At home, when my male Dobie was still young he was attacked at least once by one of my neighbors dogs, when he got older, they left him alone. Poor Pooch, my Yellow Lab X, was scared to walk down our private road at one time due to a few of the neighbors had unleashed/non-penned up and aggressive dogs. Even on a leash he wanted to get away and the dogs weren't scared of me. When those people moved, it was four months before he could go down the road without shying when we went by those places. I would agree, a good shot of pepper spray should work.

But back to the original question.. I'll maintain any healthy dog who can walk the distances involved will make a decent hiking companion in such places as is appropriate.

I seldom have canine companionship on hikes as I am too often places they are outright not allowed, or bear country I will not take them into because they become a hazard to themselves and me in such places.

A dog doesn't have to be huge to carry his own pack. Small dogs need less food after all...

Were I to get a dog, I would definitely get one that would go hiking with me. I would probably rescue a Jindo - they are not for everyone, they are very smart and require a lot of attention, but I think that a Jindo's personality would be a good match for me. The difficulty would be that some of my favorite places to go prohibit dogs.

From our website:

Dogs are not permitted in some areas, and almost always should be on leash. And almost never are. I don’t mind meeting a well-behaved dog on the trail. At times I find it charming to see them out with their family and friends, enjoying the hike. But if you are not ABSOLUTELY sure your dog will behave well, please leave it at home. Dogs barking at campsites at night ruin the wilderness experience for others. Dogs barking or “defending their owners” on the trail have no business being there.

We've owned a small dog, Cairn Terrier, but usually wouldn't take her camping because should could NOT stop chasing the squirrels.

This is the only backpack subject I am an expert on (being a mailman). Based on literally thousands of encounters as I carried >100 different mail routes in all types of neighborhoods.

1 Usually aggressive.

Any sled dog breed: maybe it's the wolf blood.

Great Danes: never met a single friendly one. Hundreds of bad ones.

Pit Bulls: Only a fool would take one into public places, because court jury members are likely predisposed against the breed. Or a poor person with no money and therefore unafraid of liability.

Dobermans.


2 Least likely to threaten mailman:

Golden retrievers and Labs. Sheep and cow dog breeds (except Collies only some of them are well behaved).


3 Barkers:

Smaller dogs. Being small means handicapped in a fight. They must frighten instead, so they bark a lot.

Terriers: The phrase 'barking terriers' is a common saying. And true in my experience.

I've found that small yappy dogs tend to bite as well as bark!

I know this is an older thread, but I just had to reply... Lot's of great comments in this thread. Since you asked specifically about German Shepherds... My trail buddy is my German Shepherd, Timber. Best trail buddy a guy could ask for. He loves being with me on the trail, and I love having him along. He carries most of his own gear and food so I don't have too much extra weight when I bring him along. Here are some pictures of us on the trail.

However...
Without proper training and taking extra care while on the trail, I am reluctant to recommend a 'protection' dog as a trail companion. Unfortunately many (most??) folks don't provide the level of training required to make a hike with a protection dog a safe and pleasant experience (for the dog, owner or other hikers!)

Here are some thoughts:

While it is true that training can alleviate many behavioral problems, a lot of temperament is genetic. Some GSD's may be fine and self confident on the trail, but others may feel insecure, which could lead to aggression. There are some German Shepherds that just should not be on a trail. Knowing your pet and being aware of conditions that make her uncomfortable is our responsibility as owners.

Having a large dog, and especially a protection breed means that training is critical. Way too much on this topic for this thread, but NOT having a WELL trained large breed protection dog in public is asking for disaster and heartache. Training tells your dog he can trust you to be the pack leader, and he does not have to ‘decide’ whether it is appropriate to ‘protect’ or not. Training happens every time you are with your dog. In the house, in the park or on the trail, training is continuous.

I decided before I owned a German Shepherd that I wanted a dog that could be with me in any public place, with other dogs, children, or adults, and he would be comfortable and know how to behave. This means socializing and training, training, training. Training isn't 'work' for either my dogs or me. They love it and look forward to it since it means treats and tons of praise! Payoff for me is having Timber off lead, at a heel and not breaking the heel while a deer crashes through the brush next to us. Yes, he is trembling and asking with every fiber of his body to be released from the heel, but deciding it is worth it to heel and get the boatloads of praise coming his way.

Having a German Shepherd on the trail means taking extra care to be respectful of others on the trail. Some folks are nervous getting close to a German Shepherd. When someone approaches, I step aside, tell Timber to do a sit/stay (or down/stay if there are any children approaching) and we wait for folks to pass us. When they see him under control, it eases their concerns as they pass. Sometimes I have Timber on lead even on trails where it isn’t required, depending on how many other folks are on the trail. Even if he is off lead, he is at a heel or heel/follow at all times. I just don't ever release him to run free on trails.

Bottom line is that German Shepherds CAN make wonderful trail companions. It is a special treat for me when I pass a well behaved, under control dog of any breed (OK, especially a German Shepherd!) while I am on the trail. However, having a large German Shepherd, Dobie or Rottie heading towards me either loose or in control of their owner makes me (and most folks) VERY uncomfortable. These breeds require an investment in your time and may not be suitable for inexperienced dog owners. It's interesting that despite being around dozens of German Shepherds over the years, the only time I have been attacked was not by a protection dog but by a harmless looking midsize floppy eared mutt!

balzaccom said it well. "if you are not ABSOLUTELY sure your dog will behave well, please leave it at home"

Sorry for the book! I am obviously passionate about the GSD breed and this subject!

Randy does an excellent job in his post of not only describing the breed but the training that is necessary to have a good trail dog. I have worked quite a bit with police dogs and even with all the training they recieve some of them would be very poor trail dogs.

I have had one instance in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness where some horse packers had a large loose dog. This dog attacked a smaller dog that was with our group for no apparent reason. I had a nearly full lexan nalgene bottle in my hand and heaved it as hard as I could at that dog and sent him yelping back to his owners. They were not happy with me at all. I didn't give a $%@! They should have not had a dog on the trail that was out of control.

-Skippy

The dogs really enjoy working. My dogs really looked forward to it, or else they knew our short session would lead to off leash, frolicking. The best is working with your dog on SAR training and doing their first alert. Gets no better than that.

Could be Australian Cattle Dog. Super, super durable, can do 10, 20, 30 miles a day no problem. Mid-sized dog. Easy-care coat, doesn't pickup much junk in their fur. Super smart, super protective. Some of them are the best dogs in the world, some can require extra attention.

Only drawbacks are that they can be too smart for their own good. You can't leave a dog like that alone in your house all day while you work, they will redecorate your house if bored. Some aren't crazy about people, other than their owners, some aren't crazy about other dogs at all.

Worth looking into for sure.

+1 on the Aussie (aka Blue or Red Heeler).

I had one for 16+ years and she was very well trained. Good medium sized dog. Great coat. Very intimidating with the mask, but mine was a sweetheart (although very protective).
How can this be, you ask? She would put herself between my kids and any stranger or potential threat. She didn't bark or growl. She just stood there and stared.

Very good at herding my kids too.


Tango61

I have never sued, but as a mail carrier I have gradually become familiar with one bit or workroom table talk about how dog owners win or lose in court.

Even a 'good dog' will bite strangers who are not good people. There are folks out there who like to tease animals and do worse and they still win in court half the time.

EDIT: I am talking lawsuits here, not criminal court.

But not if you have a docile looking animal to bring into the courtroom! That room will be full of strangers doing things that seem strange (to your dog). If he barks you are toast. If he just lies there panting and looking friendly you are likely home free.