Chaff forum maybe?

as another poster noted a while back, perhaps everything Ali posts is Chaff...

Jack, sorry about the mix up I meant to post that to you not Art. Art, you and Dave T need to get a life. Sheesh I made a mistake in who I posted to Big deal. Where does all this anger come from? It makes the two of you seem very very small. Sorry to all who hade to suffer though reading a sincere post. Ali

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Ali - please remember we have minors reading this channel, and keep the language clean.
Thanks
Roger Caffin
Online Community Monitor

Edited by rcaffin on 06/01/2009 16:33:30 MDT.

Collie mixes are great hiking dogs. I have a border collie pit-bull mix that can hike 20 mile days and still runs around peeing on everything for an hour after we get to camp. My boxer on the other hand after about 5 miles tries to lay down every time I stop even just for a few seconds.

And why on earth would a dog spend 60 hours in a crate? My dogs just lay around the house all day while my wife and I are at work. They seem happy they just sleep all day I walk them every day when I get home usually at least 2 miles.

Hiring a full time nanny for a dog is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have heard in my life.

ridiculous I am for sure. :) Ali

The OP said he works a full time and a part time job. Good luck house training a puppy (and keeping paper, walls, sofas, beds,etc. safe) with out using a crate. And if you are willing to let a new shelter dog (and remember most shelter dogs are there because of some behavioral issue) have free run of your house while you are at home with out an adjustment period then you are braver than I. Lastly if you want to talk about the dangers of leaving two bully breeds at home alone you can pm me.

Ali, it may seem like a small mix-up to you, but to me it was a slam against my character and highly offensive. Big deal indeed.

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Art - please remember we have minors reading this channel, and keep the language clean.
Thanks
Roger Caffin
Online Community Monitor

Edited by rcaffin on 06/01/2009 16:34:23 MDT.

So don't get a puppy get a shelter dog that is already house trained. Seems like a simple solution.

While house training a pup I leave him in the crate all the time unless he is peeing or playing so that would be more than 60 hours a week but not more than a few hours at a time so a puppy will not work for this guy.

No reason an adult dog can't be in a crate most of the day during the adjustment period either hell he'd have been in a crate pretty much 24-7 at the shelter.

I know well the "dangers" of 2 bully breeds. Mine were crazy before I stared using the "Dog Whisper" method and walking them every day. Works like a charm. You just have to remember that in the dogs mind you are either the pack leader or a follower but not a friend or an equal.

I've changed my mind about the dog nanny, I think I want to be a dog nanny. Think I could make 30k a year doing it?

Sorry Art :( I'm lisdwxic and have double vision and I got confused which seems to happen more and more now that I hit 40.

Jesse, you could easily make 30k a year as a dog nanny but I have to say Mine was much cuter ( Is that a word?) than you. :( :) Ali

Edited by barefootnavigator on 06/02/2009 09:46:07 MDT.

Hi Jack! Let me first start by saying I'm not a big fan of dogs on the trail anymore, but there was a time when I did have a dog and we were out on a trail somewhere all the time. One reason for that is, as with all things, change is inescapable. When once I could go out and meet not another person all day, now I'll bump into 300 or more if I go up to Snow Lake near Snoqualmie Pass. I just fail to see how it's fair to subject my dog to the stress of dealing with 300 strangers, many of whom are in abject fear of running into a dog on the trail, leashed or not (especially children), and no telling how they'll react.

Another reason is that because of the increased use of the backcountry and subsequent degradation of its essential pristine nature, many areas are now listed as off limits to dogs. But I see dogs on these trails all the time! On the other trails dogs are ok IF they are on a leash. I hardly ever see a dog on a leash. When they are asked about that the owner will reply that the dog is under voice control. Yet they have absolutely no control when the dog goes off after an animal. Voice control, right! (In all fairness there is such a thing as voice control, but the vast majority of dog owners don't have a clue). In Montana a dog who tries to run down a deer is shot on sight, because after they taste blood the only thing that will stop them is a bullet.

Be that as it may, since you are here on the BPL site I'm sure that you're a cut above the hoi poloi and don't do any of the stuff mentioned above. And since you are interested in a great, if not good, trail dog, I'd like to direct you to issue 9 of Backpackinglight magazine and the story on Justin Lichter and his dog Yonni. Together they hiked the Triple Crown (AT, CDT, PCT) in less than a year! Check it out for an inspiring and breathtaking story. BTW, Yonni is half St Bernard, half Border Collie. Happy trails!

>In Montana a dog who tries to run down a deer is shot on sight, because after >they taste blood the only thing that will stop them is a bullet.

Ok I changed my mind this is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in my life. Please tell me you don't really believe it.

Edited by hellbillylarry on 06/07/2009 18:33:23 MDT.

Almost any working farm breed of dog would make a good trail dog, as long as they are completely trained to NOT chase any other animals. Think about it...a farm dog may work an 8-hour day, then spent the next 16 hours in a crate, so lots of down time is not a problem as long as they get a good run every day.

Otherwise, any lower energy dog will work too. The important thing is that, come weekends, you get them out there putting in the miles, building up stamina etc...but avoid high impact agility type exercise until their bones are fully formed. If starting with a pup (recommended), try to expose them to as many new experiences as you can early on. Things like children, people wearing funny hats, people with packs on, cars, boats, bicycles, skateboards, rain, snow, ice, other pets, livestock, tents, river crossings, swingbridges, etc...make them feel entirely comfortable in these situations.

Edited by retropump on 06/07/2009 19:04:43 MDT.

Getting a dog depends a lot on your situation like others have allready said. I know first hand how much time a puppy takes because mine is 15 weeks old. He's a handful



If you have a wife, GF or roommate that will help when your away I'd recommend a Puppy. I think if you put in the time you'll end up with a better behaved trail companion. If you don't have a puppy sitter an older dog may be better for a couple of reasons. A puppy needs a companion at all times when it's young. It's also the begining of backpacking season and time to get out and hike. A puppy shouldn't hike long distances until it's at least a year old (even older for large breeds) so you would have to find a way to leave him behind when you go out for days at a time this season. If you do decide to get a puppy I'd jump on it quick that way he'll be old enough for next season. If you you think an older dog would be better for you animal shelters around military bases are great places to to find young dogs that need new homes. As for the breed I'm partial to Labs because of their gentleness with children/other pets, Playful friendly stereotype, and how well they take to obiedience training. He's my 4th Lab and is showing great potential. I just recently took him on a short overnighter and he did great. Here's Oakley again.

Edited by Steingass on 06/07/2009 20:59:27 MDT.

Nice looking dog Matthew, I've always liked labs and I still might get one. I use to have a chocolate lab she was a great dog. I'm just not sure about thier instincts for hunting, I don't want a dog chasing every thing it smells or hears. I know it would be great with people on the trail just worried about critters.

Edited by jumpbackjack on 06/07/2009 22:47:57 MDT.

Thanks Jack, your right, they do need to be broken of this habit. Obedience training with a choke collar/leash and someone rolling his favorite toy or kicking a soccer ball helps. A firm understanding of the word NO helps too but they really do need actual encounters with wild animals. Oakley will be on a leash for a long time but even when he's free he should still walk beside or behind me not 50 feet out then back to their owner over and over like most dogs I see on the trail. I wish national parks could issue a license that allows them on their trails once they pass some kind of course.

Lets not give out training advice in this forum, especialy advice that could injure a dog or puppy. I have professionally trained dogs for years and can not think of a worse way to teach a dog the word "no" than to let a excited lab run full bore at their favorite toy only to hit the end of a choke (why do people still want to choke their dogs?) chain. I would suggest not giving out potentially dangerous advice (ever seen a dog with a collapsed trachea?) unless you have the experience and training to back it up...and having raised dogs is not enough experience. If your are curious about training then feel free to pm/email me, if you want to give training advice then do it over PM. This is a backpacking site right?

Your right. Training advice shouldn't be given over the forum because it could be misinterpreted the way you just showed me. Thanks.

> In Montana a dog who tries to run down a deer is shot on sight, because after they taste blood the only thing that will stop them is a bullet.


Can someone suggest a new, NON-deer-chasing dog to me? I've had to shoot eighteen of my own dogs this year, and I think it's time to go with a new breed. Somehow I think the Austrian longhaired deertriever is not working out well.

Edited by DaveT on 06/08/2009 12:18:17 MDT.

LOL. I'd recommend staying with that breed and continue to shoot them until you get lucky and find one that doesn't chase deer. I can recommend a caliber but that may be considered training advice so I'll have to PM you.

Edited by Steingass on 06/08/2009 12:27:00 MDT.

I agree this is not the forum to offer dog training advice, as there are as many different ways to train a dog as there are dog owners, and the potential for contention is huge.

BUT, directly related to backpacking is that, however you go about it, your dog should be trained rock-solid to walk behind you, right behind you, with his full attention focused on your heels. He should do this with or without a chain on, and never left to wander around sniffing and roaming where he pleases.