front packs, back packs, slings? ways to hike with my little doggie.

[KG]

considering purchasing one of the above. found a selection at 'outward hound'

thinking of taking up urban hiking and want to take my buddy along. he'd walk some, but no need for him to walk every step, I dont mind carrying him. I'm leaning toward a front pack to keep an eye on him, but they don't seem to have much storage as a backpack. might get a sling too, for short trips like street fairs or fresh markets.

wondering what others experiences with these are. and other sources.

[siligut]

1. Saw a man walking with a dog in a front pack

The pooch was a poodle looking sort and seemed quite comfortable and content. This was in a Seattle neighborhood and the couple were just out taking a walk. Sometimes hiking means leaning forward, this could be a factor for both of you. If your bud is adaptable, the backpack seems like the best solution for hiking.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. If this is a serious hike, with changes in elevation,

and you intend to carry the dog (or anything else), a backpack is the only way to go. You can take the weight much better that way. Frontpacks and slings are cute for a walk in the park, but I wouldn't want to hike with either.

[IrishAyes]

3. If the terrain allows, don't forget dog strollers.

[KG]

4. saving the stroller for when he's much older...

[IrishAyes]

6. Only problem, he might be less likely to accept it then.

Older dogs w/o early positive exposure to crating tend to hate it. I have a big spindle baby bed in the living room for Molly Maguire and Brigid when needed, but you can't force MM into a carrier for a second. She freaks out, and Brigid probably would too. Neither will tolerate a stroller, becoming destructive little demons when I try.

They love the baby bed though because it's big and fairly open, and that's where they cuddle and sleep and get snacks and all sorts of happy stuff. When Brigid is closer to a year old, I'll put a second spindle baby bed upstairs and finally we can all sleep in a proper bedroom. Right now I'm worried that when Brigid does require a midnight special potty run, she might not be able to wait long enough to make it down the stairs and out the front door in time - mostly because at MY age, after alerting she'd have to wait until after I went to the bathroom first!

So there are a few more months of sleeping downstairs on the sofa left to go. Won't hurt me any to wait. I already slept downstairs for over 6 years because of the chows. At first I tried leaving them downstairs alone w/o me, but they'd bawl all night until I couldn't take it anymore. After uprooting them from the only home they'd known for 9 years and hauling them almost to a foreign land, I had no right to make them endure any more separation anxiety than I could help. Joy and Freedom never were clingy that way before the big move. But even when we first got here, their inherited slow paralysis had already started and they didn't like to climb stairs anyway. How they flourished another nearly 7 years was a miracle.

[Walk away]

5. I think a lot depends on the dog.

His size, the length of his legs, his weight. If I were you I would try out your options with your dog. See what is comfortable for the both of you before you go off across country.

[TorchTheWitch]

7. unless the dog has a physical problem he should do his own walking

Dogs have WAY more speed and stamina than humans do. There's no reason at all to not allow a perfectly healthy dog to walk on their own unless they get overheated or don't have enough water to drink on the way. Since most dogs also don't get nearly the amount of exercise that they should that's another reason to just let them do their own walking. They aren't infants and don't need to be carried.

Since you'll be walking on hot pavement I would never consider urban hiking with a dog without protective foot gear. A dog's body temperature is also regulated through their footpads so they should never be walked on hot pavement without protective foot gear and many rests in the shade or periodically wet their feet so they don't get overheated just from heat generated by warm pavement from the sun.

Being carried around not a comfortable position for a dog to be in. It puts pressure on certain body parts that are uncomfortable, and can be stressful to the spine. It is so unnatural that most dogs feel emotional stress when being carried - dogs aren't comfortable with being immobilized any more than we are. They need freedom of movement. Dogs aren't designed to be carried anymore than humans are, and as humans we already know that being carried isn't comfortable even for the short term. The only time any dog should be carried is when for whatever reason they HAVE to be.

Urban hiking with a dog in the summer is a REALLY bad idea. If you must, do your walking with the dog very early in the morning or after the sun goes down at night so the pavement won't be hot or just too warm for them to keep their body temperature down around normal. The dog would be a lot happier and healthier at home than walking on even warm pavement for extended times or being carried around. And definitely make sure you bring plenty of water for the dog to drink along the way.