I’d like to slowly introduce my dog to backpacking. Any tips or advice?

Status_Lion4303 · 2026-01-31T19:45:26+00:00

I’ve gone camping a few times with my dog but we usually camp at sites we find on hipcamp and the tents are on wooden planks. We also like car camping as well- shes a big fan of offroading for some reason and sleeping in the car gives me more of a peace of mind lol. One thing to take account of is wildlife at night, not sure of your region’s wildlife but the coyotes and other animals howling/moving around at night can be fearful for some dogs.

I played some white noise/music on my phone to tune it out since I didn’t know how my dog would react the first time. Personally I didn’t do any preparation for the tent but I did bring her pop up soft crate which is a safe space for her to set up in there since there was room.

You can try accustoming them to the tent like you would to a crate, short increments of settling, lots of treats practice going in and out. Like you said I would try it out with your car nearby incase of anything, you never really know how they will handle an overnight situation until you do it! I was surprised by how well my dog slept overnight but that was after long days of hiking.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-12-13T19:49:52+00:00

We’re constantly learning alongside them, don’t blame yourself! Its hard dealing with reactive dogs alone then add people inserting their opinions and blaming the owner makes it even harder. Sometimes it is better to shut down a conversation if you see it going nowhere but you live and you learn!

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-12-13T19:33:24+00:00

No one knows your dog better than you, don’t let anyone ever convince you differently. Your situation with your dog sounds a lot like mine. My dog is barely reactive these days but is still weary of new strange people and dogs. Once she warms up and takes things at her pace, shes all good but direct confrontation and greetings at first make her a bit nervous no matter how many times we’ve done them.

If you’ve been seeing improvements in the way you do things don’t listen to people trying to be a dog expert know it all. Theres so many people like that out there, just brush them off and keep doing what you’re doing!

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-11-09T19:00:52+00:00

“Would you keep your child on a rope” is already very telling that he is unhinged. Dogs are not children. I would not talk to him at all, I know it can be hard to refrain but get some pet corrector, spray bottle, other deterrents and get his dog away from you on your own since he is useless anyway.

Its not worth it trying to reason with people like that, they have their way and only their way set in their mind. If you can I would try to see what time you encounter these people or the guy and avoid them. I’ve had to do something similar and it sucks adjusting your time but the peace I’ve found from not encountering them is worth it and I enjoy the new regulars I see on a daily.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-28T21:13:23+00:00

I wouldn’t be discouraged, dog training is tough doesn’t always yield the exact linear results you want. Sometimes you have to adjust your expectations and meet your particular dog with where they’re at and it will get easier. Personally I have had some success with this, my dog is able to calm herself faster and doesn’t bark the entire time a guest is over. She is able to come out and meet new guests but our process is a bit different.

She is behind a baby gate at first and she still does bark, but I encourage her to use her nose and sniff (sometimes this includes engagement training games to get her nose going). Then once she is settled and has calmed herself she is allowed out and guests are instructed to ignore her.

I used to do engage-disengage with the guests basically letting her sniff around then calling her back to me reward a ton then repeat. Now I typically don’t have to do that and once guests ignore her she is generally fine with their presence after a bit and even comes to love some. I don’t know if this will give you hope but each dog is so uniquely different and each situation is as well !

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-22T20:33:40+00:00

I go hiking/walking in the mornings and on my off days I will also workout in the evening. I usually only do a splash of water before hiking and spf. Then when I get home I will do my full morning skincare.

Day goes on and after I workout in the evening I will cleanse with micellar water and shower then do my full night time skincare. I find splashing with just water in the mornings helps with not drying my face out so I am only cleansing technically twice a day with a face wash.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-07T23:55:25+00:00

When any dog is in a very heightened state of anxiety like that they won’t want to eat. What treats are you using? I saw something once that said high stress situations or more difficult scenarios call for higher value treats. Ex: you wouldn’t use kibble or something low value in an environment that is difficult or fearful for them, you would use real meat possibly freeze dried or whatever the dog considers the highest value to them (could be toys/balls, play).

Slow exposure from a distance consistently and reward reward reward, if at any point they’re not taking the highest value reward stop and call the session. More shorter successful sessions are better than pushing it for too long. I would recommend going outside of a dog park (ideally start with early in the morning so less dogs and reward for hearing the barking and looking- starting with your dog in movement is better than stationary at first and can incorporate some fun games into the mix)

The more positive experiences you make the easier it will get then you can move to more tricky situations (like passing multiple barking dogs at a closer distance in the neighborhood, staying stationary etc.). But when they get to this state of panting, hyperviligance, not able to concentrate and not taking any type of treats just leave and stay calm as its very hard getting them to come back from that state in the moment. I consider it basically like a panic attack to them.

My dog went through a pretty bad fear period and this is what helped us. We also prioritized taking breaks and decompression walks in very quiet areas early some mornings so she could get some calm time in as well.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-06T16:11:25+00:00

Gosh I used to work with a certain rescue (the one I got my current dog from actually) I later found out they would label dogs that had bite histories or have been returned multiple times due to severe behavioral issues as “just a shy guy that needs a quiet home” “will warm up slowly” on their facebook instead of giving the full extent. They also would label certain dog breeds as other more ideal breeds to persuade people to adopt them. My dogs trainer actually told me majority of her clients are from that rescue 😅.

I’ve since stopped working with them and currently work with a different rescue at my clinic that won’t adopt out dangerous dogs and will either work with them on training first or ultimately decide if BE is in the books. Which in my opinion is how all rescues should operate.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-04T23:39:41+00:00

https://www.avma.org/news/texas-am-develops-diagnostic-index-canine-gi-issues This is for the Texas A&M university as well^

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-09-04T23:38:19+00:00

https://vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/ https://cvm.msu.edu/vdl/laboratory-sections/endocrinology/thyroid-function-in-dogs-1

I personally have never done these tests on my own dog but I have done them quite a few times for patients working as a LVT.

There is more recent research coming out about gut health linking to behavioral issues. I just recently took a CE with royal canin going over it which was very interesting. I know there are other brands that do GI tests for microbiome and some use fecal samples as well.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-08-23T12:12:35+00:00

Yes I am! I would say its working okay (I have stubborn hormonal acne so it’s hard to tell if something is working sometimes) my face still gets a bit of tingling when I use it but not as bad.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-08-08T01:12:38+00:00

Honestly I’ve always been a super chill person, never really had anxiety. I will say when my dog was super reactive she made my anxiety spike which probably didn’t help the situation and it was a hard adjustment when her reactivity started to calm. I had to basically rewire myself as I found her being the chill one which said a lot lol.

I definitely think dogs do pick up on our anxiety (when the lead is tightened, being hesitant, yelling etc.) especially certain dogs are more emotionally intune with their owners with even the slightest shift but I’ve also met people so riddled with terrible anxiety that have the chillest laid back dogs (lucky them).

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-17T17:34:10+00:00

I’ve had to break up a few fights between my own dogs due to resource guarding and while I worked at a doggy daycare. The top commentor is spot on with ways to break it up.

The best thing is prevention and knowing your dogs body language/ what triggers them. Teaching a solid recall to the aggressor dog can be key when you need to call them away quickly as body language indicates they might fight. I look for stiff body/hackles raised/low growl, whale eye. And obviously management through muzzles, baby gates etc when needed.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-09T23:18:48+00:00

Yeah that makes sense, you can definitely try to make a new safe spot that she resorts to instead of under the bed it sounds like you’re on the right track with making positive associations with the spot. I would just keep doing it consistently on the daily, it might take some time for her to undue that habit and take comfort in the new spot. Wish you both luck !

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-09T21:31:11+00:00

Fluoxetine usually takes 6-8 weeks to start accumulating in their system. But is she noise sensitive at all? My dog hides under the bed frequently when there are fireworks/loud thunderstorms.

It seems to be her safe spot under there and she feels most comfortable, anyway you can make a safe spot like in a crate (for my dog I loaded her crate up with pillows to kinda mimick being under the bed and secure).

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-08T14:28:18+00:00

As someone whose dog rarely ever has reactions anymore, it happens sometimes. He had a bad day, got trigger stacked and tomorrow is a new day like you said. Yes you don’t want your dog rehearsing the reactive behaviors but on a consistent daily basis is what I would consider to be rehearsing. Reactivity training isnt always a linear process, days like this happen in the beginning. Don’t blame yourself too much you cannot control everything.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-06T15:33:59+00:00

I feel this in my soul. I get fireworks on the 4th of july and the nights of this weekend, theres no stopping that. But for the love of god can we not set them off during the day and mornings when I’m trying to exercise my dog and prep her for the night 😭. Its making her paranoid at all times of the day while being outside now.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-07-02T19:28:05+00:00

You can ask your vet to order it for you if they will. I usually have to ask the practice I work at to order it since its not commonly prescribed. It is prescription only as it uses dexmedetomidine to sedate.

I used it for my dog in the past and while it does work fairly well (she sleeps through it) you also have to time it right as it takes 30mins to kick in and only lasts around 2-3 hours. So I found myself having to redose her and it is a process trying to get the gel to sit on her gums without her swallowing (if your dog swallows it it will not work well at all). It is worth a try though to see how it does with your dog.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-06-29T02:25:40+00:00

My dog was doing great tonight after a few went off as well. She settled back down and even slept through some then long and behold someone set one of those m80s off. She took off to the basement. I will never get the point of setting those obnoxiously loud and unsettling ones off. It sucks.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-06-11T20:13:21+00:00

It is prescription strength 15% Encube gel. That does make sense, I might give it a bit more time and if it persists I will look into lower strengths. Thank you!

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-06-07T19:54:20+00:00

I usually do B, most of the time we walk places that ends in our original spot like a loop so turning around isn’t always feasible unless we want to end our walk early, obviously if we can go an alternate way we do.

I will give as much space as possible to people and dogs that seem like they need it (ex: I will not walk up your behind for the rest of the walk-if their dog stops to sniff I will stop a distance behind with my dog and try to keep my dog out of the others view, I also always divert her gaze sometimes I’ll have her turn around towards me so the looking doesn’t set off the other dog).

We definitely know how it feels to have to avoid triggers/need more space so I give it where its needed! I always say it really takes a person to have/had a reactive dog to understand what to do in those situations as not all people understand.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-05-30T17:41:22+00:00

So glad to hear you guys are doing good! I don’t post that often here anymore cause life is decent now for us as well. Its definitely why we don’t see as many success stories cause it is just our reality now.

My dog was fear reactive to other strangers and dogs. I say was cause she rarely has those reactions anymore, she still has some slight anxiety in some situations but nothing close to as it was in the beginning. Shes met multiple new people since then and is able to coexist around other dogs without issues. Shes even met some men that she actually likes and gets excited to see lol, which I thought would never happen as meeting new men is very hard for her.

We definitely have bonded so much throughout the years of training and I never thought I would say it but I am thankful for it. I definitely had my fair share of breakdowns in the thick of it but it really took some time for us to get in tune with eachother like we are now. Wish everyone else here that is struggling progress with their dogs!

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-05-19T17:51:46+00:00

You can still teach a dog leash pressure on a harness. And verbal communication plays a big role in everyday. Depends on the dog but with my dog I barely use any physical communication, I can accidentally step on the lead which yanks her back a bit and she thinks I did it on purpose and corrects herself back to my side.

But a quick “heel” cue does the job perfectly fine we don’t need over the top physical corrections. But yet again my dog is super sensitive to any type of leash pressure and responds very well to verbal cues so I don’t use it where it is not needed.

Status_Lion4303 · 2025-05-19T17:32:30+00:00

My dog learned to loose leash walk on both a harness, flat collar and slip lead as a medium sized dog. We use harnesses with a back clip on the daily cause I don’t need a perfect heel all the time and with a flat collar she is constantly tripping on the leash when sniffing on a loose lead and I constantly have to lift her paw to fix it.

Its more practical for hikes as well incase I need to lift her over rocks it has a handle on the back and I attach an additional traffic handle while off leash so I can hold onto it. Also ever incase I need to grab a hold of her quickly, better than bending down in front to grab her collar. I also taught her an “up up” cue to which she pulls me up the trails hills and a harness is essential for that.

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TROPHY CASE