It's my birthday next week and we were looking to do a day out somewhere but want to take thor. One option is climbing snowdon for the day, I've never done it before but it would be about 6 hours walking up and down according to Google. Would this be too much for thor at 8 months even as a one off?
Hi Aimee, Based on what I've learned through having Dexter I would say wait until he's older for a hike of that length.We never got beyond Moel Fammau ( if that's how you spell it) so I don't know how challenging Snowdon is ,but for me, I wouldn't have walked Dexter for that long at 8 months.However,that's not to say you can't go....isn't there a Snowdonia train line? That might be fun if Thor is comfortable on trains and dogs are allowed of course ? You could still get to do a bit of walking in the place of your choice but use the train to take some of the distance from Thor's legs? Happy Birthday in advance x
I did look into the train (under the cover of it being for thor, but really to save my legs ) but they don't allow dogs on the train. I did think it would be too much for him but wasn't sure if I was just being overly cautious. Looks like it's back to the drawing board
I tend to agree with Angela , a six hour trek is a heck of a lot for a youngster, you aren't being over cautious , you`re being sensible x
I'd definitely say no, but that's because the thought of doing that walk fills me with horror so I'd always use the dog as an excuse
I've done Snowdon a few times and I'd say it's a major trip for an adult dog. It's a hard walk with uneven and rocky paths, far too much for a puppy whose bones are still forming. I'd suggest leaving it for a year and try Thor on some smaller walks first. If you're in Snowdonia then the walk from Ogwen Cafe around Llyn Idwal might be a good choice for a young Lab's first hillwalk. Its not too long or rough, and there's the possibility of a nice cuppa at the end!
I think the sensible thing would be to say no. In some ways, a "one off" is even worse than a regular thing; you're not building up to that length of time, you're just chucking him in at the deep end. So, no, I'd say it's far too long for a young puppy and, even for an adult, you wouldn't want to go from the odd hour here and there to a six-hour hike.
I don't think that ambling along, at human walking speed is 'too much' - it's probably less exhausting for a pup than playing madly for an hour with other dogs, for example, and sure, 5 mins per month of age etc. but some dogs are strapping great things at 8 months! It would depend on how your pup is when out and about e.g. calm and trots along, or races around like a hooligan, how physically mature etc. But unless a dog is already fit enough to do 4 hours each day, I'd say don't do 6 hours. A sensible guideline is any 'one off' should be no more than 50% of what a dog does each day. So, my dogs do 2 hours a day and I would feel happy taking them for 3 hours at a weekend. Being a 'weekend cowboy' isn't good for dogs or humans....
OH and I are keen walkers. When Holly was a pup we abstained. At about 18 months we introduced her to some gentle hillwalks and built up to longer walks. At four, Holly is capable of long walks but we choose them carefully. We try to keep away from long rocky routes as they are hard on legs, hers and ours! What we see as a small rocky step is a jump to a Lab, and I wouldn't care to do a days jumping over rocks. There are some lovely areas of moorland in mid Wales, for example the Berwyn and plynlimon hills, and these are much easier terrain for dogs.
