[robxxx]

I drove my dog out from NJ to Oracle. He's been here 3 weeks and refuses to go off the road onto a trail unless
he's following another dog ! I cant understand what the fear is. He's a 4yr old cockapoo , grew up on sidewalks.
In any event Ive only come up with a posssible solution of getting another trail friendly dog he might follow out of
jealousy, if anyone has any suggestions please let me know, I havent been able to hike because of this !!
Rob

[Rob del Desierto]

Border Collie - mine is a hiking machine!

[MtnBart01]

Peanut butter cliff bars and fruit leather. I'm not sure if my dog likes hiking or the special trail food he gets when he hikes.

[autumnstars]

Special treats does sound good.
Another thing that sounds silly, but helped my friend's dog - doggie boots.
From walking only on sidewalks and grass, the dog's paws may be sensitive to the rocks on-trail.
The dog sure looks dumb, but don't tell him that.

[big_load]

While you're at it, you might get him snake-trained, too.

[Rob del Desierto]

My dog hated his booties, for what its worth.

[PLC92084]

Mine didn't like her booties, either (Yellow Lab...). She clomped around a little when I first put them on then just stood there til I took them off. The look of disgust (then relief) on her face was priceless... My current hiking partner (see avatar) crashes over and through everything if allowed to run amuck. I couldn't imagine taking her to AZ and letting her run loose; I'd become friends, immediately, with the local veterinarian ( soooooooo many prickly, biting, poisonous things out there...).

Big_load suggested snake-training. I second that and recommend rattle-snake vaccination as well. I've never had to test its efficacy but all the studies I've read indicate it helps reduce mortality and adverse affects (of course, keeping the dog away from the snake would do the same thing!).

[autumnstars]

For sure, the acceptance of booties depends on the individual dog.
My friend's dog just loves them and now wears them in town during summer, since our pavement gets so hot.
If you buy some, get them somewhere with a good return policy in case your dog hates them.

I third the suggestions of rattlesnake training.

[Alston Neal]

My dog hated his booties, for what its worth.

Cuz they are pink with rhinestones?
Xs 4 on the snake proofing, not just for your dog but for yourself also. They become an early warning system.
Also carry a Leatherman or something with pliers, great for cactus thorns..

[Tough_Boots]

Also carry a Leatherman or something with pliers, great for cactus thorns..

Ah... good advice. The time my dog lifted his leg over a cholla and I was without pliers is the closest we've ever been. We would both not like to repeat that.

[azbackpackr]

Mine didn't like her booties, either (Yellow Lab...). She clomped around a little when I first put them on then just stood there til I took them off. The look of disgust (then relief) on her face was priceless... My current hiking partner (see avatar) crashes over and through everything if allowed to run amuck. I couldn't imagine taking her to AZ and letting her run loose; I'd become friends, immediately, with the local veterinarian ( soooooooo many prickly, biting, poisonous things out there...).

Big_load suggested snake-training. I second that and recommend rattle-snake vaccination as well. I've never had to test its efficacy but all the studies I've read indicate it helps reduce mortality and adverse affects (of course, keeping the dog away from the snake would do the same thing!).

What studies? Respectable peer reviewed studies, or internet B.S? There's a vet who posts on here who says that all such studies are merely anecdotal, and NOT PEER REVIEWED, and the reason people BELIEVE the vaccine worked because dog didn't die from the snakebite is actually because most dogs don't die from it anyway. So, they go around telling people that the vaccination worked, but they have no hard evidence. Most dogs just don't die from snakebites.

I will try to find that thread. We basically argued it to death on here, and I came to believe that vet, because I am skeptical of anecdotal evidence. I dislike it when things such as that are sold to us as truth, when they have not gone through any peer reviews.

Here it is. What you want to do is to read the thread, and pay attention to what "BrettVet" has to say: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4968&start=0&hilit=rattlesnake+vaccine+dogs

[Sun Ray]

Have had several dogs over the years that hike with me without booties and done fine. My hikes are day hikes with about 12 mile max with the dogs so I've not backpacked with them where they had to do so say 20 miles per day. Sore feet........yes on very rocky terrain. I have been in the back country where I've seen dogs with booties doing just fine and looking like they did not know they had them on. So... look at what type of hiking you do and act accordingly.

[kevinweitzel75]

I have a close friend that has had two different dogs get bit by rattlers. One of the dogs has been bit 3 times, two of the three times has been in the face. He says that where ever they were bit, swells up and they do alot of sleeping and in a week or so are back to normal. His dog that has been bit over again, each time his recovery is quicker. Then he lost a dog 2 years ago that had been bit only the one time.

[kingsnake]

Not a dog owner, but was watching Animal Planet last night, with two hours of their show on different breeds of dogs. I knew Rhodesian Ridgebacks were trained to attack lions , but what I did not realize is that 1) they are very healthy in hot & dry enviroments (makes sense, seeing where they are from) and that 2) they can easily run 20+ miles without rest. (Both aerobically, and from the way the way their feet are built.) Thought I'd mention it if anyone was thinking of getting a dog that would be good on Arizona hikes ...

[uphill junkie]

Not to sound like a downer or anything, but some dogs are just not hikers. Why can't you just take your dog on a walk and then go hike yourself? Not sure why the dog has to prevent you from hiking. Personally, my dog loves to hike, but there are a lot of hikes I don't take him on due to the terrain. I still go......I just wouldn't force the dog to do something he/she really doesn't want to do.

[azbackpackr]

I like dogs well enough but hate it when I show up for a group event where 3 or 4 people have brought dogs. When I organize an event I almost always say, "No dogs." People even ask me when I am organizing a hike down in the Wolf Recovery area, which also happens to be prime big cat and bear territory.

Snacky snacky on your puppy!

[robxxx]

thanks for the comments. Seems pretty hopeless so far, hiring a trainer and may get another dog to coax him !

[Jim_H]

@ Liz:
I had a friend who would basically only do hikes he could take his dog on. Any NPS stuff was out, since they won't allow dogs, and if it couldn't be done by his dog, he wouldn't even consider it. At times this was funny and at other times it was just irritating. He never used a leash, and his dog always ran wild. He was constantly having to yell at her to get her to come near, which was very annoying, and he would have to hold her collar to keep her from fighting with other random dogs (she was a rez dog). The thing was, the dog really didn't car what she was doing, she was happy with the daily walk near the house, or on a long 10 mile hike. It ended up being a lot of projecting his animals happiness onto himself. I think a lot of people have a perception of the dogs apparent joy which they project onto themselves. This became obvious when he moved from a house to an apartment. He projected his own apprehension about the move onto the dog and was frequently vocalized his concerns that his dog wouldn't adapt to apartment life. In the end, she couldn't have cared less about losing the lawn or yard to sleep in and made the transition to an apartment very well. Very few dogs will actually want to walk on a trail, or so that has been my observation. They want to run around and smell things, and chase after things. It's dog behavior.

[PLC92084]

I like dogs well enough but hate it when I show up for a group event where 3 or 4 people have brought dogs

Liz... You'd have hated the hike I went on Saturday! Of the seven people who went, I was the only one who didn't bring a dog (mine isn't used to doing 20 mile hikes, yet). I didn't feel guilty for leaving her at home; I knew it was better for everyone that I did... If I'm contemplating a hike with dogs, I try to match the folks with the activity... I realize not everyone loves them as much as I do.

[robxxx]

Well he walks on the trail now. I got him neutered and coincidentally or not he now has no fear of the
trail ! Could have just been a coincidence with getting used to the smells. I live alone and have no one to
take care of my dog so its not a luxury to leave him home while I go out on a weekend backpack.