Hiking with your Dog Essentials

Essentials for Hiking with your Dog

My husband introduced me to camping, backpacking, and hiking when I was in college, and I have loved hiking ever since. I knew that adding a dog as a hiking partner would enhance the experience, but I continue to be surprised at how much more I notice with Alaska (our pup) at my side. She encourages me to slow down and engage all of my senses. Whether we are listening to the waves on Lake Superior or watching birds in their migration, we are in the moment together. We venture out almost every day with exceptions being mostly if it is very hot or very rainy. She doesn’t mind the rain so much, but does not love being blow-dried afterwards, so we try to hit breaks in the rain. We have learned (sometimes the hard way) what makes hiking easier and more enjoyable. We keep a backpack in the CRV with our hiking essentials. We don’t necessarily carry it on shorter hikes, but it is super convenient to have everything in one place. Plus, I have everything I need to clean her up in case she gets messy on the hike. A list of recommended products can be found at the end of this article.

Hydration and Snacks

If there is snow on the ground, Alaska stops for a snow-cone when she is thirsty. The rest of the year we carry water and a collapsible bowl. In spring, she still has her undercoat, so it is especially important that we carry water for her. It keeps her hydrated and discourages her from drinking from puddles. On shorter hikes, we carry training treats, and on longer hikes, we also carry some of her dry food.

Grooming Tools

Alaska is a tick and burr magnet. I remove burrs as soon as I see them so that they don’t have a chance to really get tangled up in her fur. The buttercomb by Chris Christensen is one of my favorite grooming tools, and it works really well at removing burrs.

Ticks are the worst part of hiking, but I love hiking more than I hate ticks, so I am learning to live with them. If we are on the trail, I just toss ticks off to the side, but once we are in the car, I use packaging tape. They can’t untangle themselves from the tape, so I don’t have to worry about them. The buttercomb also helps remove wood ticks and makes finding deer ticks easier.

Hygiene

Poo bags are essential, and we aim to be environmentally friendly, so we choose compostable bags. For dirty paws or unexpected rolling in something stinky, we keep wipes on hand. This is one of those lessons I learned the hard way. I was hiking with Alaska at a nearby park when she got that extra happy expression and stopped, dropped, and rolled right over a fish carcass. It was truly awful, and I was so thankful we were only 20 minutes from home. I carried her right to the bathtub and have kept wipes on hand ever since.

Emergency Kit

We keep a dog specific first aid kit and an extra harness in our pack. Thankfully, we haven’t needed them yet, and I hope that we never do, but it is better to be safe than sorry. An absorbent towel comes in handy if you need to clean your pup’s paws or you get caught in the rain.

Paw Care

Depending on the surface, I apply Musher’s Secret to her paws before or after hiking. If we will be on pavement or there is snow on the ground, the Musher’s Secret goes on first. If we will be on dirt paths, I wipe her paws clean of dirt after the hike and then apply Musher’s Secret. Just like humans, her paw pads can dry and crack if not moisturized.

Human Necessities

I prefer a spray hand sanitizer because it is less likely to leak in the bag. Make sure it is unscented so that you aren’t attracting bugs. I use Skin So Soft Towelettes because they are gentle on my sensitive skin, smell decent, and are quite effective. One pouch is enough to cover 2 hikers. I will write more hiking tips for humans in another post.

Let us know if you have tips for hiking with your dog. Here is the list of products we recommend.