I'm taking my 2 year old female Border Collie on her firs canoe trip in Sept. We'll be in Quetico and I was just looking for any last minute tips about things like foot protection (booties?), 1st aid, the sun beating down in the boat, and any other issues that I don't know about.

She listens extremely well, does NOT chase wildlife, loves people, and has been really still in the canoe on the rides we've done in the forest preserve lakes. She'll be in the tent with me but does not like thunder at all. I'm concerned how she will do if we get a bad storm in the night. Any thoughts?

I also got her a small floating frizbee to hopefully throw into the lake for her.

I wouldn't worry about bootties, your dogs paws should be plenty tough enough to handle any portage trails you'll encounter.

For first aid there are a few things I plan for with my dog. I take benedryl for my dog since he's got a short coat and the black flies love biting him. The benedryl helps the irritation of the bite. Its the same benedryl we would take, 1 tablet in the evening is what I give him.

If your dog is prone to eating things she shouldn't you may consider taking a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, it can be given to the dog to make her throw up whatever she ate. It can also be used to clean cuts so it does double duty.

I also take an assortment of bandages and neosporin but you'll already have that in your personal first aid kit.

You may also want to bring some sort of brush since your dog has longer hair. Just in case she runs through a patch of burrs or something else that gets stuck in her coat. It would be nice to get it out before it gets to tangled.

Other things that are a good idea is to make sure the dog is up to date on all vaccinations (consider lyme and giardia) and that its up to date on its flea and tick treatment. Also its a good idea to make sure the dogs nails are trimmed. If they get long they can snag and break which can be a pain to deal with.

While in the boat if the sun is an issue you can try laying a jacket out to give some shade. My guess is that it won't be an issue in Sept, the bottom of the canoe will also be cooled by the water so that should help keep her cool.

Not sure what to do about thunder. My dog has no issues with thunder or loud noises so I don't have to deal with it. I'd suggest bringing her into the tent when you see weather moving in. Maybe wrap her up in a sleeping bag to make her feel protected. Other than that she'll just have to ride it out.

Other than that sounds like you got things covered. You've already taken her out and got her introduced to the canoe, thats the biggest thing. Sounds like she also listens well and should be a good trip partner.

i have a chihuahua that starts shivering when a thunderstorm in within 50 miles. i have a thunder jacket for her that is worth every penny. i highly recommend it for nervous dogs.

if you exercise your dog enough booties should not be necessary, the sun in sept has begun to loose it's power. people first aid should be good enough for a dog. just bring dog food and you should be good.

you didn't mention. can your dog swim? some people use dog life vests. it could be important gear if you are unsure of your dogs abilities. mine swims and i have a hard time keeping him out of the water.

quote jwartman59: you didn't mention. can your dog swim? some people use dog life vests. it could be important gear if you are unsure of your dogs abilities. mine swims and i have a hard time keeping him out of the water.

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She hasn't gone in completly but only up to her belly. She goes in willingly though and I do have a new fotation vest that she will wear in the canoe. I hope to get her to swim with me. My previous Border Collie loved to swim and fetch things.

Good idea about the brush. Yes, I think I will have to use it everyday up there. Also, we bought her a thundershirt over the 4th of July and it didn't make a difference. I think being in a 2 man tent with her will make her feel secure but I also know it's not a good idea to comfort dogs who are afraid. My vet says to ignore it and to praise her when she's not afraid.

I think your dog will do great! Fortunately there are fewer thunderstorms in September, so maybe you won't have any, but it's still possible. Piwi isn't bothered by thunder, so I don't have specific advice, but I do have a comment about your vet's advice concerning comforting dogs that are afraid. My sense is that telling a dog "it's okay" or similar words that the dog has learned to mean that you APPROVE of what the dog is doing is counterproductive, and I agree with your vet to that extent. But it seems to me that you can try to calm you dog down in other ways, not just ignore her. When Piwi gets really agitated, I make her sit, then soothe her, and that helps. It's key to make her obey an easy command and let her know you are in charge and taking care of her. At the same time, if she starts to whine or something like that, I tell her no so she knows I don't approve of that behavior. Not sure it will work with your dog, but it seems like a more nuanced approach can help.

quote Ho Ho: I do have a comment about your vet's advice concerning comforting dogs that are afraid. My sense is that telling a dog "it's okay" or similar words that the dog has learned to mean that you APPROVE of what the dog is doing is counterproductive, and I agree with your vet to that extent. But it seems to me that you can try to calm you dog down in other ways, not just ignore her. When Piwi gets really agitated, I make her sit, then soothe her, and that helps. It's key to make her obey an easy command and let her know you are in charge and taking care of her. At the same time, if she starts to whine or something like that, I tell her no so she knows I don't approve of that behavior. Not sure it will work with your dog, but it seems like a more nuanced approach can help.


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Excellent advice, thanks. Overall I can't wait for this trip with her and am curious to see how she will do. The best thing is that I pretty much know she will not stray or chase anything through the woods. Also, she never barks but she has yet to meet a stranger with a giant pack on the portage trail so I'm very interested in her response. I'm very hopeful about her becoming a loyal tripping partner for me over the years and maybe one day she can hang out with Piwi.

You guys are going to have so much fun!

I will say that after just wagging her tail at everyone she met on portages last year (when she was still under one year), this year Piwi got a little spooked on a couple crowded portages or seeing guys carrying canoes, and that made her barky etc. What to do? Same advice I gave about the thunder storm - tell her to come and sit, praise her when she does, and then she seems fine because she knows I'm on top of the situation.

Anyway, you are unlikely to encounter that in the Q, but I do find it's useful on a portage to always step aside and have the dog sit when others pass - even if you're the one carrying heavy gear. Naturally, you will develop you own routine with your dog, which might be completely different. It'll be fun!

I've got two Australian Shepherds that we take. The older became afraid of fireworks a couple of years ago (he is ~ 9 now) and the newest one (~ 3 ) is terrified of thunderstorms.

The new one came out of a bad situation where we think he was tied up outside for four months straight with little or no food. Amazing he survived. He was also heartworm positive. When we got him, we had to fatten him so he get the heartworm treatment. Came through beautifully but...

Thunderstorms make him catatonic crazy. He was on Prozac for a couple of years but has since been weaned off. We got him a Thundershirt and it works better than the Prozac. Make sure it is on the dog snugly. He needs to feel like he is being wrapped up.

Temple Grandin has a book "Animals in Translation" that will shed a lot of insight into animal behavior. Unless you have given the Thundershirt more than a fair shake, I wouldn't give it up yet. Animals in Translation

quote drought:
Temple Grandin has a book "Animals in Translation" that will shed a lot of insight into animal behavior. Unless you have given the Thundershirt more than a fair shake, I wouldn't give it up yet. Animals in Translation "

Interesting book and I'm gonna get it. Thanks!

We're going to start getting in shape together with 2 hour paddles on the weekends. I'm going to make sure she sees me carrying the canoe plenty of times. I could definitely see her being spooked on the trail by seeing a stranger coming at her with a canoe. Good advice again Ho Ho.

Does anyone worry about giardia for their dog? Should I bring a water bowl and purify water at the campsites? My wife thinks so. She also says our dog must be leashed at all times. (insert rolling eyes emoticon here)

And NO SWIMMING! which will make the tick med come off... (she says) Well, I plan to take her swimming. There will be several tick inspections each day and night. For her AND me.

I have my dog vaccinated against giardia just in case. Even if you filter all your dogs water there is no way to keep a thirsty dog from taking a sip from the lake so I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you can, get the shot for added protection. I don't think its terribly expensive and some vet clinics have certain times of the week when they don't charge office visit fees for simple vaccinations like that. I know Banfield does for sure.

Your dog "should" be leashed on portages. If you happen to cross paths with someone on a portage you don't want your dog jumping on the person who may have a canoe or pack on their shoulders. Also people get nervous seeing a loose dog on trail sometimes.

I say all that but I am guilty of occasionally not leashing my dog on portages. Part of that is because I know my dog and he's not a jumper and I've got good vocal command over him. I did feel bad last year though when he was maybe 10 yards ahead of me and we crossed paths with someone. He didn't jump on them but he did bark a few times but that was the extent of it.

While at camp my dog is off leash the entire time. Again I have a solid recall on him and he's not prone to wander off. He'll go back and explore the woods a little but he's always within hear shot and one call to him and he'll come running a 100 mph back to me. This is when you have to know your dog. Most dogs are going to stay close as you are their pack but if your dog likes to wander and you don't have a solid recall maybe take that into consideration. Also if left off leash make sure to plan ahead for storms so you can get your dog secured before they get scared. Best bet would be in the tent. If you have the dog on leash it may be more afraid as they are more vulnerable on leash.

As for washing off the tick meds when swimming, this is one of those rare times when you can tell your wife that she is wrong :). Its not possible for the meds to wash out. As long as you keep the dog out of the water for 2 days after treatment. You just need to give it time to soak in, after 2 days the meds are completly absorbed into the skin so there is no possible way for the meds to wash out. Let the dog swim, no need to worry about it.

Our dog hates getting wet. We will bring a rain cover for him next time we go. (good thing it didn't rain for his first trip).

We cut a yoga mat in half to use as a mat in the canoe, in camp, and tent. He liked it. Yoga may won't soak up water.

My girl is very good off leash, no problem there unless she gets spooked by thunder. Or, there's the chance of coming upon a moose on the trail. That is a concern as it happened to me once back in 1992. No problem, just a stare down until it wandered off the path through the woods. It had a calf with too. Now, I have no idea how my dog would react to something like this.

I bought her a nice waterproof pad and am bringing a small fleece to cover it for in the tent. No pad in the canoe but I think she'll be fine as long as I don't let water build up on the bottom.

Thanks for the info about the tick meds. As for the giardia caccination, I don't have time now to get that done but in the future that's a great idea.

Keep in mind that I do think the rules state you have to have the dog on leash on portages. Like I said I'm guilty of not always following that rule as are alot of dog owners but I thought I should probably mention that in theory it may be possible to get a ticket for it. Just thought that would be good info for you to have so you can make your own decisions on leash or no leash. You should at least have a leash handy incase you encounter a busy portage and need to keep your dog closer. Even a well behaved dog can get in the way at times if you have mulitple groups coming and going.

i keep my dogs on a leash now, at least on portages.

This is all good advice. Our vet also recommended treating against Lime disease, any thoughts?

This will be our first trip with our 4 legged companion and we have a lot to learn. I appreciate any and all experienced comments.

I can say, having not had a dog on a portage before, I am always nervous about the land, the weight of my pack, and the unleashed pet heading for me. This year I'm more worried about how my NEW RESCUE pet will interact with another pet when they meet face-to-face should one not be leashed. Having years of pets with a variety of personalities, you never know how the sweetest animal will react to another animal when they feel threatened... So, we are planning on the leashed portage. Hopefully it works out for us on the first trip.

I am also curious about people's experience as their dog encounters wildlife.

I have seen wolves, moose, and bear... My dog doesn't bark (at least we haven't heard her do it yet). I'm wondering how most people's dogs respond to the wildlife and if anyone has had a bear in camp like we have in the past, but with a dog present...??

Please share.

quote PinkCanoe: "This is all good advice. Our vet also recommended treating against Lime disease, any thoughts?"

Lyme disease used to uncommon in the BW/Q, which is just north of the deer tick range, but with a warming climate, it's spread up here. So the vet in Ely recommends vaccinating your dog against Lyme. Seems like a good idea to me!

Ho Ho gives good advice. We have not had anything other than squirrels in camp with Echo. He didn't bark at them just kept a close eye on them.