Ten Tips for Overlanding With Your Dog

We all love hitting the road and heading off towards the next adventure, and many of us do it with our trusty canine companion riding shotgun.

Having spent the past 3 years dragging my pup along with me on almost every trip, I’ve learned a few things and have made a ton of mistakes along the way. So stop leaving your best friend at home and start overlanding with your dog.

10. Pack an extra leash/dog bowl/ball

Leashes break, dog bowls get left behind, and you’ll lose balls faster than the Washington Redskins offense. Since we pack 15 pairs of underwear and tons of unnecessary extra gear for ourselves, we should at least pack a few extra basics for the dog.

9. Give them plenty of water

My wife told me I needed to get a plant first before I got a dog to prove I could take care of a living thing. I always thought this was complete bull because a dog will tell you when they are hungry or thirsty, a plant is like a woman, it won’t until it’s too late. Moral of the story, keep your pup hydrated.

8. Make them comfortable in the truck

Now is not the time to pull a Mitt Romney even though your roof rack is a perfect place to bolt down a dog crate. While your dog might be pretty patient and understanding when they are crammed into a tight spot for a short ride, they probably won’t feel the same way for an 8 hour haul. I keep a seat folded in the rear with her dog bed on top so she’s got plenty of space to stretch out and a window to plot her escape.

7. High visibility vests/lights are a must

Off-road driving is inherently dangerous and a brown dog has a tendency to blend into the surroundings. Making sure they wear a blaze orange or other high visibility item is a must for me, especially around hunting season. That way you can’t miss them wandering around camp, and they’re always easy to spot.

6. Learn some basic dog first aid

We all get hurt, whether it’s our own damn fault, or it’s a freak accident, it happens. The same thing applies to your dog, if you think your dog will never get hurt while out in the woods on a trip, I’ve got a reliable Land Rover that doesn’t burn oil you can buy in my garage. Our dog Coco managed to rip off a dew claw on on trip, and while we couldn’t do much, we had enough knowledge to wrap it up and get her to the vet. You don’t need to be able to perform open heart surgery, but learning some basics about veterinary first aid will pay dividends in the long run.

5. Bring their bed/blanket

If you’re dog is as tough of a mountain man as you are and is happy to sleep in the dirt, all the power to you. Mine is like me, she prefers a comfortable ground pad with a plush sleeping bag. For a lot of dogs camping is a new experience and having something familiar will go a long way for them. Luckily for me, our dog will sleep anywhere, there just has to be a bed involved.

4. Keep them on a leash

Don’t be the asshole that lets your dog run around off leash. It’s one thing to do it when you’re in the middle of the woods around your camp site, it’s another when you’re at an event and your dog becomes the equivalent of the drunk girl looking for her friends. It’s cool initially but we have to remember some people suck and genuinely don’t like dogs.

3. Plan ahead for parks/hotels/attractions

Part of traveling with your dog is planning ahead, my wife and I make sure to pick out dog friendly accommodations and make sure the sites we’re traveling to allow dogs. Numerous National and State parks ban dogs on certain trails, camp grounds, or the entire park in general. So do a little homework and don’t end up ever having to worry about tip #2.

2. Don’t leave them in the heat

Like everything else in life, context is key. It’s okay to leave your dog in the car with the windows down on a mild day, but if it’s 90 degrees outside and you leave the windows up, I will someone should punch you in the face, repeatedly. Plan ahead, if you end up getting to your destination and they don’t allow dogs, it’s your own dumb ass fault for not doing your homework.

1. Try to bring them on every trip

You don’t need to leave your dog in the kennel or with the in-laws (thanks Rick and Mary) all the time, and it’s really easier to travel with them then you think. Then again this is the same guy that drove from Chicago to Denver to attend a wedding just so I wouldn’t have to board my pup (in all fairness, the cost of the car and gas was less than a week of boarding). So pack up your pup and bring them along on your next adventure.