Hiking with Daisy -

[Jake71]

I had a neighbor ask if I wanted to take my Dog and gf for a hike in a week or so.

I've never taken a Dog with me so I figured she needed to carry water and maybe some goodies (food/snacks).

I ordered a pack last night, medium Palisades pack.

Daisy comes in at 73lbs.

My understanding is that I should walk with her every day with the pack on and increase the weight over time to get her used to it.

How much weight should I add every couple days?

I read 5% of her body weight to start with up to 30% max.

I'm not asking her to carry my load, only her water and a bowl/snacks.

Are their any tips you guys can give?

I did a search and came up with a few threads that pointed to another site that someone did a review/writeup on but it's no longer a valid link.

Thanks
Jake

[RockinIt]

This is what I do mostly at home and on walks...slowly building up to more time with the pack on depending on how long I intend for the dog to wear the pack on the trail. I also try to play with the dog with the pack on so I can be sure it doesn't rub when they really get to moving in it. I usually start with the pack by itself for a little while so they can get used to how it feels. Then I add empty water bottles so they can get used to the extra width. After that I start adding a little at a time...I don't really weight it. For this part I like to use zip lock baggies of food. I can adjust how much is in each bag easily and balance the bags pretty well. If the weight in the bags aren't near enough the pack will lean to one side.

You'll also want to carry poop bags. I think the pack you got is probably bigger than what you really need for what you're carrying. The palisades is the pack I'm planning to get for Pistol and Clemie when we start going on multiday backpacking trips. From what I've read most people who have it like it well enough, but the bladders in it are kinda tricky to use and a lot of people I've asked about it just use platypus bottles instead because they're really light and fold up once emptied.

For my purpose I do love that I can pull the pack off of the harness... I believe when I take a break and pull my pack off the dogs shouldn't be stuck with theirs on either and that's going to be really handy instead of having to take off the whole rig.

[Cassidy's Mom]

How old is she? How long of a hike are you planning on doing?

If you're only putting a very small amount of weight into the pack I wouldn't worry too much about increasing the weight in gradual increments. Halo's pack weighs about a pound empty, and I don't think she's ever carried more than 5 or 6 pounds total, including the weight of the pack. That's about 10% of her weight, and I started her out at nearly that much - water in each side, a collapsible water dish, poop bags, my car keys, and a zippered neoprene pouch that I put my cell phone, license, and a couple bucks cash in.

Because she was still young when I first put in on her (a few months shy of a year and a half old) she wore it completely empty on hour to hour and a half long hikes a couple times a week for a month or two. But then we jumped right up to the stuff I listed above, I didn't start out at 5% of her weight. If I were going to have her carry 20, 25, 30% of her weight I would work up to that slowly, but for such light weight I didn't think it was that important. Keefer was an adult, so I put his on him and he wore it with stuff in it on our first hike. He's carried more than her, I've had him bring my camera for me (Canon Rebel XT, not a little point and shoot), but he's 80 pounds, so he's not carrying much more than 10-15% of his weight either. His pack is bigger and I use 1 liter Platypus bottles in his pack, Halo usually carries 1/2 liter bottles.

For now I'd be more concerned with having her used to it being put on and worn for awhile. If she seems okay with that out on walks, put a little something in each side. The stuff that you're talking about bringing won't weigh all that much.

[RockinIt]

Originally Posted by Cassidy's Mom

He's carried more than her, I've had him bring my camera for me (Canon Rebel XT, not a little point and shoot), but he's 80 pounds, so he's not carrying much more than 10-15% of his weight either.

I have a T1i... You are braver than me...no way would I let my dogs carry that!!! I would however let them carry the el cheapo kodak point and shoot.

[Jake71]

My neighbor said it's a 4-5 mile hike one way for this one trail, mostly flat. We can goto one end he said and take a bus back OR come back the same way. Thats just a starter trail he said, nothing too technical.

I'm a mountain biker, so I don't know what a hiker considers technical...

My Daisy is 73lbs and 4years old roughly.

I walked her around the neighborhood and she did fine with the pask on, empty.

I will fill the water bladders up 1/2 way on each side to see how she likes that... then fill them both up.

- Both bladders full
- collapsable bowl
- Treats


It probably most definately is bigger than we need but if I plan on going camping with my buddies this summer then I'll take Daisy along and she can carry a little more stuff.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by RockinIt

I have a T1i... You are braver than me...no way would I let my dogs carry that!!! I would however let them carry the el cheapo kodak point and shoot.

Mine's almost 5 years old and I already have my eye on my next camera. Can't really afford it right now, but hopefully soon. A newer, more expensive camera would be treated more gently, but this one is nearing the end. He does NOT go off leash when he's wearing his pack though, so I can keep him from (literally) jumping in the lake wearing it.

Jake, that sounds fine. 4 or 5 mostly flat miles should be no big deal for the small amount of stuff you're planning on bringing.

[Salix]

This may not pertain to your situation as your dog is more mature than mine but I'll share for those with the pups.

We hike from time to time but he is a six month old at about 40 lbs. He has remarkable endurance although we don't do more than roughly 4 miles walking max with rest stops and play stops. I wouldn't hesitate to take him with me on longer hikes as he grows older and a little more focused. I still keep him on leash 95% of the time so I tend to favour trails that divert from the main trail now and then to let him run free (offleash) for a break (play). Then it's back on the grind. The number one priority is always enough water and keeping it safe. The second is to keep it fun.

I bake his treats on days like that or just for occasions where he deserves a really good treat. They're packed with nutrients in a small amount and I know there are no preservatives or unwanted ingredients. I modified it from a dog magazine recipe. It contains chunk light tuna, low(er) sodium chicken broth, peas and carrots, grated cheddar cheese, a spoonful of creamed honey and whole wheat flour. I bake them on a slow heat so that they develop into hard cookies in the oven. I take these on a hike or long walk. They are in the shape of small 25 cent medallions as he tends to nibble his food and doesn't gulp (thankfully). It takes less than 10 minutes to whisk it together and it bakes for about 25 minutes. Again, with any treats, water supply is also paramount. I find he gets thirsty after eating or treating not long after.

For his age, I haven't yet bought him his own pack. He seems to be growing exponentially so I will wait awhile. His water and treats don't amount to much and I throw it in a lightweight backpack with my own bottles of water. I keep it very simple.

Hope that helps someone out there.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Originally Posted by Jake71

My neighbor said it's a 4-5 mile hike one way for this one trail, mostly flat. We can goto one end he said and take a bus back OR come back the same way. Thats just a starter trail he said, nothing too technical.

- collapsable bowl
- Treats

.

For my dogs, that's a normal distance and wouldn't be a problem. If there are any creeks/streams/ponds on the way.... that's generally where my dogs not only tank up with water but go for a swim. So I usually don't carry water at all and never have had to put a pack on my dogs (BTW, if I didn't get the pack off quickly it would also go for a swim!).

IF it was a walk with no natural water, I have a fanny pack I carry that a bottle of water fits in.

[doggiedad]

can your dog do 5 miles now? if you go 5 miles can your dog
ride the bus back? like anything build up to distance. when
it comes to carrying a loaded pack i worry about the weight
a dog should carry. my dog weighs 85 lbs to 88 lbs. i'm not going
to put more than 8 lbs in his pack. including the pack
the weight will be 8 lbs. i have a pack and my GF has a pack.
the only reason why my dog will have a pack is because i like
the way they look.

Originally Posted by Jake71

My neighbor said it's a 4-5 mile hike one way for this one trail, mostly flat. We can goto one end he said and take a bus back OR come back the same way. Thats just a starter trail he said, nothing too technical.

[Zellie&Major]

BF and Zellie hiked the AT last year in 4 months together! That's about 15 miles a day! She loved it and was just fine! We put her on Glucosamine for a couple of months before hand and trained both bf and zellie by getting her used to walking longer distances every day. She had a collapsible water dish but usually there were enough springs around that she didn't need it too much, however it was nice to have when they both needed sterilized water (they used a steri-pen...it's not as light as iodine tablets but it works in almost anything...aka rain water in an abandoned hub cap! It's great!)...I bought and mailed ahead her food so she wouldn't have to carry it all...just enough for 3-5 days until they could come to a town with a post office or hotel that would allow pickups (We used Honest Kitchen Keen and Preference and bf would add some of whatever meat he was eating to hers)...the longest she had to carry supplies for was 8 days...a stretch that they couldn't get to a town... there were so many people that would offer rides, a place to sleep for a night of 2...it was wonderful! I wished I could have gone but I was in school and he only had a couple of months until the army took over! I hope you have an amazing trip! Have fun!