost.
Once you have a leash-trained animal, you need to condition it for hiking over rough terrain such as ledge and rock outcrop. Check with your vet to make sure your dog is up to date with its shots, especially Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease that can kill your pet if untreated. Together with your vet, assess your dog’s ability to undertake a strenuous hike, one of a few miles or more. Then, once you get the OK, take it out for a short hike of a couple of miles. Then, gradually increase the mileage from one hike to the next.
Packing for your dog
Before leaving for any hike with your dog, make sure to pack the leash, some treats, extra water and a small plastic bowl to fill up when it’s time to hydrate your pet. While it’s difficult to keep it from drinking water along the trail where it’s found, you should try to have it drink from the bowl you bring. This helps keep the dog from walking in the water source to drink.
Backcountry water, from streams and other water sources, isn’t necessarily harmful to your pet; it usually doesn’t require treating before giving it to your dog. However, dog’s feet can contaminate pristine sources, so keeping them out of water that humans may drink is important.
Also, pack a small plastic bag to pick up and carry out any droppings your dog deposits on the ground. Dog droppings spread disease and are unnatural in backcountry environments.
On the trail
When you’re on the trail with your pet, observe how it interacts socially with other people and other dogs. Correct your dog when it misbehaves and positively reward good behavior with treats. It’s up to you to control your animal in all situations. Some shared-use trails include paths that allow horse travel, such as in Acadia and Great Pond Mountain Wildlands. Dog owners should pay particular attention to how their pet interacts with livestock, as injury to both animals and riders can be serious. Bicyclists and joggers also pose a risk of injury to uncontrolled dogs.
Hikers with big packs can startle a dog, until it has been conditioned to see them as non-threatening. Calm your animal during those first few encounters and it should learn to accept other hikers as just another version of you. It’s one more reason for using a leash. Also on the trail, there are blind turns and hills where hikers can surprise your dog. Stay calm and reassure your pet that it needs to stay with you and not react by barking at the sudden arrival of an approaching hiker.
If they are allowed to, dogs will eat the scat of other animals. The dangers are disease, worms and belly ache. Allow sniffing only, when your dog encounters scat on the trail.
Offer water to your dog whenever you stop to drink yourself. Keeping your dog hydrated is important because, like humans, dogs can also suffer from heat exhaustion. On longer hikes, carry more water.
After your hike
When your hike is over, check your animal for ticks by feeling around his ears, haunches and belly. Use a tick-removing tool to remove any ticks you find. The tools are available in most pet stores. It looks like a miniature pry bar with a little foot that grabs the tick and you pull it out of the dog. The sooner you remove a tick, the better chance you have of it not infecting your dog.
Check your dog’s pads for abrasion due to travel over ledge and rock outcrop. Boot-shredding granite can cause cracking and abrasion injuries on dogs’ pads as well. By taking shorter hikes at first, pads will callous up for longer hikes.
I met a hiker, Sam Guldin, last weekend on Blue Hill. He had his 5-year-old chocolate lab, Max, with him when we met on the summit.
“I never hike without him,” Gulden said. Max was leashed, as required by the land trust’s rules. We strolled around the top, then sat and took in the view.
Guldin explained why he takes Max hiking.
“All hikes are spiritual, but for me it wouldn’t be the same without my little buddy. Through him I live vicariously, sensing his happiness, feeling his wildness, enjoying our freedoms to roam. At the conclusion of any hike, a tired Max is my fulfillment.”
Taking his dog hiking is just another way to enjoy the outdoors for Guldin. It was hard to tell if Max enjoyed the view over Blue Hill Bay. His nose was working and his tail was wagging, so I took those as good signs that he did.
For info on rules and regulations
The Maine Bureau of Public Lands covers all state parks and Maine Public Lands. In short, the rules are that dogs are allowed in state parks and campgrounds on four-foot leashes. The exceptions are on state-owned beaches or at the Sebago Lake State Park campground and beach, where dogs are not allowed. Call 287-3821 for more information or click on their website at www.maine.gov. It contains all Maine public lands and state park rules and regulations.
Blue Hill Mountain Heritage Trust: Phone: 374-5118. Website: www.bluehillheritagetrust.org
Great Pond Mountain: Phone: 207-469-7190. Website: www.greatpondtrust.org
There are a couple of websites that are dedicated to hiking with a dog: www.hikewithyourdog.com and www.lovetheoutdoors.com. Both have tips and techniques for hiking with your pet.