9 things to take hiking with you and your dog!
- Dog First training
- Nov 8, 2024
- 6 min read
Hikes with your dog can be an absolute JOY!
You feel ready to take the plunge and start doing longer, more challenging walks. Heading further afield can mean remote places, minimal phone signal, few passersby and more difficult terrain, especially as we are coming into the winter months. Accidents can happen whilst hiking including becoming separated from your dog, getting lost, you or your dog becoming injured. This can mean you need to carry more kit to make sure you and your dog are safe on adventures.
Here are a few things to make your hikes fun and safer!
1) Harness
You can have different harnesses for different activities. If there is the potential you may need to lower or lift your dog, help them over a style or in an emergency to get them out of a sticky situation, a harness with a handle and sturdy support under the chest and body, to provide more support can help.
Here are 2 examples of these by rabbit goo and ruffwear:
There are loads of harnesses out there, find yourself one that fits well, doesn’t restrict movement and provides appropriate support.
Trainer tip: Buy kit in advance and take time to slowly and positively introduce it to your dog, ensuring they are happy and comfortable with all of the kit you use routinely or in an emergency.
2) Lead
Where there is a chance of livestock, cliff edges and prey, pack a long line so that your dog can be safe and feel free, especially if their recall isn't 100%. For road walking, narrow paths or long drops, a training line that can be fixed to a length with them close when needed is more appropriate.
One of my favourite leads are these by Hound a grip
Other options include waist mounted leads – these can allow you to keep your hands free. Be sure to try these out before you hit the hills, making sure they are comfortable and you can still keep balance whilst wearing it.
Trainer tip: Livestock safety! We need to make sure not only us and our dogs are safe, but also other animals. Depending where you’re walking this can include sheep, cows, horses and deer. Working with your dog to make sure they are comfortable and calm around livestock is important and can make for a much more enjoyable walk.
Pairing this training with ongoing loose lead walking can help keep you safe from injury, trips and falls, especially in areas of uneven terrain, cliff edges and slippy areas.
3) Water:
Although you can check your route for fresh water sources along the way, always pack plenty of water and something that your dog is happy to drink out of.
There are lots of options from super lightweight bowls to bottles with built in bowls
4) Snacks
We don’t want our dogs to eat a large meal at the same time as exercises as this can result in health complications – such as something known as a GDV which can be life threatening – but we do want to have some snacks available. These might come in the shape of treats for on the go training or for those extra-long hikes as well as well as an emergency.
In an emergency you may become stuck in an isolated area, lost or out longer than you expected. Having an emergency, easily digestible, snack for your dog can be an important addition to your back pack.
There's lots of easy pack tasty snacks available like this one by Edgard and Cooper
4) Warmth
Weather can change dramatically especially when you are hill walking.
Foil blankets are a great, lightweight idea for emergencies for people and some dogs, but the noise and the sight of these can be frightening for dogs. Even when the weather looks great, pack a warm layer (wind and/or waterproof) for your dog. These can be used when you get to the summit where it may be windy and colder – this is especially important if your dog is older, lean or thin coated.
In an emergency situation you could get stuck in one spot for a longer period – an extra layer can be a life saver at this time.
I love the Equafleece range for this
5) First aid kit
You can buy pre-made dog first aid kits like these
https://thedogfirstaid.co/product/dog-first-aid-kit-2/ from the dog first aid co.
We keep a large first aid kit in the van and a small one that comes on hikes with us. Our first aid kits contain items including: bandaging material, sterile saline flush, tourniquet, tweezers, sterile swabs, gloves, whistle, ice packs and scissors.
6) GPS tracker
Choosing the right tracker for you could be a blog post in it’s self – there are so many out there! Accidents can happen such as dropped leads, dogs becoming spooked, slipping harnesses or guardians becoming injured. GPS tracker may be something to look into, especially in unknown and remote areas. Remember not all GPS trackers are the same so do a bit of research before buying!
7) Light
Sometimes the dark or fog come in quicker than you think, even in summer. Having a light attached to your dog's harness can provide extra safety if this happens, for seeing where your dog is, so others can spot you and for those country road sections in the dark.
8) Poo box
Yep you read that right. I take a poo box hiking! Hear me out. As a dog owner you know that picking up your dog's poo is the right things to do – but who wants to carry a bag of poo for hours on a hike? – no one.
You can get poo bag holders – which I do like for short walks, but for longer hikes they can get annoying. Instead, I use an airtight tupperwear box, this holds the stink in and keeps your hands free. Just be sure to label it – no one wants the poo box making its way into the kitchen cupboards!
9) Emergency plan
Although this isn’t actually a piece of kit – it’s really important!
Tell someone where you are going and when you should be back – then check in with this person once you're home.
If you’re hiking away from home, find the number of a local and emergency veterinary practices in advance.
Make sure your dog has a tag with your up-to-date contact information and that your dog's microchip details are up to date! For long solo hikes it can be worth having 2 contact numbers on the tag (yours and someone you trust and knows your dog), in case you and your dog became separated, and you have no signal.
If you have a large dog, could you carry them down from a walk if the worst were to happen and they became sick or injured? If you can’t then pieces of kit such as emergency slings may help in this situation. Fido Pro | Emergency Dog Carrying Harness
Trainer tip: Physical training - gradually build up your dog's physical capacity over time, just as we would with our own fitness. If your dog is used to walking a mile or two a day – don’t suddenly ask them to do ten miles up hill in an afternoon. Gradually building up their exercise over different terrain and conditions builds stamina and can also give them terrain confidence – allowing them to make their way over more difficult areas of mud, scree, rocks and narrow paths with safely and with confidence.
Trainer tip: Lift training - Many trails in the countryside include navigating a variety of tricky stiles. Training to ensure your dog can either navigate stiles or is happy being lifted can save your walk. It’s worth checking whether a walk is dog friendly – apps such as 'alltrails' have a dog friendly filter.
Accidents can happen, but if we prepare properly, we can minimsie the risk, but when they do happen, we are VERY lucky in the UK to have incredible volunteer mountain rescue teams who save those who become injured or lost.
Here are a couple of stories of these incredible people helping 4-legged family members back to safety. If you are ever in a position where you can donate to your local mountain rescue then please do – you never know when you may need them!
Remember Train for the adventures you want with your dog!
Now get out, explore and enjoy all the adventures you can with your dog!
**This post isn’t intended to cover mountain safety for people and isn't a completely exhaustive list for all outdoor activities or emergency scenarios – always make sure you are well equipped and safe before you head out !*
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