Hiking with Dogs

Posted April 28th, 2009 by Georgette Weir

A place for hikers with dogs to share tips, experiences, favorite hikes, concerns.

Some general guidelines to keep in mind, suggested by a staffer at New Jersey DEP: "The general rule is pets are permitted within the outside day use areas of the parks/forests as long as they are held on a leash (maximum length - 6 feet) and you clean up after your pet.   Pets are not permitted in buildings, on swimming beaches or in swimming waters, all overnight facilities (with the exception of the pet friendly campsites), golf courses or botanical gardens."

In the Catskill Forest Preserve, dogs may be unleashed, except for in campgrounds, where they must be leashed.

‹ From the Catskills Trail News ›

Our dog, Tora

On July 1st, 2011 Paul_A says:

Just thought I'd share a photo of our 2.5 year old Shilo Shepherd named Tora.

She loves the outdoors and has been on several backpacking trips with us.  She's gotta stay on leash or she'd chase every small animal within sight.  Friendly and loves people, but is terrified of other dogs and acts aggresively toward them if left to her own devices.  She was pretty good when we had a moose encounter last summer in New Hampshire.

Shilo Shepherd named Tora

New Jersy Wildlife Management Areas

On April 26th, 2011 kmalkin@nynjtc.org says:

Dog owners should be aware of this page if they intend to use NJ WMA's for training.

Lost dog-- Sterling Forest State Park

On March 24th, 2011 kyla718 says:

I lost my dog Janie while hiking at Sterling Forest State Park in Tuxedo, NY on 3/19.  We are looking for volunteers to help look for her this SATURDAY MARCH 26th.  Janie is a 4 yo gold retriever mix, 50 pounds.  She is VERY afraid of strangers.  If you see her, please do not chase her.  We are hoping to get a spotting of her so that we can try to catch her with a dog trap.  Janie was last spotted at the NE corner of Sterling Lake.  I'll be at the the park all day on Sat. You can stop by the visitor's center for more info or email me.  Thanks!  Kyla

Kyla@hotmail.com

Here is alink to the park's website: http://www.nysparks.com/parks/74/details.aspx

Was this dog ever found?

On June 28th, 2011 exed says:

Was this dog ever found?

Wow a really nice idea

On June 20th, 2010 studs says:
Wow a really nice idea indeed , to hike around with your dog along with some of the friends . Since , I have never really taken my dog outside this concrete jungle , I think that it is really a great idea to take her to an adventurous hike trip . But what bothers me a lot is the fact that I have not given my dog a proper Dog Training , that is why I am afraid that I might loose her in the middle of nowhere . But even though there is a risk of loosing her I think I am going to take her for a hike for her re freshness and health .

Dogs on Leash

On June 21st, 2010 thegup says:
I hike my beagles all the time. Beagles are not the type of dogs you would unleash as their are scent hounds and if they get one then their instincts take over and you could end up waiting for a very long time. Too many people hike with unleashed dogs and then act suprised when their pooch gets into a scrap with a leashed dog. This has happened to me more than once. I try to explain that a leashed dog van feel threatened by a dog wandering into his space and may defend it. Alot of people who have dogs have no idea about dog behavior and how to handle them. It's annoying. If you hike your dogs, make sure you avoid places where you may have to scramble, like Breakneck, Popolopen Torne, etc. and find a hike that has multiple watering spots so the pooches can get an occasional drink.

Good advice. If you do have a

On June 28th, 2011 exed says:

Good advice. If you do have a dog off leash, make sure it's always in sight, have leash in hand and use it at the first chance that there might be another hiker, dog or wildlife.

BTW, I have a Beagle that is great off leash and listens on a dime. Proper, possitive training will get your Beagle there to if you put time/effort into it.

nice idea to keep your dog on a leash

On June 21st, 2010 hiker4414 says:
studs, in areas where dogs are permitted, almost all require you to keep your dog on a leash so you should not have any problem with her getting lost.

Well first of all normally i

On January 27th, 2010 christophersbaldwin says:
Well first of all normally i never take my dog along when were are out or doing some adventure but it really sounds interesting i mean dogs just loves the adventures and what better this weekend if i take my alaskan husky to a outing with my other pets also.

So, how did your first

On February 2nd, 2010 Paul_A says:
So, how did your first outing with your animals go? Did you take them out hiking or did you pick something else to do?

Dogs and snakes

On July 29th, 2009 peteyd says:
Anyone who hikes hariman knows that there are a lot of black (rat) snakes in the area, as well as northern brown water snakes, timber rattelers, and copper heads. The later two are the only that are venomous. In my own experience the number of rattelers is perhaps on the rise? I have seen more this year than the past 5 years I have been hiking. I hike with my dog and have done some research that may be helpfull to others who hike with dogs. Antivenom for rattelers is available at OCAES (845)-692-0260. If you hike with a dog, this phone number may be something you want to keep in your pack.

concern about snakes......and bears

On March 14th, 2010 Second_Cloud says:
While snakes pose some danger, I'm actually more concern about bears, as snakes tend to retreat when disturbed and only attacke when cornered. But bears attack when spooked or annoyed. Having a couple of dogs barking is a really good way to spook and annoy a bear. Can anybody provide some info on bears in the Harriman-Bear mountain region? (ie: population density, attitude towards hikers and campers, etc) Much appreciated!

Re: concern about snakes and bears (below)

On March 22nd, 2010 hiker4414 says:
I've been lucky enough to have seen bears in Harriman about 10 times in the last 4 years and every time they always behaved like "non problem" bears. In other words, they turned tail and ran away. I did hear that a mother with 4 cubs was relocated out of Harriman, but that was because they were making trips "into town". I can't provide any verification on this. I have also heard that one hiking club has come across bears which freightened them - possibly an over reaction or likely the bears were confused by large groups of hikers and just needed some time to assess the danger (to themselves) and find an escape. Their natural reaction is to avoid the scary humans. Do take precautions. Given time and the number of visitors to Harriman, there no doubt will be a "problem" bear before long.

some people aren't helping the situation

On March 26th, 2010 Michael K7 says:
"Given time and the number of visitors to Harriman, there no doubt will be a "problem" bear before long."

Especially if people keep leaving food on the trails. I can't count the number of orange peels and candy wrappers i've picked up while hiking. Might be time to step up the efforts to spread Leave No Trace principals...

some sort of warning sign along the trail might help

On April 20th, 2010 Second_Cloud says:

Thx a lot for the info Michael K7!

Me and my wife have been on overnight trips in the Harrimans a few times now (all when snow was still knee deep on the mountains) and have never come across any signs of bears, nor any signs ABOUT bears! Any inexperience hiker won't even know that they are in bear country and should be practicing bear precautions, or even what kind of precautions they are. Initially I thought maybe that's because there're no bears in Harriman-Bear region, now I realize there are bears. I just can't understand why there isn't a single warning sign about it.

I too have seen half consumed fruits and used tissues (assuming they were used to after food) discarded along the trial and once a half bag of chips in the shelter. You're abusolutely right about it's time to step up the effort to better inform and educate hikers/campers before bears in Harriman get bolder and begin to "enjoy" people's left-over, and god forbid, eventually people.

 I'm just really glad to know that bears in the park are still afraid of human and hope that our fellow humans are intelligent enough to know that we should keep it that way...

hiking w dogs

On May 11th, 2009 banjolady says:

email me off list for further information re hiking w dogs in this area. i do it daily.   susan   banjolady.susan@verizon.net

Suggestions for Hiking/Camping with Dogs?

On May 4th, 2009 pavery says:
Hello. My husband and I are new to the trail conference, and while we've found the website to be really helpful, we'd like to start hiking/camping with our 2 dogs and don't see too much information about this on the site. Does anyone have any good suggestions for which trails/parks are best for car camping, or have any general hiking experiences/tips they wouldn't mind sharing? We'd love to hear what other members have experienced with their dogs out on the trail (i.e. whether any trails go through areas with lots of ticks, what kind of pet packs work best, etc.). Thanks!

My wife and I have hiked

On May 6th, 2009 Paul_A says:
My wife and I have hiked and camped with our dog both in parks and on the Appalachian Trail. I think the longest we were ever out with our dog was about 5 days. We almost always had him on leash both for his own protection as well as for other hikers. A Flexi-lead works really well so that you can adjust it's length for conditions you encounter. Also, be willing to tailor the length and speed of your hike according to your dogs ability. I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind now.

Re: My wife and I have hiked

On May 12th, 2009 pavery says:
Paul, thanks for sharing. Just curious - does your dog stay in the tent with you guys and do you ever use a crate?

Our dog, a 70 pound

On May 26th, 2009 Paul_A says:
Our dog, a 70 pound shepherd, stays in our tent with us. He likes it there and we can take care of him more easily when we're all together.

I have a 3-year old shepherd

On October 16th, 2009 joshbegosh says:
I have a 3-year old shepherd as well, Buck, who loves to go hiking camping anywhere we go. he would also sleep in our tent too but he would always have to stick his nose out of the door when he slept. he did get sick once (that wasn't fun) but all we do now is give him some petmeds and he's fine for the rest of the trip.

hiking with dogs

On May 4th, 2009 Estelle says:

Hi,  welcome to the Trail Conference.  Hopefully we are a good resource for you and dog.

Please check "Go Hiking" then Find a Park,  each area below tells you if dogs are permitted. I think you'll find dogs are okay nearly everywhere, as long as they are kept on leash.   Some NJ and NY parks allow camping, you can check those individually to be sure the dog is okay.     I'm sure others will answer you as to gear, etc.      We are finding ticks particularly bad this year, so be sure spray your dog and check after hikes, that goes for the humans too!

Deer ticks

On January 31st, 2010 Trekker115 says:
Definitely - while we were hiking in Eagle Rock one day last summer, my mother got a bite from a Lyme-infected tick. So be liberal with the bug spray - I like to joke that my favorite summer eau de toilette is Deep Woods Off. :)

Re: hiking with dogs

On May 12th, 2009 pavery says:
Thanks, Estelle. We use once-a-month topicals on our dogs, but I think we'll take your advice and also bring some spray whenever we head out with our dogs.

I love camping but I'm

On April 5th, 2010 sarah says:
I love camping but I'm afraid my dogs might get hurt by a bear or snake. the spray is a great idea. Also I have pet health plan just in case something happens and I need to rush to the nearest vet.