Backpacking with two dogs: inaugural adventure
A couple of weekends ago I headed out to start the backpacking season where I left off last year on The Colorado Trail. This segment was a short one, at only 13.6 miles, and while we could've hiked it in one day, this was a shakedown hike of sorts, so we stretched it out into two. This allowed me to get a better feel for what backpacking with two dogs is going to be like, and it allowed Hazel to have a shorter, slightly less intense introduction to the concepts of 1) moving on rough terrain for hours at a time; 2) sleeping in a very small tent with me and Japhy; and 3) what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in this particular environment.
BLACK FLY/GNAT BITES
For those who have been reading my blog for awhile now, it's probably pretty obvious that I'm what they call a "helicopter mom" when it comes to my dogs. I'm fairly hyper vigilant when we're anywhere, but I'm especially so in the backcountry. Part of this is because they're Pitties, and if anything happened they'd be immediately discriminated against just because of their appearance. But more importantly, when things go wrong out there, we're a long way from the nearest vet clinic or animal hospital. The smallest of mishaps can turn serious, and the best plan for this is, quite simply, mitigation. That said, accidents happen and it's important to be prepared for those. For example, there was a grassy area near the river where we camped and got water, and the pups played in that grass (see cover video) and just had an absolute blast romping about in it and in the river. But within a half hour both of their sensitive undersides were covered in bright red splotches. Honestly, it scared the shit out of me when I first saw it on both dogs. Hazel looked much worse than Japhy and was scratching pretty badly. Japhy wasn't really scratching, which was good. His healed quickly. Hazel's lingered for several days. Anyway, I initially thought these deep red blotches were hives, but I've had a dog break out with hives before and they didn't quite look like this. I later determined that these red rings (with a clear bite/puncture in the center) are reactions to black fly or gnat bites. There were plenty of black flies and gnats out there, so I'm 99.9% sure one of them was the culprit.
I'm sharing the photos below in case this happens to someone else. While it looks awful, it's nothing serious. I pack Benadryl in my first aid kit, so I was able to immediately give Japhy two 25mg tablets and Hazel one 25mg tablet. In the morning, the blotches had significantly faded. I continued giving them Benadryl (I increased Hazel's dosage to two 25mg tablets on the second day because she was scratching like crazy; she is right at 50 pounds and the generally accepted dosage is 1mg per pound of body weight), and after a few days they completely cleared up.
It was also a bit warmer out there than I was comfortable with. I'd hoped the elevation would put us in a cooler zone, but it ended up being in the mid-70s with little cover (cloud or trees) for much of the hike. The first day was very dry until we reached the river, so I was rationing the two liters of water that I had on me. Whenever I say that I'm "rationing my water" it means I'm making sure the dogs have enough to drink by drinking less myself. Usually there are plenty of fast-flowing creeks that the dogs can safely drink from, but not this segment. By the time we'd reached our camp I was feeling the effects of the harsh sun and a bit of dehydration. I felt fine the next morning, and we got most of the remaining 6.5 miles in before the sun got too high in the sky above us.
Even knowing what I now know--that playing in that grass would result in rather annoying sensitive skin reactions for both dogs--I watch the video of them jumping and playing and I just have to smile. I'm pretty certain this was their favorite part of the two day adventure.
In the Army, we had to do something called an After Action Review (AAR) after every mission. It helped us understand what went right and what went wrong and where we needed to improve in order to more safely and effectively complete future missions. Here's my AAR for my first backpacking adventure with two dogs:
Especially with the sensitive skin that most Pitties are born with, Benadryl is a must-pack in the first aid kit. Always.
Whenever I check the dogs, I need to also check their packs. One of Hazel's strap clips came open and I only saw it in the videos later. This caused one of the straps to loosen. It didn't seem to create any issues, and the pack still looks balanced on her, but probably only because there wasn't much in it.
Both dogs have a very good understanding of basic obedience. Sometimes I don't see this, but on the trail it becomes clearer. For example: morning inside the tent. At first they were pretty wound up, wanting to get outside and also wanting to steal my breakfast as I ate it, but after telling them to "sit" and "stay" they did it. I mean they solidly did it for a good chunk of time as I rolled up my sleeping pad, put my sleeping quilt and other gear back in their stuff sacks, re-packed my backpack and prepared to exit and take down the tent. I was very very proud.
It's so important to transfer the same expectations and routines from home to the trail. Like sitting and waiting for food and water to be provided instead of jumping up on me or trying to get at the bowl before I can put it down. It's important that they know that "the rules" apply wherever they are and that just because the great outdoors is more exciting, they don't get to ignore proper manners.
Cannot emphasize enough: good manners and obedience on the trail and in the backcountry is one thousand times more important than at home, and it makes for a far more enjoyable time. We must keep working obedience and off-leash cues.
That water crossing was a great challenge for these two, and while it took some serious coaxing (and eventually it took me leashing Japhy for him to feel safe enough to cross with me), they did so freaking great! Again, so proud of them both! Talk about confidence (and trust) building!
I need to keep working on Hazel's recall. She's a squirrelly one.
I need to loosen up maybe just a little tiny bit. Hyper vigilance is necessary, but I definitely think I can trust my dogs more.
I'm worried about ACL injuries in both dogs and have been researching ways to mitigate that risk. When Mani was diagnosed with Lymphoma, the specialist who diagnosed her told me she'd torn her ACL. I had no idea. There was never any indication other than what our regular vet had diagnosed as arthritis. So now I'm more alert to it. Japhy did seem a bit stiff the day after we returned home from this trip, so I need to lessen his pack weight a bit and look into other ways to mitigate any risks of ACL injury and muscle soreness in general. Lots of tuna packets (high protein) seemed to help him recover. Will investigate more high protein foods that I can take on the trail for them both.
Off-leash backpacking, while definitely more stressful for me in many ways, is far superior to on-leash backpacking in nearly every regard with these two. With Mani, it was impossible. She would have run so hard and so fast until she got lost in the backcountry or until she accidentally ran off a cliff. With these two... I'm constantly impressed with how close to me they stay and how well they respond to voice cues (and the e-collar when necessary). It's a remarkable freedom that I hope to never regret accepting. Hyper vigilance is perhaps an acceptable price to pay for this freedom.
In closing, I leave you with a video montage of all the funniest moments on the trail. Well, funniest and most impressive maybe. I wanted to put together a video that shows what it's like #IRL out there with two dogs. Challenging? Sure. Worth it? Absolutely.
There's a more curated video on my photography YouTube channel here:
special thanks
I want to give a quick shout-out to a follower who recently signed up as a monthly financial contributor to the blog. It allowed me to upgrade the blog subscription to allow removal of the platform's branding and more features (like a more customized design and looping video!). This gives me even more room to grow here, and I'm grateful. Thank you as well to those who have purchased merchandise from the Love Dogs shop. While I only make a few dollars off each purchase, every little bit helps to cover the cost of maintaining and growing this blog, and I love receiving the pics of Love Dogs merch being worn/used, like this image of our most smol follower. :) Thank you!
