View Full Version : Cold Dogs
For all of those who have hiked with their dog, what did you do with Fido at night when it was cold? What about cold and rain? My question centers on what sleeping araingments were in effect. Did he sleep in tent/tarp with you? Did you bring him his own pad, blanket etc?
RiverWarriorPJ
11-15-2009, 10:11
tuff 1 there.......can't tell u what i do in a public forum.....lol..
Hikes in Rain
11-15-2009, 10:15
Back when I was hiking with my now non-sleep-outdoor! wife, we'd zip our bags together. We had a little terrier mix that loved to hike, loved to eat supper outside, but then couldn't understand why we didn't head back home. She'd head back up to the trail and start back, until she noticed we weren't coming. Nothing else would do, but that we'd have to let her sleep in the bag with us. Neither of them asked my opinion, since it wouldn't have mattered anyway.
Coleman makes a dog tent. Looks like a human's dome tent but is miniature. Goes up similarly. Problem is that like a dog house, the front door is always open so a hard driving rain can get somewhat inside. Still, better than nothing for sure. It weighs a couple pounds, and can be packed inside a larger dog pack.
Our dog is about 55 lbs. and has not had a problem carrying it plus a ground cloth we put inside her tent.
Before finding the tent, we had to put up a tarp for her which was no better protection from a driving (sort of horizontal) rain and was a lot more hassle to put up/take down.
My previous dog was only about 30 lbs. and she slept in my tent. Occasionally that meant a wet dog inside but we coped.
SawnieRobertson
11-15-2009, 11:15
Claire always slept with me in the tent. There were those nights that I would lie trembling the entire time due to the low temperatures. She too, in spite of her thick Standard Poodle coat, would also be trembling. The problem was solved (for her at least) when I got a size XS fleece woman's shirt for her. I folded up the sleeves so that they did not drag, and slipped it onto her. From then on during such nights, she trembled no more. This was on some tiny sections up in the Northeast, so Campmor was accessible by rent car. If I were ever to take a dog out again when the possibility of such temps existed, I'd carry that shirt for back up. No, she never shared her warmth--just her low grrrrr whenever she heard something that she did not like "out there" at which time the something always disappeared immediately.--Kinnickinic
when it gets real cold, I use a piece of an old ridgerest and a thick piece of fleece. The dog sleeps in the vestibule. My friend has a bag made especially for dogs that worked quite well in very cold weather. It sealed with sections of velcro so the dog could break out when/if he wanted. Can't remember the company name.
CrumbSnatcher
11-15-2009, 11:46
carry a sleeping pad for sure,maybe a fleece blanket. most of the time i kept my sleeping bag unzipped and covered both of us. guess it also depends on the breed
CrumbSnatcher
11-15-2009, 11:54
carry a tent, the dog will sleep better and more comfortable than in the shelters. the shelter floors are hard on the hips(even with a pad),the dog will probably wake up everytime someboby wakes up to go pee and will loose out on some sleep,less chance of getting into trouble with the wildlife if in the tent.(if you have a dog that chases) and no chance of someone stepping on your dog in the middle of the night if your in a tent compared to a shelter
mister krabs
11-15-2009, 17:14
Trixie the wonder dog is less than 20 lbs. She's got almost no hair, and if it's even slightly cold she wears a jacket when we stop. At night she sleeps with my under my sleeping bag opened as a quilt. I have put her in a buttoned up down vest that she burrowed into like a sleeping bag. That worked pretty good, but I'm not sure it was warm enough.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/7/8/9/6/img00027_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=36055&c=member&imageuser=17896)
My dog Suzi prefers to sleep outside regardless of the conditions. I carry a dog tent, sleeping pad and sleeping bag for my dog Maggie during the colder months.
superman
11-15-2009, 22:13
Winter always slept in my slick rock tent with me on the AT. The colder it was the closer she slept to me. In the heat of the summer she would sleep in the far corner from me. I used a rectangular down sleeping bag that I used as a quilt over both of us as needed. When it was cold and wet she'd get right up next to me and it was like having steam heat. Sleeping with a dog is never saying you're cold. I moved her sleeping pad to where ever she wanted to sleep but she tried many times to take over my thermarest. One morning I woke up and she had her head on my arm like it was a pillow. I opened my eyes and she was just looking at me. I said "good morning" and she smiled. Winter was a super babe.:)
CrumbSnatcher
11-15-2009, 22:16
bear was a chow/lab mix, her hair grew a little long if you let it go. in the summer i would shave her (no more than twice a year) with the short hair she would get a little cold. but being half lab the vet was sure her base coat always stayed dry. in the winter months her hair was long and she loved the cold and the snow. never had a fenced yard but she never left the yard. one time i gave her a soup bone and it was snowing heavy, later on i went outside to check on her and didn't see her. i called her name and she popped up from under a foot or two of snow. not a care in the world except that bone. sure miss her.
CrumbSnatcher
11-15-2009, 22:18
a dog sure can heat up a sleeping bag real nice:D
sasquatch2014
11-16-2009, 08:46
I am going to get a jacket or small fleece for the Dog last time it was really cold enough to worry was last Feb down in PA 9* in the AM. I had spent the night sharing my sleeping bag with Hank. Problem was he would get too warm and so he would stand up and move which would let all the hot air out of the bag I would then spend about 20 min shivering before he would get cold and return to me who would once again let the hot air out put the dog back in and shiver for only about 5 min until the temp was once again nice and toasty. I would sleep like a baby for an hour or so when we would repeat this whole process.
I do have a small chunk of blue foam pad for him which we use year round for him it help with the joints after a long day. It also establishes that that is his bed. If I later give him the go to bed command he will head off to his area. So far that has worked well for when we are set up with the hammock which is most of the time but dead of winter I am shelter or tent more than the hammock if I have the dog with me.
Tipi Walter
11-16-2009, 09:11
My black dog is part Chow and has a pretty thick covering of fur and he's gotta be out in all conditions to keep tabs on everything(leashed in camp, of course, otherwise he'd bark and run up to trail hikers). He never comes inside the tent, even in zero conditions, he just finds a leaf nest and curls up for the night. Couldn't get him in the tent if I wanted to. Of course, he was raised outside for the last 14 years and thinks winter is the best time to be out, esp loves snow.
Here's the dilemma: Dog hair. I've seen short hair hunting dogs out in the winter and they freeze and shake all day long like hittites taking a winter plunge in the Caspian Sea. Hunters leave 'em to roam and sure don't seem to care, but they look pretty miserable to me. And yet if you get a malamute for backpacking, what happens in the summer? Too hot?
i'm not putting a dog in my sleeping bag, but maia and bella do sleep in the tent with me. for when it gets really cold, i went to walmart and bought some medium fleece (200 wt) and sewed them some little pullovers for sleeping.
RiverWarriorPJ
11-16-2009, 12:58
ok..!!....my pup always stayed outside the tent.....a few years back i was freezing my butt off and brought hin in 4 body heat .....last year i was REALLY cold and brought him in the sleeping bag.....now no matter the temp.....he expects 2 get in the bag w/me.....lol...
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 13:02
carry a tent, the dog will sleep better and more comfortable than in the shelters. the shelter floors are hard on the hips(even with a pad),the dog will probably wake up everytime someboby wakes up to go pee and will loose out on some sleep,less chance of getting into trouble with the wildlife if in the tent.(if you have a dog that chases) and no chance of someone stepping on your dog in the middle of the night if your in a tent compared to a shelter
Besides, you should NEVER have your dog in a shelter when other hikers are there. As hikers, and they'll hesitate and say it's okay to be nice, but many times, they aren't okay with it. Just don't, common courtesy.
I don't hike with my dog, but if I did, I would get a two person tent and sleep in there with him. And smell wet dirty dog all night. But it's a trade-off. He has to smell wet, dirty hiker all night.
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 13:04
Oh, and a dog should definitely have his own sleeping pad. Otherwise he'll get cold. I like Kanga's idea.
ok..!!......last year i was REALLY cold and brought him in the sleeping bag.....now no matter the temp.....he expects 2 get in the bag w/me.....lol...
Too late now. Good foot warmer. Might as well accept it. Or quilt.
Just wait until that really nasty cold morning when you have to dump him out of the bag.
Oh, and a dog should definitely have his own sleeping pad. Otherwise he'll get cold. I like Kanga's idea.
there's no point in buying my dogs a pad of their own, they always end up on mine anyway... ; P
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 13:43
I cover my whole pad, so I'd cut my old foam pad in half for my dog. But you're probably right.
i start out covering my whole pad but somehow every morning i wake up on the ground and the dogs are on the pad. i really don't know how that happens.
CrumbSnatcher
11-16-2009, 16:22
Oh, and a dog should definitely have his own sleeping pad. Otherwise he'll get cold. I like Kanga's idea.
in post #7 i already said to carry a pad for the dog for sure!,(for comfort and insulation) i carried an air matress for my dog bear.
CrumbSnatcher
11-16-2009, 16:34
Besides, you should NEVER have your dog in a shelter when other hikers are there. As hikers, and they'll hesitate and say it's okay to be nice, but many times, they aren't okay with it. Just don't, common courtesy.
I don't hike with my dog, but if I did, I would get a two person tent and sleep in there with him. And smell wet dirty dog all night. But it's a trade-off. He has to smell wet, dirty hiker all night.
i always carried a 2 man tent for me and my dog bear, she had around 6-7,000 miles on the A.T. we stayed in a few shelters when they were empty or just my friends around. if i knew others were coming or i saw people walking up to the shelter we would pick up and move out. alot of people knew me and bear over the years. i never heard anyone complain about her( i can hear you now,everyone says that). she was quiet, very friendly,never strayed. she ate better than most of you, no need to beg. and she was always up to date on vaccinations and prevenatives, cleaner and more behaved than any hiker i ever met. she was loved and well taken care of when i wasn't around, winton at mtn. crossings,miss janet,bob peoples(reserved couch),daves place,blister sisters house,packrats hostel, a few church hostels,at rob of daltons she was the only dog ever allowed inside. sounds too good to be true, sorry just the facts. so i appreciate the advice, but i already know how to respect others around us at all times.
CrumbSnatcher
11-16-2009, 16:37
i start out covering my whole pad but somehow every morning i wake up on the ground and the dogs are on the pad. i really don't know how that happens.
i know what you mean, i carried a air matress for bear and a z-rest for me, she always ended up with both of them. and it didn't bother me at all, i pampered her as much as i could!
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 17:13
i always carried a 2 man tent for me and my dog bear, she had around 6-7,000 miles on the A.T. we stayed in a few shelters when they were empty or just my friends around. if i knew others were coming or i saw people walking up to the shelter we would pick up and move out. alot of people knew me and bear over the years.
A lot of people don't do that though- I'm glad to hear that you do (I think I've read some of your other posts about dogs, now I think about it). But too many people don't think about it at all. I've known people to hike in at night when everyone was settling down, in the pouring rain, with their dog, and squeeze into the shelter, with the muddy, soaking wet dog. Not very nice. And I've also known people to ask if their dogs could sleep in the shelter and no one wanted to be the ass who said no, and the dog was very badly behaved, etc... But, I'm glad to hear the way you do it!
CrumbSnatcher
11-16-2009, 17:15
sorry for sounding like a d***! hope you have a great hike!
CrumbSnatcher
11-16-2009, 17:20
i remember her getting in the water source right before max patch,made one guy mad and the other six people said no big deal. after that i had her always drinking down stream from everyone.
<clip> And yet if you get a malamute for backpacking, what happens in the summer? Too hot?
I have a Siberian Husky, and have only taken her out in June twice - and won't again.... Her favorite place, here in GA, from May to Sept, is laying on top of the air conditioning vent! Frankly, I'm no longer very excited about getting out in the heat, either, so we are a good match!
cowboy nichols
11-16-2009, 22:09
My shepherd's have always slept in my tent my chihuahua (3lb.) always sleeps in my sleeping bag, and my bed at home. I carry a 2man tent for comfort for all of us. I use kids size sweat shirt for the shepherd if it is very cold. I've never hike with out a dog so can't imagine camping any other way.
I had the pleasure of having an Akita.
He never slept with me, although there were times cold enough I think I understand the term "two dog night". I wished I had a nice furry Akita dog on either side of me!
I never thought of a fleece for him. He did not like "snow-boots" on his feet.
They say an Akita can take really cold weather.
He seemed to have great fun in the snow.
I did get him a really thick Therm-A-Rest type sleeping pad, complete with paw prints on the cloth covering. I think it was more comfortable than my Therm-A-Rest.
But was he warm snow-camping? I don't really know.
I heard him whimper one night. I never saw him shiver.
I did put my biggest synthetic coat over him.
cannonball
11-17-2009, 10:41
My 2 Bassett Hounds, Puddin and Deisel, would be highly put off by the thought of not sleeping in the tent curled up next to me.
My old dog Bud, who did about 700-800 miles altogether with me, stayed in the tent with me, in warm weather on an old foam pad and in cold weather in my bag with me. My new lab, Montana, has only done warm weather hiking so she has just slept on the pad, or usually manages to push me off the pad and sleeps on my z-rest. I have a 2 man that I usually use, or a one man that I could get my old dog in with me, but he was smaller (35 lbs) while Montana is almost 70 lbs and would be a tight fit in there.
I thought the thread title was "Corn Dogs". Sorry, got food on my mind.....
ytsuejam
11-17-2009, 15:27
I remember taking Sophie, a whippet lab mix, out for an overnight on Christmas Eve sometime around1999 or 2000 .From Woody gap to Blood Mtn.Not a terribly hard hike at all but.... we ahd a 3 -4 inches of snow,with snow drifts much higher.She loved it!!!!!! I had originally planned on staying in the Blood Mtn. shelter but after a few hours of windy noise,she had kept on going outside of the shelter to escape the noise( someone had tried to secure" blue tarp" material on the windows...dubm idea.They were flaing blah,blah.
I took her cue and set up my walrus 1 man tent,set everything else up.shwe walked right in.I shared my open bag with her,even though she had 3x3 section of fleece.We slept great.
She has sinced past on.Maggie our husky/lab mix also hogs my quilt and so forth.On cold nights the heat she puts off is a great trade off for "half' of a sleeping pad. I personally could never make any of my dogs sleep outside of the tarp.If they're wet,dry them off.dirty clean them up.
Patrick
Just something I've wondered about. Any of you experienced dog partners ever have damaged tents due to your buddies? I can see my dogs claws wrecking havoc with a silnylon or spinnaker tent floor.
ChinMusic
11-17-2009, 16:10
Mugsy is a 31-pound Cockapoo (non-shedding bread). We tent. Usually just having my parka around him does the trick, but if I see him shivering I pull him into the sleeping bag or use the bag like a quilt.
Just something I've wondered about. Any of you experienced dog partners ever have damaged tents due to your buddies? I can see my dogs claws wrecking havoc with a silnylon or spinnaker tent floor.
Never had a sil or spinn floor. Used an inside dropcloth of an old sheet. Mine wore his claws down well until he got old.
Something I have wondered. How a dog can ooze his way onto a pad, or when back to, steal quilt covers.
Many people have said they used fleece for the dogs. Does fleece dry off quick enough and will it be ready (i.e dry) for the next night?
CrumbSnatcher
11-17-2009, 22:55
Many people have said they used fleece for the dogs. Does fleece dry off quick enough and will it be ready (i.e dry) for the next night?
the body heat between my dog and myself always dried things out by morning.
Just something I've wondered about. Any of you experienced dog partners ever have damaged tents due to your buddies? I can see my dogs claws wrecking havoc with a silnylon or spinnaker tent floor.
you would think, but i've never had an issue. i use a piece of 6x8 sil for the floor and they haven't made a dent in it and i've got 2 that always go with me. the floor's seen as many as 4.
Many people have said they used fleece for the dogs. Does fleece dry off quick enough and will it be ready (i.e dry) for the next night?
well, i don't put it on them til dinner or later. after hiking, if you put the fleece on them immediately before their bodies have time to cool down on their own, it makes them chilled easier later on in the night when it gets dewey. if it's raining, we're all in the tent from the start anyway, so i've never really had a problem with the fleece getting wetter than the condesation causes that can happen in the tent. they're really just for sleeping.
they sleep in the tent w you in ur sleeping bag. They do more miles then us each day and deserve to be warm and dry right along w you. Lulu was in my bag if she wanted to . i also bought a fleece blanket that I carried... so she could be warm and feel safe. i am just guessing but if you asked a dog if they wanted to hike 2100 miles they might say NO.... 5 a day would do then back home to the couch please....take care of your dog he or she is out there cuz YOU are