If you love spending time outdoors then the idea of having a dog as your loyaladventure buddy is a no brainer right? Surely it’s every dogs’ dream to run wild and free in the backcountry with their master at their side? Well, yes. Most dogs probably would love that more than anything in the world. But the reality of having your hound just hop on board your adventures is not as straightforward as all that.

Firstly, your puppy won’t be able to take on any serious distances until it’s fully grown. So you’ll have to wait very patiently for at least a year until you can even start training for hiking adventures. But at least that gives you plenty of time to do your research on the best trails for dogs and gather all the gear you’ll need.

And once you’ve gone through the motions of building up the strength and fitness of your fully grown dog, getting out on your first proper big adventure together will be so worth the time and effort.

To help get you and your hiking hound truly trail ready, take a look at Cool of the Wild’s ‘backpacking with your dogs’ infographic:

Backpacking with your dog