5 Gifts for Adventurous Pups

As the holiday season fast approaches, you may be wondering what to get your pup. Another bag of treats? Another toy?

What about a holiday gift that makes your adventures with your dog even better? These creative ideas are sure to make your hikes, backpacking trips, and other excursions more enjoyable!

Car Seat Cover

Let’s face it—if you take your pup on adventures, you’re going to have a car full of mud, hair, dirt, sand, and gosh knows what else. This car seat cover is “hammock” style, meaning it will loop around the headrests of the front and back seats to keep your pup from shedding dirt and hair onto your floor.

It also has flaps on the sides to protect the sides of your seats from muddy paws as your dog jumps in and out of the car. And this cover is made with rip-stop material to ensure it lasts!

My hot-blooded Border Collies would also love this unique feature: the seat cover has a mesh window that boosts airflow from the A/C up front to your pup in the back.

The car seat cover comes in two sizes to fit your little Prius or huge Tundra truck.

Camp Bed

Even the hardiest dog will enjoy a soft, warm place to curl up at the end of a long day playing in the woods. The Camp Bed is thick enough to keep your dog warm even if the ground is cold. Thanks to the waterproof rip-stop fabric, this durable bed will also work in light snow or morning dew to keep your pup protected!

Once you’re done, you can hang the bed up to dry with its elastic loops. At 35″ x 26″, the bed is large enough for most dogs to curl up on. My 45-pound Border Collie happily sprawls out on the bed after a long day of hiking!

The Camp Bed isn’t light enough for long-distance backpacking, but is a great addition to most other outdoor adventures.

Pak-Pad

Similar to the Camp Bed above, this Pak-Pad is made to keep your dog warm and dry after a hard day of playing in the outdoors. However, the Pak-Pad is a good fit for you and your adventurous pup if you need to carry it farther! It’s less insulated than the Camp Bed, meaning it’s much lighter if you need to carry it into the backcountry.

The Pak-Pad still features waterproof rip-stop fabric. If my dog gets cold or looks a bit stiff when using the Pak-Pad, I often supplement with my extra jackets to keep him comfier. The Pak-Pad keeps all of my clothes dry and warm even if we use extra insulation to keep my aging pup’s hips comfy.

High-Vis Harness

Whether it’s hunting season or you just like to clearly see your dog, having a high-visibility harness is a great addition to your gear bin. High-vis harnesses help you see your dog in low light, thick underbrush, or if they’re far away. One of my friends even used the harness to locate her dog when he was trapped on a cliff face! If you’re in an area where hunters and hikers share land use, a high-visibility harness is even more important.

Personally, I prefer to use a high-visibility harness rather than a vest or bandana because it’s just simpler: the harness is ultra-secure and has a leash attachment, so I don’t have to remember any extra gear. This durable harness features rip-stop fabric and strategic padding to keep your dog safe and comfy.

If your dog is your hunting buddy, you might want to go for a full high-vis vest to ensure that there’s even more blaze orange fabric that’s clearly visible to keep your pup safe.

Adventure Pack

Dog backpacks are a lot more convenient than you’d think. I use my dog’s backpack to hold things like small snacks, my gloves, and poo bags. I love being able to pull an energy bar or my gloves out without needing to remove my pack. On longer trips, my dogs carry their own dehydrated dog food! Sharing the load makes long trips comfier for me.

The Terrain Dog® Adventure Pack is specially designed to allow your dog to move freely and comfortably. It’s available in a high-vis option or a subtle grey with reflective piping to keep your pup safe. The pack/harness combination also features rip-stop fabric, strong D-rings for leash attachment, shock-absorbent cushioning in the chest, and waterproof zippers.

The saddlebags are removable to ensure that your pup stays comfortable. For younger dogs, you may want to start out teaching them to wear the harness before adding the saddlebags on. Make sure that you get your dog comfortable with the harness first and slowly build up their strength before adding too much weight!

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What is Santa Paws bringing your pup this year? Let us know in the comments below what you’re excited to see under the tree! Written By Kayla Fratt.