Outside Magazine's New Dog Blog - Northern California Hiking Trails

Regular readers of the Northern California Hiking Trails blog know that I regularly take my olden golden retriever Molly with me on my walks and hikes. I’ve just discovered that Outside, the premier mag for outdoors adventures, is starting a new dog blog. Here’s the “scoop”:

We’re getting ready to launch the new Outside dog blog, The Dog Shouter, which will give you tips on raising a calm, dependable adventure dog. To help, we’ve enlisted one of the best working dog trainers around, Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels, in Oxford, Mississippi. Mike trains labs (British labs, specifically, but more on that later) to hunt waterfowl and upland game birds. His dog Drake is the current mascot for the conservation organization Ducks Unlimited. We’ve asked Mike to help because most of the traits of a good hunting lab also transfer to a good adventure dog. And, as is the case with training any working dog, ninety percent of the work comes down to basic obedience. In the woods, whether on bike, foot, or horseback, we want a dog that will stay close, come when called, refrain from chasing wildlife and other domestic animals, and mostly be good buddy.

Head over there now and vote for your favorite breed. (You can guess how I voted!) And check back at the Outside blog for the actual launch of The Dog Shouter.

And read about how dogs can prevent you from getting lost while hiking.