Hi everyone! I'm new, so I hope this question is posted in the right place. I want to take my dog on an overnight hike with me in the Salmon River Mountains of Idaho. Note* I'll research where dogs are allowed, and obey all laws, but this is the general area I'm looking at. My dog is a boxer. She has hiked with me before, but always back East. She carries her own pack with her food and a small synthetic doggy bed. Her pack also holds a chew toy. I carry some benadryl in my first aid kit for her. I allow her to drink from my water bladder regularly. She is kept leashed at all times. What else do I need to keep her safe? In September, will she need her own blanket to keep warm at night? If so, what are some cheap solutions? Thanks a lot for any help

You could use a small synthetic vest for her insulation at night. I use a section of a closed cell pad(ridgerest) for my dog to sleep on.

I carry a piece of closed cell foam and cover my pup with my poncho or jacket if needed. The dog I took last year does seem to stay warm easily as she always shead the covers and sometimes didnt even want to lay on her pad. I bring low dosage asprine and some second skin and steptic powder for pad cuts as I was advised to do dealing with sharp granite,but I have never had a pad problem with three different dogs Ive brought through the years. My dogs drink some pretty discusting water around here on occation and I dont worry about treating their water on the trail but might depending where I was hiking. Last year I had my usual altitude problems and I think my dog did as well she didnt want to eat and really didnt drink much. Lucky I was around a lot of lakes overpopulated with small trout cause she ate those just fine and I salted them a bit to help her drink. I bring a brush or rake to clean her up if needed. She packs everything she needs and I throw a little more of my food in her pack I let her carry 1/4 of her weight. I found some dog ponchos years back and will use them if it gets really cold and nasty. My dog I still bring is a border collie and she is from good working lines and has a good coat. She adapts well to the mountain climate. You might want to consider getting or making a jacket for a boxer as they dont have a lot of coat

Edited by mtmnmark on 06/02/2011 22:40:24 MDT.

I just noticed your other thread on gear lists I think I would go for the tarp with a dog over a hammock

How is your Dog with wildlife? Does it fight to get off the leash and chase it? Have you encountered larger animals with your dog? (Deer, Moose, Bear)

If your dog doesn't have experience with large animals or reacts badly to them make sure that you have a really good leash and harness combination that it can't get out of. Usually something with a full harness rather than just a neck collar. I also wouldn't count on just becuase your dog acts well around other dogs or people that it will react well around large animals.

The worst case scenario is your dog gets of leash and runs off trail and meets a Bear, agitates the bear and then runs back to the trail with the bear chasing it. Then you are in a dangerous bear encounter.

With deer and other herbivores the risk is more your dog getting kicked.

Just something to think about if you haven't had animal encounters before.

I would suggest leaving the toy at home - after a day or two on the trail, your pup will be pretty tired and I can't imagine it wanting to play. As for food, my dog also loses a little bit of appetite at altitude so I mix in some crushed dried beef liver treats (her favorite) with her normal food and try to feed her at least 50% more than I would at home. I also feed her a little bit throughout the day. I've heard puppy food is actually good food for hiking dogs because it's got more calories, but I've never tried it.

I think a good pair of dog booties is also very helpful. I bought mine from Woof Hoofs - they're the only ones that will stay on my dog's paws. I only make my dog wear them if I notice her paws are starting to get raw or if the ground is too hot (this happens in AZ). Just last weekend I ran into a SAR team that was carrying out a dog whose paws were completely shredded. Its owner got lost and they spent the night roaming. A pair of dog boots could have saved the dog a lot of pain.

The dog jacket is a good suggestion for keeping your dog warm. There's no way any type of sleeping bag would ever work for my dog. I just throw down a small pad and a blanket for her. The first night I backpacked with my dog, she was pretty nervous and played "watchdog" all night. I don't think she slept at all. We were only sleeping in a net tent. The next time I put the rain fly on and she slept all night. You might have to experiment with what shelter works for you and your dog. Some people prefer floor-less but I like fully enclosed since I prefer not having to leash my dog to something for the night. Then again, I pretty much never have to deal with a wet dog.