Hiking with your dog can be a fun adventure, but you need to be prepared. You need to have certain items with you & you need to be sure your dog is up for the task as well. If you are hiking at higher elevations & have never done this you can’t just go out for an all day hike, you need to work your way up to it & so does your dog, If you have a shorter nosed dog or a dog that isn’t an athletic breed you have to decide whether taking your dog on a day hike is smart. I am headed in September on a vacation to an area where there will be a lot of hiking & some of it will be rocky & I have already decided that the day we do this trip my dogs won’t be joining us. There are narrow passages & Echo is dog reactive so there is no way to give him the distance he needs to feel safe. Hunter is not real coordinated, so he wouldn’t do well thru these areas. Hunter is not a fan of going through water, so I also keep that in mind when I am going places. He will walk thru a creek that is up to 2 inches deep. Echo on the other hand would be in it as soon as close enough.
Shorter nose dogs such as Pugs, Boxers Pekineses, Bulldogs can have issues with breathing & it might be best to do shorter trips with them. Knowing your dogs ability is so important. Also just like with humans, a dog being overweight can be extremely taxing on the body. So if your dog is overweight you can exercise them, but keep the hikes short or stick to walks & gradually increase the time & distance. I wrote a post on maintaining a good weight & it was post #102, check it out.
I enjoy the outdoors, camping, hiking, & walking so I adopt dogs that have breeds in them that like the same things. There are so many breeds that people have lots of options to find a breed that fits their lifestyle. I just don’t want people to think they can take an English Bulldog & go hiking & not risk causing the dog health issues. Nor should someone have a Australian Shepherd or Border Collie I & expect it to lay around all day, If you want to take your dog hiking & not sure if it can handle it be sure you can carry the dog if it can’t make it. They do make backpack holders for smaller dogs.
When I hike I wear a backpack & make sure I have things I may need for me & my dogs. My younger sister has been on a couple trips with me & will be with me on the next one along with a couple other friends. She teases me about some of the stuff I bring, but when it is needed she is happy I have it.
Some of the items in my backpack are:
- A canister made to carry my dogs used dodo bags so you don’t have to hold it or smell it, These can be purchased online & come in a couple sizes, so read the description closely. The canister can hook to my backpack & when we find a trash can I can easily empty it. Having my hands free while hiking is helpful & can prevent falls. I am holding a leash or two, my sister or a friend sometimes walks one dog for me.
- Dog dodo bags to clean up after your dogs (the type that are bio degradable are the ones I recommend ). Having an extra full roll is smart. Please clean up after your dog , just because other animals go potty in the woods it doesn’t mean your dog’s dodo should be left. It is not a natural thing for the environment when dogs are not a natural part of the wild animal population.
- Carry water for your dog & yourself. I suggest you bring bottled water or water from your home so it is not different, the water they drink can make a difference to their digestive track if not they are not used to it. I wrote a post about this it is #116, my dog had issues on vacation after drinking water he wasn’t used to.
- Carry a collapsible water bowl for your dog to drink from, I recommend silicone bowls.
- I carry an extra collar (harness or head halter)for my dog, because Echo broke one while camping & he chewed his harness while in his crate in my vehicle on the way to our hiking destination. Needless to say I no longer leave his harness on him in his crate in the vehicle.
- I carry a few safety things as well, this includes: matches, ribbon to mark our path when we turn (please only do this if you are going back & can remove it). We have also used water soluble hair paint to mark the path taken, so we can find our way back. Sadly I was lost in a forest for over an hour because it was poorly marked & when I got out & back I was told people often get lost there(really & they don’t correct the issue). I guess that is why they make you sign & & out before hiking there. I also bring a whistle(alert if I fall & get injured or to scare away an animal), a small first aid kit, a collapsible hiking stick, a rain poncho, wet wipes & a small roll of toilet paper as some bathrooms may be out of soap or toilet paper. I carry a small container of bug spray & if you are hiking where there are bears, bear spray is a smart idea.
- I suggest a long line leash 10-20 feet, so when not around people your dog has more room to explore. I know some places allow dogs to run free, but be sure & check the parks rules, as I honestly don’t see this much. My dogs get free roaming at the places I stay at if allowed & the space to do it. Echo is getting better with strange dogs, but not comfortable allowing him off leash on a hike. Your dog needs to have an extremely reliable recall to be allowed freedom off leash while hiking.
- If your dog is a water dog a good idea is to have a collar that is reflective & made from a water proof material, they dry fast & aren’t going to hold bacteria or dampness around your dogs neck.
- If it is hot when you hike a cooling collar may be a good idea for your dog. Cooling the pads of their paw & the tips of their ears drops temperature for dogs. I learned this when I had Sam who was prone to seizures & his temp could get quite high.
- Monitor your dog for any signs of stress & give them breaks often as needed, if you need a drink of water they do as well.
- If your going to be in the woods I recommend about a week before you use a flea & tick preventative. I recommend Interceptor Plus (not Gold), but only recommend every 6 weeks at the most & only when fleas & ticks are active which is usually May-Oct where I live as out temps are below 50 the rest of the year. (my post # 19 goes into more details)
- I also recommend your dog be on Heart-worm preventative when mosquitoes are active (May-Nov. here) & my blog post #15 goes into a lot more detail on this. I do NOT recommend the 3 in one medications for flea/tick, heart-worm & worms, this is way too many chemicals at one time for our pets. When using flea & tick medication & heart-worm preventative I always give them a week apart & detox the liver with milk thistle after each treatment for a week.
13. If you are away from home (more than an hour) find the closest emergency Vet & put the number in your phone. I do this when I go on vacation, so I am not trying to think or search in an emergency.
14. Carry some treats for your dog as snacks or as rewards.
15. In my vehicle I have: extra water, a towel to dry off their feet or body if they went swimming, their larger first aid kit.
16. After hiking I check my dogs for ticks, especially in warm areas of their bodies such as ears, between toes, groin area, belly, behind legs where they meet the body.
If you have any other thoughts or things you take when hiking I’d really like to hear about it, please leave a comment so others can learn as well. The goal of my blog is to educate as many people as I can so they can help their pets thrive & not just survive. Please help me get the word out about my blog by liking my posts, commenting, subscribing, visiting often & sharing my blog’s link on your social media platforms. If you have an idea for a post feel free to reach out to me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com I have 130 other posts on this blog & you can find the table of contents on my home page under the show tab, then go back to home page & scroll down to find the posts you want to read. Thank you, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 