Issue 3 Vol 7 Ma rc h 2 017
For man’s best friend
HIKING With Dogs A Guide To Bringing Your Best Friend On The Trail
$6.99 woofmag.com
Does Your Dog Know What You’re Saying?
Skin Medication Can Be Lethal for Pets
Pet Food: The Good, The Bad, & The Healthy
Issu e 3 Vol 7 M a rc h 2 0 1 7
Features
Contents 56 62 68 74
Hiking With Dogs:
A Guide To Bringing Your Best Friend On The Trail
Your Dog Knows What You’re Saying A Brain Scan Shows How
Skin Medication Can Be Lethal For Our Pets, FDA Warns
Obedience Training For Dogs How It Truly Works!
81 3
Pet Food:
The Good, The Bad, and The Healthy
43 The Kids Behind the Dogs 50
Health 7 Skin Medication Can Be Lethal FDA Warns 13
The Spirit of the Great St. Bernard
Departments
Lifestyles
Dogs Can Read Human Emotions
21 The Brilliance of the Dog Mind
Training 28
Hiking the Appalachian Trail With a Dog
32
Good Widdle Doggie! Baby Talk Works
37
Anxiety May Give Dogs Gray Hair
4
Hiking With Dogs A Guide To Bringing Your Best Friend On The Trail By: Lisa Densmore Ballard
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Mt Mansfield 4393ft 1339m
Mt Cube
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Barre hen my dog Bravo sees me carrying hiking boots or a day pack, he races to the door. As soon as it swings wide enough, he squeezes throughLyme and plantsDARTMOU himself behind the car, quivering with anticipation. As the tailgate drops, he leaps gleefully inside. Once 100 in the car, Bravo rides unobtrusively, no matter the Moose Mt distance, until pavement gets rougher. Then, as if on cue, he stands, whimpering Hanover impatiently. The whimper crescendos to a loud bark as the car stops at the trail head. BURLINGTON Warren Bravo is my Chesapeake Bay retriever. Some days I hike simply because of Bravo.
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When we reach the summit of a mountain, he looks at me expectantly with his large brown eyes,devours his share of our edibles, and then curls up next to me. He couldn’t care less about the view. He loves to hike because it fills his nose with a plethora of tantalizing odors and because he’s with me. I love to hike with him for the exercise and for his companionship. Most dogs, regardless of size, make excellent hiking companions— if they are physically fit for the level of
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hiking that you plan to do, if they are socialized among people and other dogs, and if the weather is not too hot. These are important ifs. In short, hiking with dogs takes more thought and preparation than simply starting up a trail. If you’re thinking of taking a four-legged pal on a hike, here are some things to keep in mind that will keep you, your dog, and other hikers happier, and the environment healthier.
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just fine. An energetic Yorkshire terrier can humble a lazy black Lab if the trail is relatively smooth and short. However, small dogs have to take a lot more steps to cover the same piece of ground, and they cannot stretch as far up or down a rock, so they may need a lift where a larger dog would not. There are some trails that any dog can handle, of course, and others that only the most exceptional mountain dog should attempt. For everything in between, it is a judgment call... know your dogs capabilities.
Hiking is more strenuous than walking. The terrain is uneven and usually involves vertical gain. If you spend more time lounging around than exercising, chances are good that your dog does too. Likewise, if you’ve mapped out a 10-mile hike but your daily dog walk consists of a casual stroll around the block, you may be carrying your pooch for the second half of the hiking route. Before you load up your backpack, make an honest assessment of your dog’s fitness level to be sure it can comfortably go the distance. If you cannot feel your dog’s ribs through its fur, it would benefit from more exercise before you hit the trail.
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nt-Gaudens Health S In addition to its fitness level, your dog
may have other health considerations that affect its ability to hike. The two most common are nursing pups and hip dyspepsia. For the former, it’s best to wait until pups are weaned. The pups need their mother nearby, and a nursing dog’s body is already under a lot of stress caring for the little ones. For hip dyspepsia, a veterinarian might be able to prescribe medication to lessen Fido’s pain. Whatever you do, do not give your dog ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin, or naproxen such as Aleve! These anti-inflammatories can have dangerous, even lethal, side effects for dogs.
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Regardless of how mountain-savvy your dog is, if the weather is hot and humid, a flat, shaded route to a pond is better.
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Assuming your dog is in shape and wellmannered, almost any breed or mixed breed over 40 pounds should make a good hiker-dog, which is not to say that small dogs cannot trot down the trail
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ask yourself whether it is sufficiently well behaved. Hiking may take place in the wild, but that does not mean you will be alone. Before you take your dog into the backcountry, be sure it can heel, sit, stay, and come at your verbal command. Your dog should also be comfortable on a leash and, if off-leash, be more interested in staying with you than in chasing chipmunks. As importantly, your dog should be completely socialized among other dogs and humans. Trails are narrow, often with dense undergrowth on either and or side.
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Age is actually more of a factor than size. Old dogs, like old people, have stiffer joints, arthritis, and other ailments that reduce their physical abilities. While smaller breeds tend to live longer, any dog age 10 or older should be carefully assessed before taking it on all but the easiest routes. Be gentle with puppies too. Lack of obedience training aside, hiking up and down steep, uneven trails can adversely affect the development of a growing puppy’s hips, shoulders, and other joints, which are not fully formed until a dog is at least nine months old in smaller breeds, and a year old in larger breeds.
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