7 Reasons to Hike With Your Dachshund
Dachshund owners, like a lot of people, are discovering a desire to get back to basics, simplify their life, and connect with nature.
We are surrounded by so much stuff competing for our time – our cell phone, Facebook, Twitter, Email, people who need something from us, etc.
Getting out in the woods with our Dachshund and unplugging, even for a few hours, can get us away from that stuff and allow us to relax and spend time connecting with nature, ourselves, and our dog.
Hiking is accessible for most people both physically and financially. If you can walk, you can hike.
You can find trail terrain to fit almost any ability level and you can make it an easy stroll or hard, fast push to the top.Â
Also, you don’t need high-tech gear to start (although we admit we are gear-heads and love high-tech gadgets).
Exercising with your dog is increasing in popularity as a trend too.
Everywhere I look these days, articles are popping up on the subject and, as you probably know, I’m a huge advocate of that – both for fun and for fitness.
Some people are surprised, but Dachshunds have many traits that make them great hikers.
Also surprising to many, is that Dachshunds can hike pretty far with the right physical conditioning and training.
Sounds like it is a match made in heaven to me – hiking and exercising with your dog.
So what are the benefits of hiking with your Dachshund?
7 Benefits of Hiking With Your Dachshund
1) Fewer behavior issues
A tired Dachshund is less likely to act out or misbehave at home.
Your dog will be tuckered out when you get home and more interested in sleeping than getting into the garbage or barking at every leaf that blows by your house.
2) A relatively easy workout
Adventuring with your Dachshund in the woods is a great workout that doesn’t feel like work.
Your focus will be on the beauty of nature and your dog’s enjoyment rather than how hard you are huffing and puffing.
3) A better relationship with your Dachshund
You and your Dachshund can bond and learn to trust each other more.
Take it from me, something magical happens when you and your dog are alone in the woods together.
You learn more about your doxie’s behavior and limits and they look to you for guidance.
4) It changes your perspective
When you kike with your Dachshund, you experience the trail from a new perspective.
Certain things on the trail catch your eye. Certain things on the trail will catch your Dachshund’s eye (and nose).
Those probably won’t be the same things so you can experience the trail the way your dog sees it.
5) It helps to prevent pet obesity
Dachshunds are prone to obesity and keeping your doxie fit and trim is one of the best things you can do to protect them from a back injury.
Hiking with your Dachshund will help them maintain a healthy weight.
6) It reduces stress and anxiety
Hiking, moving, and breathing fresh air can reduce stress and anxiety for both you and your Dachshund.
Blue is known to have a calming, sedative effect and the green is soothing and refreshing. Both colors are abundant in the outdoors.Â
Negative ions – invisible molecules that we inhale when hiking in the mountains, near waterfalls, and on beaches – are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood-boosting chemical serotonin.
Serotonin can help to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.
7) It gives you both a legal high
Like people, dogs experience increased levels of endorphins after exercise.Â
Endorphins make you happy. They’re like nature’s opiates and are responsible for the human “runner’s high”.
Final Thoughts
Hiking with your Dachshund has many benefits – both for you and them.
And there are several reasons your Dachshund will love hiking.
It’s an enjoyable workout that you can make as easy or challenging as you want and it doesn’t take a lot of expensive equipment and gear to get started.
If you’re new to hiking though, don’t make the same hiking mistakes I did though.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Jessica. I’ve been studying the Dachshund breed since 2007, owned 3 of my own, and shared in the lives of thousands of others through their owner’s stories. When I’m not sharing what I know on this blog, you can find me hiking, camping, and traveling with my adventurous wiener dogs.
Yep, we love to hike!! We hike all year round, even in the snow. We are lucky were we live, I can let the dogs run and explore our mountain. They both love it. Dogs can smile, I’ve seen them. Thanks for the mention!! Have great weekend.
Mary, Roxy, and Torrey
We do a lot of hiking in the woods by our cabin. Of course we are coming into bug season, so the hikes are a lot less enjoyable due to the required slapping and swatting. Brown dawgs seem to attract the most bugs! 🙂
Have a nice weekend!
Hmmmmm…..your brown dawgs atract bugs or just BROWN dogs attract bubs? Ha, ha. Maybe brown little Gretel is going to have to watch out this summer 🙂
We couldn’t agree more! We’re thankful that Gus loves to walk and be outdoors. Not only is it good for him, it also encourages us to get out and get moving!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
Of course we LOVE to hike with our guys! Hope you had a great weekend.
It’s great to know that a hike will not only tire out my excitable pup, but also give him some good stimulation. I wonder what kinds of activities I can do with my cat for the same purpose!
Good news… I’ve seen people hike with their cats too! Ha, ha. I’ve only seen one in person but there are a lot of hiking and adventuring cats on Instagram. Most people stick to a laser or feather on a stick to make them run around the house though 🙂
I love hiking with my dog. It’s always a great experience for the both of us!
Best,
Ashleigh | Mermaid on the Move
Hiking out in nature is the best. It really is good for the dog and the human, but if it isn’t possible even taking a run or a walk around where you live has great benefits. Mom does it all the time to clear her head!
I used the run all of the time for “meditation”. It seemed that I would always figure out something that had been stressing me on the run and come back with a plan. I don’t get to run much anymore but I agree that even a walk around the block is good for health and clearing the head.
Love your blog! I just found you on Instagram and just love your photos. Looks like y’all get some great trips in. We did a 5 month RV trip with our two dogs (pug and frenchie) and are already looking forward to another excursion with them. Nothing is better than traveling and adventuring with your dog.
Hi Maggie. I’m glad you found us. Traveling the country to hike is on my bucket list. My husband and I are currently working on a plan that would allow us to travel the country for 2 months out of each year (or other countries if we wanted). Five months sounds amazing though! 🙂 Have a great weekend.
How awesome! Yes, that’s precisely our plan from now on. Especially to escape the Wisconsin winters. Have a great weekend yourself!
My dachshund loves to hike! I stumbled onto your blog while researching a coat to fit my little Rosie. I decided to get one based on your reviews! Thanks.
Yay. I’m glad I helped. Which one did you get? You should post a picture of Rosie in it on our Facebook page so I can see 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner/
Before my German shepherd improved my life three years ago, I was a couch potato. Now we hike early every weekend and vacation day morning in the forests near us. I never noticed my surroundings as much as when I walk with her, focussing only on our surroundings, watching for things that might distract her (shock of a baby deer jumping in front of us a few weeks back – Bambi lost the chase but played dead and got to run home to her mom, whew). Mindfulness never worked for me until I learned that watching her enjoy a stick or a pile of leaves IS mindfulness. And best of all, she’s tired enough to sleep all the way home ?
I love this so much Mary. So much love to “Before my German shepherd improved my life three years ago” and ” I learned that watching her enjoy a stick or a pile of leaves IS mindfulness.”. I hope you go on many more great adventures together.