I was planning on eventually taking Kodee hiking, and I was looking at backpacks for dogs. I have a few questions:

1) What is a good age to introduce the pup to wearing a backpack? Do they need to older to carry any load at all, or can a young pup (Kodee's 5 mos) carry a fairly light load?

2) How do you decide how much weight a pup/older dog can carry without worrying about stressing their joints?

3) How long can a pup walk/hike with a backpack?

4) What are some good brands/types of backpacks?

(FYI: Kodee already will wear a vest without any problems).

Thanks for your help!

if i recall correctly, you start the dogs at about 5% of their body weight, but a trained/in shape dog can carry up to around 25%.

i can't tell you about whether kodee's old enough yet. if you do have him wear a pack though, i would keep to lighter or even no weight (just to get used to wearing it). my guess is the guidelines about the age a pup can start running would be good here.

like anything, start him off slowly.

when kodee does reach a good age, i personally (and i am a bit geeky about gear) really like the ruffwear packs. i really like ruffwear products in general, they're well designed. i use the palisades II pack, and it's great - i love that the harness is separate, so you can use it for hikes w/out the backpack or around camp (on a tie out), the handle for lifting is fantastic, especially in a dog that's just starting out hiking and might be hesitant at streams or downfalls, and i'm also a big fan of the internal compression strap. the packs/saddlebags have a really secure attachment, also very important (i've seen people use packs that don't, and they ended up carrying the dog pack).

i've also heard good things about wolfpack, but i actually don't like the harness design as much - i don't think it's as forgiving if the fit isn't perfect. that's just me though.

you can go to http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Animal%20Companion%20Gear/
they also review the granite gear backpack - granite gear makes fantastic human packs, and as luc needs a new pack, i'm considering getting that one.

 Quote: Jennifer Mullen

my guess is the guidelines about the age a pup can start running would be good here.

Bingo bango. For the exact same reason that you want to keep a pup on the thin side during hip development, you want to avoid adding weight during walks.

I'd say 1.5 years old is a safe starting point for most dogs. If I'm wrong I sure hope someone will come along and let me know.

And, with Kodee wearing a vest already, it should not be a HUGE transition over to the pack, with it being empty to start out with, when you do start.

The Palisades Pack™ II looks very nice.

Jennifer, do you use boots for the snow? And do you use liners (socks)? I'm thinking about taking Starbuck up to the mountains soon

i hadn't been using boots for snow, but wax. the kind of wax i got the dogs take off pretty quickly, and to be honest, luc starts mouthing me when i put it on (why i'd gone w/wax rather than boots, cause he really gets snotty when i try to put boots on).

last night i got him the ruffwear boots (we'd had a not as nice brand before) and muzzled him to put them on. he did good in them, unfortunately, we have a lot of sheer ice from a decent snowfall followed by rain - he slid a bit on ice, despite the vibram soles.

i haven't used any kind of liner socks. i had the strap done up pretty tight, snow didn't get in. (i've seen disposable boots you could use as liners, i guess, but they were rubber and i think might be kind of weird)

luc will bother with his feet a bit in deep snow without boots, and then gets over it, even though he does get over it i'm think we'll use them just to make him more comfortable.