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Post by demonsmom on Apr 24, 2014 12:44:24 GMT -5
My husband and I like to take our dogs out for hikes in the summer time. Tank and Bella our two lab/shepherd mixes love to go hiking and dont mind wearing their Outward Hound backpacks.The dogs are not loaded down with a lot of stuff just two 1 liter bottles of water two rolls of pick up bags a portable water bow and some snacks. When Bella and Tank were pups about 9 months old or so we bought them packs that were really cheaply made and a friend's dog chewed one set up, that friend's dog a Boston Terrier also chewed up a $2000 couch and my dogs got blamed even though they were not in the house. Anyway the other set is in Okay shape and is still useable. I have tried the set on Demon and she seems to not mind them although I have to do some adjusting to get them to fit her with out being too large on her. I want to be able to hike with her this summer as well as Tank and Bella. My 16 almost 17 year old son will be joining us on some of the outings and will be walking Demon. My son has been around pit bulls and pit bull mixes since he was 1 1/2 years old so he is fine with the breed. Does anybody else hike camp or backpack with their Pit Bulls? If so what packs do you use and do you have the dogs wear or pack a set of boots for their paws? I would hate to have to carry Demon or one of the other two, Tank a 80 pound male lab GSD mix or his 70 pound sister Bella both of whom are Service Dogs in training, out of a woods over half way into a hike because of an injury to their paw. I want to add that I will only allow Demon to carry a couple small water bottles,portable bowl, snacks and pick up bags but not as much as Tank and Bella do. I dont ask a puppy to carry as much as the bigger adult dogs carry.
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Post by megan on Apr 24, 2014 18:56:17 GMT -5
I can't remember, but how old is Demon? And how far are you planning on hiking with her?
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Post by RealPitBull on Apr 25, 2014 7:20:07 GMT -5
I'm not sure I would put a backpack on a dog that isn't fully matured. You can just let her tag along without a pack and build up her endurance. Also depending on what sort of terrain you'll be covering, and distance, you may want to put booties on the dogs, or at least bring a few for a just-in-case injury. A lot of the sleddog companies sell booties and backpacks. Black Ice is the first one that came to mind: www.blackicedogsledding.com/
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Post by demonsmom on Apr 25, 2014 20:37:11 GMT -5
Demon is going on six months so she is still young. I made a few alterations to the old set of packs so they will fit her. The trip wont be over really rough jagged terrain because we live in southern Indiana. The terrain is really smooth because its a popular hiking trail in a camp grounds/ picnic area. We are looking at getting the ruff wear griptex barking boots for the dogs. Tank and Bella are Service Dogs in Training and are kinda used to the booties but I have to get Demon used to something like that for her paws. We didnt load Tank and Bella down when they were 9 month olds because they were still growing. I dont plan on Demon carrying anything more than a 2 ounce roll of pick up bags. When I first tried the packs on her to see how much adjusting would have to be done she didnt want me to take them off her. I looked at the ruff wear packs and although I really like them they are kind of expensive. The top paw packs that Tank and Bella have have held up for the last couple years and they really like them.
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Post by megan on Apr 26, 2014 6:19:51 GMT -5
Definitely agree with Mary that'd I'd be waiting to put any weight on her until she's fully matured. That's why I was asking her age, I thought she was still young. Hike her on an empty pack in the beginning if you just want to get her comfortable with the pack, but make sure the straps aren't in a place that are hindering any movement in her front legs. I've seen packs worn on younger dogs impact the way they move their front paws (front clip harnesses as well, when fitted incorrectly), so you want to make sure you're not limiting mobility at all.
And we hike our girl Roxy with a pack but we started out with an empty pack when she was younger and didn't start putting any weight in it until she was over 2 years old and had filled out completely. I was worried about putting pressure on her back and chest before her body was ready for it or while her body was in a state of change, didn't want to impact any growth or causing any muscular/skeletal issues.
That being said, we use the roughwear singletrak pack and love it. They are more expensive, but I was specifically looking for a pack that didn't hang too low and that was the only one I could find that I liked. We've had it almost 5 years now and it's still in great shape so I supposed the price was worth it.
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Post by demonsmom on May 5, 2014 23:21:58 GMT -5
We took Tank, Bella and Demon out on Sunday afternoon. We were just going to do a short half mile but Demon kept wanting to go and go so we ended up doing about a 2 or 3 mile walk. She didnt even act like she noticed the packs on her back. She did really well other than when we stopped to let a lady and her son and their dog go by. The dog tried to go after Tank and Bella but was lunging and snarling at Demon. Demon hid behind my son and tucked her tail. The kid couldnt have been more than maybe 8 and the dog looked like a poorly groomed labradoodle with serious issues. In my opinion a child that young should not walk a dog that large. Anyway Demon did really well otherwise. Then we got ready to go to the car and there was some idiot with a husky. The husky was on a leash but the owner wasnt holding onto the leash. The dog was not tethered to anything either and was running all over the picnic area of a historical park area. My husband had me hold the two lab shepherd mixes Tank and Bella, and my son who had been handling Demon all afternoon held her while the hubby went and got the car and brought it to us so we wouldnt have to try and keep our dogs safe while going to the car. I dont know about anyone else but I think leash laws pertain to everyone not just those of us who choose to be good dog owners and have our dogs on leashes with us holding the leash.
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Post by RealPitBull on May 8, 2014 7:34:02 GMT -5
Well sounds like besides the dog encounters, you had a good walk! I love family/dog outings like that. It's such a bummer that there are so many stupid people out there with their loose/rude dogs that get in your face. Way to ruin a good day! I've had soooo many encounters like that with my ALWAYS leashed dog. UGH.
Anyway, good girl, Demon!
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Post by demonsmom on May 8, 2014 10:03:28 GMT -5
Its hard to believe that she is only 5 months old now and that she came from a bad background. She is doing so much better and loves the hiking thing. My son is 16 almost 17 and is going to be a fine dog handler by the time he is all grown up. I am hoping that by the time Demon is spayed in another 7 months she will be well mannered and once she is spayed she will calm down a lot. She already sits and waits for me to put her food bowls down. She is my shadow in a lot of ways and my protector. My husband is teaching her to have an off switch where if we are out walking at night and someone comes up to us with bad intentions she will protect me but I can call her off. She already has learned the word "break" means stop and let go.
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