HOw much do dogs eat on the trail?

[ScottP]

I'm going to do a 2 week trip with my dog. How much extra food a day do dogs eat while hiking? We'll probably be doing high teens low 20s. He's 55 pounds. He will be carrying 5-6 pounds max.



Thanks

[kayak karl]

my dog eats double what she eats at home. 70lb lab. when i hike local i bear bag her food at the camps (cashe ahead of time). little extra work, but she's worth it.

[birchy]

Depends on how many hikers you see. Left overs are a good source of Carbs for a dog.

[Phreak]

my dog eats double what she eats at home. 70lb lab. when i hike local i bear bag her food at the camps (cashe ahead of time). little extra work, but she's worth it.

Agreed. I always double the normal amount of food for my dogs on the trail.

[dillard]

Depends on how many hikers you see. Left overs are a good source of Carbs for a dog.

Just be careful not too give them too many fatty/salty foods as it can lead to health issues for a dog if they aren't used to that level of fat/salt content.

[Liv2Ride]

Nearly twice as much as at home. I also give her the small milk bone biscuits throughout the day. Everytime I stop for a snack she gets a snack also. She's just a small 33 lb Cattle Dog so I never make her carry anything except the harness that she wears when we hike.

[BobTheBuilder]

Just a thought - high teens to twenties are some pretty strong miles. If you don't know how much your dog will eat in this situation, does it mean you haven't done high mileage days with your dog before? It might be asking a lot of the animal to go from backyard exercise to a string of high mileage hiking days. Like I said, just a thought.

[ZeroC]

A lot of people give their dogs puppy food since it's more calorie dense as well.

[Two Tents]

My dog will get one extra cup at each meal. He is a mooch so he gets some nuggets from me when I eat. When I snack he gets some sort of treat also to keep him going. I have him carry two Gator aid bottles filled with his food and I will top those off from the supply that's in my pack. That way he is carrying the same weight. He also gets to carry the trash till we get to a garbage can. That's how he got his trail name-Trasher.

[ScottP]

Just a thought - high teens to twenties are some pretty strong miles. If you don't know how much your dog will eat in this situation, does it mean you haven't done high mileage days with your dog before? It might be asking a lot of the animal to go from backyard exercise to a string of high mileage hiking days. Like I said, just a thought.

Thanks for the feedback and the concern. We walk/hike 1.5-2 hours with a loaded pack on a daily basis, and the vet says that he's well build and should be able to hike any mileage that a human is capable of (although I doubt the vet actually has any idea what a human is capable of). I'm hoping that he can keep up, but I'm willing to go slower if needed.

I am very concerned about his ability to deal with heat. From what I've heard and read you can't shave double-coated dogs all the way, but clipped down to 3/8" should be fine. If needed I can pour water on him at water sources.

As for the puppy food idea--thanks! Does one of those premium-quality dog foods that can double as puppy food work just as well?

[Fog Horn]

If you are not resupplying along the way, get the premium working dog puppy food. Its made for farm dogs and whatnot and its built to give dogs that don't lay around all day the calories and protien they need. If you are resupplying, as I will have to do through my thru, its harder because that sort of food is not widely available at resupply points (how come this hasnt changed yet?!) so my dog will eat much more than her normal amount of food as she will be switching from the good stuff to the kibbles and bits stuff

[BobTheBuilder]

I'm hoping that he can keep up, but I'm willing to go slower if needed.

Good to hear. Sounds like you're gonna have a great time. Good luck!

[Country Roads]

For short hikes of around 3 or 4 days, I just feed her regular ration and a few extra biscuits; Longer hikes I feed 1/3 more and keep an eye on her weight, so far she seems to maintain her weight pretty well, but we usually only do 10 or so miles a day. I also give her a Teaspoon or 2 of Nutrical. I try to limit her pack weight to 10 to 15% of her body weight (5 to 7 pounds) and less whenever I can.
Although if you let her, she would eat until she exploded