What's the longest walk/hike for your Nihon Ken?
My wife took Kuki for his longest hike yesterday.
Estimated about 7 miles over 3.5 hours in Red Rock Canyon area west of LV.
Our usual walks with him in our neighborhood are 1-2 miles.
Sometimes he'll get a 3 mile walk.
I think his previous long hike was 5 miles.
He was a tired, tuckered out doggy, dog for the rest of the day.
What's the longest distance you've taken your dog for a walk/hike?
Does anyone have an estimate on what is the safest long distance he could hike?
Estimated about 7 miles over 3.5 hours in Red Rock Canyon area west of LV.
Our usual walks with him in our neighborhood are 1-2 miles.
Sometimes he'll get a 3 mile walk.
I think his previous long hike was 5 miles.
He was a tired, tuckered out doggy, dog for the rest of the day.
What's the longest distance you've taken your dog for a walk/hike?
Does anyone have an estimate on what is the safest long distance he could hike?
Comments
10 miles in about 3 hours with a Shiba Inu.
I was tired after the hike, the Shiba was not. I think he could have gone another 5 if I'd been able to find more trail that we hadn't already been on.
Safest distance entirely depends on how fit and healthy the dog is. If the dog isn't very fit, I don't think a 10 mile hike would be a good idea, especially if it's strenuous. Conker is in pretty good shape but he sometimes doesn't want to go for a long hike. I let him decide the length even if I'm just getting started and he wants to quit, or wants to keep going when I'm tired. If anything I can always carry him back but he's only 24 pounds.
So for Conker, I'd probably say 15 miles if he was conditioned for it, or about 5 hours or so.
Juneau could probably do 25 miles or 7 hours.
Sasha would only be up for about 5 miles or 3 hours.
(The last two aren't Nihon Ken.)
For Conker, I need to avoid trails with lots of big rocks and things he could screw his knees up on, even though that's my favorite type of trail. He's got Luxating Patella and one misstep onto or off of a biggish rock could be really bad, so I tend to only take him on flatter trails. He wears his Ruff Wear harness so I can lift him up/over/off obstacles I don't feel comfortable letting him do on his own.
That's another thing to keep in mind. Although Conker really loves those crazy rocky trails, it's better if he doesn't go on them as often as the flatter trails due to his knees.
I would say on average in a day, Koda and I do anywhere from 3-7 miles right now. It will become more in the Spring when we have more light out after work. That's when we get ready for the long hikes, ie Memorial Day Weekend trips and such during the summer.
Both enjoy these walks especially in the woods kind hikes which I only do in winter due to bad tick issue..
Today I climbed up a steep hill with the two dogs crazy! Saya climbs up like it's nothing she even try stop mid way to investigate a hole. lol
Thanks for the responses.
Kuki is healthy and fit, but at 14 months, still a growing boy.
I didn't want to take him too far and possibly hurt him.
So, 10 miles does not seem out of the question.
thanks again everybody.
I just finished watching a video on Trappers who live (and trap) in the Siberian Taiga. They use dogs, Laika to be specific. At one point toward the end of the video they showed the trapper headed home for New Years Eve. His dog goes home with him, but isn't allowed to ride on the snowmobile with the guy.
That the dog ran behind him the whole way, in deep snow, never riding on the snowmobile. The VO guy said it was 150km (94 miles)... That's very impressive, the dog runs that whole time behind the snowmobile in deep snow. wow.
This is a hunting dog, not a sled dog. Just to be clear.
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