Hiking with Dogs: Becoming a Wilderness-Wise Dog Owner (Paperback)

by Linda Mullally (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Hiking with Dogs is the first and last book you will need on backpacking with your dog. Travel and outdoor author Linda B. Mullally shares her experience hiking and backpacking the eastern Sierra with her two dogs, Lobo and Shiloh. She includes detailed recommendations on raising a hiking dog, bonding, training, trail etiquette, and preventing wildlife conflicts, with a special section on dog-friendly public lands. Let Hiking with Dogs send you and your best friend into the outdoors excited and prepared.

From the Back Cover
This comprehensive hiking guide highlights the benefits of hiking with your dog while helping readers choose, train, condition, and care for their canine hiking companions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560448172
• ISBN-13: 978-1560448174
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,184,561 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light On Research, But OK For Starters, October 18, 2005

By	Mark Villasenor (Twain Harte, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a National Forest Ranger, former Search Dog Handler and dog trainer for over two decades - not to mention an avid trial-dogger. I find Mullally's work less than "comprehensive" as the publisher's description suggests. As a result the title is somewhat misleading in that the material lacks substance enough to truly transform the reader into a "...Wilderness-wise Dog Owner." That's simply NOT going to happen by reading the 94 pages of this book, yet it's as good a starting point as any for the new trail-dog enthusiast.

For instance, Mullally fails to convey the extreme importance of WHY it is critical that a dog have minimal eco-impact. She only warns that dogs should not chase wildlife, but does not give ample examples of WHY canine control is significant for both wildlife AND THE DOG!! The book neither discusses nor details must-know info such as predatory traps commonly perpetrated against dogs, social opinions of dogs in the wild, nor the growing trend to restrict canine interaction in wild places.

Moreover, Mullally only lightly touches on training aspects and does not discuss realistic obedience protocols for dogs in the wilderness. Yet above all else the book neglects to provide the meaningful WHYs (reasoning behind a method), so that outdoor dog handlers better understand what methods are acceptable: safer for the dog and environment.

"Becoming A Wilderness-wise Dog Owner" in the truest sense of the term, entails far more than the basic principles conveyed in this book. But if you're just getting started in the sport of trail-dogging, this material does provide an elementary overview of what to expect. Although not close to the "comprehensive" guide it could have been, were more research of the subject matter engaged. It's OK for beginners, but lacks any real meat a beginner will soon require. Thus my rating of 3.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, January 31, 2000

By	Tommy Thompson (California) - See all my reviews

I recently decided it was time to own a dog, a new adventure for me. But since I spend lots of time outdoors, hiking, fishing, and enjoying nature, I needed the right dog as my companion. I just happened to see "Hiking with Dogs" and after giving it a flip-thru, my attention was grabbed. I read it cover-to-cover that evening and what a help! I learned what breed to buy, how to train him for my outdoor lifestyle, trail etiquette (I never knew there was such a thing), and tons of other helpful information that gives me the confidence to take my "new best friend" with me into nature. Thank you Linda Mullally, your experience and information were invaluable, and your obvious caring for canines is much appreciated!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Recommended for the Serious Backpacker, May 6, 2004

By A Customer

I wouldn't recommend this book for the experienced backpacker or experienced dog owner. The author of the book writes regularly for Dog Fancy... fine publication I am sure, but neither myself nor my dog are particularly fancy. The information is overly broad (though I don't know what I expected for the price) and is not really applicable for anything other than the casual weekend trip or car-camp.

If you are anything resembling a regular backcountry traveler who enjoys the companionship and security of your mongrel and are looking practical tips on how to keep your dog healthy, safe and happy on the trail, look at other publications.

If you have a monthly subscription to Dog Fancy and a collection of brand new backpacking gear, this might just be the book for you.