The Hiking Dog - Vattie

We got Vattie in the first place because we wanted a dog we could travel with. We had an idea of how it would be traveling with a dog and we decided that was the life for us.

So far it has been amazing traveling together with Vattie, she gives us inspiration, courage and motivation to keep going. It’s amazing to see how much Vattie enjoys our new lifestyle, how happy she is to be out in the nature like this and to see how she adapts.

Our hiking dog is very curious but careful and this is a trait we love about her. In the beginning she is always a bit careful, if she meets a new person or dog she always wants it to go slowly so she can get a feeling of the new situation. This means that Vattie does not like when new people move their hands too quickly towards her or when a dog comes rushing towards her. In these situations she wants do dodge and go the other way. But we have learned to tell people how Vattie will get the best experience from them and most often the response is very positive.

Since we started this trip Vattie has gained a lot of new friends, both dogs and humans (humans mostly because of the treats). She has not only played with a lot of nice dogs, but she has also trained agility with 3 other dogs when we were on a camping site.

She is a fast learner and has no problem with new situations, like wearing a muzzle for a longer time or having to use boots. The muzzle we have only had to use twice, when we’ve taken the train between the trails. When we ask if it’s necessary to use the muzzle we get different answers, most say it’s unnecessary. If you’ve seen the video of Vattie and her boots on our facebook or instagram, you’ll see that she adapts quickly to her new boots.

Other equipment for Vattie that we feel is mandatory; raincoat, wintercoat, also we have two leashes, one harness and one collar. Other necessities we have for Vattie is of course her own sleepingbag, nailclipper and pawoil. We also have her own toothbrush and even a first aid kit for dogs, because if anything happens we want to be ready. Like we have told you before, all of Vatties equipment is sponsored by Hurtta and we are more than grateful for their support.

This is a lot of extra weight in your backpack if you are hiking like we are, many people would probably say it’s not worth the extra kilos, however for us it’s worth every gram extra of weight. Because what Vattie brings to our trio is priceless. She acts as an extra heat pillow during cold nights and she gives that extra push when you’re hiking. You will never be bored with a dog as a hiking companion. One more thing a dog is great for is that you automatically have to be more observant of your surroundings.

Speaking of surroundings, Vattie has really taken in the whole vast variety of nature you can get from Germany. She has been in dense forests and playing with sticks and jumping around in the leaves. Only some days ago we climbed up the mountains and it started to snow a lot. Even though she might not always like water, on the very hot days not even she can withstand the pleasure from taking a dip (River Weser). That’s not all; we got free tickets to a museum in the town “Tann” where even she was allowed. The most interesting parts of the exhibitions were of course the moose, the wolves and the fox. That very same morning we had even seen a real fox.

Sometimes it’s not always simple to have a dog on the road. Vattie eats the dog food Brit Care and since we order the food from internet we also have to make sure it ends up in the right place in the right time. Often we try to order it in advance so that when we arrive at a camping we can retrieve it directly, by writing on the order that we are guests at the address we are ordering it to helps a lot. Also it can be hard to know how much food to give your dog, especially when you are active everyday like we are. If you can’t figure it out yourself we request that you ask someone who might know, like a veterinarian or your breeder. We asked the company itself, Brit Care, because you have to know, is it ok to give your dog almost the double dosage per day from a high protein based food?

Some people would feel trapped having a dog on a travel like this, and in some aspects we can agree but you can do something about it almost always. If you want to go to the cinema or anything like that you can always instead of taking in on a camping maybe take a night at a hotel where you can leave the dog for a couple of hours. There are of course also other possibilities like dog pensions or if you’ve been out for a longer time maybe a dog friseur wouldn’t sting.

After being out for almost two months Vattie has build up some muscles and she’s become a little bit tougher, wich is good for her. In the beginning she had unlimited amounts of energy, at least compared to us. We always had to slow her down for lunch and bedtime but now she is the one that decides when its lunchtime or when we have walked enough for the day. As soon as we get inside and can cover from the rain or wind she sleeps, like a baby she takes the chance to relax and just enjoy. She does the same with sunny days and when it’s warm, sometimes she doesn’t want to walk at all. This is a good thing however because then we have to rest and it’s harder for us to know when it’s really time.

Thanks for checking in on us!

Viel Spaβ und Auf Wiedersehen!