Dog hiking guides
Gear, safety and trail rules for walking with your dog. Every guide links to the veterinary research, the injury data or the regulation it came from.
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Dog Hiking Gear: What You Actually Need (And What Can Wait)
Search for dog hiking gear and you will find forty-item lists costing hundreds of dollars. A dog needs six of them to start safely. This guide builds the kit in stages, so the things that matter come first.
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All gear guides
Leash safetyHands-Free Leashes: What the Injury Data Actually Suggests
The most common dog walking injury in US emergency rooms is a broken finger. A waist belt takes the hand out of the loop, and there is one feature you should not go without.
Harness fitY-Harness vs Chest Strap: What the Research Actually Says
Gait studies show how a strap lying across the shoulder shortens the stride on a climb. Which shape protects the joints over a long day.
Trail safetyBlaze Orange for Dogs: What Hunting Season Actually Needs
Why blaze orange beats neon yellow against autumn leaves, when the state seasons run, and what reflective material does in low light.
Night visibilityDog LED Lights vs Reflective: Which Works After Dark?
Reflective strips need someone else to shine a light. On an unlit trail there often is not one.
Emergency carryDog Rescue Slings: When They Help, And When They Don’t
A sling solves one problem well, a conscious dog that cannot walk. For a suspected spinal injury the advice is different.
By topic
Gear and equipment
How a harness should sit, hands-free leashes, coats, paw boots, and how much a dog can carry.
Safety and first aid
Water, heat exhaustion, carrying a dog out, snakes, and the plants worth knowing.
Trails and public lands
National Park pet rules under 36 CFR 2.15, National Forests, BLM land, and the peaks that allow dogs.
Training and etiquette
Long lines, recall that holds, passing horses and loose dogs, and packing out what you bring in.
