# Backpacks - how much weight??



## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Not sure if this is the right section for this...

I just ordered a backpack for Gunner, to try to get more out of our walks and burn some more energy.
Since his exercise has to be on-lead now, it seems that I'm unable to sufficiently tire him out. When I'm ready to fall on my face, he's still ready to go. 

I'm not sure how much weight to start out with. (I'll probably use the 16 oz water bottles for the weight.)
He may be 7, but physically he's more like a 4-year-old. No stiffness, no joint problems of any kind. He's right about 80 pounds.

Is there any kind of general guideline as to how much weight to start with?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Since he's older, I'd start with an empty pack at first, and then very slowly add weight over a period of weeks. Keefer is also 80 pounds, but he's 4-1/2, so I put about 5 or 6 pounds on him the first time out (including the weight of the pack) and then went up to 8 or 9 pounds. So far he hasn't carried more than that. Not sure what brand you bought, but Ruffwear says a healthy conditioned dog can carry up to a third of their body weight. I'm more comfortable keeping them in the 20-25% range, and there's really no need for mine to carry more than that since we're doing hikes of a few hours at most, not weekend backpacking trips.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

BTW, I'm going to ask that this be moved to General Info since it's not really related to a sport.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Okay, thanks -- wasn't sure where it belonged!

I bought this one. Stansport Saddle Bag for Dogs - ****'s Sporting Goods

It's a cheapie, but I figured it was good enough to get us started, at least. 
We generally do a fairly fast-paced walk (about two miles, give or take) in the morning and then again later in the evening, so that's when I had planned to use the backpack. We go longer on the weekends, but I always give out before he does. :crazy:


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I agree, start with an empty pack and slowly add weight.
Personally I prefer to use soft-sided water bottles because that way the load stays stable and they don't slosh. I use Platypus bottles.
I've heard different amounts dogs can/should carry ranging from 5% to 25% of their weight. Personally the most I do is about 10% of the dog's weight. The only thing my dogs carry that is heavy at all is their water so it's usually not even that much.


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

I just looked at the link you had for the backpack. Can't really tell from the pic so I'll just add to what Cassidy's Mom and Chicagecanine have already said. You want to make sure that the pack is sitting as close to the dog's shoulders as possible and the dog's back is not bearing the bulk of the weight as you add items to the pack. Ideally the shoulders and front legs should be bearing most of the weight of the pack contents.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

For my 95 lb dog Riku, I usually don't go any more than 10-15 lbs, using 5# weight plates on each side, and some bottled water, maybe some rocks.

Perhaps he could carry up to 25 lbs, but it just seems like a lot of weight, and I wouldn't want to walk him with that over asphalt, on a trail maybe, but 10-15 lbs definitely feels weighty which I'm sure he notices and does seem to tire him out, a bit anyway.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Kayla's Dad said:


> I just looked at the link you had for the backpack. Can't really tell from the pic so I'll just add to what Cassidy's Mom and Chicagecanine have already said. You want to make sure that the pack is sitting as close to the dog's shoulders as possible and the dog's back is not bearing the bulk of the weight as you add items to the pack. Ideally the shoulders and front legs should be bearing most of the weight of the pack contents.


Thanks for the tip! I know it's kinda hard to tell from the pictures they offer online, but is there a better pack that I maybe should be looking at? Maybe something that's designed a little better so that the weight IS closer to his shoulders?


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club's website has a great article on pack hiking with dogs, which includes a suggested training regimen to get your dog up to carrying weight. It can be found here - http://gsmdca.homestead.com/Activities/PackDogInfo.pdf

Dogs should not carry more than 30% of their body weight total once they are trained to carry that much, but it's important to start slowly. When I started my two, I started with 5% of their body weight and then worked my way up. You can use the online percentage calculator - Percentage Calculator - to figure out the correct weights.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Ideally, the weight should be primarily supported by the dog's shoulders. I've found that many packs, including the Kelty K-9 Chuckwagon and the Ruffwear Approach need some adjustment to make that happen - sometimes beyond simply adjusting the straps. 

Some good packs are the Kelty K-9 Chuckwagon, which is also the cheapest of the really nice packs (just around $50) and then the RuffWear Approach and Palisades. However, if you're planning to have your dog carry light weights (like two bottles of water), maybe an expensive pack is not what you need. Those packs are really designed for carrying A LOT of stuff - like for a weekend or extended hike. Not really for a day hike around the woods.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I have a Kelty Chuckwagon and a Ruffwear Palisades. They're both pretty good but as Chris said they are large capacity and really meant for long trips.
Personally I really like the new pack that Ruffwear is coming out with. It's coming out in April. It is a smaller pack for shorter trips. It is pretty expensive though.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Chicagocanine said:


> I have a Kelty Chuckwagon and a Ruffwear Palisades. They're both pretty good but as Chris said they are large capacity and really meant for long trips.
> Personally I really like the new pack that Ruffwear is coming out with. It's coming out in April. It is a smaller pack for shorter trips. It is pretty expensive though.


 
Oooh, I like that one. I like the double strap underneath -- looks like it would stay in place a little better than the one I ordered.
It's hard to tell from the picture -- is the top open to allow some air flow? It kinda looks like it is. That's one thing I liked about the one I ordered. I don't want him to get too hot wearing it, especially with the warmer weather coming up. Granted, we never walk for exercise during the warmest part of the day, but still... we have stretches here during the summer where it's 70 degrees at 5:00 in the morning, so I don't want him to get overheated.

Thanks for the link, Chris! Very helpful!


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

I believe that all of the RuffWear packs use this style of harness where it has a Y-front and then two chest straps. The harnesses are based on their Webmaster harness that they also sell separately as a walking harness.

The new RuffWear pack Chicagocanine posted the photo of is not open at the top, nor are any of the other RuffWear packs or the Kelty pack. I honestly don't think that little openings like on the pack you ordered make any difference when it comes to being hot or overheating. The packs really don't cover a huge surface area on the dog.

I have hiked with my dogs in Virginia in 100+ degree weather and never had an overheating issue due to the packs. We do make sure to stop frequently, give water, and cool them off by putting water on their tummies and inside of the legs, or letting them play in water, along the way when it's that warm, though.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

There's a bit of an opening at the top of the Ruffwear Approach, right by the handle - you can see it in this video I took of Halo:






The old style Approach has a bit more of an open area at the top: 










You can still buy these, but it's hard to find the right size. I did an extensive search online and mostly found either the itty bitty sizes or the large. Keefer is 80 pounds and has a girth of 33", and the medium fits him perfectly. The bags are a bit bigger than the new style, and doesn't have quite as many features, but it's still a very nice pack. I bought Keef's online at Furlong Pet Supply - just checked, they're still showing the medium available at $60.95.


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## tintallie (Aug 6, 2008)

I just bought Miya the Ruff Wear Palisades pack today and tested it without the packs on her first walk with it. It took a bit of fiddling to get the straps right, but it is a good fit. The Palisades is built upon the Webmaster Harness and the harness itself could be used for other things like skijoring (looking to try that next winter).

Here's a peek at her in it:


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

I have never backpacked with my GSD, and I think it sounds very enjoyable. In regards to weight, I can only speak to the method I employ with my children. I have five kids, and I have learned over the years, that if I load their packs to a point where they cannot get up, then remove five pounds...the load is distributed evenly enough that I can hike without a pack myself.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

GunnersMom said:


> Oooh, I like that one. I like the double strap underneath -- looks like it would stay in place a little better than the one I ordered.
> It's hard to tell from the picture -- is the top open to allow some air flow? It kinda looks like it is.


Yes, my guess is there is an opening at the top where the handle is, like Ruffwear's other packs have. 
If you like the style, Ruffwear makes two other nice packs that use the same base harness. The Approach pack is the less expensive one, the Palisades is more but the saddlebags are removable so you can use the base harness as a harness by itself, or take the weight of the saddlebags off for a rest and leave the harness on the dog. The Approach pack has smaller saddlebags but much bigger than the new style in the photo (which is called the SingleTrak btw.) The Palisades has the largest saddlebags. 

Here is a photo of Bianca in her Palisades pack:


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks so much for the info, guys! I think I might be doing some backpack shopping today. I like the ones shown here much better than the one I ordered. 





AbbyK9 said:


> I have hiked with my dogs in Virginia in 100+ degree weather and never had an overheating issue due to the packs. We do make sure to stop frequently, give water, and cool them off by putting water on their tummies and inside of the legs, or letting them play in water, along the way when it's that warm, though.


 
Well, that's good to know. I probably worry about the heat a little bit more than I need to. I just like to play it safe because Gunner doesn't know when to take it easy or when to quit. I never have to guess with Riley - he lets me know when it's too hot for him and he'd rather just lay down and chill in the AC. Not gunner! It can be 90 and humid, and he's ready to run around like a fool. :crazy:
But we have trails and a nice, big creek that runs through the complex here, so that should help keep him cool.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I had the idea a while ago to either put a few ice cubes in the water bottles in the dog's pack, or just chill the water before putting it in to help keep the dog cooler. 
I have a Chilly Dog vest now though so I'll probably just put the cool packs from it in Bianca's pack when it gets warmer.


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Chicagocanine said:


> I had the idea a while ago to either put a few ice cubes in the water bottles in the dog's pack, or just chill the water before putting it in to help keep the dog cooler.
> I have a Chilly Dog vest now though so I'll probably just put the cool packs from it in Bianca's pack when it gets warmer.


That's a great idea, to chill the water bottles. Thank you!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

We have a through the door cold water dispenser in our fridge, and I fill the bottles from there. Additionally, the bottle that I use for myself I keep anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 full in the freezer, so it's solid ice. I fill it up the rest of the way before we leave, and I can have cold water for a couple of hours as the ice melts. Keefer doesn't care, but I like my water cold, especially when it's in the 80's or higher.


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## pkhoury (Jun 4, 2011)

Not sure if anyone still reads this thread, but when Aero and I go backpacking, he carries about 10-15 pounds in his pack - my food, his food, and the backpacking stove and fuel (which are super light). Haven't had any problems with him yet, even with his hip dysplasia.


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