WATERBURY CENTER, Vt., August 30 – The Green Mountain Club released a four-part educational video series with expert advice on Hiking With Dogs. With cooler weather just around the corner, many hikers will want to take their dogs with them when they hit the trails this fall and the club wanted to provide practical information.

In addition to basic tips, such as what to bring on a day hike and when to leash a dog, the series covers training, what to do if you lose your dog on the trail, protecting your dog’s health, and how to take longer backpacking trips with a dog along.

“For people who have been thinking about bringing their dog with them when hiking, we provide a lot of helpful information to get them started,” says Richard Windish of Reading, Vt., former Green Mountain Club president who hosts the video series with his dog Jack. “The videos also have plenty of tips for people who have some experience hiking with a dog, but would like to get into more advanced aspects of it, such as staying at Long Trail shelters overnight, and trail etiquette for dogs and dog owners.”

Interviews in the series include veterinarian Paul Alfarone of Bear Swamp Veterinary Service in Middlesex; dog trainer Kasandra Fleury of the Central Vermont Humane Society in East Montpelier; and Grant Gunther of the Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, who discusses outfitting your dogs with appropriate gear like fleece jackets and backpacks.

“In the video series, the experts who we interviewed are all hikers themselves, so their advice is trail-tested and very practical,” says Windish. “We also talked with several Green Mountain Club caretakers about what they see out on the trails every day, and what dog owners should be doing to both protect the environment and make hiking with dogs enjoyable for everyone.”

“This video series is a very important educational resource for hikers,” said Will Wiquist, executive director of the Green Mountain Club. “Believe it or not, we might get more questions about hiking with dogs than any other – with the exception of how to get to the trailhead. We encourage all hikers who have dogs to view this informative four-part series.”