Re: Backpacking with Snowcovered Berners

[Thomas Torsney-Weir]

Excellent.  Thanks everyone for all your help.  I don't really have the 
equipment to do much more than a weekend or so and that should be 
better for Yogi as well.  If he doesn't like camping its just one night 
and we're not stuck in the middle of nowhere 20 miles from my car.  The 
one fun thing about hiking on the east coast is all the stream 
crossings.  I have this nasty habit of slipping off the rocks and 
getting my feet soaked and getting hypothermia.  Wet paws could be a 
problem for Yogi but they do seem to dry pretty fast after crossing 
streams in the parks where I walk him.  This should be interesting...

Thanks again!
Tom Torsney-Weir & Yogi
Falls Church, VA

Re: Backpacking with Snowcovered Berners

[MazamaDog]

I do consider myself an expert on the subject of camping in the snow with Berners 
(thanks, Barb!)  - ZenMaster Max, the Winter-boy and I have spent many a night in 
freezing temperatures in the snowiest of weather.  I have to say the Berner boys have 
NEVER been cold - not once!  Before I had Berners I used to go snow camping with my 
golden retrievers, and they would get very cold when the sun disappeared and the 
temperatures dropped.   We trained them to sleep on insulated pads so they wouldn't 
freeze on the snow.  One trip was so cold in the subzero temperatures that one of the 
goldens crawled into my husband's sleeping bag and slept there all night!  Max and 
Winter have never so much as shivered in the snow.   I do have them sleep in the tent, 
and they are well trained to sleep up against the edge of the tent and stay out of the 
way of the people.  I often put my empty pack down for them to sleep on just to give 
some added insulation.   I prefer having the dogs sleep in the tent so I know where 
they are, and they don't start barking at some noise in the night.  I would expect a 
nine month old Berner like Yogi with a good coat can sleep well in temperatures below 
zero.  If you can stand it, so can he!  But do let him be in the tent so you know if 
he's having any problems.  If a dog does start shivering, put insulation down under 
them to protect them from the snow and they should be fine.  Winter has a shaved tummy 
from his recent bloat surgery and still has never shivered in the snow - these are 
true snow dogs!
Enjoy your camping trip with Yogi!
Best wishes from us - Ruth Nielsen, ZenMaster Max and the Winter-boy - snow camping 
fools in the North Cascades of Washington

Re: Backpacking with Snowcovered Berners

[Barb McColgan]

Dear Tom & Yogi:

I'm catching up on Berner-l's I've missed, so I apologize if this thread has
already been addressed.

Oh, our berners do so love to be out-of-doors with their people.

First, two disclaimers.  (1) Most of my experience has been in Washington
State so I'm not familiar with the weather conditions on the Appalachian
trail and (2)  I haven't done much snow camping.  I defer on this subject to
Ruth Nielson who with her boys Max & Winter has spent more time camping
above the tree line than I have below it.  But that said, I think one of the
most important things to remember is that a lot of precipitation falls
during the night.  In our neck of the woods we rarely seem to get this
precipitation in the form of dry fluffy insulating snow.  Even if the
precipitation isn't wet snow or rain we at least get heavy dew.  Our berners
stay warm in cold weather because the air trapped in the fur of their heavy
coats is warmed by their body heat.  Same principle as your down sleeping
bag, which is useless when it gets wet.  So I think you should plan to
shelter your berner from the elements at night--and yourself too.  Hopefully
you'll be packing a tent--Yogi will be happy inside with you.  (While a bivy
may be fine in most seasons, mountains+winter+snow really adds up to a
tent.)  Yeah, I know he'll be kinda muddy and damp on the edges, but so are
you and you're all washable when you get home.  If your tent has a vestibule
he could stay there.  If you can't button him up with you inside the tent,
consider putting Yogi on a six foot lead with the loop over your wrist for
the night.  Personally, I'm used to Missy sleeping with her head over my
ankle.  The downside is that I sleep lightly as she tosses every half hour
or so.  The advantages are that I know exactly where she is during the night
(not slipping off after a marmot or worse), she discretely warns me of the
approach of other animals (whether four and two legged), and she keeps me
toasty warm with her 102 degree body heat.

How long a trip are you intending to take with your puppy?  A few days may
be OK for a nine month old, but don't overstress your little one!  He's
still growing and maturing, so nothing too challenging and don't expect him
to pack.

Happy trails,

Barb & Missy
Port Townsend WA

- Original Message -
From: "Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 10:01 PM
Subject: BERNER-L digest 4214

Ok, my 9 month old berner loves being outside (especially in the snow)
and I'd love to take him camping on the Appalachian trail.  I
definitely don't want to wake up next to a frozen puppy and it can get
pretty cold at night, so how cold can it be for these guys to be
comfortable (and not freeze to death)?  He does curl up in the snow and
go to sleep on the other hand snow is a great insulator...

Tom Torsney-Weir & Yogi
Falls Church, VA