Hiking and Camping with Your Dog

Unless your dog is an Arctic breed that is selectively bred to withstand subzero temperatures, they could probably use at least one warm jacket to get them through the winter safely and comfortably. Dog jackets aren’t just for looks - they can keep your dog’s body temperature stable when they go outside for potty breaks each day, on quick walks, and on long winter hikes. Your Dog’s Cold … [Read more...]

So you've discovered the wonders of hiking with your dog? Good for you! UPDATED: May 2, 2019 I've been hiking with my dogs for over 15 years so I can attest to how awesome it is. I can also attest to how overwhelming it can be everything there is to know about hiking with a dog. I've been hiking with my dogs for over 16 years and have learned a lot along the way. Here are my … [Read more...]

This is a guest post written by an expert in adventure travel with dogs, Jen from Long Haul Trekkers.  Scroll to the bottom of the article to read more about her. Thirteen miles into a 15-mile training run, my dog, Sora and I came upon a group of senior bird watchers stopped on the trail, peering among the trees in search of a bird. Two of them had small dogs along for the walk and Sora … [Read more...]

It's no longer healthy for my dogs to be weekend warriors. Truthfully, it never was. When Gretel was young, and I was younger too, we could sit on the couch for weeks, go out and hike 15 miles, and easily do it again the next day. Then age happened. Honestly, though, each time we pulled something like that off, I was risking injury for her. Like with people, in order to reduce the change … [Read more...]

If you were to ask me what my picture-perfect weekend would look like, it would involve packing up my favorite human, my beloved pup, all my necessary gear, and driving to the mountains. I imagine that there are quite a few people who would agree with this notion. That being said, these outdoor excursions can be cut short, or made incredibly stressful for all involved, when our … [Read more...]

You have heard us go on and on about how ingrained the stereotype of small dogs is  – of how they are often underestimated and are capable of so much more.  We even wrote a guest post about it over at Will My Dog Hate Me? and I compiled a list of the 10 most common comments we hear on the trail (implying they very surprised to see small dogs out hiking). UPDATED: January 20, 2017 On our … [Read more...]

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...]

I've received these questions a lot over the years: Does my dog need to wear boots in the snow? Do your Dachshunds wear boots in the snow? What boots do you recommend? 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...]

This is a guest post from my friend Elena and her Dachshund Moo. She recently moved to Seattle from Texas so this winter was Moo's first experience in the snow. Elena wanted to share what she learned. Being from the South, Moo’s exposure to snow was 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 in, and I … [Read more...]