Author Topic: Gordale Scar with a dog  (Read 5462 times)

topher83

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Gordale Scar with a dog
« on: 23:56:20, 04/08/17 »
Hi


Anyone taken a dog up the gordale scar waterfall?
Got a Labrador that can make it over most stiles with no help and wondering if its pointless going as she wouldn't be able to make it up, or is it doable?


Thanks

Peter

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #1 on: 09:25:03, 05/08/17 »

Hi


Anyone taken a dog up the gordale scar waterfall?
Got a Labrador that can make it over most stiles with no help and wondering if its pointless going as she wouldn't be able to make it up, or is it doable?


Thanks


I don't think it is doable by a dog. Especially by one so big as a lab. Well. I would not try it anyway.
There is an alternative route which is easily doable.
From the waterfall you go back to the road and the burger van, behind this is a gate. Take the path up to the wall and bear right. Basically you know follow the path up the steep slope in front of you. At the top again bear right until you are in the area above the scar. Follow the path forward, this is joined by the path coming up from the falls.
Peter
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mananddog

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #2 on: 12:24:36, 05/08/17 »
When my lad (border collie) was younger he went up Goredale no problem. I had a harness on him just in case. I think a lab is too heavy (depends on how strong you are). If he needed help and you lost your balance you both might be in trouble.

mike knipe

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #3 on: 17:45:43, 05/08/17 »
I took the pooch up Gordale Scar last May- he's small, but weighs 18kg. He was also wearing panniers at the time and I had a full backpacking pack on - about 13kg, I suppose. The dog seems to enjoy a bit of a scramble but experience with previous doggies indicates that they have a forward-planning deficit and can easily fall off stuff. A Labrador would pull you off if he fell off,  I suspect. I've trained Lucky to stay wherever he is on the command "Wait!" so that I can climb past him and pull him up any awkward bits. A long training lead is a useful thing for doggy scrambling and can be used on a harness to hoist the dog upwards, or downwards. Dogs need to get used to this sort of thing, though. A panicking dog pedalling air is not such a good thing and a dog falling off from above you could be disastrous.  My previous doggies have managed Gordale Scar and other scrambles, up to about easy Grade 1's - Striding Edge (Birkett has it graded as 0.75!) probably being about the limit. All my doggies have been much lighter than a Labrador, though. I'm not sure that taking a lab up there would be entirely safe unless you were actually belayed at the top and could hoist the pooch up on a long line should he become detached from the tufa.
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topher83

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #4 on: 20:40:14, 05/08/17 »
Was curious about striding edge but heard there was a highest then end that they need lowering down from
Gonna go gordale and use the detour if needed

mike knipe

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #5 on: 16:24:37, 06/08/17 »
The rockstep on Striding Edge is a bit of a challenge for a dog. The tactic I've used when descending is to climb half way down, have the dog lowered to me then continue the lower till he reaches  something he can [censored] his leg on. You need two people for this, obviously. If there's nobody else, the dog would need to be lowered the whole way down.  For ascending, the dog should wait at the bottom and be hoisted up. The dog needs to have had some experience of this type of thing previously in other places or he/she would probably have a significant wobbler. A Ruffwear harness is a useful bit of doggy kit for lowering or hoisting the dog.
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topher83

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #6 on: 18:41:16, 06/08/17 »
Ok defiantly not something she could have made it up without a crane
Went to gordale scar today and had to do the detour
Glad you told me about it  :)

sammyb

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Re: Gordale Scar with a dog
« Reply #7 on: 11:49:00, 09/08/17 »
I was just about to post the same thing!

Thinking about doing Gordale Scar tomorrow. My dog is medium size (10kg) and has coped with quite a few fells and hills etc so has some experience. Also does competitive agility.

I'll be going with my daughters so we can easily lift her when needs be. Do you think that would work?

Sam     
« Last Edit: 11:52:54, 09/08/17 by sammyb »

 

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