# BOB For Dog?



## FireBird (Sep 28, 2011)

When i think BOB i think about something that more or less lives in my car in case of an away from home emergency. I was just reading a artical about preping for your animals. Which in turn got me to thinking about a Bug Out Bag(BOB) for a dog. What should be in it? A canine first aid kit, colapsable water bowl, extra water purifying tablets, Treats/jerky xtra collar and leash besides the ones you have, . . . ect? And how could you do it so the dog could carry it (since i personally will be carrying my own bag plus that of my daughter)? I was thinking something along the lines of a modified service animal vest.

What do you guys think? Have any alterations?


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Well, depends some on the dog, but definitely a water bowl, high calorie dog treats, and a few lightweight extras fed u n ur daughter. I don't know that dogs need thier water purified the way people do. Oh and dog shoes. 

Nothing substitutes for training, so make sure to take the pooch on hikes carrying the load.


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

i have a couple of these and then a proper pull harness so my dog can pull me if needed









i'd personally only go with the ruff wear or mountain smith brands as they have the best harness systems, when looking at a dog pack make sure the webbing is wide and flat as well as a large area chest web/plate/pad, these things help disperse the weight across your dog as well as balance the load on them better.

personally i make my dog carry alot of my gear and in a BO situation he's carrying his share and a bit of mine, dogs are scavengers by nature so they will eat anything if hungry enough, so why make them carry dog food? make them carry food you can use as well if needed....in a BO situation he's not really carrying all that much for himself, mostly my extras, like extra food,water and that's basically it, you don't want him carrying anything you can't live without, but to have him carrying his chew toy is kind of useless....

so with all of that said, yes a BOB for the dog is a great idea, it's extra supplies and extra storage.

the bags are also awesome for everyday use as well though, on day hikes (you should never really take your buddy with you on long deep hikes, domesticated animals attract all sorts of wildlife when you get deep )
i make him carry a small water bowl,water,food,poop bags, and a small radio/boom box thing for entertainment, i would say he can pack around 30lbs quite comfortably, but it does take some time to get them used to it, and build the weight up don;t just go starting out with 50lbs, and your mutt should also be at least 1.5 years old, any younger and they can develop back and hip problems pretty easily as they aren't done developing quite yet.

i've trained my dog to haul, it's what he was breed for and what he loves, in the winter with a sled he's pulling around 300lbs up hill, pretty dang good for a mutt imo, i'm working with him to get him to be able to pull with a buddy so we can double the weight at least and maybe rig up some sort of cart for dry land and summer use....we'll see though...


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## FireBird (Sep 28, 2011)

Where can i find a harness/pack like that? And can they be one in the same?


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## Wester5491 (Jun 15, 2012)

FireBird said:


> Where can i find a harness/pack like that? And can they be one in the same?


I bought the same exact pack off of eBay for around 50 bucks. Took a little bit to get my golden retriever/German Shepard to wear it well, but good investment all in all, my boy is able to carry his own food and gear all by himself.


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## FireBird (Sep 28, 2011)

Ok great. Thanks!


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

Wester5491 said:


> I bought the same exact pack off of eBay for around 50 bucks. Took a little bit to get my golden retriever/German Shepard to wear it well, but good investment all in all, my boy is able to carry his own food and gear all by himself.


haha, sorry about that i lost track of this thread yesterday! yeah what he said, also check the sled dog forums for some training tips and info on how to fit these guys properly.

also if you want to go down the hualing route there's a few companies that make dry-sleds that i've been eye balling for a shtf case, could be a good way of getting about.. 
http://www.arctis-carts.com/

















currently my dog's really only trained for skijoring and hauling on a lead but plan to build up into proper sledding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skijoring


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## FireBird (Sep 28, 2011)

I dont know if ill ever be able to get a pulling dog, would love a burmise mtn dog. Right now im trying for a lab gotta be able to feed it dont ya know.


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

FireBird said:


> I dont know if ill ever be able to get a pulling dog, would love a burmise mtn dog. Right now im trying for a lab gotta be able to feed it dont ya know.


haha, actually alot of sled dogs are actually muts and people use labs all of the time....





give this a read
http://dogblog.ruffwear.net/2011/12/20/interview-with-a-beginning-skijorer/

my dog is a malamute and golden retriever mix, mostly the later , basically just has the malamute markings and personality but is the same size as a Goldie, the native americas actually used dog's half the size of a golden retriever and would make sleds for them for crossing the desert.

























these are called travios' and have been used since the dawn of man, just something to consider and is the next step in making them a proper hauler if your interested in that... i just love it as some of my climbing gear can easily way 50lbs by it's self and then i have my standard gear on top of that and trying to get to some cliff face for frozen water fall 10 miles back isn't easy, my dog has reduced the amount of weight i have to carry greatly...i just don't think most people see their dogs as working animals when the truth is most breeds were made for a working purpose one way or another, 'cept the stupid toy breeds....anyways, just something to think about.

the dog backpack is a nice addition, remember to add weight slowly, some dogs freak out if you throw the pack on them and then load it up and others are fine, it's best to build up just in case as it may be harder next time if they have a bad experience the first time.


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## FireBird (Sep 28, 2011)

Ration-AL said:


> i just don't think most people see their dogs as working animals when the truth is most breeds were made for a working purpose one way or another, 'cept the stupid toy breeds....


 Finally somebody to agree with! i am one that prefeers larger breeds and most that i only consider large are defined as x-tra large. Any tips on how to go about teaching him/them how to carry and pull?


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## catdog6949 (Apr 25, 2012)

*BOB for your bestfriend!*

About 2 Yr.'s ago me and my dog, hiked the Florida Trail and then hitchhiked up to the beginning of the Applachain trail. After getting there we hiked the trail all the way to its halfway point, all the while my dog carried all his own food, water, bowls for up too 2 weeks supply at a time!

Several times people I met at the shelters along the trail, told me he didn't really want too carry his "dog-pack" and that I was a creul person, too counter this in the mornings when I had my pack and his ready too go I would put his pack on the bench and he would run up and push on it with his nose, wait for me too put the pack on him!

They would be amazed at this, what food didn't fit into his pack, I would carry in mine, and of course, I would feed that too him first.

His pack consisted of:
Water bowl
Foodbowl
Water purification pills(when needed)
Dry dog food
Treats etc.

Cat


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

FireBird said:


> Finally somebody to agree with! i am one that prefeers larger breeds and most that i only consider large are defined as x-tra large. Any tips on how to go about teaching him/them how to carry and pull?


yeah it's easy, just put the harness on him get some sort of sled made up, load it up and take him for a walk, with the travios type system you simply just lead your dog and call him along the way , it basically just like taking them for a walk , you lead them where you want to go.

if you looking into the skijoring or what not to use him to pull you , it's best to have a friend or family member stand a good distance away and call him with you and the sled attached, after a while he'll learn what you want him todo and they'll do it, in the dogs mind when they are pulling you it's a race , they are trying to beat you in the race, but like a carrot on the stick they're never going to get away from you to "win", i think you'll be surprised at how easy it is to train them to do this, the main thing is just to keep the weight low at first and practice, practice, practice, after a while the dog will know to stay on the trail/path or what have you and will just go until you tell them otherwise...

main thing though start with low weight, you want it to be fun for them the first few times around ,don't want them balking at the weight, and ultimately you want them to build up to it, they have to get into shape as well!
also make sure you don't start training them like this with a normal leash, you must use a harness and show the dog the harness, you want them to recognize the difference between their backpack/hauling gear and a normal dog leash, otherwise you'll get your arm ripped off every time you take fido for a walk.


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

catdog6949 said:


> Several times people I met at the shelters along the trail, told me he didn't really want too carry his "dog-pack" and that I was a creul person, too counter this in the mornings when I had my pack and his ready too go I would put his pack on the bench and he would run up and push on it with his nose, wait for me too put the pack on him!


wussies, lol, i would have asked them if they speak dog and if so could they ask my dog why he only suckles on his toys, that's weird..:scratch:

trust me i deal with people like this all of the time it's the PNW culture here to be a little girl about everything, i agree with alot of it but like political correctness it's just gone over board and annoys me now, people have just gotten stupid about certain things and there's nothing you can do, I love my dog just as much as any of those wussies little wanna-be outdoors people ever could, but just because i use my dog for what he was breed for doesn't mean i love him any less, he even sleeps between me and my wife every night lol!! Besides just like people, dogs are happiest when they are fit,healthy and have purpose ....i suppose they would rather me just slowly kill my dog with treats and lethargy then? dolts...where was their mutt?

i'm sorry but these types really get under my skin, freaking morons with morals above their intellect, how can you judge something you don't understand you freaking idiot, how about you see what's what before you take some superior tone and moral high ground on something you don't understand.....gggrrr wussies....


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Ration-AL said:


> i have a couple of these and then a proper pull harness so my dog can pull me if needed


 I've got a couple of similar ones we got at petsmart. Keep a small pet first aid kit, couple days food/water, a space blanket, meds, and a toy in each,


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