Hello

My OH and I have decided to walk Offa's Dyke over 10-12 days this summer ... that's about 16-18 miles a day. We're planning on doing 2/3 nights tenting, and then 1 night B&B, 2/3 nights tenting, 1 night B&B etc ...

We're OK on the distance as we do loads of cross country and fell running and our aussie is our running partner :-). We've also done loads of walking holidays in North Wales/Lake District where we've done 5 days back-to-back walking with 18-ish miles each day as well as 25 mile mountain marathons.

But we've never done a long distance multiple-day walk with a dog before and I'm already trying to plan a bit ahead and gather hints and tips. Luckily she's fine sleeping in the tent with us (very cosy!).

My main concern is struggling to carry enough food for her (she has a mix of Origen/NatureDiet/Arden Grange depending on what's around, and it's all heavy) as well as all the usual stuff and enough water for us all during the day. We chose Offa's Dyke as it wasn't too remote and we'll be passing through villages and stuff ... so we were planning on getting her used to a bit of raw chicken and maybe Butchers ... stuff we can more likely pick up on the way through. On the B&B days she can have the bacon/eggs/sausage/black pudding part of my breakfast as I'm veggie :-). One idea was to send her food in advance to the B&B's we're staying at :-).

I was wondering if anyone had done anything like this before and how did they work it out?

And any ideas or hints and tips on other stuff that we need to think about would be very appreciated ... we know we're going to have to plan quite a bit but I think we've got enough time to iron out any issues :-). And I can't imagine doing such a great walk and not taking our lovely dog :-)

Thanks,

I used to do long walks with my collie/lab and he had a small backpack that had a bottle of water and a small amount of food in. I dont know how suitable that would be for such a long distance though and you definatly couldnt put more than a day or so's food in for him to carry if it weighed alot.

Whenever we go away with the dogs I always portion out their Arden Grange to save space.  We aren't walking like you but even in the car I find it easier to only take what will be eaten at each meal and the smaller bags also make it easier to pack the food.  Incidentally I pack each portion into an unscented poo bags - I figure it'll go back in there eventually!!

Your idea of posting the food to your B&B's sounds sensible.  I would imagine that with the mileage your dog will be doing she's going to need the full nutrution available but it would be nice not to have to carry the full amount from the beginning.  You won't want her walking on a full stomach presumably so you might feed her 3 smaller meals timed with yours but that will be heavy enough between B&B stops.

When we do day walks I do take water for the dogs, just in case, but I usually find that they prefer to drink from streams or puddles.  Alternatively both will drink direct from water troughs although I have a folding bowl I carry with me that I can scoop water into.  Do you know the terrain?  Is it adjacent to or across pasture?

When I was in a farm shop recently I picked up a walking magazine and read an article about hiking with dogs - I'll try and remember what it was as there might be an online version, good luck though - sounds like fun :)

I have  walked  portions of Offas Dyke. You are in for a very special treat!

Tried the doggie back pack.It was fine while lead walking but when they went off to explore it just got in the way.

I would send some in advance and make yon doggie carry his rations as he goes. Im sure if you plan it well you could send "doggie bags" in advance carrying about three of four days food, its an idea to carry possibly a small blow up ring you could cover so he can sleep in peace off the ground if he's wet., plus a towelling coat for him in case he gets soaked. We had more luggage for the dogs than us when we went off canal boating and they used hardly any. We measured Jakes feed out and he used it all, Whistler didnt finish one small bag of Natures Best but he is a poor eater. Fantastic idea and good walking.
A boy around here walked 100's of miles with his border collie for RNLBI when he got them called out to rescue him after a prank. So it is more than possible and if you explain to the B&B people what you are doing I am sure they will assist.

Hello,

Thanks very much for your replies ... I think we'll end up sending some food to our B&B's and supplementing her with stuff from shops along the way (raw chicken, Butchers, B&B breakfasts :-) ). We don't fancy getting those rucksacks as our Aussie is a bit hyper and I can't see them staying on well once she's off lead (which will be pretty much all the walk) and charging through undergrowth :-).

I think we'll have to carry at least the minimum of water for her if it's hot  just to be on the safe side - we did high walking in the Lake District last summer ... we had lovely weather all week (very lucky!) but I was lugging water everywhere as the streams were all dry :-(.

Any other hints and tips also very much appreciated :-)

Thanks

If you do a search hiking with dogs there are a lot of sites with useful tips.  I thought these were particularly helpful: take a first aid kit for your dog, clip the dogs nails to protect pads whilst walking, make sure you inspect regularly for ticks, make sure you have an id tag with your mobile tel no and take a spare in case it falls off.  All the sites say you must make sure to take plenty of water - dogs get dehydrated very easily.  One or two places suggest taking something to provide your dog with shade/shelter if it's sunny - and the odds of that are? !!

> and the odds of that are? !!

lol extremely high if you don't cater for it. if however you carry lots of kit it will widdle it down the whole way :)

Hi
I would suggest firstly doing a couple of long weekend walks before tackling Offa's in order to build the dogs stamina.  It's one thing to do 18 miles a day, but quite another to do it day after day after day!  :-)  Also, I would consider building in at least a couple of 'recovery/rest' days in to your schedule when you just 'mooch' around to aid tired muscles.

I would try and find the name and number of as many local vets en route as you can and keep a log of them with you - just in case!

Have a look at these and consider taking a few with you for instant energy:  http://www.catanddogfoods.co.uk/acatalog/kronch_energy_bars.html  We use them a lot on the shoot on a long day and they do seem to serve as a good pick-up!

You could also try and learn a bit about canine massage so that you can help your dog feel a bit better at the end of a long day.....there are quite a few books on the subject or book a session with someone from ACPAT and get them to give you a few hints and tips.

Have fun!