.com Forum · Real Show Dogs

I am hoping someone uses a backpack for their dog.

I have an 8 year old hound who doesn't look or act 8 so I'm wanting to get back into using a pack for walks, just to keep him toned and less bored throughout the day.

My question is what percent of body weight did you start at? I have found so many different opinions online, I'd like input from this community.

I'm not sure I've found much on starting weight- it's more on final/max weight.

You generally want to start with an empty back to let them get used to it. Then start at a low weight and gradually work up to whatever final weight you decide on. Generally max weight seems to be about 20% of the dog's weight I think.

That's what I found for max weight too ... Weird to think he could carry up to 14 pounds.

He's good with the pack, I guess I'll try three pounds and adjust from there. Thank you

People should carry around 20% of their body weight when backpacking, so it would make sense that it would be about the same for dogs.

One thing to note though with dog packs (as I'm sure you've already guessed) is that you need to have the about the same amount of weight on each side pocket to keep the pack on the dog straight (since they don't have withers like horses and mules.)

Perfect, thank you!

Yeah, I try to keep things really balanced for them. We are at 3 pounds and 1 pound and they are getting good workouts.

Extra Water bottles are good for helping to balance your pack. Adjust amount pf water as necessary. Pirate (15lb chihuahua) carries a 3ish lb pack. I started with just the empty pack and added items one or two at a time until he got used to the weight. If you are interested, here's whats in his pack.

Small First Aid kit
Tiny flashlight w/ built in compass and whistle
Waterproof matches
A copy of my ID in case we get separated
Pocket knife
Spare leash and collar
Collapsible bowl
Water bottle(s)
Poop bags
Letterboxing stamp and logbook
A few treats

Tank, my 72 pound dog with mild hip dysplacia carries one pound of rice, each pocket contains a sandwich bag of 1/2 pound of rice. I don't want to stress his joints, so he probably won't ever have more than 1 pound. He is quite proud of himself.

Calvin, my 68-70 pound hound is currently carrying 3 pounds of water, 1.5 pounds in each pocket and six poop bags, three on each side.

Tank originally wasn't going to get a backpack, but on our first tester walk, Calvin decided to rub against a brick building and caused a small hole in the pocket. We couldn't take it back and it isn't big enough for me to justify fixing, so Tank is rocking that pack. And MAN is he proud of his pack! Tank has a big chest and is between sizes, so his chest strap fits weird, but doesn't bother him at all. His is a Kurgo pack.

Calvin has been my real reason for a pack. I really wanted a Ruffwear, but we oddly couldn't find one anywhere and REI and Cabela's were expensive and I couldn't justify asking my grandma to spend $120 plus for a pack that is just a casual pack and will never be out in trails and what not. So the Kurgo pack was our first and I couldn't get it to fit Calvin properly and he was very unhappy with it, so we got an Outward Hound pack and he gets so excited and dances around when he sees it, after just four days.

It's crazy to me to think Calvin could work up to 13.5 pounds some day!