I've begun watching Koda and assessing him to see how "fit" he is. While we're not doing the bigger hikes for at least a year, I feel like getting a dog "comfortable" with 10-12 mile days could take a while.
As mentioned in the "About Us" portion - Koda hasn't ever really been exercised regularly. He was kept on a lead at his former home and in the kennels at the Humane Society. Thus, he doesn't have much muscle mass. In just this past two weeks of exercising him, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the tone of his muscles.
When we did the hike on Monday at GB, Koda was tired after about 1 1/2 hours and 3-5 miles. I might mention, though, that it was during the warmer part of the day and the high for that day was about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. My goal, ultimately, is to be able to push 15 mile days and high humidity and a fair amount of heat, too. Koda will also, eventually, be carrying his own pack. While I don't think it will get nearly as hot there as it does here, I like to live by a "better safe than sorry" motto when it comes to hiking.
However, I did notice this about Koda....he is FAST. The past two days at the dog park he has run up against a husky mix and a lab/pitbull mix and smoked them each time. His speed is perfectly okay (which is what he is built for), it's his endurance that needs work.
Me?
Oh, you mean I need to be in shape for this too?
Yea, we'll talk about that.......another day.
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