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Sign in to chatA dog changes your mileage, your food weight, and your campsite choices. This board is for the practical side of taking one along.
Paw injuries, packs that don't chafe, sleeping arrangements in cold weather, and honest conversations about where dogs shouldn't go.
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8 threads in Dogs in the Backcountry
- BABackcountryBeth· 8/4/2026
Ticks and dogs: what is working in 2026
Monthly preventative, a thorough check every night by headlamp, and a tick key in the first aid kit. I still find them but I have not had an embedded one in two years.
#dogs#health#safety1replies - MUMuskegMike· 7/26/2026
Bird dog first season: mistakes I made
Ran him too far too soon and burned his enthusiasm for two weeks. Short sessions with wins at the end built more than any long day did. Patience is the actual training method.
#dogs#hunting-dogs#training1replies - ASAspenAdam· 5/28/2026
Cold-weather sleeping setup for a trail dog
A closed-cell foam pad and a cheap synthetic quilt. He will not use a dog sleeping bag but he will absolutely take a pad and lean on me all night. Works down to about 20F.
#dogs#winter#sleep0replies - KEKettleMoraineKate· 5/19/2026
How much weight does your dog carry?
Mine is a 55 pound shepherd mix and I keep him at about eight pounds — his food and a small bowl. Anything more and his gait changes on long descents. What is your ratio?
#dogs#dog-pack#gear0replies - BABackcountryBeth· 5/16/2026
Trail manners: recall is the whole ballgame
A dog with reliable recall is welcome almost everywhere. A dog without it ruins access for everyone. We spent a full winter on it and it changed our summers.
#dogs#training#etiquette0replies - EDEddyLineErin· 5/10/2026
Where I leave the dog home, and why
Grizzly country, anything with sustained scrambling, and any trip where I might need to move fast. It is not about rules, it is about honest risk. Where is your line?
#dogs#safety#ethics0replies - NINightHikeNoah· 4/12/2026
Feeding a working dog on multi-day trips
About 1.5x his normal ration split into three feedings, plus fat added on hard days. He eats better on trail than at home. Anyone using higher-calorie trip-specific food?
#dogs#food#trail-dog0replies - SWSwitchbackShane· 3/27/2026
Paw care system that actually prevents injuries
Conditioning on rock all spring, nails kept short, and boots only for ice and hot rock. Musher's wax after long days. Injuries dropped to zero once I got serious about conditioning.
#dogs#paw-care#trail-dog0replies