Hiking With Middle-Aged Dogs at Altitude

Each spring, my husband Dave and I plus our two Labrador retrievers start conditioning for extended hiking adventures. We do this to avoid self-inflicted pain and hopefully injuries as we enjoy high altitude hikes and climbs during the summer and fall months.

This year’s warm-up season seems different but not just because of COVID 19. Both Betty and Ranger appeared more tired than usual after a recent seven-mile round trip hike that gained 2,600 feet in elevation to about 12,000 feet. They sacked out all evening after the hike, only coming to life for their after-dinner goodies. Somehow, they knew when to muster energy!

So why were the dogs so weary? They hadn’t appeared so tired just two weeks ago when we hiked the same trail and turned around at the identical location. What had changed? Had we overlooked a health issue? Dave and I found the hike easier because we walked on a 99% snow-free trail.

Both Betty and Ranger seemed to thoroughly love the recent outing which offered lots of new smells and a few snow piles after we reached 11,500 feet or so. Both adore snow which melted months ago around our home that sits at an elevation of 8,300 feet.

The next morning, both dogs were rested and ready for another outing at our usual daily walk time. We all took the day off primarily because of thunder which rumbled on and off all afternoon.

Dave and I realized that although the hikes were nearly identical, there were differences:

• The weather was much hotter on the last hike. We didn’t encounter any snowdrifts until about 11,500 feet, a huge change from two weeks prior when snow made parts of the trail impassable. Without all the snow, our canines’ paws traveled over more rock and packed dirt.
• Betty wore a backpack weighing about three-plus pounds to condition her for a slightly heavier load.
• And just two days previous, we’d hiked a total of five miles at a slightly lower elevation. Much to the dogs’ delight, that hike led to a lake where they swam and retrieved a dummy. The weather was cooler, and the hike was much less strenuous, with only a 1,000-foot elevation gain.

But there was another factor to consider. This year, our loyal four-footed hiking companions are showing their middle age. Gads, what happened to puppy Ranger? More than eight years ago, he joined our family as an eight-week-old puppy. Betty often still acts like a young dog, especially when she runs in circles like a “crazy” dog. But it’s easier to accept her middle age status given that she came to live with us when she was nearly six, about a year and a half ago after retiring from the conformation show ring and motherhood.

In human years, Ranger is around sixty, and Betty, in her fifties.

Taking all of the above factors into consideration, Dave and I will adjust our conditioning program for all of us. After gradually increasing the distance and altitude of our hikes over the last two months, we thought all of us were ready for two good length hikes in a week. Maybe we were but not just with one rest day in between outings.

Our recent experience means that we won’t take back to back hikes and will carefully monitor our canines’ recovery time from more strenuous hikes. We must accept the fact that it will take us all longer to get into decent hiking shape, which is key to enjoying the great outdoors.

Lesson learned: Remember to take into consideration the age of your canine when you plan to hike, especially at altitude. (For a discussion of why NOT to take your puppy on hikes on uneven terrain, lengthy outings, or climbs, see: https://www.caryunkelbach.com/climbing-colorados-14ers-and-hiking-with-dogs-a-veterinarians-perspective)

Health Concerns

Here are some suggestions to help prepare your middle-aged canine for safe and enjoyable hikes at altitude:

• At this age, it’s vital to have your vet check out Fido for any orthopedic, heart, or other health issues.
• Make sure Fido has all core vaccinations and consider heartworm prevention. Tourists, some with their canines, flock to our area to just hang out or to hike and climb. Sometimes, these visitors bring heartworm-diseased canines to our area, and mosquitoes do the rest. That’s why Betty and Ranger are on heartworm prevention medicine even though they won’t be traveling any time soon out of the area thanks to thanks to COVID 19.
• Reduce extra pounds on your furry best friend to avoid excessive weight on aging joints and exasperating breathing issues.
• Trim Fido’s nails to avoid splaying of paws and tearing of nails on rocks and underbrush.
• Take extra water— lots of it— as Fido acclimates to longer and higher altitude hikes. On our recent outing, both dogs drank nearly a total of two liters of water plus snow and some creek water near the trailhead. They cooled off higher up by rolling in the snowbanks.

For other health-related tips, see: https://www.caryunkelbach.com/climbing-colorados-14ers-and-hiking-with-dogs-a-veterinarians-perspective

Social Skills

Now’s also a good time to brush up on the social skills of dogs of all ages. Most canines probably don’t understand why they haven’t seen their doggie buddies and, in Ranger and Betty’s case, the children who read to them during our local library’s Reading to Rover program. Our dogs also haven’t seen their canine friends at our local training class that’s been shut down thanks to COVID 19. They also haven’t hosted any dinner guests because we’ve taken seriously the state’s health guidance.

This means that both are even more eager to meet dogs and people on the trail, and pretend to forget basic commands of stay, come, etc.

Consider some training at home with Fido so that he/she becomes more responsive to come, stay, and sit. Remember to make training time fun for Fido and fork over some yummy treats!

On trails, we leash our canines whenever we see other hikers. Some people just don’t like dogs. Our veteran hiker, Ranger, seems to understand he can’t meet every person on the trail. He stays calmly at Dave’s side, off the trail to let others pass.

Betty is entirely another case. She pulls a tad on her leash, wags her tail furiously, and when all else fails and the human doesn’t respond, she whines and then barks! We’re working on eliminating the noise. But some hikers can’t resist her super friendliness and end up petting her as I stand back the obligatory six feet.

Encountering other dogs, often unleashed, is another issue. If the owners say their canines are friendly and aren’t holding on to them for dear life off the trail, we’ve decided to let the dogs meet and play. On the last two hikes, three dogs were friendly and played, and five were not but their owners so advised.

In these crazy times, take a moment and think about what shape Fido is in and if you need to take your year-older best friend for a little shorter and cooler hike before longer and more difficult adventures. Fido will thank you. Have fun!

RELATED ARTICLE: https://www.caryunkelbach.com/preparing-dogs-for-enjoyable-hikes/