Dogs on 14ers

[COmthigh]

Right or wrong there was a Great Dane on Bierstadt Sunday. Maybe that person will reply. Whether to take a certain breed up a particular peak is a question I would ask myself if I wasn't sure. Listening, obviously, is up to you. Good climbing and enjoy the day.

[COmthigh]

Let's go climbing!

No Fear Wonder Dog is Here!

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[GAGuy]

Everybody's got great suggestions out here! As for the beagles hiking, I'd say give it a whirl. My little Jack Russell has reached the summit of 5 14ers in the past year and loves it. After the first hike I went out to REI and picked up the dog boots and he's been flying up and down trails. I'm sure it has something to do with his ultra low sense of gravity, but he's thankfully never had any issues out there. :D

[ketel1]

I'm planning on taking my two year old Great Dane (Copper) up his first 14ner this weekend. I was looking at Yale. Anyone know if this one is good for dogs... especially big clumsey ones :D

Missy Goat- no sarcasm intended but you state yourself how you 'know your dog' in your last post. I assume the 'big clumsey' dog you refer to in the first post is Copper? Your own statements are contradictory and to me are red flags. But I guess the only way to know for certain is to take him as long and high as he is willing to go safely. Make sure you have plenty of water-I assume he can drink a lot and that he will need to. Make sure you have a first aid kit if his paws cannot take it (see the thread on dog booties-the final ascent scramble is very rocky). He may enjoy it, he may turn you around after 3 miles. I suppose you will not know until you try it. Just pay close attention to him-if you really know your dog, he will let you know if he is enjoying it.
Beth

[gatorchick]

I'm planning on taking my two year old Great Dane (Copper) up his first 14ner this weekend. I was looking at Yale. Anyone know if this one is good for dogs... especially big clumsey ones :D

I have a medium size (55lb) lab mix that is VERY VERY agile and Yale is the only 14er (of the 6 she has done) that she had any problem with. Her problems weren't anything insurmountable (we gave her a boost up a couple boulders that were awkwardly situated for her to jump) but it was rough, and it wore her out more than any of the others (including at least one 14er that I would consider "harder" than Yale). I have heard several people say dogs for some reason seem to have problems with Yale - not sure if or why that's true, its just what I've heard.

I will leave the decision about whether to take a Dane up a 14er to you and your vet but I can say that Yale would probably not be a good first 14er for a dog big and presumably that clumsy.

[Rockymtnhigh69]

My lab Jeter had some problems at the top of Yale too.. I had to boost him up on a couple of rocks that he had trouble getting up on.. He is 100 pounds of pure beef and as tough as nails but Yale at the top was challenging.. He also did a "non voluntary" glissade coming down off of Yale which was very funny but pretty scary!

The last climb I took him on was really tough on his pads and I will be buying some booties for him soon.

[upndown]

I know my dog, otherwise I wouldn't be asking.

And you are the one that knows your dog best. Just be prepared to haul your dog off the mountain when he/she decides to lay down and quit on you. I had my Golden Retriever for 10 years and he ran 5-7 miles PER DAY with me on concrete, so his pads were not an issue. He'd been on a hundred hikes at altitude with me, but then one day on a trip up Lindsey, he decided he'd had enough and nothing I could say or do was going to make him go any further up that hill. Once I got him down to the saddle, he was fine so my theory is altitude sickness (which you claim dogs adjust to better than humans - not sure what you are basing that on). Just know that your dog can quit on you and be prepared to haul that 150lb sack of jello off the mountain if it does quit and you'll be fine.

[Inky6900]

As to your first question...

There is only one dog that has climbed all the 14ers. It was Roger Edrinn's dog, Diente, and they did it back in the 1980s. His dog was a mix of some kind and looked similar to Benji. I believe it was a smaller dog at about 30 pounds. There's really no proof of this other than he claims it and in one of his books there's a photo of his dog on the summit of Capitol. I've never heard of another dog climbing them all and I've been asking about that for almost a decade now.

To answer your second question...

the best booties are Ruff Wear brand. You can get them at REI for $60. It's expensive but they do last. Buy an extra set in case your dog loses a shoe. Sawyer has used them for every climb we've done over the past 8 years. He's climbed over 50 of the 14ers as of now.

This is a photo from about 4 years ago when we climbed North Marroon Peak.

[ozone]

A dog does not have to have a low center of gravity to be a good scrambler. Here is my weimaraner at about a year old. He is the tallest weim I have ever seen but he is lean and loves to hike. He will actually scramble up rocks along the trail for no other reason then it looks like fun. I don't plan to do any class 3 climbs with any exposure with him but he will do quite a few 14ers. His first was Shavano/Tab and he had no problems. Down side he hates the cold. We have the booties and we use them in the winter and take them for emergencies in the summer. He does not get as good of traction with the booties on.

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And after a snow shoe this winter.

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[aHudge]

Down side he hates the cold. We have the booties and we use them in the winter and take them for emergencies in the summer. He does not get as good of traction with the booties on.

Our Ridgeback gets cold too.. but the booties help. And she looses a little bit of traction like you said. Sometimes even on summer hikes she'll sometimes wear the booties because her feet get a little worn if there are extended periods of rock.

On most hikes, we'll put the booties on her for about half the hike, which seems to work pretty well. If she wears them for (say..) 8 hours straight, her tops of her feet would get rubbed a little.

So for the Boots (Grip Trex) have worked great. We got the liners and they (minimize) rubbing.
From what I can tell a common mistake is that people get booties that are too big for the dog, and they complain about them falling off. If you get the right size it shouldn't be a problem.

[aHudge]

As to your first question...

There is only one dog that has climbed all the 14ers. It was Roger Edrinn's dog, Diente, and they did it back in the 1980s. His dog was a mix of some kind and looked similar to Benji. I believe it was a smaller dog at about 30 pounds. There's really no proof of this other than he claims it and in one of his books there's a photo of his dog on the summit of Capitol. I've never heard of another dog climbing them all and I've been asking about that for almost a decade now.

To answer your second question...

the best booties are Ruff Wear brand. You can get them at REI for $60. It's expensive but they do last. Buy an extra set in case your dog loses a shoe. Sawyer has used them for every climb we've done over the past 8 years. He's climbed over 50 of the 14ers as of now.

This is a photo from about 4 years ago when we climbed North Marroon Peak.

50 14ers!!! Good Work!!

[gatorchick]

Our dog gets cold too - she doesn't have an undercoat like a typical lab and if the temps drop or there is a strong wind she starts to shiver and gets pretty unhappy. She has a fleece and booties which have helped immensely. She looks sort of ridiculous but at least she is comfy!