How to Carry a Dog in a Backpack?

Want to carry a dog in a backpack as you want to travel? As being a pet owner it becomes a major concern to keep your dog alone in the home.

Do you also feel terrible to leave your dog home alone?

When you leave your four-legged friend alone at home they feel alone and anxious. Now you must be scared and guilty because unknowingly you are harming your dog.

But the struggle is over. We have a solution to this problem. To keep your pet safe while traveling you can carry a dog backpack. This backpack helps you to take your pet anywhere, anytime with you. You just have to train him to feel comfortable inside the bag.

How To Carry a Dog in a Backpack?

Try experimenting with these small 9 steps to carry a dog in a backpack.

Step 1: Arouse his interest in your bag pack

Place open bag on the floor. If he is already trained to clicker training, he may already alter. Just in case he doesn’t show any interest you can put some treats in the bag for him. Click and gift him immediately as he grabs the treat from the bag.

You have to repeat this steps, until you are sure that your dog has identified that he will be rewarded when he shows fascination towards the bag. If he put his one leg in the bag, amazing click and treat him.

Now it confirms that he is ready for step 2

Step 2: His creativity works!

Now you have to stop putting rewards in the bag. You must be thinking why right?

Well, it is because he will start processing why he is not being rewarded.

This works well!

Now he will use his skills. Do all things around the bag to cross-check is being rewarded or not. You don’t have to offer a treat until he put one leg inside the bag and when he does that just click and reward him. Try repeating this step a few times.

Step 3: Stand with all legs

Once it is done then do not reward him when he puts only one paw in the bag. Now we want him to put more than one paw in the bag.

Our ultimate goal is to make him sit in our backpack. If he already does this that’s great! If not, then we need to wait and observe to know what he is doing next.

If he stands with all his legs in the bag, there you are to tap and reward him quickly. Repeat these steps a few more times.

Step 4: Sitting stability

Again you have to stop him from standing inside the bag with multiple legs.

Have you trained your dog sit command? If yes, you can easily use the command to your benefit. Using this command, you will be able to get your dog sit in the bag. Once he does so, you need to reward him.

Repeat this strategy various times. You are now all set to bind a command like “inside the bag” to your dog’s behavior. Now use this command on your dog and reward him when he follows your command. Repeat the command a several times.

After this try observing if he responds to the command or not. If he does so, it is time for you to click and reward him.

Similarly, repeat these steps a few more times.

Step 5: Extend his sitting duration

Next time you have to reward him when he sits longer in the bag. You can try this by giving a sitting command.

Now when he sits, you will have to wait for a few seconds before clicking. After waiting for a few seconds, don’t forget to reward him. Gradually wait for more than a few seconds before you click. Extend it up to 5 to 10 seconds and so on.

WOW! After a while, he will now stay in the bag.

Step 6: Fasten your bag

Now that we have made him sit comfortably in the bag, it is the right time to fasten your bag. Slowly close your bag with his head out.

Reward him many times while doing so and make him sit for a little while. Now treat him with small intervals so that he becomes congenial being locked in the bag.

Step 7: Take small steps and walk around

This is the right time to lift your backpack. Make him move inside your bag and reward him whilst you close it.

Slowly-slowly lifts the bag and keeps rewarding your pet. Take small foot-steps and walk around the house while you treat him in between the small breaks.

Step 8: Expand walking period

Increase your walk period around your house. Make a balance between extending the pauses and treats.

You can extend the time and take him outside the house so, that he also gets comfortable and get accustomed to being zipped in the bag in a new environment.

Step 9: Get set go!

This time when your dogs experience comfort being carried around the bag, it’s the time to stop rewarding slowly.

Stretch the time period between the rewards until they become completely unnecessary. But you can reward him once in a while when he is in the bag.

Yay! Congratulations to you! You have successfully completed the training session

What Kind of Bag Do you Need to Carry a Dog?

You cannot carry a dog in any kind of bag pack!

Not all bags are not meant for carrying a dog. So, if you desire to carry a dog in a bag, you will have to purchase a bag that you can use specifically for this purpose.

While purchasing, you have to check whether the bag contains extra padding or not and also does it have venting holes so that he can sit comfortably inside it. Make sure to get the correct size of the bag that fits your dog and which can pull his weight.

Benefits to Carry a Dog in a Backpack

Small dogs are obviously easy to carry as compared to large dogs. A pet owner loves his pet and sometimes when he wants to travel he has to give his dog to others.

With the help of a dog backpack, it becomes easy to carry your pet along with you anywhere.

When you carry a dog in a backpack you become stress-free to do any job. You can shop without any side thoughts of leaving him alone in the house. It also increases the attachment because when you travel with him, he gets to spend more time with you.

Collars are not suitable to use every time like during hiking or any road that’s when carrying a dog in a bag pack comes to help you.

Let’s move ahead. It is not finished yet!

FAQs

How do you get a dog in a backpack?

To carry a dog in a backpack requires patience, dedication and training. You can try these small steps given below

• Make him wonder and arouse his interest in your bag.
• Try one leg at a time.
• Try putting all his leg in the bag.
• Don’t forget to keep rewarding him at regular intervals.
• Make him feel comfortable and sit inside the bag.

These are some steps if you follow you can get your dog in a backpack.

Can I carry a dog in a backpack?

Yes, you can only if he is comfortable. Give your dog some time so that he starts feeling comfortable.

Not every bag is meant to carry a dog in a backpack. Therefore, it is important to have a special dog carrier with you. You can buy a dog backpack from any pet store. Usually, this bag has extra ventilating holes, padding, adjustable straps in them to make your pet feel comfy.

Do dogs like being carried in bags?

Not every dog feels comfortable being carried in bags. However, you can make him aware and comfortable by training him.

Conclusion

To carry a dog in a backpack while traveling makes your work easy. You don’t feel the guilt of leaving them alone at home anymore.

Backpack saves your life!

The simplest way to carry a dog in a backpack is to train him to step by step and keep rewarding after every successful step. But you have to make sure that the bag is of the right size or not. Whether it has ventilating holes or not, does it have extra padding and adjustable straps?

Considering all the steps in this article can make you lift your dog in a bag back effortlessly!

References:

1. Have you tried travelling with your pet? Here’s how you can do this – Traveldailynews
2. How to Bring Your Dog on Any Fall Adventure—From Hiking to a Hotel Stay – WSJ.com
3. Is it cruel to carry your cat or dog in a backpack? – Quora.com
4. What Dog Bag Should I Use to Look Like I’m Carrying a Dogfluencer? – New York Magazine