Hiking with Dogs

Welcome to The Original Hiking with Dogs. 
Hiking With Dogs is free and open to every dog-lover, but it runs on donations. You are required to read this page from here thru to the Disclaimer. This group is for anyone who wants to be outdoors in the company of friendly dogs Hiking and Camping even if you do not have one. Hikes will be setup in the Eastern part of CT. It's a fun group, like anything it is what You Make Of It. If you do not agree with the disclaimer, please leave the group or you will be stating full agreement. 
*Required - Post a Picture of you and/or your dog. Please put You and Your Hikers Name in Your Description. -Bringing a Leash is required-
We hike every Sunday at 9:45, if you do not receive an invite in your mail. Check the site. 
Hiking with Dawgs is about the betterment of dawgs. Like Minded People and Dawgs Socializing. Hiking as a group start to finish. Letting puppies be puppies, to a point. Hikes are usually 4 - 5 miles long at 2 1/2 hrs. We hike slow at 2mph. None of them are flat. Hikes are Hikes and Not - dawg walks and you will live thru your first one to make it to another!
*Hike Description's: Are vague, so to help you, we've got a very vague system that tells you what the ‘Hikers’ (the dawgs) will be doing after the hikes in Nap Time.
*If you have a medical condition and you need a better description - definitely contact any organizer and we will tell you our interpretation. But we are all in agreement that we do not want to miscommunicate by saying a hike is easy or hard. This is CT and all Hikes are all basically the same deal just different in length or scenery.
*Operating Principles - please read. We really want to keep this group loose and fun and lightly structured. Most dogs know what to do after there first hike, and that is to stick around Hike/Swim and Carry On as a Friendly Bunch. We ask that you just keep them leashed up in the parking area, keep an eye on your buddy thru out the hike, do not let him/her get too far ahead of the Hike Leader, and its best that people stay behind the Hike Leader. Show your buddy acceptable behavior your first few hikes and he/she will figure it all out quickly. Keep your dawgs 30 feet at most in front of you hiking day 1 thru day 6 and under control, because we Hike on day 7! 
Camping: You usually have to Hike with us to get an invite. Maybe we notice your a camper when you join and add you to the ‘invite list’...
Cape Cod: If you get a crazy invite, like in Cape Cod! pay deeper attention, we don’t always blab our hikes on the internet.
Donations: HWD is free. But the web site is not free. All active members are asked to make a yearly suggested donation of $20 per household. HWD is not for profit.
***Disclaimer: "Hiking with Dogs" is not for everyone. Please use your discretion. Hills/uneven terrain/dogs on/off leash/trip and slip hazards/snakes/broken glass etc. Orgr's and attendees are not trained in any way, though we may carry bandages and some things to help with problems. Meetup regards us all solely as a number, we cannot vet anyone. HWD's has no control over who attends, may not even know persons real names, has dogs from puppies to old timers as hazards. Guests Are More Than Welcome to Attend - but it is the responsibility of the member who brings them to inform guests of this disclaimer before attending! By being a member you agree to this disclaimer and to have your guests read, that "all injuries to them, you, your dog are all accidental and the injured's responsibility and applies to all functions. All of the above is just the nature of a person and pet Meetup, which exists for the betterment of our canine friends. This disclaimer works to protect us all. Participate at your own risk. 
*Working with Your Dawg:
It is 100% wrong to establish the preferred positive canine training - without first establishing NO! using Negative Dawg Training. Every puppy/dawg personality is very different in many varied degrees... You ‘may need’ to loudly/harshly instill NO! Earn the respect your dawg craves, hold up the chow line for an hour as you outwardly fume.... Then start with the Good Puppy happy praise and treats when you get what you want. Canines thrive for Love, Guidance and Boundaries. 
Guidance: Never assume that your new buddy speaks English. Show him exactly what you want.
Boundaries: Enforce your boundaries and use the words NO! Bad Dawg! In a negative tone. Happy fun loving Dawgs who respect their Boundaries should be the goal. 
Love: Nothing Like Showing Your Buddy a good time and all that he/she means to you - After You Establish NO!
What Dawgs Do 6 Days a Week, they will repeat on the 7th. We Hike on the Seventh!!!
Arthritis Awareness: ‘Think Joint Care, Everyday, In Every Way’ - from the day that you bring your puppy home.
Good Reading: Learning what your dawg ‘is’ get a book on how he/she thinks. 
Advice for the Trail: Things to look out for:
* Dogs run ahead to the front and then come back looking for their master.- Always acknowledge your hiker when they come back looking for you or they will get nervous and really go looking for their master!
*Anybody New To The Area: Take The Ticks and Lyme Disease Seriously.