Hiking with Dogs 101: Choosing a Hiking Dog

I see a lot of “articles” floating around the web with titles like: Top 10 Breeds of Hiking Dogs, or Which Dog Breed Makes the Best Hiking Dog? 

These headlines always make me scratch my head because they are misleading. Simply put, no single dog breed makes the best hiking dog. There is not a single breed in existence where each and every member of that breed is going to be a good hiking partner. Often times, individual members of dog breeds that AREN’T mentioned make amazing adventure buddies. In addition, many of the best hiking dogs are mixed breeds or mutts, not purebred dogs. In this article, rather than telling you which breed of dog to pick, I’m going to tell you what qualities to look for in an individual dog you may be considering as a hiking companion.

I’ll be writing this as though you are meeting a dog that you are trying to decide whether to adopt as a hiking buddy. If you’re considering getting a puppy, use this advice in such a way as to determine what the adult traits of that puppy may be. Generally, observing the temperaments, sizes, coat types, etc. of the parents is a good place to start. If you’re purchasing from a breeder, temperament/Volhard testing may also give you clues.

Adult Size

Size is an important factor to consider when choosing a hiking dog for several reasons. A dog that is too small may have difficulty keeping up with you, won’t be able to carry any of it’s own weight, and may have decreased stamina. A dog that is too large is going to have a shorter hiking lifespan (more prone to heart and joint problems) and will be difficult to carry out of the woods in the event of an injury or illness.

To me, the ideal size of a canine hiking partner is between 25 and 50lb. A dog in this size range is substantial enough to hike and carry some of their own weight, but small enough to be carried in the event of an emergency. This does not mean that a dog outside these size ranges will not be good on the trail. This is just what I consider to be ideal. I state this while being honest about the fact that my primary hiking partner is a 65lb poodle – I’d have difficulty carrying him if I ever needed to. He was not supposed to grow to be that large (both parents under 50lb). I love him anyway and he loves to hike so we make it work.

Energy Level

Hiking Dog

Shooter is high energy so he carries a pack to slow him down on hikes.

Dogs of all breeds can have energy levels ranging from couch potato to ultra-runner. In my experience, dogs on the mid-high end of the spectrum fare best for hiking, especially long distances. Low energy dogs can and will hike, and often enjoy it, but they aren’t going to want to hike as far, as fast, or as long as you do. Ultra high energy, high drive dogs can be difficult to manage on trail and in camp – especially if it’s an on-leash only trail. I prefer a hiking dog that can walk with me all day and settle down nicely in camp at night.

Super high-energy dogs can be slowed down by having them carry a pack. I recommend no more than 10% of their body weight, and dogs under 2 years of age should NOT carry weight. Low energy dogs can still enjoy themselves as well! Just make sure to hike your dog’s hike and not push too far, too fast.

Coat Type

This is an important consideration that can change depending on where you do most of your hiking. If you’re in the backcountry of Alaska, a thick-coated dog will thrive. On the Florida Trail, not so much. When taking this factor into consideration, think about the following things:

  • Does the coat require daily grooming/brushing to maintain? If the answer is yes, you may want to reconsider. Dogs with super long, shaggy coats are going to get dirtier, their hair will trap more debris, and it will be more difficult to spot ticks or small skin irritations or abrasions that could become infected. Disclaimer: I hike with a standard poodle, as mentioned. He is kept shaved short about once a month, since he’s a hiking dog. That maintenance is a sacrifice I’m personally willing to make in order to have a dog that doesn’t shed. Determine what you are comfortable with.
  • Hiking Dog
  • Will the coat help or inhibit my dog’s ability to maintain a proper body temperature? If you live and hike in a cooler climate, a dog with a heavier coat will have an easier time staying warm. A slick-coated dog (think Weimaraner or Greyhound) may need extra care such as layering coats to keep warm in cold climates. If you live in a hot climate, a double-coated Malamute may have a hard time keeping cool.
  • Will I be able to easily do nightly tick and injury checks? A slick dog will take less time to body-check and offer fewer hiding places for critters. A hairy dog has more protection against nicks and cuts and is less likely to accumulate skin injuries.

There is no single correct coat type for a hiking dog. I like that I can shave my poodle down short in summer months to help him keep cool, and grow it a bit longer in the winter to help him stay warm. Determine your specific needs and pick a dog that fits the bill.

Personality

The perfect hiking dog is amiable, calm, and friendly (but not obnoxiously so) toward people and other dogs. While some level of fear and even mild aggression can be overcome with diligent training, if you’re looking for the perfect hiking partner, why not set yourself up for success by picking a dog that doesn’t come with a host of behavioral issues you’ll have to fix first?

A dog that is excessively fearful or anxious is probably not going to have a good time on trail. Any dog with serious aggression issues is a liability on trail (especially off-leash). When dealing with these issues, my advice is to work with a professional skilled in behavior modification to determine if this dog will ever be suitable for hiking.

Trainability

Trainability is not a measure of how smart a dog is. Rather, it addresses a dog’s ability to learn new things and willingness to work with their human partner. A dog that is highly trainable is going to be a better hiking partner. A dog that is reluctant to work for or with you and is slow to learn is going to make your life more difficult. Dogs need to know a variety of commands and behaviors in order to be good hiking companions:

  • Sit
  • Stay
  • Come when called <—— most important
  • Settle/lie down and stay
  • Heel/Polite leash walking
  • Proper greeting behavior (no jumping or mouthing)
  • Leave it
  • Quiet (or no barking)

Hiking DogThere are many other useful behaviors, but these are the basics. If you’re adopting a shelter dog, spend some time with some treats seeing if you can teach basic obedience commands quickly and easily. If you’re meeting a new puppy, focus on the puppy’s attentiveness to you, desire for food or other reward, and willingness to follow you around. A dog with good potential will be food motivated and pay a lot of attention to you (looking at your face, focused on your voice). Avoid a dog that doesn’t seem motivated by praise or food – this dog is going to be much more difficult to train.

Many people will say to avoid breeds based on characteristics such as: don’t get a hound dog because they have to follow their nose, or don’t get a northern breed because they are independent. Traits such as this can be inherent in certain breeds. However, these traits can also be overcome with proper training. The time to avoid a dog with an undesirable behavioral breed trait is if they are ALSO unresponsive to training and unmotivated to work with you.

Breed

Hiking Dog

Left to right: spitz, pit bull mix, two standard poodles, black labrador retriever

I guess we have to address breed in here somewhere. The only thing I’m going to say about picking based on breed is this: the only breed trait that really matters is health.

Most brachycephalic (smooshed snout) breeds will have some difficulty breathing and/or maintaining proper body temperature while participating in prolonged, strenuous physical activity. Breeds such as English Bulldogs, Pugs, Mastiffs, Pekingese, etc. may not be particularly well-suited as hiking dogs.

Many giant breeds such as Great Danes are prone to hip, joint, and other musculoskeletal issues. These may shorten their hiking lifespan or render them unable to hike altogether. These breeds are also more prone to heart problems, so just be careful and make sure you are having regular checkups if you end up choosing one of these dog breeds.

Do not take this as a be-all, end-all. I have seen members of each of these breeds out on trail. You just have to pick the right dog and always be aware of your pet’s personal limitations. For details about potential genetic health issues by breed of dog, THIS guide is very detailed.

Final Thoughts on Choosing a Hiking Dog

The best hiking partner is usually the one you have. If you have a dog in your life that you love, or meet a dog at a shelter that you absolutely cannot walk away from, you can probably manage to turn that dog into a hiking hiking dog. A little training goes a long way. Behavioral issues can be resolved through working with a professional. Your Australian Cattle Dog can learn a bombproof recall if you work hard enough on it. Your Chihuahua who thinks he’s the world’s greatest guard dog can learn to quiet on command with enough practice.

Above anything else when hiking with dogs: be courteous to other hikers and be mindful of your dog. Keep it on leash if you haven’t established a solid recall. Don’t allow it to greet other dogs and hikers if you haven’t perfected greeting behavior. Avoid camping in high-traffic areas if your dog is an alert barker. You get the picture. Get out there and hike with your pooch and have fun!

This is the first in a series I’ll be doing about hiking with dogs. Stay tuned for more! 

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Comments 14

  • Kim : Jan 16th

    I enjoyed this article. Hope to read the others soon. I hike with a rescue terrier mix and a rat terrier. They are both different on the trail and respond differently at different times. Buster sometimes takes his sweet time at recall.

    Reply
    • Tinkerbell : Jan 17th

      That’s awesome! I think I’m going to do an entire article on training dogs for off leash hiking – aka recall lol, so stay tuned!

      Reply
      • Yash Sharma : Feb 19th

        Hello there,

        A very good read. Especially the part on essential behavior. I’m planning to take my Labrador 1.5 year old on a 3 day trek to Indian Himalayas. He can up walk continuously for 2 hrs with lots of jumps and runs. What are your thoughts? Regards!

        Reply
  • Jon "The Captain" Morgan : Jan 16th

    Thank you for writing this. The introduction is on point! It always kills me to see the top 10 breeds that make hiking dogs. What dog doesn’t want to get outside? I’ve been section hiking the AT with my Border Collie “Barkley”, for over a year now.
    The first this I recommend for people hiking with dogs is take them to a obedience training! Obiedence training is more for the human than for the dog (in my own opinion) because it’s teaching the human basic operante condititioning of the dog. Meaning you’re learning how to use negative and positive rewards to modify a behavior. The commands I found that work the most are “come along”, “wait”, “come here”, and “drop that dead squirrel”!

    The second thing I’ve found is not everyone is a dog person. I’ve ran in to my fare share of people that don’t like Fido. So be prepared for them to pepper spray your dog…hence the dog training class help prevent that.

    Third have a good leash!! Barkley has chewed threw several leashes by the time he was 1. I’ve found that if you take a 6-8 foot length of dynamic climbing rope and some basic knot tying and one carabiner you’ve then got an awesome leash, also that total cost was $4 for the rope and $10 for a locking biner.

    I could talk this subject all day long, but my hiking buddy has his paw on my leg and is looking at his backpack with that look of “it’s muddy out let’s go on an adventure”! Better get him out there.

    Reply
    • Tinkerbell : Jan 17th

      I definitely second obedience training! Getting those foundations and learning to communicate with your dog are very important. You can take everything you learn in a basic obedience class and transfer it to hiking-specific behaviors later on.

      I’d have quite the issue with someone pepper-spraying my dog without a seriously good reason, but it is important not to let your dog run up to other hikers/dogs (or wildlife for that matter) in a threatening manner.

      Reply
  • Jeff : Jan 16th

    have you found whether or not having your dog on a flea and tick treatment is beneficial when having them out on a trail? btw, thinking of trying to get my 2yr old labradoodle out on my next hike with me.

    Reply
    • Tinkerbell : Jan 17th

      I think this is going to depend a lot on where and when you are hiking. New England in the spring/summer time is notorious for ticks, so tick prevention and nightly tick checks are a must. The south in the summer is flea-ridden (they are harbored in small mammals and rodents like squirrels), so flea prevention would be helpful. And don’t forget mosquitoes, which transmit heartworms. In the winter, especially at higher elevations or in the north, you aren’t going to run into as much of an issue. Living in the mountains of North Carolina, I keep my dogs on flea/tick and heartworm prevention about 7 months out of the year and give their systems a break the rest of the year when it isn’t as much of a worry.

      But definitely take your pup out and see how he does! Make sure you have the needed supplies and gears, and are prepared to cut your hike short if for some reason he/she doesn’t do well.

      Reply
  • Christine Coletta : Jan 16th

    I had an Australian Cattle Dog that I was planning on section hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine with where I live. Unfortunately, she got cancer and the day after her 6th B-Day I had to put her to sleep. She would have been the PERFECT dog to take hiking. She absolutely LOVED being outdoors, especially in the snow. LOL!! I now have a little, old dog LeeLou who is a Chihuahua/Miniature Schnauzer mix who HATES the cold and the heat!! I think there are maybe 2 weeks out of the whole year that she actually enjoys. BOTH of these dogs were RESCUES from extremely bad situations. My Australian Cattle Dog Morbid was really really a RED ZONE dog until I began researching the breed and learning how to handle her. My little dog LeeLou was being starved, not being given water, wasn’t being taken outside, was kicked in the head so hard that it caused brain damage and caused her left eye to be blind. She was also choked to the point that her trachea was crushed!!! I appreciate your article about dogs hiking and that you should consider other things than just the breed. And it’s pretty cool that you mentioned the two girls I had/have.

    Reply
    • Tinkerbell : Jan 17th

      Thanks for the feedback! The really important thing is just knowing your dog and their needs and limitations, which it sounds like you do! A lot of people say cattle dogs don’t make good hiking dogs because they are independent and have a tendency to roam but some of the best hiking dogs I’ve encountered have been ACD’s.

      Reply
  • Diane : Sep 18th

    My wife and I do quite a lot of hiking in Massachusetts/Vermont area, between 5 – 12 mile hikes, our two dogs are mutt mix, but they are both a mix of Cattle Dog/Pit Bull mix and they are excellent hiking dogs!! True what you say with the weight, our one is 45 lbs and other is about 53 lbs and I have had to carry them both for a few miles out of the woods, anymore more would be tough! Nothing like hiking with a dog, makes it so much fun!! Great article, I enjoyed reading it.

    Reply
  • Sarah : Dec 28th

    I love seeing articles like this! My Australian Shepherd is the reason I got into hiking in the first place but I see so many writings saying he’s not ideal because of his thick coat. While it certainly hinders us from ever doing a thru hike together (he couldn’t handle summer) we still get out hiking and backpacking whenever possible.

    Do you have any suggestions for how to train the “quiet” command? Mine is a nervous nelly and is pretty vocal. I have to plan accordingly as to not annoy other hikers with his barking.

    Reply
    • Stacia Bennett : Dec 28th

      My biggest training mantra for stuff like this is that you can tell your dog “not” to do something a million times, but that doesn’t tell him what he SHOULD be doing instead. The key to teaching a dog to be quiet when asked is to pair it with an alternative (even better: an incompatible) behavior. My dogs are encouraged to bark to alert me to intruders or things I should pay attention to in the environment. I allow one or two barks and then say “thank you! That’s enough!” and that is their cue that if they return to me, they will get rewarded with treats and/or petting. The alternative behavior to barking is coming to me. and it’s hard for them to continue to bark at something if they are facing the opposite direction!

      Obviously this isn’t an easy behavior to teach and you have to have good basic control of your dog and a solid recall in place in order to even begin. If that is a level of training you aren’t comfortable with, I suggest working with a trainer that provides private one-on-one instruction in order to accomplish your training goals. Best of luck!

      PS: Aussies make GREAT hiking dogs. They are designed and built to work long hours on the farm, year round. Their coats are self-ventilating and I think you’d be surprised at how plausible a thru-hike might be as long as you planned it (for both your sakes) so as not to end up in the mid-atlantic in July and August. Be further north by then and you’ll be golden.

      Reply
  • Don Wilson : Jul 13th

    Great article. A couple of thoughts more from experience.

    I currently hike with a 7 years old 55 lb German Shephard and a small 20lb 11-year-old mutt. The Shephard is an awesome hiker and her natural tendency to fear others helped her learn very quickly how to avoid other dogs and people on the trail. We say “off trail” and/or “Go around” and she leaves the trail momentarily and goes around the other hikers. If you can train your dog to do this, you will be very happy and other hikers will appreciate not confronting your off-leash wolf.

    The little one is so cute, everyone wants to pet him or comment on him, so no issues. And, he is still knocking out 10 milers without any issues.

    Dogs do overheat in the hot part of the day. If you are in a hurry, hike in the am or later pm (but watch for coyotes). If you hike in the heat of the day, make time for lots of shade and water breaks. We never leave the house without 3 liters of water and usually take 5. A small canvas bowl hangs from our daypack, but they have learned to drink straight from the waterpack.

    Last thing… The article was spot on about a too friendly dog not always the best choice for the trail. Our last dog was a very gregarious and overly friendly lab. We had to keep him tied up in camp on backpacking trips because he would search out other campers and their meals if left on his own. This is annoying to others and dangerous when in the back country where you need to keep track of your dog at all times. We love that the GSD is so attached to us that she wouldn’t ever think of leaving our side. It makes for a great hiking and backpacking dog. The little one always hikes with a bear bell to keep track of him and is tied up when in camp. Nobody wants to lose their dog in the wilderness or to a hungry coyote passing by.

    Thanks for the article. There is NOTHING that beats hiking with a great dog. Well… Maybe hiking with a great spouse should get a notch higher 🙂 I don’t want a divorce over this post!

    Reply

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