Hiking With Manchesters

Hiking With Manchesters

 

One of the Key factors in deciding to get a Manchester Terrier was their athleticism but in a small package.  My husband and I live in an urban area and have a city sized yard but enjoy outdoor pursuits such as hiking.  We felt that the smaller size of the Manchester would be ideal for our home life and their athletic abilities a perfect match for our camping and hiking activities.  We were not let down in these expectations and the following blog is a look at some of our adventures as well as some thoughts on taking your canine companion on outdoor adventures.

 

Before I get started I do want to mention some common sense practice for any vigorous activity done with your dog.  Ensure that your dog is physically and emotionally prepared for the activity that you are planning.  Things to consider are the age of the dog.  Very young animals should not have any high impact activity; it could cause an injury that might have a life-long effect.  Elderly or senior dogs also need to have special consideration when it comes to any long-duration or high energy pursuits.  Make sure that your dog is physically fit enough for the activity that you are planning.  Just like a human couch potato a canine couch potato will find any sudden start into a high impact activity difficult.  And sometimes overlooked but still very important, make sure that your dog is emotionally prepared for your activity.  If your dog has never been for a car ride longer than 20 minutes, you may want to practice a bit before your 5 hour road trip.  If your dog is not good in crowds, you may want to skip the city hiking trail and hit a wilderness camp instead.

 

Advanced Planning

 

I have to admit I am a bit of a planner and when it comes to camping and hiking with dogs, this is a good thing.  One of the first things that you will want to consider, especially if you plan on travelling some distance, is whether or not dogs are even welcome at you planned destination.  As an example, a couple of years ago we were planning a camping/hiking trip to Yellowstone National Park in the US.  We were sourcing out campsites and looking at some advance reservations when a note on the webpage caught my eye.  It said "Planning on bringing your pet?"  After clicking on the link I learned that dogs were not permitted more than 100 feet from any paved road in the park and must remain leashed at all times and were not permitted on any of the hiking trails.  All the National Parks in the US that I checked had the same rules.  Thankfully we learned this before making the trip there and we planned a new trip to Banff National Park in Canada instead.  However, even if your destination allows dogs, some areas may be restricted year-round or parts of the year due to concerns over habitat or interaction with the local animals.

 

What To Bring

 

Some of these things might seem obvious but a few of them we had to learn about the hard way so hopefully the list will be helpful.

 

-Food, and lots of it.  After bringing what I thought would be plenty of food and then running out in the middle of no-where....well, the dogs were NOT pleased.   Also, you may have to double or triple their usual food intake if you are doing a lot of long strenuous hiking.

-

Coats (even if it is summer).  If you are hiking in the Alpine at altitude, it can snow in August, and I think everyone knows what Manchesters think of the cold.

 

-Doggie ID.  Have them wear their dog tags and they should be either micro chipped or tattooed.  And have their ID#'s handy just in case.  I was once told to also always travel with a picture of my pet.  It makes me shudder to think of why, but it is a good tip.

 

-Emergency kit.  Everything you can think of and more.  A human first aid kit (which you should have anyway) is a good start but throw in some baby aspirin, your favourite diarrhoea/upset tummy medicine (trust me on this one) and something like nail polish remover to get pitch out of doggie hair (another one learned the hard way).  Also your vet's emergency phone number should be at hand as well, again, just in case.

 

-Tie-outs of some description or X-pens if you prefer.

 

- Crate

 

-Lots of poop bags

 

-Some favourite toys

 

-A few extra special treats for when you need to keep them occupied.

 

-Depending on where you go, bottled water and something to put it in.  If your dog will drink from a collapsible water dish, they are great for hiking.

 

On The Trail

 

Selection of your trail is an important consideration when hiking with your dog.  Trails that have rock falls, cliff-side or rock scrambling sections, assisted rope ascents/ descents, creek crossing or wet/swampy sections are not really appropriate to take your dog on.  No matter how wonderful the hike may be, think of your four-legged friend first and select one that they can safely navigate.

 

To leash or not to leash, that is the question.  I have taken my dog for off-leash hikes.  She loved it, me not so much.  I was constantly worried she would chase a squirrel off a cliff, get eaten by a cougar, get lost in the woods, get stomped by a moose, find a bear and then bring the bear back to me and many other things.  Sadly all of the things that I mention are possible and the best way to prevent them?  Keep your dogs leashed.  In addition you may be sharing the trail with people who are not dog lovers and you need to be respectful of that.

 

Trail etiquette.  The obvious one is of course pick up after your dog or remove any droppings to off the trail and bury if possible.  You are not the only one that may be using the trail, if you need to pass or are being passed make sure you dog is being polite.  Jumping up to say "Hi!" may be cute to you, but see above about people who are not dog lovers.

 

Water, water, water.  Unless you would drink the water where you are going, try and not let your dog drink it.  Parasites are no laughing matter and when you are in the wilderness, there are many more than there are in your back yard.  So pack enough to share or bring something to sterilize it with.

 

Which brings me to mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, etc. take your pick.  Manchesters are not furry and so have no protection against these guys.  There are dog specific repellents out there but they are sometimes hard to find and some of them don't really work.  Yes, I have put DEET repellent on my dog on a horrible mosquito year (the one in Banff!)  It was out of sheer desperation.  When she went outside for a pee she was instantly covered in 300 mosquitoes.  I put the spray on my hands and then wiped her down.  It was the only thing that worked.

 

 

Hopefully you will find some of these tips helpful for any outdoor or wilderness pursuits that you have with your dog (Manchester or not).  We have greatly enjoyed our hiking and camping and with a little planning you can too!

 

Shay and Scott and Lola the Manchester

---

Click less, mail more: Hotmail on the new MSN homepage!