There are lots of great reasons to bring a dog with you, and also reasons not to. Lets look at the pros and the cons:
PROS:
Great Security System: Sleep soundly everywhere knowing nothing can sneak up on you
Protection: Feel secure in many more situations, knowing someones got your back
Pack extra stuff: A dog can pack up to 20% of its body weight
Companionship: A loyal companion that will follow you anywhere
Hitchiking: The people who pick you and a dog up tend to be incredibly cool/crazy
Trainhopping: They wont chase after you-unless its a cop. Dont run from cops, everyone else is fair game no matter what they say.
CONS:
Dog food: You have to carry it, and it costs money
Hitchiking: Will SEVERELY reduce the amount of people who will pick you up
Friends: Slightly more difficult to find houses to crash at
High energy can be annoying sometimes
I love having my dog, Laika, with me, but sometimes I do miss the days of leatherfooting it without her- you really are totally free to do anything. Should you choose to bring a dog, here is additional gear you should bring:
- Dog food
- Dog backpack
- Flea/parasite medication (an absolute must)
- A portable food/water dish
- A leash that can attach to your belt/pack
The backpack is great, as it allows older dogs to carry most of their own food and, even some water for you. I recommend Ruff-Wear packs: they are clearly the best. Ive never had problems with hers, and the packs unhook leaving just harness, which is awesome if i need to pull her up a rock face with a rope or onto something high up. Note: Never use a backpack on a dog less than a year old, their bones are too soft.
Dog food: Get good stuff. Dry food. Preferably grain free. Modern dogs evolved on a diet of leftover scraps, and they will continue to do fine on scrounged food, so long as you avoid the wrong things. However, it is not healthy for them to subsits entirely on scraps, and since they will no doubt be consuming all kinds of grain leftovers (something dogs are not well adapted to eat), at least make their main food source a high quality, mostly meat food. My dog also loves roadkill. A dog coming from a diet of only one food should be eased into a diet of variety, their gastrointestinal system has to adjust.
Since you will be in all kinds of environments, your dog will pick up all sorts of critters. Count on them having fleas the second you fall behind on their medication. They are also exposed to much higher chance of lyme and heartworms, so its good to get them vaccinated for that too.
In the US, a service dog is allowed to go anywhere you go, at no extra charge. Airplanes, hotels, stores, anywhere. The federal requirements for a service dog are only that the dog is well behaved, and "does not cause a disturbance in public". Though you are required to have a "disability", it does not have to be confirmed by a doctor or anyone, and no one is allowed to ask you what disability you have. Register your dog for free at here, print out a dog tag with their registry number, and have an embroidery shop sew "SERVICE DOG" onto both sides of your dog pack. Please make sure your dog is incredibly well behaved, or you could ruin it for everyone.
In cold weather, dogs of all sizes can wear childrens clothing. Its actually pretty fun to go to the thrift shop and pick out some funny kids sweaters. Some kinds fit better than others, I suggest starting with pajamas so they are stretchy and can give you an idea as to what size your dog is.
ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH MONEY SAVED FOR A VISIT TO THE VET.
Seriously.
Dont be shitty. Traveling dogs especially need constant attention to avoid serious health problems, so get to know your dogs body, and any concerns that you need to keep an eye on.
So what kind of dog should you have, and how should you train it? This will be a great bonding experience for you and your best friend- its worth getting off to a good start.
What Breed?
Never give money to a breeder. With millions of dogs being put down every year, every time you buy a bred dog, you are basically killing a dog in a shelter. We dont need more dogs- there are plenty to choose from. Check craigslist first, and the shelters second.
I highly recommend you dont a get anything close to a pure bred- the centuries of inbreeding have led to debilitating problems that non-stop walking will only exacerbate. Breeds of dogs should only be used to do specific jobs- not as a status symbol. Your dog is not a new watch or shirt. It is a living thing, and you should select it for the only things that matter: health, temperament, and suitability to its job. In this case, that job is walking, packing weight, and interacting with the world. Dogs made of less fearful breeds are more likely to adjust well to the lifestyle, though most any dog will do fine if its gotten as a puppy. I recommend a dog at least 40 lb, but not over 130. Either of those extremes is an inefficient use of food and packing ability. Laika was supposed to be half-pitbull, half-rottweiler, but turned out to be half-pitbull. half-rhodesian ridgeback! She weighs about 60 pounds and is ideal for our purposes.
What Age?
Raising a puppy is hard work, and they cant pack any weight until they are a year old. However, raising a dog on the road gives you a worldly and intelligent dog. If you get a puppy, do not take them on long walks until they are at least 4 months old- their bones are too soft.
An older dog will have a harder time adjusting, but is a much more stable companion, less prone to running around like a total idiot. If you are adopting an older dog, It would help to get to know the dog and its history a bit, as such a strong change of environment might provoke some learned responses that are going to be very hard to train out.
Getting a year-ish old dog is a nice compromise, though be prepared to deal with doggy adolescence.
How Should I train them?
Most of the time, your dog will walk next to you, tied to your belt or backpack. Since you will be walking on different sides of the road, its important the dog know how to quickly switch over sides. Heres the biggest secret to getting a smart dog when youre traveling together: talk to them constantly. They will begin to associate words and sounds with concepts. So even if it seems silly, carefully tell your dog exactly what you want it to do.
"Go over there"
"stop, wait for me"
"ok, you can come in"
Doing this will make the dog especially attuned to vocal commands, and they will become one of those dogs that intuitively gets what you want them to do, even in a new situation. Dont worry when they dont understand, just treat them like a really stupid friend. Try to use the same words when talking about the same topics. Dont get mad, make sure your voice remains happy- they should associate you asking them to do stuff with happy feelings, not fear.
Go read some books on dog training. Seriously- its not as intuitive as you think. I am a strong advocate of positive training, and clickers. If you dont know what these are, you have not read anywhere close to enough.
Here are some specific commands ive found useful for traveling (beyond basic "sit" and "stay"):
"Come" The single most important command you can teach a road dog. they should do it flawlessly, in any situation
"Jump" To jump up onto or over something, like a train or a platform.
"Pull" Only do this with a harness, but its really nice going uphill to have your dog help you up.
"Chill" More than just 'down', this means "relax right here, where im pointing"
"Get mean" Really useful if you count on your dog for protection- means "growl". Training a dog to attack is hella sketchy, and not a good idea. Getting a dog to growl and look mean is all you really need to deter people from messing with you. I like to use the bitch-slap hand signal for this one.
"Gaurd" If you tie your dog to something, like your pack or your camp, it should gaurd it. By gaurd, I just mean "bark intensely at anyone who comes near." I think its better to use a dog as a deterrent and alarm than as a weapon- if it ever comes down to it, you can be assured that your dog will jump in and attack someone whos hurting you, no need to encourage violent behavior.
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