Smallest dog to take backpacking...

[Black]

I usually hike in the White mountains and have gotten into backpacking. Hiking friends abound but backpacking friends are few and scarce. So I was thinking of taking my dog with me. Would like some input.

Dont laugh.. he is a 7.6lb ( most recent weight at the vet) short haired chihuahua 2years old.. Bandit.

He has hiked with me before notably the blue hills in Boston (Decent little trail for being in Boston)

So any input or ideas i'd appreciate... Some obvious things

1- He has little ground clearance, Id have to pick him up and carry some sections

2- Energy/long days/ mileage. I'd say he is good for 5 miles with stop every 2.5 miles. Obviously i'd have to consider the trail type( steep/ treacherous/ versus open/ gradual ascent) I'd take him along the moriah brook trail and eagle link but not fishing jimmy in the Whites...

3- and then his exposure to the elements.... excessively hot humid days would be bad... low temp days as well say 60 and below while hiking. i've taken him camping before and 45 degree nights he was fine with some handwarmers or he just curls into the bag with me......


pros-- little food/ water consumption. he hurts himself and I can carry another 7lbs quite easy.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Well, with the possible exception of your dog, the smallest one I'd ever seen was a one-eyed chihuahua on Lincoln this past Sunday when I was eating my lunch. I think his owner said he was about 10 years old or so - he was a rescue found living in a dumpster. On Friday he'd accompanied his master and a friend on a trek up Flume Slide, down via Osseo to LWT, then on to the Bonds and S. Twin, Garfield, and Lafayette. They were headed down via Falling Waters. We happened to exit to the parking lot at the same time.

Now, that's a long 3-day toot for anyone, especially when you consider how hard it rained on Friday. He seemed none the worse for wear, but as I was sitting on the tailgate of my truck as I changed into my sandals he crashed for awhile on the grass. I gave them a lift back to the Basin to get their vehicle, and his owner held him. He looked pretty chipper, but sorta glad he was riding (we all were).

This little fellow wasn't very big. I've had cats nearly his size, but my hunch is he's probably a bit bigger than your dog. So, if you're willing to give him a boost or even carry him, then go for it. Should be fun for both of you.

 

[KRobi]

Last week on Gulfside as we approached Washington from the North we passed a couple with a real small dog (not sure of the breed but it's face looks like an Ewok for you old Star Wars Fans). It was on leash, and my friend commented on it's small size. The couple replied that it had done the 48 4K's. Not sure if it involved a large amount of carrying, or lifting on the owners part, but it appeared to be moving easily over the rock fields of the Northern Whites.

 

[TJsName]

Hi Black,

I have a couple small dogs (both about 8lbs) myself - a Rat Terrier (she was the runt) and a Chi-Pin. The biggest issues for them are temperature and large rocks. Nothing else seems to faze them on the trail. I wouldn't bring mine above treeline in some places as they don't handle the rock hops so well. The constant clawing up rocks can wear on their pads. The distance has never seems an issue, they just sleep better with longer hikes! We've done 7-12 miles with no fatigue issues, and we've gone up some pretty steep stuff (e.g. North Slide) without too much issue (although they didn't love going down the south slide). At 8lbs, they are easy to carry, and the rat terrier loves riding in a back pack with her head sticking out, bobbing up an down as we go. If a trail has a lot of ledge scrambles/big steps then it might get annoying (e.g. CMT from Imp to North Carter). I carry their food and some extra water, but it's really not much which is nice.

My only concern would be any breed specific issues - my Chi-Pin yipped all night the first (and last) time I did an overnight with her. If you've already camped with him you are probably good then. Go explore and have fun!

 

[peakbagger]

I ran into a winter hiker on Waumbek once with his pomeranian. He looked at me and said his wife got to choose the dog but he got to decide how it got exercise. The dog seemed to be having a good time and he made sure that his pack was large enough so if there was an issue he could put the dog in his pack

 

[Ignomer]

Little dogs are surprisingly tough. My twenty pounder (not all that little I suppose) made it farther up caps ridge trail than my wife did. The only issue she has (the dog, not the wife!) is coming down larger scrambles. We got her a backpack with a handle on the back, so we just pick her up like a little suitcase and either carry her or pass her down. Never seen a pack small enough for a sub-ten pounder, but a harness would work fine for lifting.

He'd most likely love backpacking, nothing wrong with giving it a go to see how he does!

 

[nyestreet]

My small 10 lb dog Yoda (RIP) was brought up hiking. She could handle up to 12 miles before getting tired.(then she would rest at every opportunity). Can think of less than 1/2 dozen times I had to help her, in +/- 10 years. She was a chihuahua/poodle/terrier mix.

 

[Black]

ok good info....
sounds like Bandit is going for a hike soon.....
I'll have to keep an eye on his pads as he mainly stays inside.... but he should be fine.


Thanks

 

[sierra]

Little dogs are surprisingly tough. My twenty pounder (not all that little I suppose) made it farther up caps ridge trail than my wife did. The only issue she has (the dog, not the wife!) is coming down larger scrambles. We got her a backpack with a handle on the back, so we just pick her up like a little suitcase and either carry her or pass her down. Never seen a pack small enough for a sub-ten pounder, but a harness would work fine for lifting.

He'd most likely love backpacking, nothing wrong with giving it a go to see how he does!

Pass her like a suitcase!!! I like that.

 

[Lost Dad]

We hike with our 16 lb Labradoodle and he has boundless energy even at the end of a 10 -12 hr day of hiking in the mountains. A few thoughts from our experiences:
-a regular regimen of road walks during the week helps keep the pads tough enough for a day of rock hopping in the northern presidentials. When we were up there this summer, we heard that a golden retriever had been carried down from Madison the day before due to foot/pad/rock issues
-be prepared for things to go wrong with the dog. We have had to carry the dog twice; once from the cold and once because of a porcupine incident
-bring gear for the dog; high energy snacks, a water dish of some type in case there is no water available, booties (we use pawz disposable dog boots) in case of foot problems, first aid and a small blanket
-our dog does not have typical dog fur as he is hypoallergenic. Therefore he is more susceptible to the cold. We do winter hike with him but we have learned not to stop for any length of time. It was a long stop one winter day that got us into cold problems. A 1/2 hr in the blanket and all was well. As long as he is moving, he keeps very warm. I would not take our dog out in adverse (cold & wet) weather. When out in the winter, he uses a neoprene body suit to protect him from ice balling on his fur.
-we try to protein load the dog before we start for the day, usually adding beef or chicken to his food before we drive to the trailhead. This seems to work very well as he goes all day off leash with no apparent loss of energy
-finally, we have found that a post hike walk to stretch out the muscles is very important for the comfort of the dog on the day after the hike. As soon as we get in the car, the dog is out like a light and he would sleep straight through if we allowed him. We try to get the dog out in the evening just to loosen up his muscles, this is typically done a couple of hours after we get off the trail. If we do not take the time for an evening stretch, we get a very stiff dog the next day.

Have a blast; watching our dog enjoying his time in the woods is one more reason that our family really enjoys hiking.

Ignomer: I really like the handle/suitcase plan. The few times that we have had to help the dog were precarious enough that us humans were also in need of all the help we could get just holding on; so one less hand to carry the dog could be very helpful. The third river crossing on the North Twin Trail comes to mind as one of the times where the suitcase plan would have been most helpful.

 

[IQuest]

Our late Cooper was a 4.5 lb pomeranian. He hiked Lafayette via Skookumchuck/Greenleaf/Bike Path and Carrigain via Signal Ridge/Desolation/Carrigain Notch. He did excellent and it was nice to be able to scoop him up when needed. You have to make it enjoyable for the dog just as you would a child