His first hike should be one that is free from major trail obstacles and a quiet one, too. Try to pick one without loads of people using it. You want your dog to be able to pay attention to you and it is very hard for him to do that if there are lots of other dogs and people passing him by. If you are going to run into horses and other livestock, you might want to stop at the pack stations and ask if your dogs can meet and smell them. We don't want to have your dog lose confidence if possible.

A small water crossing is okay on his first hikes. Here, he can learn how to restrain himself from taking the pack for an impromptu swim or to wait for a drink. If you need to pump water, it helps to have the dog learn to stay away from the water and not muddy it so you can have cleaner water to use. Go across first if it is just a simple crossing. If it is very deep you may want to remove his pack for his first few times. Or practice swimming during a rest period.

It is very different for a dog to swim wearing a pack. Sometimes you can see it in their expressions that this isn't how they expected it to go, that little look of surprise or even fear in their eyes. They are usually carried a little down stream when they swim across. We like to do this off lead and wait for them to come to us a bit downriver, ready to pull them ( or their pack) up onto shore. When they are out of the water, give the "Stand Stay" command and then if you were smart you taught the "shake" command too. Otherwise your dog will come right up to you and YOU will feel like you had that nice cold swim after he shakes by your side.

What if you come to an unexpected obstacle that is too much for your dog or he just feels that he can't do something that you feel he can? If it takes anymore than a happy, casual encouragement, stop right there. If you don't make it to your destination, too bad. Respect your dog and realize that he will gain confidence eventually. Go back look upon it as a learning experience. He's not ready yet. You are building a relationship with your dog and trying to instill confidence in the dog's abilities in himself. You are not trying to set new hiking records. Trust in your dogs judgement. You didn't fail, you both learned alot about each other.

On your first few hikes, don't make the hiking day too long, about 4-5 miles is fine if you included a nice lunch break. Do rest often. On short rests, leave the pack on but give him a small treat and a hug for his efforts. Check his paws for abrasions or cuts. Look for foxtails and burrs in the spaces between his paws. When you are on a long break, like at lunchtime or at your campsite, take off the pack and play with him. Let him know that it is okay to be off duty now. It is his time to relax, too.

Show him the area you want him to consider 'home'. I find it a help to take out their dishes and place them in their spot. They feel more like we are staying and that this is our new home. Set up their tent or tarp, too, if you have one. Show them 'home'. Show them the campfire area or kitchen (stove) area and teach them to stay away or be extra calm and slow around that spot. You don't want your dog wagging his tail in the fire and ashes or jumping in your dinner. We say "Easy- Camp" when they get too close and they get the message. No wrestling or playing by the fire area , either.

Your dog should also consider his new home his den and thus will not defecate in the 'house'. So take him outside your perimeter to do his business and bring a trowel or baggy, too. Whatever is appropriate for your fecal matter is how you should treat your dogs'.

We don't feed them in the morning and leave much earlier to avoid the heat of the day. We carry spray bottles with water in areas where the streams may be too shallow for wading and spray them to help keep them cool. (We do this in the car, too.) As far as food goes, carry moister food if water is scarce or if it is very hot. It takes more water for dogs to digest dry food in their system. We are a B.A.R.F. family now and notice that the dogs need for water has been greatly reduced and they are much more hydrated all year, naturally.)

One of the things you *shouldn't* do, especially if you have a double-coated breed like a newf, is shave him for the summer. The answer to your problem is to rake or comb out all of the undercoat as much as possible while leaving the guard hair outer coat untouched. If you shave your dog you are inviting that soft, dull, non-water repellant undercoat to grow, grow, grow and overwhelm your dog's inbred temperature control. The undercoat matts more, attracts burrs and foxtails easily and doesn't do a good job at protecting your dog from the sun's burning rays. They need that outer coat. It may take years for that outer top coat to regrow properly.

Pay close attention to your dog even on warm days. You do not want to see heat prostration in your dog. However, if he does get overcome with the heat immerse his body in cool water or if there isn't any water around, wet some T-shirts or rags with water from your canteen and wrap him in them. This doesn't do much but it is better than nothing. It is safer to stay home on those hot and humid days and wait  for cooler temps or a dry and hot day. Go to the lake or the beach if you can and it won't take too long a car ride.

It is harder for dogs to get great footing in snow and ice. We have found that wearing a harness or pack (even an empty one) is real handy for helping them up some slopes or grabbing onto them when they are a bit unsteady.