Dog hikers: What equipment do you need? And, who is going to carry it?

[SGT Rock]

Starting out the forum with a new topic. Lets see how this goes.

Here is your task. Hiking with your dog, what are you going to pack and why?

And then the next part, who is going to carry all that, you or your dog?

[Two Speed]

First, thanks for setting this up. Next, I think this thread could be the start of a good basic check list.

In Barney’s pack:
1) His food
2) Treats*
3) Two (2) 500 ml water bottles**
4) “Dog” nail clipper
I rig Barney’s leash and loop it through some D-rings on top of his pack, arranged so that all I have to do is grab the loop at the end for it to “play” out, so that I can control his little furry butt as required. Please note that Barney hikes behind me. That way he doesn't get the "alpha dog, I've got to protect the boss" syndrome going as we meet other hikers.

In my pack:
1) Barney’s sleeping pad
2) Barney’s insulated poncho
3) Any med’s Barney might need. Usually there aren’t any, but if I’m out for a couple of weeks a Heartguard tab and one dose of Frontline will find their way into my first aid kit.

* I always bring treats for Barney, but he does get about a sixth of my rations as well; that way I make sure he gets sufficient calories to keep his energy up. That, and the little monster just looks so darn happy when he gets a split of the boss’s meal. As an aside, I generally do not let Barney eat until I have finished, then I make his meal, make him sit, give me a shake and then give him an "OK" before he's allowed to eat. Reduces begging and makes him less inclined to charge unattended food.
** I don’t fill my spare 1 liter bottle or Barney’s two water bottles until mid-afternoon, which is when I start scoping out a campsite.

[Amigi'sLastStand]

First, thanks for setting this up. Next, I think this thread could be the start of a good basic check list.

In Barney’s pack:
1) His food
2) Treats*
3) Two (2) 500 ml water bottles**
4) “Dog” nail clipper
I rig Barney’s leash and loop it through some D-rings on top of his pack, arranged so that all I have to do is grab the loop at the end for it to “play” out, so that I can control his little furry butt as required. Please note that Barney hikes behind me. That way he doesn't get the "alpha dog, I've got to protect the boss" syndrome going as we meet other hikers.

In my pack:
1) Barney’s sleeping pad
2) Barney’s insulated poncho
3) Any med’s Barney might need. Usually there aren’t any, but if I’m out for a couple of weeks a Heartguard tab and one dose of Frontline will find their way into my first aid kit.

* I always bring treats for Barney, but he does get about a sixth of my rations as well; that way I make sure he gets sufficient calories to keep his energy up. That, and the little monster just looks so darn happy when he gets a split of the boss’s meal. As an aside, I generally do not let Barney eat until I have finished, then I make his meal, make him sit, give me a shake and then give him an "OK" before he's allowed to eat. Reduces begging and makes him less inclined to charge unattended food.
** I don’t fill my spare 1 liter bottle or Barney’s two water bottles until mid-afternoon, which is when I start scoping out a campsite.

Listen to this guy. That's how you hike with a dog. Nice to here from a responsible owner.

[Two Speed]

Oops, forgot that I put Barney's bowl in his pack. I use one of those Ziplock tupperware knock-off things. Lightweight and I can easily replace it if it breaks.

Listen to this guy. That's how you hike with a dog. Nice to here from a responsible owner.

Aw shucks, you're gonna make me blush.

All kidding around aside, I think I do OK, but I'm looking forward to seeing what other folks do to improve how I handle things.

[frieden]

Ditto. Thank you so much for starting this. This is going to be great! I'm so excited!

Since I finally got Ed to wear a pack, there is hope that he will carry some stuff. Planned:

Ed's pack:

Pooh bags
Hiking bowls
SAR toy (little tug rope toy)
2 Alcohol wipes
Bandana
Gauze (1 roll)
Brush

My pack:

Cat food for 4-5 days (breakfast and dinner)
Water (we'll share from my water bladder; a K9 mSAR suggestion)
Clippers/file
Tweezers
Long line (not sure about this one, yet; depends on weight)
Sleeping pad (blue foam from Walmart)
Hiking towel (cheap one from Walmart)
Small canister w/ locking lid (for Tpaper, pooh, trash)

Bounce box:

Dremel tool (for nails)
Long line (if not in pack, but it wouldn't be needed in town, so....?)
ER kit/meds (heartworm/flea/tick)
Boots (possible)
Wool coat (possible up north)


I won't carry "treats", but will use some of the cat food for treats. He gets some of my food in his bowl, as well. He loves veggies and salad. I only give him veggies at dinner or as a snack, because I don't want his nutritional intake messed up by too much fiber at breakfast. I'm going to use cat food, because it is higher in nutrition and lighter (also a K9 mountain SAR suggestion). I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but my planning stuff isn't handy right now, and I'm running to work. We're going to try to use that paw toughening stuff that has been mentioned here before (don't remember the name), before we leave. In my planning stuff is a list of what the E. TN mountain K9 SAR unit is required to carry for their dogs. A thru hiker can't carry all that, but I'll try to get it posted later. Their dogs wear packs, when they have to hike out to base camp.

[The Solemates]

Starting out the forum with a new topic. Lets see how this goes.

Here is your task. Hiking with your dog, what are you going to pack and why?

And then the next part, who is going to carry all that, you or your dog?

My coonhound goes with me on approximately 50-60% of my trips. He carries all of his own stuff. He has a saddle-bag type backpack, and in it goes his food, a few treats, water bowl, and leash. If it is winter, strapped on top of the saddle-bag goes his small cotton/synthetic blend mat, wrapped in a plastic bag. He loves it and never complains unless the saddle-bag starts to rub his armpits (which occasionally will happen if we have been rained on for 24+hrs straight, at which time I take his pack off and carry it for him). He can usually out-hike me unless it is really hot; he easily does 15-20 mile days, although we have never done this together for more than 3-4 days on end. I do not typically carry water for him unless its in the dead of the summer or if we are in a particularly dry area. Otherwise, he just drinks straight from the streams. I check him for problems with the pack, ticks, etc. every time we break, and if we break for a significant amount of time, his pack always comes off.

I would never take a dog on a thru-hike though.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartn...6a.jpg&.src=ph

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jcartn...83.jpg&.src=ph

[frieden]

BTW, I wear Ed's leash around my waist. He has the strength to pull me down, but then I'm dead weight, and he can't go anywhere. He's never pulled me down when hiking before, but we are used to being hooked up all the time, and I feel it is safer for him that way (in case he sees a new animal, and wants to chase it - like a bear).

[frieden]

Beautiful dog, Solemate! You let him drink out of the streams? Isn't that dangerous? Ed gets bottled water at home and at work. He is such a water hound, and it took me forever to get him to not drink from streams/standing water. You just don't know what's in there - too much human impact on the environment; polluted water.

[the goat]

in moose's pack:
-one day of food.
-collapsable pvc dog bowl.

in my pack:
-all the rest of his food.
-canola or olive oil to put on his kibble for extra calories.
(another trick is to feed your dog puppy food, regardless of age, b/c it is usually higher in calories).

what i do is keep the one day of food in his pack until our last day before town, while i dwindle his rations from my pack. i like to go 5-6 days or so between town stops, so this equates to two, 2-gallon zip locks full of kibble in my pack. (he weighs 90 -100 lbs, so he eats a lot).

* my pack weighed in at just shy of 60 lbs. on that hanging scale outside the pinkham notch visitors' center. (i shouldn't have weighed it right before that climb, it played mind games on me the whole way up.)

i always feed him first when we get to camp & then give him some of my grub when i eat.
i never have him carry water, as he just camels-up when we reach a water source. if we have a waterless stretch, i give him water from my supply in his bowl, or if we're not stopping for long, he can also drink straight from my playpus. he's good at it, all i gotta do is pinch the bite valve for him.

[the goat]

oh yeah, i forgot bounce box:

-front line or advantix
-heart worm tablets
-cleaning solution for his ears

[Two Speed]

Looking at Frieden's post makes me wonder if we should specify that a particular dog is just a good ol' hiking dog or is in training for SAR? FWIW Barney is a good ol' hiking mutt.

[The Solemates]

BTW, I wear Ed's leash around my waist. He has the strength to pull me down, but then I'm dead weight, and he can't go anywhere. He's never pulled me down when hiking before, but we are used to being hooked up all the time, and I feel it is safer for him that way (in case he sees a new animal, and wants to chase it - like a bear).

I walk every day around my neighborhood in this same fashion with my pup.

[The Solemates]

Beautiful dog, Solemate! You let him drink out of the streams? Isn't that dangerous? Ed gets bottled water at home and at work. He is such a water hound, and it took me forever to get him to not drink from streams/standing water. You just don't know what's in there - too much human impact on the environment; polluted water.

Haven't ever had a problem with streams. If it's that questionable, I dont let him drink out of it, and he obeys.

You give your dog bottled water?! Kind of expensive isn't it? I dont even pay for bottled water for myself. What a pampered pooch!

[Alligator]

I had the following gear for my dog:
2 collapsible bowls
2 0.5l platypus
child's fleece blanket
foam pad
retractable leash
dog food
small dog pack
doggie treats

I had her carry the water, food, and bowls. I carried the blanket and foam pad. I had her attached to the retractable leash, the handle of which I looped through my hipbelt. With the retractable leash, I was still able to hike with my trekking poles, while the retracting cord aided in keeping the slack up.

We shared a tarp for shelter.

She ended up clawing the foam pad to shreds, as she would dig before sleeping.

We only went a couple of times and I ended up carrying the pack up steep climbs. When the vet finally settled on her age, I decided that based on past performance, she was too old to take on overnights. But we continued to take her on day hikes as she loved those. She went sans pack on these. I carried her water bowl and treats then.

I think her total pack weight was about 6-7 lbs (2-3 days food). I had only the rough guide of a human not packing over 25% of their weight. Since she was a little over 40 lbs, I estimated this to be reasonable. If there is some kind of rule of thumb here, post it.

[The Solemates]

I think that the rule of thumb is that your dog has to be used to it, just like humans have to be in shape. If all your dog does is snooze during the day while you are at work, then you come home and he sits beside you as you watch TV, then yes, your dog will have a hard time on the trail, and will have a hard time carrying weight. If you allow your dog free roam during the day so that he can run around somewhat in the back yard, and take him for walks/runs every day, then he will be in shape enough to hike. All of this is regardless of age. There are plenty of dogs out there that are 10 years old or older that have no problem hiking up and down mountains.

Our dog get lots of exercise each day, and he has to because he is a high energy dog. My wife takes him for a 2 mile walk every morning, and I take him for a 3-5 mile walk every night. I sometimes rollerblade instead of walk, and he runs along beside me, getting even more exercise. We have a backyard that is full of possums, raccoons, squirrels, and birds as well, and he gets exercise chasing those all day. This morning when I woke up he had a possum tree'd.

[Alligator]

I agree, it will be a mixed bag for older dogs. I should add that she had a heart murmur, probably caused by poor dental hygeine before we adopted her (bad valve). The vet was surprised that she lived as long as she did. While we didn't have a yard to let her run in (no fence) she did get regular walks (moderate exercise). We think this helped her heart condition to a great extent.

[Phreak]

My two dogs carry the following items:
Mountainsmith Dog Pack (1-medium, 1-large)
Dog leash
Dog collar
Bear bell (not for bears, but for me to hear them around camp at night)
Dog tent (Suzi carries the tent body, Maggie or I will carry the poles). During the winter, I use a tarp and they sleep underneath it with me.
Small blanket
Dog food/snacks
Collapsable dog bowls (one for food, the other for water)

I carry additional food when necessary as well as a dog-specific first aid kit.

Suzi typically carries 10-14 pounds and Maggie 8-12 pounds of food/gear.

[Two Speed]

Phreak and Frieden, what do you consider to be necessary items for a dog's first aid kit? Specialty items, or mostly use what's in your first aid kit?

[soulrebel]

steak and beer for me. he gets the scraps and the trash. I love my dog. oh yes i carry a whip so if he slows down I don't have to kick him...

[Phreak]

Phreak and Frieden, what do you consider to be necessary items for a dog's first aid kit? Specialty items, or mostly use what's in your first aid kit?

Some of these items can be found in your personal first-aid kit, but there are some items that I only carry for use on my dogs.

I carry the following items in my dog first-aid kit:

Triple antibiotic ointment
Alcohol swabs
Ear syringe
Ace bandage
Sterile solution
Benadryl -- 25mg (1mg per pound of body weight up to twice daily)
Sterile stretch gauze bandage
Hydrogen peroxide
Kaopectate tablets
Bandage scissors
Splints
Tweezers
Muzzle
Hemostats
Rectal thermometer
Styptic powder/stick
Cotton swabs
KY Jelly or Vaseline
Disposable gloves
Bitter Apple (discourage licking)
Small towel
First aid tape
Betadine
Packets of honey
Powdered Gatorade
Sutures / surgical needles


I would recommend anyone who plans on spending a lot of time on the trail with their dog(s), to take a basic dog first-aid class. They are offered free of charge through the American Red Cross.