Can a Corgi handle a serious hike?
I'm thinking maybe six miles round trip with about 1,000 foot elevation gain.
I have a friend who has a giant mastiff and he's telling me that some dogs get tired really easily, including his mastiff, and that a Corgi might get tired out after a mile or two on a real hike.
Anyone have experience to the contrary? I will confess that my 9 week old puppy gets tired after a twenty minute walk but I would expect him to be a good deal more hardy in a few months' time. Seems to me a dog used for herding all day long would have stamina.
I'd like to hear if anyone takes their Corgi on mountain hikes....incidentally six miles and 1,000 feet is not a real serious hike for some people, I've met some who could do 25 miles and 5,000 feet no problem--never me, though.
Greg N
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth, Hermione and Luna on
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You need to visit John Wolff's page on this site and ask him directly. He's the resident expert at this site for high altitude excursions with corgis.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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Franklin can do that pretty easily as long as there is somewhere to cool himself when he starts to overheat. He has a health condition that doesn't allow him to regulate his temperature, but we do 3-4 miles rollerblading daily, with some fetch and swimming thrown in. If the corgi is properly conditioned I think a 6 mile hike would be cake. Over the summer I was camping at 8000 ft elevation and we went on several long hikes. Even though Franklin is used to sea level elevation, he did fine on the long hikes (way better than I did!). I wouldn't do it with a dog under a year old though unless you were going VERY slow because long distances and too much exercise too young can damage joints/bones if they are still growing and developing.
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Permalink Reply by GPN on
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I should add where I live in NY State a mountain hike might be 3,000 feet, maybe 4,000, there are no real h igh mountains here as one has in CA, CO, etc.
Where did you get Franklin's boots? EMS?
Greg N
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I actually got them from a friend you can probably buy them at Petsmart or on amazon (don't know brand name). I tried all the top recommended dog boots from REI, online. Petsmart, etc and the only thing that would stay on his feet were these cheapie fleece ones with a thin leather pad on the bottom. They are basically just a fleece sock with an elastic band to secure them, all the other ones were too stiff to properly conform to his feet and I couldn't tighten them right. Corgi feet and legs (especially when they have the dewclaw removed!) DO NOT hold doggie boots well. These kept his feet pain free hiking in granite for over a week. Our first trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains resulted in him limping severely after only about a day.
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I haven't heard that. Most breeders do tails and dewclaws at the same time. Both my corgis are docked with no dewclaws, one from a breeder and one a rescue.
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Mine lost the tail but still has the dew claws. Breeder has won once or twice at Westminster and putting a Pembroke out there with a tail is a "nothin' doin' " for her. I did mention that keeping the tail would be fine by me.
G.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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Technically the standard says "Dewclaws on both forelegs and hindlegs usually removed."
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Sidney's done one hike like that; his only problem was getting too warm. But we live in San Diego county where "warm" is the norm. He does 4 mile hikes no problem.
Yes by all means ask John Wolff. Love his stories and photos!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Yes definitely visit John Wolf's page! I do know you have to wait at least one year before too long of hikes due to growth issues. A mastiff would probably have trouble breathing due to the shape of their face.
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Permalink Reply by Kathy Losacco on
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We hike on the weekends in pursuit of Al - "the Great Mountain Corgi" (see John Wolf's page). I believe my corgi is limited only by my capabilities. We do about 8-10 mile hikes with elevation gains of 2-3000 feet. We never try to take ourselves seriously, though. Start out slowly and work your way up.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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I take my dog hiking weekly, at least 4 miles, sometimes 7 or more. Not sure of the elevation gain, but we have climbed small mountains and he wanted to keep going when we reached the top. Hiking with a Corgi is a piece of cake. Waffle only shows that he is tired when we're back in the car! He's actually surprised me with the rocks/difficult terrain he is willing to navigate. I wouldn't take a puppy on a hike, though. It's too much work for a puppy and the climbing could damage their joints/bones permanently. Real strenuous hikes should be saved for after a year or a year and a half.
Short legs? Big Rocks? No problem!
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