First camping trip without dogs planned.

Kind of relieved
Kind of nervous

Relieved
- don't have to haul their food in
- worry about them wandering out of camp
- worry about them tipping the canoe while fishing
- With hammock camping - we don't have to worry about where the dogs will go.
- we are heading into serious wolf territory - I just couldn't bring myself to bring in my JRT who would be a snack for them, or my GSP who would lay down at just get attacked...

Nervous
- they're always a good alarm if something comes to camp
-warms me up in my sleeping bag - HA!

Do you trip with or without your pets? If you've always tripped with your pets, how was the transition when you finally tripped without them?

Always without the dogs, i dont like traveling with pets anywhere especially the bw, to much bother for me. To ech their own but it is not for me.

Somewhat similar to john800 - when the dog died we didn't get another one because we didn't want one to take care of since we had to assume some additional responsibilities. We needed the ability to leave without taking a dog and without having to find a kennel. It's a lot simpler.

I've taken my dog on solo trips two times and this Sept. would be the third. I've gone back and forth whether to bring her this time. Currently I'm not bringing her.

My reason is that I need to travel light for where I'm going and I kind of want to do a true solo again and not have to worry about anything happening to her. I will miss her companionship greatly and especially on the 12 hour drive to and back.

My wife doesn't like that I take her also and misses her also when I do so that's my decision for this year.

No dogs, ever. I would never take one because they can be nuisance to other paddlers especially if they bark or like to run up to people. So, best left at home.

Never have gone on any kind of trip anywhere with a pet, so can't really relate. We have always enjoyed the freedom of leaving our animals at home.

We did travel with companions who had a dog along a couple of times and enjoyed our experiences, but had no responsibilities for the animals at all. And it didn't change our minds about our personal preferences.

I alway bring my dog. She's a 5 year old coonhound/retriever/mutt mix, about 40 lbs. Perfect size/weight/build for rigorous trips! I leash her on any portage that we might run into people on, even though she stays close by my side while portaging.

Considerations:

- No need to pay for a pet sitter or kennel, or impose on friend or family to watch her.
- We consider her part of our family and would feel terrible leaving her behind as she probably enjoys the trips more than I do.
- She carries her own food and some additional odds and ends while portaging, though hooking up her pack is annoying when I just want to get trudging
- She is pretty good in the canoe. We have passed within 25' of moose, wolves, beavers, etc and she handles it fine. We were however stuck behind a swan couple that drove her mad. We could not go around them as they kept loudly fluttering ahead of us when we were snaking up LIS.
- She keeps my solo tent warm on cold nights!
- She rarely barks out there. Mostly when we pass by another dog either on trail or boat.

The only things that would make me leave her would be if she became too old or fragile to hack it, or if wife stayed home and wanted company.

Since my first trip 15 years ago (pre-dog) I have always dreamed of having the perfect tripping companion dog that I could bring every time with minimal worries. She has managed grueling portages, torrential downpours on open water, tripping with kids on their first trips, and many other great experiences.

I take my golden retriever (54lbs) almost every time I go as long as there is room. She's extremely well trained, not a barker, stays close to me and is better company than most people. With that said, the BWCA is no place for a dog that isn't well trained.

+1

I never tripped with my dogs (now down to one; a 13 year-old German shepherd). I like the idea, but I never wanted to deal with the extra work that I assumed would go along with having a dog with me.

quote Frenchy19: "I never tripped with my dogs (now down to one; a 13 year-old German shepherd). I like the idea, but I never wanted to deal with the extra work that I assumed would go along with having a dog with me."

I was pretty nervous ahead of time, but rolled the dice and brought my 95lb, 4 y/o golden retriever on a solo trip last spring without any prior experience in a canoe. It went so well that he's come along both my other trips since that time. Adds a ton of entertainment and enjoyment to the trip with very little hassle (the only thing I can think of is being sure he doesn't lay against one side of the canoe vs the other due to his weight). Plus he makes every scene look like a Norman Rockwell painting.

quote StreetDreams56: "

quote Frenchy19: "I never tripped with my dogs (now down to one; a 13 year-old German shepherd). I like the idea, but I never wanted to deal with the extra work that I assumed would go along with having a dog with me."

I was pretty nervous ahead of time, but rolled the dice and brought my 95lb, 4 y/o golden retriever on a solo trip last spring without any prior experience in a canoe. It went so well that he's come along both my other trips since that time. Adds a ton of entertainment and enjoyment to the trip with very little hassle (the only thing I can think of is being sure he doesn't lay against one side of the canoe vs the other due to his weight). Plus he makes every scene look like a Norman Rockwell painting. "

Great pics and great looking dog. I am of the belief that the temperament of a golden makes them the ideal dog to bring with on a BWCA type trip. Here are a couple pics from Fin's first BWCA trip.

The right dog is a must. I have had three dogs I have brought I over the years. All were good. But the black lab being black on sunny days was always hot so only a couple short trips with her. The other two were naturals out there. Being quiet, able to carry own food, and very obedient was my requirement. I don't ever regret bringing them. There are some people I do regret bringing. Haha!
That said, I enjoy being alone too. We adapt... You can enjoy without...

I recall on a site on Ogish I could hear a guy on another site where all I heard was "bad dog" constantly all evening. All I could think is... no dog could be that bad. Bernice would look at me like, "we should go have a chat with that person". Dogs are like people, building them up produces much better results than tearing them down. You need to be firm and consistent.