Taking your Yorkie Hiking?

[JadeD]

I live in the beautiful foothills of the mountains in NC. We have several places we can go hike at nearby. My family loves to hike. Our big dog would be great except he gets car sick going to the vet just up the road so we can't take him hiking as no one in the car wants to be thrown up on while driving there. My last dog would ride in the car all day and we took her hiking all the time.

Teek is only 7 lbs, but he loves the outdoors and he loves to go anywhere I do. I would absolutely love to take him hiking. I am willing to carry him for most/part of the way. I think he would keep up for a while. We go for mile long walks here and he does great, so even if he only hiked a small part of it that would be fun.

What is the best way to take him with me? I can put him on my arm, but on a 3 mile hike that might get a little awkward for me after a while.

I am looking for a sling? Carrier? Something I haven't thought of yet I suppose. I will also have a backpack already with water for all of us (including Teek) with a bowl and snacks.

I don't worry about other wild animals as he would be right with me and you have no idea what my husband is like. He would take down a bear before he let it near any of us with his hands if he had to.

[Wylie's Mom]

We used to take our Wylie - about 8 lbs hiking w/ us all the time - and he loved it! We never had to carry him or anything. But if we had, I probably would've gotten one of those Pak-o-Pet's or something...?

[Potter]

I used to bring my boy (a 10 pounder) for a hike when he was younger and usually carries him when he is tired but my arms do get very sore after a while. I would imagine some sling that will have him in front of you will be ideal since you can see him?

[Rachael1983]

I used to walk in the woods with my Troy all the time. I don't see a problem with it.

[JadeD]

I want to have a carrier so that when he gets tired he can rest. As I said he goes on mile walks with me almost daily. However, sometimes we hike 3+ miles and he is 9 years old and I don't want to have him getting too tired. I am willing to carry him, but if he is just on my arm like when we go to Lowe's his hair will be sticking to me because it gets hot here in the summer and we hike on all but the very hottest days of the year. I carry him around Lowe's for like an hour at a time and he doesn't get too heavy, but then we are walking leisurely and not hiking. I will need to consider how to keep him out of the direct sun in the carrier too, maybe throw a light colored blanket over the top of it (the sides would still be mesh and open)? Mostly though we are on at least partly shady trails when we hike, but not always.

Sometimes I can barely keep up with my family as I am the most out of shape on in the family, but I try really hard. Teek would at least have someone else struggling to keep up keeping him company. He will probably end up keeping up better than I do! LOL

[AngelFae]

I have a friend who takes her 4 pounders hiking and camping all of the time! She does have a carrier for them just in case they get pooped out, but they love it!

[shelbysmom]

I would "encourage" someone else to carry the other backpack with human necessities and get a doggie carrier backpack for yourself. We have the Casual Canine carrier. Casual Canine Ultimate Backpack Pet Carrier - Blue at BaxterBoo

I found front carriers dangerous on hikes, you need to see obstacles at your feet. A doggie back pack carrier and the use of trekking poles will make your day more fun

[JadeD]

Camping! We bought a pop up camper last summer and it needed repairs so we have yet to actually get to use it. The interior is in great condition! It is older and so we got it for next to nothing. The lift system however is broken and my husband is an engineer so he has been working on getting it working. He has had to custom build a couple parts for it, but he has it almost ready.

I have taken Teek into the camper a couple times and he loves it! I think he is going to love camping with us this summer and we will go on hikes while we are camping.

I can't wait until the camper is ready and the weather is warm enough to camp in.

I did order a front carrier, the kind he can sit or lay down in, not the kind like a baby where their feet go through holes. I don't think he would like that very much.

[Wylie's Mom]

Btw, Celltei bags have some awesome choices. Here is their Kangaroo Pouch on special - this looks perfect: Celltei Kangaroo Pouch Front Carrying Pet Carrier

And other options: The Best Pet Carrier Designs for Dogs and Cats's Made in USA by Celltei

Their bags are incredibly made!

[Britster]

I wouldn't put it past him to walk the full 3 miles! 3 miles really isn't that bad and if he walks 1 mile fine, I think 3 would be totally doable. I'm not in the best shape myself (like at all) and I can easily walk 3 miles at my own pace. I don't worry about Jackson at all, he's bigger though and has been pretty active all his life (although he hates the summer heat, so we typically won't walk that far when it's really hot). My friends 4lb and 6lbers all easily walk 4+ miles with us... I think they're about 5 and 7/8 years old.

[yavenay]

A backpack would be a good idea. My last yorkie Brandi was a senior and whenever she got tired she would just come to a complete stop. Then I would have to carry her for a little while and then she was ready to walk again.

However Brandi was not good for going on hikes, she would stop and smell every single blade of grass. Anything and everything caught her attention and it had to be investigated. It literally would take 20 minutes just to walk 100 ft

Now my current yorkie Dutch has so much energy that she can go on a 3 hour hike running the entire hike. I love it but now the roles have been reversed it is me that needs to be carried. I can't keep up with her. I love her youthful exuberance.

[JadeD]

He could probably walk 3 miles, it is the fact that we are hiking in the mountains that makes it so much more work. I was used to walking 3 miles a day so when my family wanted to go on a 1 mile hike I was all excited. Oh my gosh, I about died half way through. I had strangers offering me their dogs water because I was in such bad shape. I needed an inhaler, and I don't even use an inhaler. I got some water that was meant for the people's dog, but they assured me they had plenty. I managed to make it to the halfway point, which was up on top of a mountain. I sat on a rock while the family looked around and then I got up and said I was heading back down the mountain and that was much easier, and the fact that I knew we had a picnic lunch in the trunk was just the motivation I needed. LOL

That was several years ago. I started training to do 5K's last spring and ran 3 last fall. I have a 5K this weekend. I won't begin to say I am in great shape, but I do so much better on a hike than I did when we went on that first one about 5 years ago! LOL Last summer we went to Gatlinburg, TN and I was able to really keep up pretty good with my family while hiking out there. There was even a stretch where we ended up in the middle of this huge family of like 20 people and they were so loud and drove us crazy and so my son and I took off jogging up the path a ways to get out of being in the middle of them. It was awesome to be able to jog with my almost 14 year old for about 1/4 mile like that.

I just worry that Teek will get tired because the terrain is much harder and it is mostly uphill the first half. He is 9 and when I got him he could barely make it up our block and back. This is 9 weeks later and we walk a mile almost every night so he is making progress. If he makes it the whole way great! We also have miles of walking trails in our town and I love to go walk like 5-6 miles just for the fun of it, so the pack will be good to have in case he gets tired. We will be taking the puppy with us this summer as well so we can have a pack and even if they take turns walking and being carried it would still be handy to have.

[MarkFromSea]

A 7 pound dog of moderate to good health should be able to run circles around you on just a 3 mile hike. I mean that in a good way. Your dog can do way more than you give him/her credit for. I've got an old boy, 4 1/2 pound, declining health, he lets me know when he tires, I carry him for about 5-10 minutes until he recharges, set him down and he's good to go for the next mile or two. A healthy dog of 7 pounds shouldn't need to be carried except when rare circumstances require it, too many people nearby, other dogs nearby.

[gemy]

You are doing the right thing. Building up both of your endurance. But I will say hikes need to be designed for the weakest member of the pack...


Razzle 6lber goes on 6 hr hikes with us = but not yet in really mountainous terrain... and that is different. I too urge a backpack carrier and not a frontal one. Remember going downhill on steep rutted and narrow terrain is very very difficult.


For that type of terrain with our biggies we walk single file with large gaps between us in case one of use gets into trouble. WE also carry an emergency first aid kit along with a travois or stretcher should one of us or our dogs get injured - along with the instant cold packs and tensor bandages. I don't know how remote you will be going but that is a minimum if you are 5 miles into no=where.


Enjoy your hikes and your prep for them.

[JadeD]

I just want to be prepared and if he makes it the whole trip great. He is in good health, but he is 9. He is not a very active dog although he has become more active than when I first got him. The farthest we have been away from the car is 2-3 miles of trail. My husband or kids could run to the car in that distance in no time.

We will have some basic supplies that we keep in our hiking pack that my husband carries.

I think the pack will be good as will also have the puppy and that way one of them can be resting if they are tired. I think it will be a great thing.

I hope Teek runs circles around me! I don't think he ever went anywhere in his past life and he rarely runs in the house even when we are playing. I have seen him run a couple times and I encourage it because I want him to be more active.