First Off-Leash Dog Hike
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When Kathy, one of our dog park friends, texted to see if we wanted to take Duke on an off-leash hike, I was a little hesitant to say yes. Duke is a good boy, but he’s also only 11 months old and has a strong prey drive (oh hi, German Shepherd + Husky + Akita + Jindo mix).
Literally all of his breeds were bred for hunting, guarding, and patrol duties.
Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles
So if he sees a squirrel, he’s likely to go after it. But Kathy assured me it was super safe, very far removed from the road, and a great place for first time off-leash dogs to go. So we agreed.
The drive up to Mandeville Canyon was stunning. We came from Santa Monica, and drove North of Montana (the wealthy part), and then up through Brentwood (an even wealthier area). The houses are insane.
Kathy’s dogs are Misha, a German Shepherd / Husky mix, and Xiroi, a 10 year old Husky. Duke loves them and he adores Kathy, so when he first spotted them outside the dog park setting his was so pumped.
Duke was in heaven!
He’s normally very shy around Xiroi, and will immediately bow and lay down in submission when he gets near. It’s almost as though he’s designated him as the pack leader and it’s a sign of respect. But today in the new environment, he was playful and unbothered. It may have also been that Xiroi was more in his element (he doesn’t really love being at the dog park with all the young pups running around), but it was cute to watch them interact more playfully.
We were joined by Chloe, an adorable husky, and Swea, a German Shepherd mix. Once we got our first water break out of the way, our wolf-pack of five headed out.
Duke was so pumped to be off leash and allowed to explore whatever he wanted. The trail was busy, and according to Kathy, more-so than normal, but despite all the distractions and occasional bikers, Duke stayed close by and always listened when we called him to come. We were so proud!
Sean and the pups leading the way.
The views during the hike were beautiful. It never gets old that with only a 20 minute drive, you can be in nature away from traffic and buildings. This same outing in New York would have been an all-day affair. Definitely one of the reasons we moved.
The weather was also perfect for a hike. The morning was foggy and 60 degrees, so we were all wearing long sleeves and pants. By the time we start hiking around 10:30am, it was in the high 60’s and sunny. I was glad I decided to toss my hat in the car at the last minute.
Sean likes to hike ahead. He has long legs, so I suppose it comes with the territory. But all the dogs would run ahead of the rest of the group and join him. It was adorable. We were all pleasantly surprised by how well the dogs did at staying together. I think they just loved being free with their people and friends.
When we got to the top we attempted to take a group photo… it was like herding cats. They were too excited to listen to sit. We even tried bribing them with treats which only seemed to make the chaos worse. So we had to eventually give up.
Luckily, on the way down we were able to snap a quick group shot. They are a handsome bunch! (pictured at the top)
Kathy, Mother of Dogs, came prepared with fresh boiled chicken breast. We have some pretty spoiled pups!
We were glad to have experienced the hike in a group. Our little pack was quite the spectacle, and on more than one occasion other dogs would leave their owners and try to join us. They also all look a little wolf-like, which was a frequent comment from passerbyers.
The hike ended up being almost 7 miles round trip! Certainly more than we were expecting. On the way down you could see that the pups were starting to drag a bit. So Kathy, being the ultimate dog mom that she is, busted out some boiled chicken breast that she had brought from home.
She was already one of Duke’s favorites, but she certainly cemented her status with that move. We were glad she was prepared.
The day overall was great, and we were very proud of Duke for keeping up with the big dogs. They are all over 2 years old, which makes a big difference for their endurance. As we hiked along, we’d see dog owners carrying their tired out pups, but at 85 pounds, that is not an options for Dukers!
Family photo, February, 2020
I finally remembered to ask someone to take our picture at the top… not sure why this is so hard for me to do consistently.
We came home and immediately had to shower (it was very dusty), and downed a bunch of water because we ran out. Next time we’ll definitely bring a little bit more, and probably La Cruix’s or something to keep in the car as well.
The best part about an excursion for a dog owner, is that you’ll have a very tired dog on your hands afterwards. Immediately when we got in the car Duke zonked out, and we enjoyed a day of and napping and peace a quiet.
While we won’t be letting Duke off-leash on a morning walk in our neighborhood any time soon, I feel much better about looking for other trails where we can let him loose. Highly recommend checking out Mandevillle Canyon out if you are in the Los Angeles area!
