Customer Reviews

On the Trail With Your Canine Companion: Getting the Most of Hiking and Camping With Your Dog

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From suggestions on conditioning to tips on what to bring, this book tells you what you need to know to prepare yourself, and your dog, for hiking and backpacking together. The book also includes helpful first-aid information, but you really should buy a book devoted to this topic. Another very important element that is not stressed enough is trail etiquette. It is clear that Smith loves her dogs and enjoys taking them on outdoor trips, but she also makes it clear that there are others on the trail who may not take kindly to dogs. Smith offers ways to ensure that you and your dogs are courteous trail users who don't detract from the wilderness experience for other travelers. The author includes some of her own experiences, which makes for a better read and also shows the reader real-life situations. Readers also will find the listings in the back of the book indispensible. Smith lists suggested reading, manufacturers of dog-related products and parks information for each state.

Having completed 40-50 short and extended hikes with my two dogs, I found this book to be a waste of time. It is obvious from the book contents and pictures that the author has hiked (TRULY hiked) very little. The information in this book contains information that any person with common sense would know, and she offered little, if any, new insights into the world of dog hiking. In addition, the pictures in this book are laughable. The "hikers" in the pictures are ill-equipt, display poor trial manners, and are certainly not dressed to hike in ANY conditions.

Take my advice, skip this book. It's not worth the paper it's printed on.

My sister (who lives in northwestern Montana) and I both agree that this book is not for the TRUE canine trail hiker. She and I both are avid canine hikers and we feel this book does not do our "sport" any justice. "On the Trail with your Canine Companion" is a book better suited for a person who is interested in taking his or her dog for a WALK, not a HIKE. This book gives innane and obvious trail "secrets" such as this enlightening insight: "Dogs love to be petted, which fulfills their need for touch."...DUH!

Ms. Smith's title is misleading. There is no information that would help canine HIKERS. If you DO buy this book, just substitute the words "leisurely walk" for the word "hike" and you'll be okay.

And let me make this comment about the pictures in this book: Velcro tennis shoes are NOT proper trail gear, thank you.

--A TRUE Canine Hiker

Yes, the book may be of little relative interest to those who backpack for many miles and multiple days. But that's not the audience for whom the book was written. This is meant to help those dog owners who consider it daring to sleep in a pull-behind popup camper and walk a couple of miles on a trail through the woods understand how to include their dogs on these trips. For this audience, the book provides the appropriate information. If you would like to share a low-tech low-risk camping experience with your dog, this book will help you do that.