Hammock Hiking with Dog--sleep arrangements

**Tonks** · 11-23-2013, 19:44

I have one dog that sleeps inside the hammock. The second dog, the larger one, sleeps beneath the hammock. I made a really light envelope type ground pad of tyvek. It is my doormat and serves as the dogs' bed. If it is cold, I stuff it with leaves and things. It was easy to make and Grendal, the dog, loves it. During the fall it is cold here in NH, often freezing and below at night. During this time I carry an accordion folded price of reflectex. I joined two peices together to make it a bit wider and I put this inside the envelope. Before the reflectex the ground thawed beneath G. After, the ground was still frozen. The one thing I would say is to be sure to wash the tyvek or the noise will drive you crazy.

**fishbait** · 11-26-2013, 15:56

I'm still worried about my Assuie hammock camping with me. He did great in a tent. But who ever said that a dog should be tired at the end of the day really needs have a talk with my dog. After 15 miles and 20% of his body weight in his doggie pack, the pup was a ball of energy when we made camp. He finally fell asleep around 10 pm and was up before the sun.
My other concern is the fact that he loves to chew nylon straps. I'm on my third leash and harness setup with him. I'm afraid he'd chew through a harness if I put one on him at night. My other concern is his need to herd. If he sees any movement, he goes into alert mode and wants to start herding critters.

**Fronkey** · 11-26-2013, 16:58

Originally Posted by fishbait

I'm still worried about my Assuie hammock camping with me. He did great in a tent. But who ever said that a dog should be tired at the end of the day really needs have a talk with my dog. After 15 miles and 20% of his body weight in his doggie pack, the pup was a ball of energy when we made camp. He finally fell asleep around 10 pm and was up before the sun.
My other concern is the fact that he loves to chew nylon straps. I'm on my third leash and harness setup with him. I'm afraid he'd chew through a harness if I put one on him at night. My other concern is his need to herd. If he sees any movement, he goes into alert mode and wants to start herding critters.

Use some amsteel to tie your dog up instead of the nylon straps and he wont' be able to do that. I do this with my dog.

Tala also LOVES to chase stuff and it's just one of those things you have to deal with. Your dog was bred to herd and mine to pull and hunt. You can't change instinct.

Fronkey

**fishbait** · 12-01-2013, 23:47

Originally Posted by Fronkey

Use some amsteel to tie your dog up instead of the nylon straps and he wont' be able to do that. I do this with my dog.

Tala also LOVES to chase stuff and it's just one of those things you have to deal with. Your dog was bred to herd and mine to pull and hunt. You can't change instinct.

Fronkey

I'll give the Amsteel a shot, the pup seems to leave it alone when I have some on my desk.

**bungie** · 12-02-2013, 04:07

I see a few of you guys mention the dog carrying it's own packs, you have any pic's ?

**Fronkey** · 12-02-2013, 22:38

Originally Posted by bungie

I see a few of you guys mention the dog carrying it's own packs, you have any pic's ?

Here's one.

Fronkey

**G Maurice** · 12-02-2013, 23:09

Originally Posted by bungie

I see a few of you guys mention the dog carrying it's own packs, you have any pic's ?

Here is Roscoe with his pack.

**fishbait** · 12-03-2013, 00:31

The attached photo is Chewie packing his garbage out. He carried his own food and water in and carried the empty bags and water bottles out. The total weight of the full dog pack was 5lbs. The pup also carried a 25' cable leash that I attached to a tree when we made camp.

**sdf** · 12-05-2013, 02:53

Where should the pack be secured on the dog's back? I see most people put it closer to the shoulders.

**TheQ** · 12-05-2013, 11:05

Yup, forward across the shoulders.
Keep it relatively light, canines aren't load bearers, and try to find a fairly sleek pack. They can adjust to the bulk, but if it sticks out too far, it'll snag on everything.

Also, the "watch me" command works wonders.
Dogs are like a smart missile. They lock before they launch. If you interrupt the lock, you can stop the launch

Just need a bag of SMALL treats. On a regular walk, say "watch me" wave the treat in front of their nose and get them to look at you before the reward. Eventually, they'll look you in the eye every time they hear the command.

My boy is 110 & tall... Given more than one person the bear-scare here in so cal. He's malamute/shepherd and if I didn't break his concentration, he uses to go into the full belly crawl stalk.