Taking a lab backpacking

[humbolt]

I am thinking about taking my 9 month old lab on a fly in trip. I am worried that he is too young. Does anyone have any experience. I do not want to ruin the trip for the other guys going.

[slicky72]

From what I have heard it's best not to over run a pup till there at least a year , but if you are just hiking a can prevent your pup from doing any serious jumps that may jeopardize a the leg joints you should be ok .

[BromBones]

I was taking my dog along hunting at that age, and a young dog can be a bit of a handful sometimes. Should be fine, you just have to spend more time keeping the dog out of mischief. A good dog is a lot of fun to take along though.

One thing I do when sitting glassing is have some of those rawhide bones along to let the dog chew on while you sit so he doesn't get bored.

Also, when hiking I clip his leash to the waistbelt on my pack so you have hands free control. In rough areas or thick brush you're usually better off to let the dog go off leash or you'll end up tangled.

When finishing a stalk, I drop my pack and tie him to it. When I first started doing that, he'd whine when he got left there so I had to spend quite a bit of time on short hikes around home getting him used to that. Drop the pack and tie him to it, then move off a hundred yards or so. Pretty soon he got used to it and quit making noise.

Also if the dog likes to wander, keep him tied up at camp or keep a close eye on him. Last thing you want to do is be hollering at a dog that found a scent trail and buggered off.

[humbolt]

He is a good dog and tends to do what I say, he is still a 9 month old lab and sometimes gets a little spinny. I was worried about hurting his joints, but when I go for walks with him he just goes and goes and does not seems to even break a sweat. Great advice.

[stever]

Dogs don't sweat they pant to cool down and joint problems come more from jumping. If he is not over weight you stand little chance of wearing him out. If he is a good dog take him just keep him on a leash till he learns to stick around.

[humbolt]

not breaking a sweat was meant as a figure of speech, but I do appreciate the advice.

[BromBones]

Also keep an eye on his feet. If you're hiking in rocky terrain the dogs feet can get tender if they're not conditioned for it.

[Big Lew]

Several things to consider;
You've mentioned one, jumping. Also, don't overtire the youngster, it can kill his/her spirit (same goes for children). You've mentioned leash....very important to keep a young, or untrained dog close. It helps in their training, but it also keeps them, and you from potential harm. Quite often a loose, wandering dog will run ahead and bring back to you an angry bear or moose, or come back with porky quills. Make sure your dog has all his/her shots, including for bad water. Don't let the dog swim with a loose choke-chain, he/she can get a front leg caught in the loose chain and then swim in circles until tired and drown.
Taking a trained dog is like bringing along a friend. I enjoyed backpacking all over south-western B.C. from 1965 to 1972 with a golden lab. He was well-trained, tough, and a great travelling companion. It was a part of my life I will always treasure, and never forget. Enjoy!