First Hike with Dog: Tips for Success

First time hiking with a dog 🐕⁠ ⁠ I've said this before and I'll say it again, we use to be bad pet parents. We never took our dog anywhere when we lived in our house. Since we started traveling there have been ample opportunities to change our ways.⁠ ⁠ Diesel joined us on his first hike at Devils Den State Park. The hike was 1.5 miles round trip with a few hundred in feet in elevation. We were nervous at first but settled in quickly. ⁠ Here are a few tips to ensure hiking with your pup is successful:⁠ 🐾 Verify dogs are allowed on the trails (most National Parks do not allow dogs, make sure to research in advance)⁠ 🐾 Bring enough water and a collapsible bowl (we only had our CamelPak and Diesel tried to lick the water while it was coming out of the mouth piece 🤢)⁠ 🐾 If your dog is not use to hiking, use a harness for better control and keep them on a leash at all times⁠ 🐾 Research the distance, elevation change, and terrain - build up to longer distances⁠ ⁠ It was a short hike and Diesel did great, of course. We plan to bring him again and build up to longer distances. ⁠ ⁠ ❓ Do you hike with your dog? What advice to you have for us newbies?⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Follow along 👉@exploringoutsidthe303⁠ ⁠ ⁠