Once upon a time I was a cat person. Then, in college, I watched my Geology field trip friends pal around with their dogs. I decided I wanted a canine best friend. Bad. I researched A LOT of dog breeds to determine which was the right one for me. Small dogs weren't even on my radar and I settled on a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Then I ended up living with a roommate that got a Dachshund puppy. I … [Read more...]
Hiking and Camping with Your Dog
Dogs make great hiking and camping partners. Hiking with your dog is a great way for both you and your dog to get exercise, get some fresh air, and provide your dog some mental stimulation. Camping out in the woods with your furry best friend by your site is fun. Here you will find tips and information to get started hiking with your big or small dog and make your trip more enjoyable if you already have some experience.
Winter Hiking With Dogs: Watch for Hypothermia
Chester and Gretel venture out in colder temperatures than most small dogs do. Or, at least, they are outside in cold temperatures longer than most dogs. Our average winter hike is in snow, at 25-30o F temps, and 3-4 hours long. I've never had a serious problem with Chester and Gretel in the many years we've been braving the elements. However, I would be lying if I said they never got … [Read more...]
Does My Small Dog Need to Wear Boots in the Snow?
I've received these questions a lot over the years: Does my dog need to wear boots in the snow? Do Chester and Gretel wear boots in the snow? What boots do you recommend for dogs? Well, today I'm going to answer all of these questions in one blog post so the information is easy to find later. I'm going to share what I've learned here. But first, let me tell you a little about our experience and … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Waterproof Dog Jacket Working Like New
For our regular readers, you know I'm a gear snob. I want only the best, highest quality stuff for myself, Chester, and Gretel. While they still have several different jackets for traveling and walking around the City, I only use super warm and breathable waterproof ones for their hiking and outdoor adventures. If you are looking for a waterproof jacket for your dog, please see my article The … [Read more...]
4 Lessons Learned During My Dog’s First Snow Adventure
Please welcome Elena and her Dachshund Moo to the blog. I introduced her in our 6-year anniversary blog post the other day . She's been helping me out and will now be sharing her own articles, and experiences, here. Being from the South, Moo’s exposure to snow is minimal… very, very minimal. There was once a few years back when a light dusting of snow covered the ground in the town I grew up … [Read more...]
Does Your Dog Hike? They Might Need a Lepto Vaccine
Last fall, one of our friend's dogs - Jeffie - died from leptospirosis (lepto for short). He got it from the back yard and he went suddenly. Jeffie's owner wanted to educate people about lepto and get the word out about the risk. I got curious and asked my vet about the vaccination. She shrugged it off and said dogs don't really need it in Washington State unless they hike. Of course, in my … [Read more...]
11 Secrets to Snapping the Perfect Instagram Photo of Your Adventure Dog
Updated: May 14, 2019 I've always loved photography. My mom was an amateur photographer when I was a kid and I remember sitting for hours looking at slides with her (yes, I'm that old). I started playing around with landscape photography when I discovered hiking. I switched to "landscape with pets" photos when I started this blog 5 years ago but, for the most part, I just stuck with the … [Read more...]
Don’t Be THAT Guy – Good Etiquette When Hiking With Your Dog
Search the internet and you will find that dogs on hiking trails is a subject that is hotly contested. There are very passionate voices on either side. I am of the belief, obviously, that it is ok for dogs to be out on the trails. However, bringing your dog along comes with great responsibility to both people and the environment. I admit, I did some things that weren't cool when I first … [Read more...]
7 Reasons to Hike With Your Dog
People are increasingly finding the desire to get back to basics, simplify and connect with nature. We are surrounded by so much stuff competing for our time – our cell phone, Facebook, Twitter, Email, people who need something from us, etc. Getting out in the woods and unplugging, even for a few hours, can get us away from that stuff and allow us to relax and spend time connecting with nature and … [Read more...]
Hiking With Dogs: How to Know When Your Dog Has Had Enough
As you know, I'm all about hiking with dogs. I believe that almost any dog in good health can do it. However, it IS true that not all dogs can go the same distance or over the same terrain. If your dog has never been hiking before, you should start them slow on easier trailsand work your way up to more difficult hikes. Even dogs that love hiking and have been hiking for years have their limits … [Read more...]
Hiking Fitness: Exercises for Strengthening, Balance and Body Awareness in Dogs
A big part of Gretel's active recovery from her back injury, caused by Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD), were rehab exercises prescribed by our veterinarian. They're designed to improve her strength, balance, and body awareness. By doing these exercises, she is less likely to suffer re-injury. She'll also be a stronger hiker for it. Disclaimer: I'm not a vet. I worked with a dog … [Read more...]
How to Feed Raw When You’re Backpacking With Your Dog
I previously shared our food journey with you and talked about how I transitioned from feeding Chester some junk dog food to feeding both dogs raw. If you missed the series, you can catch my last post about deciding to feed raw here. I rotate their diet between a few different prepared, frozen raw foods but I prefer to feed Chester and Gretel food that is just organs, meat, blood, and bones … [Read more...]
Car Camping With Your Dog 101 Pt. 2 – What to Bring
So you've read Part I of this series - How to Choose a dog friendly Campsite - and you're ready to head out for your first camping trip with your dog. But what do you bring with you? The best thing about car camping is that you can pretty much bring whatever you want. When you go backpacking, you'll choose to scrimp to save weight on your pack but weight doesn't matter in the car so... BRING ALL … [Read more...]
GearBest – When You’re Not Sure You Like Camping Yet
Through different jobs, I've been helping people get outdoors and go camping for over 10 years. I've started a series to pass the information I've learned by camping, and talking about camping, for a long time with you. You can read the first part of the series here - Car Camping With Your Dog 101 Pt.1 – Getting a Campsite. The next post in the series will be about what you need to bring with … [Read more...]
Car Camping With Your Dog 101 Pt.1 – Getting a Campsite
Car camping is great for beginners because you can drive all of your stuff to a campsite instead of carry it on your back, the amount of stuff you can bring is only limited by space in your car, and it's easy to throw everything back in the car and bail if things "go bad". Note: Since deciding to write this article, it's come to my attention that not everyone understands what the term "car … [Read more...]
Don’t Let a Little Fear Keep You From Adventure
Everyone has fears. Some fears are healthy and some keep you stuck. They keep you from doing something, deep down, you really want to do. For a long time, I was fearful to hike and run because I didn't want my back to hurt again. Once, when I was a wildland firefighter, I was too fearful to ride in a helicopter with a crew I had never met before to get an aerial view of the burned area. I took … [Read more...]
6 Reasons You Should Get Certified in Pet First Aid
Getting certified in pet first aid is one of the best things I’ve done as a pet parent. The knowledge came in real handy that time my hubby and I hiked 6 miles into the woods to camp with Chester and Gretel. Chester got bit by so many mosquitoes that his face swelled like a balloon. After a moment of panic, I was able to gather my thoughts and take control of the situation. Chester scraped … [Read more...]
Tips for Organizing a Dog-friendly Group Car Camping Trip
For those of you who don't know, I organize the biggest Dachshund activity club in Seattle - the Adventurewiener Club. Our activities include hiking, dog park play dates, local pet events and the like. Now we can add "camping" to our list. I organized a camping trip to Deception Pass State Park, located a couple of hours north of Seattle. This was my first experience organizing a group … [Read more...]
Top 10 Things You Hear When Hiking With a Small Dog
As pet parent to two adventurous wiener dogs, I think I've heard every comment about small hiking dogs there is. People think they are being original with these comments but they are not. I am sure (or hope at least) they don’t mean it, but those comments can feel a little insulting because they imply that my dogs aren’t capable of much. Many problems result from the small dog stereotype. A … [Read more...]
Tread Lightly on Trails – Practicing Leave No Trace Principles with Your Dog
With many - hundreds in some cases - people using the same trails and parks, humans can have quite an impact on the environment. In 1990, the United States Forest Service in conjunction with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), developed a set of outdoor ethics promoting conservation in the outdoors with the aim of keeping wild areas as natural as they were found and preserving natural … [Read more...]
