Seven preparations. The third is the one people forget, and the one that ends the most hikes halfway through.
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A healthy dog can walk for a long time, but the how and the where both matter. These seven points get settled before you set off, and the third one decides whether you turn back early.
A dog covers 15 km on the flat without trouble and tires on 6 km of climbing. Thinking in kilometres means overestimating what it can do, every time.
The useful measure is time spent working and total elevation gain, as it is for a person — except that a dog cannot tell you it is in pain.
Growth plates stay fragile until growth finishes, which happens anywhere from 8 to 18 months depending on build. Prolonged effort and repeated descents leave lasting damage there.
This is a physiological limit, not excessive caution. It applies above all to large breeds, whose growth takes longest.
This is the oversight that ends the most hikes halfway through. Loose rock, hot ground, an old snowfield: the pads take damage without the dog showing it until it already hurts.
A glance at every stop, and you turn back at the first sign. A dog limping on a hike does not set off again after 10 minutes of rest.
Counting on streams is a mistake twice over: they can be dry, and standing water exposes a dog to parasites. A thirsty dog will drink anything.
1 to 2 litres per dog for half a day of effort, offered in small amounts at each stop rather than all at once.
A dog does not regulate its temperature well: above 25°C its capacity for effort drops sharply, and short-muzzled breeds are affected well before that. Setting off early is better than cutting the route short.
Loud panting, thick drool and a slowing pace are the signs that mean stopping at once: into the shade, and cooling the dog down gradually.
On grazing land, a dog that approaches a flock puts the animals and itself in danger. In nesting season, a dog running through undergrowth destroys clutches without anyone seeing it happen.
These are not arbitrary rules, and they are often posted at the entrance to the site. Ignoring them risks a fine and, more certainly, the site ending up banning dogs.
National parks, nature reserves, Natura 2000 sites: the rules vary from one site to the next, and sometimes from one zone to another within the same site. Finding out in the car park that dogs are not allowed ruins the day.
Listings of hikes that are open to dogs set out these conditions route by route, so you can choose in advance instead of giving up when you get there.