For those of you with dogs on climbing trips

At what age did you start taking your dog with you on trips? And is there any specific training you had to do with your dog for climbing trip purposes? I'm trying to start bringing along my Siberian Husky/Norwegian Elkhound mix dog along with me on her first trip, but I want to see what others have to say before i do.

Don't bring your dog on climbing trips. I love my Irish Wolfhound, but he goes on dog trips and not climbing trips.

There are some dogs who can be drag dogs, and others that can't. My dogs basically can't. Realize that this may be reality for you, and please don't try and make your non-crag dog into a crag dog.

Before you go about trying to train your dog to be a crag dog, grab a couple friends (preferably at least one your dog doesn't know) and go to a wall that no one goes to. Leash your dog to a tree / let it hang out, whatever you think your dog will do best to. Climb a couple pitches, and see how it goes. If your dog whines / acts uncomfortable with you high up and / or towards the friend who he doesn't know, there's simply no way that going to a popular crag, with lots of weird noises, smells, and strange people, is going to end well. This is all assuming of course that your dog is already well trained, good with people, etc.

If everything goes well with your first visit, slowly increase visits to more popular crags. Don't try and redpoint anything, you should be putting your energy into watching your dog while you're on the wall. Eventually, you'll have yourself a genuine crag dog.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. Please don't shortcut these steps, because something will happen, and it won't be an accident, since you could have foreseen the problem. If you have any doubt, DON'T bring the dog. You'll ruin a lot of work other people have put into both their dogs and dog friendly crags.

One of the most pathetic things I've seen at the base of a multi-pitch was some climbers' cute, fluffy little dog tied off to a shrub while they were climbing out of sight on a very hot day. We heard the dog crying as we approached the base of Tunnel Vision, and saw the dog choking, as it had slipped down enough on a boulder to be practically in a hanging stance. The poor dog's water bowl was also tipped over, and it looked thirsty, so we ended up giving it some of our water which it sucked up. Really sad.

I predict this one will go...5 pages.

What climbing areas have been closed specifically because of dogs. A contributing factor for sure, but the main cause? Just curious.

I can see everyone's point about not bringing a dog, especially to certain areas. Louis, that's some pretty solid advice. Thanks.

However, for those that DO bring your dogs, have you had any issues with overheating them on hotter days? I'm especially concerned about that because of the amount of husky traits she has in her. I have a collapsible water bowl and there will be plenty of water for her but I'm wondering if that will be enough.

On a hot day, a hiking dog can't drink enough water to keep it cool. Short-haired dogs probably fare slightly better. A friend of mine killed his malamute mix by hiking with it on a warm day. Avoid taking your dog out if it's over, say, 75 degrees. Doesn't sound that warm, but with the thick fur coat, you're asking for trouble.

Hi Evan,

When our Greyhound, Moe, was alive, my wife and I took him on climbing trips short and long. We only did single pitch climbs and always had him leashed on a long lead with his bed tucked off trails/staging areas and provided plenty of water. We made sure to have plenty of poop bags, and to take breaks to walk the boy when he gave us the signal. We climbed where shade was available and/or climbed early/late to avoid midday heat. We were fortunate that he was an extremely diplomatic alpha that would diffuse encounters with the most rambunctious or obnoxious dogs with a tail wag and his head over their back.

Dogs at the crag are an imposition, when owners neglect them and/or have the notion that their day at the crag should be Spot's "wolf experience". Take good care of your dog's needs and make sure she's not a nuisance to others and things should be fine.

David Rivers wrote:Take good care of your dog's needs and make sure she's not a nuisance to others and things should be fine.

Pretty much this. Shockingly enough, people get way more butthurt on the internet about dogs at crags than they do in real life. Though I have heard of at least one fistfight taking place at the Red when some dick climber kicked another climber's dog.

Guarding the rack!

Make sure your dog has a good run before you go climbing. That way while you're climbing she'll be happy to chill and stay out of mischief.

FrankPS wrote: They're off and running. Flame on...

One day at Spiney Ridge at Shelf this dude had his aggressive dog tied to a tree. The tree was right next to some routes and a guy tried to pass the dog to get to where his girlfriend was. The dog starts to growl at him and this annoys the owner who shouts to the guy, "Dude, really? Can't you go around?" Ha ha ha. We laughed about that all day.

Nice gif there, Gi Gi.

Thanks Stich!

I like how shiny their hair looks; Must be using that Mane-N-Tail shampoo pretty regularly.

I tried a couple three years, but as much as I like to take my cat surfing, I have thrown in the towel. I bought him his own little ankle leash and everything. They just don't enjoy it, they can't paddle their own weight, they're always pissed, and I've had a few just end up as barracuda snack.

Two weeks ago I saw yet another reason why people shouldn't have off leash dogs at the crag. A mountain goat with super pointed horns came wandering by, this dog runs up and gets all aggressive and starts barking and chasing the goat. The goat got scared and turned to run away at full speed but was on a narrow ledge shared by other climbers and belayers. It was a scary sight seeing this freaked out goat running full speed towards those people, it zoomed right passed them. I managed to stop the dog as they ran by and the owner did nothing to further the good image of dog owners.

And this is why folks shouldn't bring their monkies to crags when there's dogs at the crags.

Sorry- I have a thing for moving images.

Edit to add: Cool story, Darby- Thanks for sharing!

Dustin B wrote:I predict this one will go...5 pages. What climbing areas have been closed specifically because of dogs. A contributing factor for sure, but the main cause? Just curious.

You're welcome to voice your questions to the popo agie ranger district (near Lander, WY) or whatever that reserve is near St. George. The short version is that if a pet harasses endangered wildlife, then they will restrict pets first, then people too.

Relatedly, if a pet harasses livestock on private land, or leased land, you can expect the same response.

Fun story: i was camped up at Wild Iris a few weeks back. Every day, my partner and i walked down the road that goes to all the campsites. On our way, we would pass a site that had 4 dogs who would go nuts, bark, and charge every time we passed. On the last day, as we walked past, they surrounded my partner. I heard her gasp, turned around and slammed my stick clip into the ground so as to get the dogs' attention. At that point, the owners *started* to call after the dogs, presumably to get them away from the mean man with the six foot pole. Then my partner stated "please control your dogs; one just bit me". We walked away.

There's another way to express what i'm trying to say: that dog picked a fight for the owner, and its only a matter of time before it picks a fight the owner can't/won't win.

Dustin B wrote:I predict this one will go...5 pages. What climbing areas have been closed specifically because of dogs. A contributing factor for sure, but the main cause? Just curious.

It wasn't specifically because of dogs, but I know the owners of Roadside Crag specifically mentioned dogs as part of their decision for closing it down. I'm not sure if they had a rule that dogs weren't allowed, or if they needed to be leashed, but the rule wasn't being followed. It seemed like climbers not respecting the rules in general (Ex: permadraws were prohibited, but some routes had been permadrawed) was the root cause, while dog problems were a symptom.

I'd be surprised to learn that dogs were the sole reason that any area has been closed. Most land managers would probably ban dogs before they closed an area down altogether. From that point if dogs are still an issue it isn't so much a dog issue as it is people not respecting the rules.

Carl Sherven wrote: It wasn't specifically because of dogs, but I know the owners of Roadside Crag specifically mentioned dogs as part of their decision for closing it down. I'm not sure if they had a rule that dogs weren't allowed, or if they needed to be leashed, but the rule wasn't being followed. It seemed like climbers not respecting the rules in general (Ex: permadraws were prohibited, but some routes had been permadrawed) was the root cause, while dog problems they symptom

Like I said, a contributing factor for sure...

Also why do you have to mention perma draws. Are you trying to stymie my prediction?

And brian, that sucks you were attacked, I'm a dog owner and if bitten I would defiantly react in kind towards the dog and then be ready to face whatever reaction the owner may have. I wasn't saying your opinion was wrong, I just hadn't heard of any closures specifically due to dogs.

My .02$-there is defiantly a time and a place for properly managed dogs at the crags, just as there is a time and place for properly managed kids/babies at the crag. But it's not all the time and many owners prioritize their time on the rock over their responsibilities.

i love dogs...if your dog is nice and behaved and doesn't turn my wonderful climbing experience into hell, i will welcome you and your pet. if your dog is a terror,annoying,and a significant distraction,i will not find the peace i so long for and i don't think its fair to all those around. its disrespectful and selfish for climbers to bring dogs especially to popular areas. if you need to have your dog with you that bad and they are at all borderline in their behavior, i suggest going where there is no one to annoy. then you can listen to your dog whine and bark in peace. your dog is your responsibility and you are accountable by law......if you have an aggressive animal thats fine but if you bring an aggresive animal into the climbing world full of people trying to enjoy themselves its just plain wrong......dogs are even more unpredictable than humans. it doesn't matter how much you think you know your dog, you'll never trully know what they'll do next. it might be just pissing on someones pack, whining, or eating some nice fresh human poop. unfortunately, it could end up biting someone or hurting some little kid. you people are climbers....you've got bigger things to worry about. if you want to deal with all that crap ,please, feel free! have fun with that. again i love dogs, i just dont want to deal with your caos.

Dustin B wrote:Also why do you have to mention perma draws. Are you trying to stymie my prediction?

I just wanted to give a specific example to show the rules regarding dogs weren't the only rules being disregarded.