I think we can all agree that our best walks are with our dogs. My family likes to keep things interesting by giving our dogs, Luna and Betty 'jobs' to do while we walk together. One of the ways that we do this is by using a dog backpack.
Luna is still a little young, so she only gets an empty backpack for small periods of time, but when Betty gets a backpack to carry, that rear end (labrador) swagger increases 10 fold!
For us, making sure the dogs get a great daily workout is high on the agenda, so sometimes on shorter walks or on flatter walks with our small children we like to add a dog backpack to slightly increase the intensity of it, we find that a moderately-sized backpack fastened to a dog can be a great workout!
Before kids, Betty would have a backpack to carry her own treats and toys when we were going hiking and then camping overnight. This meant she was as exhausted as we were when reaching the campsite and was as ready to curl up in her sleeping bag and have a long rest!
It is said that carrying a weight supports muscle building in dogs, improving your dog's overall health, leading to a longer life. It has also been said that physical challenges also elevate the dopamine levels in your dog, resulting in a happier and wholesome pet. Win/win!
It helps that backpacks for dogs are versatile and very useful for both the dog and the walker. Most are designed with multiple features and pockets to make walks or hikes easy for all, with spaces to carry water, treats, dog poop bags, and even some first aid stuff for emergencies.
Buying a backpack for your dog is a great investment, and chances are it will stay with you for years. For daily walks we use our iEnergy MAL Dog Backpack, for hotter days or longer distances we chose the 2 in 1 iEnergy MAE Dog Backpack, with two integrated water bottles and removable saddle-pack leaving just a harness.
We use the iEnergy JUL Sleeping Bag and iEnergy BUR Resting Mat when camping with the dogs. Both are light weight to carry and provide a sense of home comfort and warmth when sleeping outdoors.
