Thank you for accepting me into the group. What great resource! I do not yet have the dog I am looking for, but wanted to introduce myself as a way of asking if a Lab would be the right choice. Forgive me if this is the wrong part of the forum to present this info. Each summer I go on long hikes, averaging 100 miles over a week's time on the Washington state part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Sometimes I hike with friends, sometimes solo. I'd love to have a four-legged trail buddy. Here's the big dilemma: Lots of exercise in the summer; not so much the rest of the year. Fall, winter and spring would be 3-5 hours per week of hiking, (probably spread out over three or four days). The dog would need to carry its own food. I dehydrate my food to save weight, and could make and dehydrate meals for it also. We are pretty quiet folks during the year. Our beagle had a good home for 12 years (RIP). Never took him on the trail because he never could take his nose off the ground and, well, short legs meant short miles. It's all about finding the right fit between human and dog, yes? Thanks for any advice. I hope this can work because Labs are such awesome animals and this looks like such a great place.
Welcome to the forum What a great hobby! A Lab sounds like they could be a good fit for your lifestyle, but you would of course need to gradually work up your distances as they grew up. And it would be very important they came from parents with excellent hip and elbow scores. You might find these articles helpful: Best Hiking Dogs Hiking with your Labrador
