# Hiking with a Bernese Mountain Dog



## Fishbackc (Sep 5, 2015)

This summer I am going on a senior trip with my buddies. It will be 9 mile hike with about a 4000 foot elevation gain and we'd be staying for a couple of days at the top of mountain range. I would love to be able to take my Bernese but I'm not sure if it would be good or bad for him. He's a pretty lazy dude and on normal short hikes he doesn't seem to make it very far before sitting back down on his big booty. If he should be able to do it, what training should I do? Would he be ok? And any other knowledge would be great!! Info on him: ~115 lbs, 2 years old, goes on many, but short walks


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## Moonstream (Apr 3, 2016)

For me it would depend on his heat tolerance/how hot it will be on the hikes, how much he actually seems to like vs just tolerate hiking, how old he is, how healthy he is, and how fit he actually is.

If he is like 2-4 and has a decent level of endurance and actually likes hiking, I'd say go for it.

If he's older or overweight/not really that fit, I'd be more hesitant.

If he has any joint issues (HD or Arthritis) I would leave him at home. I'd likely leave him home if he didn't show obvious enthusiasm for hiking and/or was on the older side for the breed (IMO 5 or 6+).

I have an aunt with 2 Berners and her daughter just got her own 4 month old puppy and it seems they can be variable in their endurance/agility/enjoyment of exercise. Their male is huge and not a dog I'd readily hike with only because he does have very slight hip issues. The female is smaller, almost looks like she could be mixed with a spaniel of some kind, and is much more agile. I would hike with her no problem. They also have different levels of energy- the female is very velcro and likes to run, the male is a huge couch potatoe. Another reason I would leave him behind but take her.

It sounds like he has shown a lack of endurance on other, shorter, less demanding hikes, though, which makes me think either he is having trouble with it or he just doesn't like hiking. That would certaintly make me hesitant to take him.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Agree, if he is sound and not overweight then he might be able to do the hike. There is also the matter of the temperature. Big furry dogs don't tolerate heat well. Heat for some dogs can be anything over 60*F. Clean out his undercoat well so it doesn't trap the heat.

It's worth a try. Do 2-3x weekly training hikes with him increasing distance 1/4-1/2 mile each time. Carry water, take breaks and watch his temperature closely. Read up on heat stroke and exhaustion in dogs so you know what to look for.

You sound like you are very observant to his level of fitness, perhaps there is some particular thing he does when he is feeling like enough is enough. When Sassy was 13 years old she started tiring before me and would pointedly nudge my leg and lag behind a bit for instance. I worked her from 1 mile back up to 3 miles by walking one switchback further on the same hike once a week or so and made sure to alternate those harder hikes with easy around the block walks other days so she could rest up.


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## doglover2929 (Feb 27, 2016)

If you do go hiking with the dog then ensure that you have regular breaks. Due to the fact that the breed's endurance is not particularly great, you should not take them too far. If you are going on a long hike then it is important to ensure that the dog does not run around too much and waste its energy. If that happens then you could end up with an exhausted dog half way around the hike and you may need to resort to carrying it back!


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