How to Adventure With Your Dog
When having to leave their furry friends behind, many dog owners grapple with feelings of guilt as they pack their belongings and prepare to head out on a vacation or an outdoor adventure.
Krista Halling, a veterinarian specializing in surgery, regretted leaving her mini goldendoodle River behind when she went on bike rides and decided to Google search, “best ways to bring a dog on a bike ride.”
“There really isn’t much out there to guide you on that,” she says. “All of my findings led to John and Mira.” Eager for ways to include River on her own biking trips, Halling emailed John Freeman in April 2023 for advice.
Freeman, a lifelong adventurer with nearly a decade’s worth of experience bikepacking with his dog, has been travelling around the world by bike with Mira, a six-year-old Border Collie-Red Heeler mix, since she was three months old.
Freeman and Mira were preparing to participate in the Tour Divide at the time, a 4,300-kilometre-long mountain bike race from Alberta to New Mexico. Freeman in return leveraged Halling’s veterinary expertise for guidance on keeping Mira healthy and safe during their race and upcoming cycling adventure around the world.
Recognizing that many other dog owners were also searching for information on how to include their dogs in outdoor activities, as evidenced by Halling’s questions from her patients at work and Freeman online from his social media followers, the two joined forces and founded dogpacking.com, a platform that offers tips and inspiration for safely adventuring with your dog while providing the latest science-based education.
“We’re defining the term ‘Dogpacking’ to include any kind of fun adventure with your dog, whether you’re going to the park or surfing, canoeing, camping or flying to Cancun. That’s all dogpacking,” says Freeman. “Dogs are part of our lives. They’re our fur children, not accessories that we just want to leave at home. We want to bring them with us more and more.”
By sharing their experiences on their platform, as well as tips from other world-class experts including adventurers, dog trainers, veterinarians and scientists, Halling and Freeman aim to help dog owners discover the joys of adventuring with their furry companions.
Visitors to Dogpacking.com will find a host of ideas to do with your dog, such as biking, hiking, paddling, camping, skiing and travelling; as well as science-backed guidance on safely engaging in these activities, covering canine topics from first-aid to parasite prevention to whether dogs need sunscreen.
Here’s what to know to kickstart an adventure with your dog.
Start Small
“Start small on your first activity,” advises Halling, emphasizing the importance of setting yourself and your dog up for success. “Bite off less than you can chew, because that’ll let things play out with minimal consequences so you can tweak things for next time.” For instance, begin with short hikes with minimal elevation gain and gradually progress to longer day hikes, slowly increasing duration and elevation each time.
Plan Ahead
Whether you’re spending the day at the beach or hiking in the woods, prepare a list of essential items for both you and your dog based on the route, trail and weather conditions. Halling suggests, “Start by drawing parallels between yourself and your dog when going through what you need on a trip to make sure tolerances aren’t exceeded and that needs are met for heat, cold and wetness.” This means bringing along items that your dog might also need, like sunscreen and tick removal keys, to ensure their comfort and safety.
Pay Attention to Your Dog
Pay attention to your dog’s body language during and after the activity. While each dog will exhibit different behaviours to signal different needs or states, being familiar with these cues will help you determine whether your dog’s too exhausted or eager for more. “It’s up to us as owners to anticipate the needs of our dogs because they can’t communicate that with us,” stresses Freeman.
Revise Your Plan
After the adventure, assess what worked well and what didn’t, and revise your plan accordingly for the next one. “Learn from how you go about it, from your strategy and the gear you bring,” suggests Halling. Note any missing items or unnecessary ones to ensure you’re better prepared for upcoming adventures.
This article was sponsored by Dogpacking.com
Dogpacking.com, co-founded by adventurer John Freeman and veterinary surgeon Krista Halling, is a unique resource dedicated to helping dog lovers explore the outdoors safely.
Collaborating with other experts, our focus is to provide the latest evidence-based information to inspire and educate dog owners and their veterinarians, on the joys of adventuring with their furry friends.
