Labrador and the three peaks

[HammerToFall]

DH is doing the yorkshire three peaks challenge in July for charity. It's 25 miles in 12 hours climbing 5000 feet. He wants to take our 20 month old lab with him but I'm really concerned. I think it's far too much strain on such a young dog but Dh thinks I'm being daft and he will be fine. What do you think? I'm hoping I can either put my mind at rest or persuade dh otherwise.

[mistlethrush]

You're right. My dog's done one of them at a time = one of the critical things would be the regular need for water stops and this would really slow your husband down - it's easy drinking from a bottle on the go, but stopping and providing a water bowl (and indeed carrying lots of additional water to fill the bowl on a regular basis) is more problematical. Whilst 'it's only the Yorkshire' 3 peaks they're not a stroll for most people!

[HammerToFall]

Sorry just to add dog is used to walking in the dales as we go a lot with the kids but only three or four hours at a time!

[basildonbond]

No way - that's far too long for a dog of his age plus it would be a really miserable experience as I suspect it would end up a bit like a forced march towards the end

[Collaborate]

Really? At 20 months? Won't the dog be fully grown and at peak fitness? Maybe he needs to build up her fitness by going on some longer walks.
Might there also be plenty of streams they'll cross that the dog can drink from? Or rank fetid puddles (a favourite of my 7 mth lab)?

[mrslaughan]

Everything everyone else has said up thread.
Also , such strenuous exercise, would require the dog to eat at some point - but labs are prone to bloat, which is a condition that kills.

Tbh I am a little concerned about a 20month old walking 4 hours.......actually on the face of it probably fine, but what distances were you doing pre 18 months? Did your breeder not talk to you about looking after his joints? not over exercising......

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

No way would I allow my adult labs to do that (and I suspect they'd refuse anyway! Lazy dogs). I agree with mrslaughlan - if your 20 month old dog has trained long enough to do that hike, he's been exercised too much, too young.

If he's desperate to take the dog can't you (or somebody else) go with him and the dog for the first hour or so, then turn back with the dog so he can carry on?

[cathpip]

It took me 8.5 hours of continuous walking to complete that route, I have also done the national three peaks. I did take my 5 year old lab on the national three peaks you have to travel by car inbetween so he was getting rest, he was incredibly fit and the vet gave him the thumbs up with a small prescription of rymadil for the next day. By god he needed it, the next day he was struggling with walking (as we all were). For this reason I didn't take him on the Yorkshire three peaks, and I wouldn't take a dog unless he could easily do a full 8/9 hours hiking at pace and be at least three years of age.

[weaselwords]

Too much exercise can bring on exercise induced collapse. I think the three peak challenge would fall into this category.

basc.org.uk/gundogs/gundog-advice/collapsing-gundogs/

[HammerToFall]

Thanks everyone. Exactly my feelings so feel ive got something to back me up. With regards to the walks we do now for four hours those are with a nine and six year old so are broken up by picnics stopping at pubs etc so not a straight four hours. This is my third lab so I know all about over excising etc but dh seemed so adamant it would be fine that I started to doubt myself.

All your concerns where my concerns plus I am very worried if he injured himself up there.

I am over ruling dh on this one.

[Collaborate]

This thread has opened my eyes somewhat. I had thought that my lab could, when fully grown, manage a, say, 15 mile walk. Should I think again?

[HammerToFall]

My worry is collaborate that the 25 miles has to be done in 12 hours and it's mostly up hill steeply. There
Is no time to stop and rest and recharge batteries

[basildonbond]

Going for a long walk where there's time to stop and sniff and mooch about a bit and have something to eat and then have a bit of a run and a game is completely different to fast walking on difficult terrain for a set distance and within a strict time limit

[cathpip]

collaborate it really does depend on speed of walk and overall fitness, I used to have labs and now have cockers with both they were working dogs and were used to going grouse beating, which for them means covering around 30ish miles at pace, but with breaks inbetween drives and not so many steep ups and downs, all though they would be working in and around heather. It takes quite a while for me to get them grouse beating ready and if I were to attempt the three peaks again they would have to be this fit. My cockers have the summer off and the vets are amazed as they have each lost 2kg in muscle weight since February. A substantial amount considering they normally weigh 16kg.

[tabulahrasa]

"This thread has opened my eyes somewhat. I had thought that my lab could, when fully grown, manage a, say, 15 mile walk. Should I think again?"

They could...if they were fit enough, but that needs to be done gradually and you wouldn't even start building up to that until they were finished growing at around 18-24 months.

15 miles is about 5 hours at average walking speed...at 18 months a lab should be doing about an hour and a half no bother and you can build from there - but it'd not be fit enough in 2 months to do nearly three times as long...that's why everyone is saying it's too much.

[mistlethrush]

15 miles, once fully grown and properly fit, would be fine - although humans are likely to want a stop at some point during that so the dog would get some natural breaks anyway.

In terms of Ingleborough, which is the one of the 3 I have done several times, no, there are very few streams available and basically all water would need to be provided for the dog - and doing the 3 peaks in 12 hrs you would be pushing the pace all the time so you wouldn't want to stop as regularly as you would need to to provide the water - or indeed carry sufficient water for the dog to be provided with a bowl of water (they're not going to drink as efficiently as a human from a bottle - and even humans will need a lot for that distance).

Why not look at the proposed route and see if you can work out where you can pick the dog up after the first peak - and provide additional water to your DH at that point if necessary?

[cathpip]

That's a good idea from above, the route goes straight over the main road and past the ribbleshead viaduct, so you can pick him up easily before he starts to climb Whernside.

[HammerToFall]

Thanks again everyone. Unfortunately I can't pick the dog up as I'm not going its dh work that are doing it. I've spoken to dh and he agrees that it's just much ( like I told him in the first place!) however we are going to the dales for a week in July so may give the first one a go!

[daisydotandgertie]

There's one bit of confusion on this thread which is worth clarifying - Exercise Induced Collapse.

The BASC article linked to is confusing really - it doesn't clarify whether it is talking about EIC or about a dog who has worked too hard and is a bit knackered.

EIC is a specific genetic condition which is inherited from parents who both carry the EIC gene. A good breeder will test their breeding stock for this condition to ensure that at the very least two carriers or a carrier and an affected are never mated. See the genetic test details here.

The Kennel Club publishes a list of dogs who are tested as either affected or carrier - and individual dogs records have their status recorded too.

If anyone is in the market for buying a labrador puppy, that is one of the must have tests - along with hips, elbows, eyes, CNM and PRA PRCD. Ideally, also the test for SD2 would have been done too.