If your wondering your golden retriever would be a good dog to take hiking the answer is most definitely. Golden retrievers are one of the best hiking dog breeds.
There are quite a few dog breeds out there that make for wonderful hiking dogs, and retrievers are one of them.
Golden retrievers are bred as sturdy working dogs, who love nature, have high endurance levels and love to please. This makes them great hiking dogs.
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What Makes Golden Retrievers Good Hiking Dogs?
Golden retrievers are naturally athletic dogs. They are built to love the outdoors and keep up on adventures.
They are intelligent, curious, loyal and easily trained. They are also naturally playful and curious.
The one draw back is that this fun loving breed can’t get enough of water activities.
This means you may have a hard time pulling him away from rivers or streams during your hike.
Golden Retrievers Are Excellent Runners
Golden Retrievers have high endurance. They were bred to be hunting dogs in the Scottish Highlands.
They often spent their days hunting with their masters in wooded and mountainous terrains, which is ideal hiking terrain.
These dogs are working dogs and genuinely love pleasing their owners. They’ll enjoy staying active and will work hard to keep up on the trails.
They can even run up to 30 miles per hour. Of course, this is only in short sprints.
But it’s a great demonstrate of their athleticism.
They Are Easier to Train
Since golden retrievers are intelligent and eager to please, they tend to be easier to train than some other breeds of dog.
This means teaching them to wear a backpack while hiking and respond well to your emergency recalls, it’ll be easier to prep your dog for hiking.
Golden Retrievers are Playful and Curious
A big part of the appeal for hiking is the fact that they are fun. Exploring new areas feeds our curiosity about the great outdoors.
Your golden retriever will be sure to be just as fascinated by all the interesting sites, sounds ands smells as you are.
This makes them a great exploring companion.
Things to Consider When Hiking With a Golden Retriever
There are a few things to think about if you are just starting to go on hikes with your dog.
Just like humans, dogs need to be conditioned and trained slowly to build up their distance tolerance.
Most golden retrievers can easily hike 5-10 miles starting out. But it depends on several factors including their age and how active they are in general.
You can check our guide for how far can dogs hike before determining a safe hiking distance for your first few hikes.
Prepare Your Goldie for Hiking
Preparing your dog for hiking is a must if you aren’t frequent hikers already.
Before embarking on long hikes in extreme weather, make sure to work up your goldies stamina and endurance by going on smaller hikes and runs first.
You should also be sure to grab the right gear. It’s important to have a collar on your dog with tags that have your contact information clearly visable.
Make sure to also pack an emergency first aid kit and enough water to keep them very hydrated on the trail.
High protein snacks are also recommend to help them keep their energy levels up.
Make sure not to take your dog out in extreme weather conditions unless you’ve done your research and know that you and your dog can handle it.
Dogs can get overheat or hypothermic easily and have very few ways of showing you.
Get Your Dog a Check up Before Hiking
Before going on any hike with your retriever, make sure to stop at your vets office first.
One thing to keep in mind is that retrievers, like other larger breed dogs, can be prone to hip problems along with other health issues that may make hiking unsafe.
So get a quick check up from your vet to make sure your dog is cleared for hiking activities.
