Dog Backpacking is High Adventure!Going on a dog backpacking trip can be a great activity for any outdoorsman! Make your camping trip a short walk close to home and the family will be on board and in the car before your dog realizes the excitement wpriging up before him! Whether your dog backpacking adventure is a brief day hike, or an overnight excursion with family or friends, taking your dog along on approved trails is great exercise for him and can add to the fun of any wilderness outing.
As with any venture involving the outdoors, or a pet, it pays to be prepared and plan ahead. Some campgrounds and national parks are dog-friendly and some are not. Call ahead or visit the camping area's website to see what restrictions exist for camping with pets. Some parks require your dog to remain on a short leash, and there may be certain expectations about picking up after your dog, depending on how highly trafficked the area is.
I went camping in North Carolina's Stone Mountain State Park where there are many steep drop-offs over the cliffs. It was important to keep my goldador Kera on a short leash so she wouldn't go bounding ahead, unaware of steep hills ahead.
I was sure glad to have Kera along on the walk though! Even though she was wearing a slip collar to keep her from getting out of hand, she just about pulled me up some of those hills like a rope-tow at the ski slopes! She was so excited about the trip I was wondering if she had some sled dog in her!  If you're at a national park or other campground which provides level parking spaces and a place to park, you may find it unnecessary to load down yourself or your dog with overnight bags. Even if you're only going to be gone on your dog backpacking jaunt for a few hours, it makes sense to bring a small napsack for the essentials. Dog Backpacking Checklist
Make sure you bring a dish or water bottle that your dog will be comfortable drinking out of. There are many good collapsible water dishes available which are lightweight and won't take up space in your bag. However, if your dog always drinks out of one particular dish at home, make sure you give him the opportunity to get accustomed to his new water dish before the day of the hike.
When you're making camp for the night, put your dog on a comfortable leash and tie-down. Don't let him run loose or he may go chasing off after new scents or sounds and get lost in his unfamiliar environment. You can tie him to a sturdy tree, or bring a weighted puppy-anchor that will keep him in the vicinity.
Kera was a little nervous at camp on her first night in the woods after our day of dog backpacking. The cold, being outside in the dark, and the smoke from the fire were all very new to her. We made sure she was close enough that she could see us and hear us and feel a part of the group. We kept her far enough away from the food and the fire that she wouldn't get into any trouble or make a nuisance of herself.  Usually at home, Kera sleeps in a nice comfy dog crate, so sleeping out in the open was a little jarring for her, too. We decided to let her into our tent where she was placed on some blankets in an out of the way corner. As we tried to fall asleep, though, she kept getting up and walking around. Time after time I put her back in a "down" in her corner. Finally, as it grew later, I let her come snuggle with me in my sleeping bag. Before I knew it, she had usurped my pillow and at least then SHE slept soundly for the rest of the night! When the morning light came, Kera took responsibility for rousting everyone out of bed nice and early! My friend Eric tried to hunker down in his sleeping bag to no avail! Kera rooted him out with her cold wet nose and we all woke up to face a bright, chilly morning! If you think dog backpacking trips are fun, you should hear about all the other fun things I do with my guide-dog-puppy in training, Kera! If you want to keep posted on our adventures on a regular basis, I encourage you to sign up for the Dog Lovers Digest newsletter! Although Kera's and my first dog backpacking adventure was a short one-day, one-night hike, it was a great exposure for her to a lot of new camping related experiences. I suggest if you plan to go on a dog backpacking trip, start with a few short day hikes, or even a weekend adventure in the back yard to help expose your puppy to some of the breaks in routine that camping demands. You and your dog will be glad you did, and the extra exposure will help you make sure you've planned ahead for your dog's needs on the trip, as well as your own!
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