Dog Community

Dog Backpack questions

Posted : 9/25/2006 4:26:08 PM

My 1 year old 80 lb border collie mix is a whole lot of energy. I take him for 2 walks a day a 30 min walk in the morning, and a 45-60 min walk in the evening. He doesn't tire. I've been told that putting a backpack on him and giving him a "job" will help keep him from pulling as much, and it will help tire him out. I do, however, have some questions before I go buy one.

Which is better a backpack, or a sattle bag? I've seen both and like the idea of the backpack better, but husband does not agree. Does it make a difference?

Also curious as to how much weight our pup can carry. I don't plan to weight him down with more than a couple of water bottles at first, but want to know the limit. We do take him hiking iwth us, and it would be nice for him to carry all his gear. Food, water, bowels, first aid, ect.

Any recommendations?

Thaks

houndlove

Posted : 9/25/2006 7:22:55 PM

I have backpacks for my dogs that usually are purely utilitarian but occasionally function as part of Mission: Tire Marlowe Out. My favorite is the Wolfpacks Saddlebag. It is really a great product and adjustable so it not only fits little Marlowe but also great big Conrad. It's a simple design, not a lot of clips and buckles and whatnot, just one velcro closure. It's also a nice size. It fits two small water bottles and the basic stuff we need when we go on an outing for the day, but its not humungous like a lot of the packs designed for overnight hiking are. We do have one of those overnight ones (Outward Hound) and it is really way too large to be practical on a daily basis. Both were pricey but I went to REI the other day and there's are the same price. A word of warning: I got one of the neoprene ones they sell at PetCo (same rack as their dog clothing) and it was a piece of crap. It fell apart before we even got out of the car and I returned it.

A healthy well-conditioned dog can carry up to 1/3 his body weight, but that's something to work up to not start off with.

Denali

Posted : 9/25/2006 7:31:18 PM

I still like the idea of a larger pack just because. But I will consider the smaller ones for our daily walks. Besides, we probably won't do too much hiking this year. All the good trails are already coverd in snow.

Don't worry I don't plan to load our dog down with too mcuh weight at first. An empty pack for the first week or so while he gets use to it, then slowley work our way up in water bottles.

jetty

Posted : 9/25/2006 7:57:31 PM

Dodger has an outward hound backpack - I love it, even though I still get to carry around everything most of the time![

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I don't put it on Dodger to tire him out but when we are going away on vacation, to a trial or on a long hike and need supplies he gets to help out! It's come in really handy of late because I have been collecting small rocks for the garden! I've found it quite durable all things considered!

I don't find the smaller packs useful, although I can see needing to start some dogs off with a smaller one if they are uncomfortable with the larger one's!

Ryan

Posted : 9/26/2006 2:16:29 PM

I have a Granite Gear pack for my husky/shepard mix and she wears it to go hiking. My friend has a Rough Wear pack for his lab mix, and uses it to increase her exertion on walks. He will even walk her to the grocery store empty then load her up after shopping for a couple days food. It works really well for this high energy, very strong dog - and she loves it. The nice thing about the rough wear pack is that it is very similar to a sledding/pulling harness in design, and he has used it to skijor with her too.