Backpack With Your Dog
Hiking with Your Dog is Good Exercise

Hiking and backpacking with your dog is a great way for you both to get exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Most any type of dog should be able to carry 1/3 of their bodyweight. Your dog should be at least a year old before he/she carries any weight. Let their bones and joints finish growing first. Dogs with dysplasia or joint problems should not carry any weight. If in doubt check with your vet.

If you dog is 60 pounds he should be able to work his way up to carrying 20 pounds. Start out with an empty pack and let the dog get used to having something on his back. It may annoy him at first but once you get going and he has new things to explore he will soon forget about the pack. Gradually at more weight as you take new trips. For a 60lb dog you may want to start with about 6lbs and move up to 12 on your next outing.

Remember to keep your dog on leash at all times. If he were to run off it would be easy to get hung up on something when carrying a pack. REI has a great selection of packs for dogs from 20 lbs and up. Dog backpacks are available in 3 sizes - small, medium and large. Be sure to get the right size for your dogs weight.

Your furry friend will get thirsty on the trail so be sure to also check out the collapisble dog travel bowls available for food and water. Let your dog carry the water.

YourActivePet.com also has a large selection of dog backpacks, dog boots, life vests, and more. Read their informative tips on running, camping and hiking with your dog.

Have you heard about the new sport of Geocaching? Check the Geocaching web site and enter your zip code to find caches hidden near you. When you locate the cache you remove an item and add an item of your own. Logs are kept on the internet. GPS units are used to locate the cache. You will probably find many are hidden in parks near you so while you are out hiking with your dog you can also do some treasure hunting.

Read tips on hiking with your dog from the Sierra Club