Dogs

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Anyone bring there dog(s)? Do they pack their own food? What else do they pack? Not looking to have them haul meat or anything but at least pull their weight. How much weight is reasonable? For reference mine is an English mastiff pup that we expect to be north of 225 lb.

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[wyodan]

I've brought mine along before. He carries his own food, a bowl, not much else. I had an old dog that helped me pack meat once. They say they can pack about 30% of their bodyweight, but that seems like a heck of a load on your Mastiff.

 

[wymtnpounder]

 

[BRTreedogs]

View attachment 262231

Ohhhh man thats the life rite there.

 

[NEWAoutdoors]

We have a mastiff that i take on shorter outings. Shes young and loves to go but a dog that big is not built to travel too far in a day.She drinks a lot of water. Has a shorter coat so she is more affected by the elements. Very strong im sure could pack alot of weight but that is also very hard on large breed dogs. I hike with my husky. Excellent dogs for this except in high heat. Not an expert just my thoughts

 

[Decker9]

I couldn’t imagine heading out without my dog. She packs her own food for 10-14 days, and hauls either meat or garbage out. I loaded her up with about 25% of her weightonce, she wasn’t to inclined to jump into her pack again after that. I now stick to about 20% max, mind you every dog is different. Worst thing a guy can do is sour their dog. Something to watch for is long backs, long backed dogs don’t pack well, or at least won’t for long if loaded heavy. Pack placement and fit is key, I highly recommend the palisades pack by ruffwear, very adjustable and has some cool features.

I don’t look forward to the day I have to look for another pack dog, but when the time comes, I would like some mastiff or possibly rotty mixed in for the toughness.

 

[EdP]

Years ago we had rottweilers. When one passed we got another and both went on family pack trips with us and loved it. They would carry about 25% of their weight easily (so 25-30 lbs) which was a whole lot more than their food and bowl weighed. It was really a big help when it was me and a 6-8 y/o son taking a trip.