What We Feed Our Dogs When Camping and Hiking
As outdoor lovers, we spend a lot of time finding the best gear and fine-tuning our ideal setup.
But there’s one other essential factor we need to talk about: how to properly fuel our dogs as they live their best lives outdoors.
Whether we are settling onto a front-country campsite at a provincial park or heading out on a more remote backcountry trek, we’ve found that consistency and high-quality nutrition are essential for keeping our dogs happy and safe.
In this post, I’m going to share how we handle feeding at camp, from our go-to dog food choices to the high-value treats that keep us moving (even when the trail gets challenging).
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Our Food of Choice
When it comes to nutrition, I’m a firm believer that the campsite shouldn’t be a place for any major dietary experiments.
You’ve already built a routine at home that your pup is used to. Why change it?
By keeping their diet consistent, you can avoid an upset tummy or other unpleasant (and potentially stinky) issues at camp.
As for food choices, we feed Carna4 exclusively, both at home and at camp.
To keep things interesting, we rotate through a few different recipes and protein sources, including:
Whatever protein is up in the rotation at home when we’re getting ready to leave for camp is what goes into our travel containers for the trip.
Not only does this make planning and packing for our trips easier, but it also means they are always excited for mealtime, regardless of where our adventures take us.
Why Carna4?
Choosing what to feed our pups wasn’t a decision we took lightly. We spent a lot of time researching and considering our options.
Carna4 stood out to us because it uses whole-food ingredients with no synthetic vitamins or additives.
The quick-baked, air-dried formula makes it easy to keep high-quality nutrition on hand. It’s shelf-stable, so it’s easy to pack and bring along on our trips.
It’s formulated to meet the nutritional levels set by AAFCO, so we can feel good about feeding a high-quality, fully balanced diet that supports their health and well-being.
Plus, they love it. I call that a win/win.
Hydration and Dry Food
Of course, no food is 100% perfect. There are always going to be considerations we need to address to give our pups the best.
In the case of Carna4, the dry food nuggets are convenient, but they don’t provide the moisture our dogs need after long days of hiking or canoeing.
Luckily, the solution here is easy: add extra moisture to their bowls.
You can just add regular water, which is easy if you’re worried about carrying extra supplies into the backcountry.
However, when we’re car camping, we swear by Caru Daily Dish broths.
Not only are they a tasty addition (it’s their vacation, too), but they also add hydration and beneficial nutrients.
The Tetra Pak packaging has a resealable cap and fits perfectly into the cooler, making it easy to add a splash of broth to each meal and save the rest for later.
Managing the Challenges of Camp Feeding
Transitioning from the convenience of our home kitchen to a tent or backcountry site means we’ll face a few logistical challenges.
While we feed dry food nuggets, which makes life on the road much easier, we know that many pet parents prefer raw diets or home-cooked meals.
No matter what is in your dog’s bowl, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind…
Wildlife and Food Storage
We practice strict food storage to keep food fresh and to keep our site safe from bears and other critters.
- Dry Food: Even if it’s just kibble, the scent can attract wildlife. We keep the food in the original bag, where it stays freshest, and store it inside a storage bin in the vehicle. If we are in the backcountry, I use a scent-proof bag and place it in a bear-safe locker or my bear vault.
- Raw and Home-Cooked: This requires more diligence. I recommend using a high-quality cooler with ice packs to keep the food cold and fresh. When finished, all containers must be cleaned immediately to be sure there are no lingering odours. In the backcountry, this is even more challenging. Many raw feeders will opt for a freeze-dried alternative (more on that soon).
Calorie Adjustments
A day spent hiking rugged trails or swimming in the lake is going to burn significantly more energy than a quiet day at the cabin.
For this reason, we need to monitor our dogs’ activities and adjust their portion sizes accordingly.
I find the easiest way to do this is to pre-portion our meals at home into individual bags for more active adventures, like backcountry hiking.
High-Performance Nutrition on the Trails
When we are tackling longer backpacking routes or high-activity days, their standard meals aren’t always enough to meet their energy needs.
Sure, we could just feed them more. However, I prefer to fill that gap by offering a high-calorie, high-nutrition snack.
While we have tried several options, we were recently introduced to Healthybud Lamb + Salmon Meal Bites and quickly fell in love!
These freeze-dried raw bites were the perfect quick snack on the go for several reasons:
- Weight-to-Calorie Ratio: They are lightweight and easy to carry, making them the perfect energy source for long-distance hiking when we’re concerned about the weight of gear and supplies.
- Nutrient-Dense Bites: Sometimes I find the pups eat a little less when they have been active. That’s okay when you know that every bite is packed with the calories and nutrition they need to support their well-being. Â
- High-Value Motivation: Beyond just fueling muscles, they work as a great training tool. When we’re on the trail, they serve as the ultimate high-value reward for focus and training, helping us keep the pups engaged. This is especially important when hiking with a reactive dog.
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Treat Pouch Essentials
Camp introduces many new things to our pups: the movement of nearby wildlife, the presence of other campers, and, of course, the excitement of being outdoors.
Our dogs face more triggers at a campsite than they do at home.
This is especially challenging when camping with a reactive dog, like Lucifer, who may need a little extra encouragement to be the polite camping neighbour I know he can be.
We keep our treat pouches fully stocked at all times. John uses the RC Pets Essential Treat Bag, while I prefer the RC Pets Quick Grab Treat Bag.
Having these clipped to our waists or within arm’s reach ensures we can reward good behaviours and use redirection when necessary.
When it comes to what’s inside those pouches, we stick to high-value options that our dogs get excited about. This means focusing not on what you consider valuable, but on what gets their tails wagging.
With our two, they each have their own favourites:
- Lucifer: He is absolutely addicted to Charlee Bear products. His favourites are the Grain Free Crunch in Bacon & Blueberry flavour and the Nuggets Bearcuterie Bites, which support his hip and joint health, a bonus for an active, adventure-loving pup like him.
- Willow: She is all about Benny Bully’s Beef Liver treats. We were told this was the way to her heart at our first meet-and-greet before adoption, and her love for them never changed. Nothing grabs her attention the way the promise of these treats will.
If you don’t already know the best treats to motivate your pup, now is the time to find out.
Offer a variety of different brands, textures, and flavours, paying attention to your dog’s reaction. Is there one they gravitate towards?
Letting them decide is the best way to set yourself up for success.
Fueling Your Next Adventure
At the end of the day, our goal is to ensure that Lucifer and Willow get as much out of our travels as we do.
To keep them happy and healthy, we have to focus on choosing the best fuel to keep them going. This is important both at home and when we’re on the go.
Whether that means packing some broth for added hydration or keeping a pouch of high-value treats within reach, it’s just another way we show up for them.
Here’s to many more miles of exploring with your best friend(s) by your side!
How do you navigate feeding your dog at camp? Do you pack anything special that makes mealtime easier to manage?
