Hiking with your Nihon Ken?
Hey guys, hope everyone's doing well!
I feel like I start too many discussions in this forum
[ though I atrribute it to my lack of knowledge ] Sorry guys, I know you're all sick of me by now haha
Well, I recently discovered some awesome trails that we have down here in Fl! They're really great, & they're something I definitely want to do when I finally get my pup. [ obviously, when the pup is older & will also be leashed ] It's an activity that seems like tons of fun [ for dog & me
] with an awesome way to bond. I'm also planning on getting a DSLR from work [ the benefit of working at Best Buy = good employee discount! ] & think it'd also be en excellent opportunity to take some really great photos.
So, the question is, has anyone gone hiking with their nihon ken? [ I know you do Brad, I've seen the videos ] Are any of the specific breeds more inclined to it then others? How are the different nihon ken's endurance? How often do you go? How long do you hike? Do you have fun? ;p The trails range anywhere from 5 to 50 miles, some even longer. I haven't gone hiking since I lived in NJ so I'd like to start off on smaller trails but eventually would like to be able to go on the longer ones again.
I've also found a ton of dog-friendly beaches that would be awesome. haha I'm getting all excited even though getting my pup is a long time away :x~
I feel like I start too many discussions in this forum
[ though I atrribute it to my lack of knowledge ] Sorry guys, I know you're all sick of me by now hahaWell, I recently discovered some awesome trails that we have down here in Fl! They're really great, & they're something I definitely want to do when I finally get my pup. [ obviously, when the pup is older & will also be leashed ] It's an activity that seems like tons of fun [ for dog & me
] with an awesome way to bond. I'm also planning on getting a DSLR from work [ the benefit of working at Best Buy = good employee discount! ] & think it'd also be en excellent opportunity to take some really great photos. So, the question is, has anyone gone hiking with their nihon ken? [ I know you do Brad, I've seen the videos
] Are any of the specific breeds more inclined to it then others? How are the different nihon ken's endurance? How often do you go? How long do you hike? Do you have fun? ;p The trails range anywhere from 5 to 50 miles, some even longer. I haven't gone hiking since I lived in NJ so I'd like to start off on smaller trails but eventually would like to be able to go on the longer ones again.I've also found a ton of dog-friendly beaches that would be awesome. haha I'm getting all excited even though getting my pup is a long time away :x~
Comments
we got every or every other weekend, but with the hotter, humid weather its just torture for a double coated dog so we don't do much in the dead heat months of summer unless there is a lake at our destination. There is a Rickett's Glen state park that has trails all around water falls that we can go to on hotter days b/c its always so nice and cool from the water mist.
You know what you could probably do? If there is an animal shelter near you, they **might** let you take out a dog for a day or few hours for hiking or the dog beach so you can see what its like and give a shelter dog a great day out.
It's also super hot down here, which is why I would plan hikes extremely early in the morning [ think' 5-6am ;p ] & mostly during fall / winter / spring [ we have the absolute best weather during these seasons; cool breezes & temperature from 45-70 degrees. The humidity also seems to vanish around this time
& That's a great idea! I only have one shelter within an hour radius of me, so I'll see if I can contact them! I wanted to volunteer over there only they've had no spots for the past six months
longevity wise, the longest hike we went on was this past early spring and it was about 4 hours - Tsuki was not yet a year old and i didn't want to really push her, but they kept going like little troopers! We only stopped once!
Usually our hikes are in the 2-3 hour range, but in summer are much shorter if we can't get out at a decent hour. For summer usually just stick to walking early am and later afternoon and hike early on weekends. Its really a fun time. We even bought a leash to go around my shoulder like a sack for hands free Hachi, but she lays down after like 1/2 hour of walking, I hope she gets better as time goes on!
**we're actually planning a fall weekend camping trip to camp as we go and hike for an entire weekend, I think our shibas can do it! It will be feeding raw along the way that will be tricky!
Our Shikoku and Kai hike the best by far out of our pack. Both breeds do well packing [tho we haven't tried Loa]. The Shikoku seem to do the best in the heat, which is surprising. Our Kai seem to get hotter than the Shika, but he is black and absorbs the sun.
Our Akita get way to hot for long hikes, in the winter time they will actually our perform our Shikoku on hikes, but in the summer they are ready for a nap 5 minutes into the trail.
We hiked Ahi 10 miles at 8 months and she loved it!
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4 hours isnt too bad, do you know how many miles you hiked?
Awww, poor Hachi. I guess she's still not in the spirit of things yet
How are you going to do it with the raw? I mean, as far as keeping all the food fresh? A giant cooler
As far as posting goes, it's just every time I always seem to think of a question I want to ask,I want to get it out before I forget haha~
I really can't help you out, but I thought it was hilarious to picture 3 Shibas hauling their own cooler of food down the trails
Well, I know Shibas aren't sled dogs, but they are spitz's & I've heard they're similar to huskies ;p~
no, we have dry ice packs (from a beer distributor
I'm not really sure on the mileage for the 4 hour hike, i'll have to ask the sleeping hubby and figure it out! I want to say about 10-12? But I'm not 100% on that. We went around the Delaware Water Gap (PA/NJ state line), it was awesome.
Oh! Don't wake him over such a silly question! lol ;p~
There's a lot of excellent places to hike around Delaware Water Gap. I went camping up there not too long ago, and Toby really loved it a lot.
As far as distance goes, a lot will depend on the condition of your dog too. If you walk them regularly and they aren't over weight (and it isn't too hot) they will go as far as you will go with ease. It is important to remember to build them up to it. Age isn't so much of a factor (once they are approaching physical maturity) as how good shape they are in. I had Joey hiking five miles at five months old. He's now 6.5 months and I'm sure he could do a lot more than that if it wasn't so damn hot out. He's in good condition though. He walks 4-5 miles a day every day with me and gets run around time outside with other dogs for half and hour to two hours a couple times a week.
And don't worry about posting too much, questions and shared experiences are what keep this forum going! :-)
& I'm glad that age doesn't have too much to do with it Dave! I really would hate to have to wait a year before I could take my pup hiking ;p~