The Use Of Dogs. 
Hiking Dogs, Pack Dogs. How To Pack A Doo. How To Throw The Dog Hitch. How To Make Dog Travois. 
Dog As A Beast Of Burden In Europe And Arctic America. 

THERE is no good reason why every hiker should not be accompanied by ...

A HIKING DOG
For if there is anything a dog does love better than its own soul it is to hike with its master, and every normal boy 
and girl, and every normal man and woman, loves the company of a good dog. When they do not love it the fault is 
not with the dog but with them; there is something wrong with them that the outdoor world alone will cure.

But if a dog is going to enjoy the pleasure of a hike with you, if it is a good square dog it should be willing to also
share the hardships of the hike with you, and to help carry the burdens on the trail. Any sort of a dog can be 
trained as ...

A PACK DOG

But the sturdier and stronger the dog is, the greater burden he can carry and the more useful he will be on the trail.
The alforjas for a dog, or saddle-bags, can be made by anyone who is handy with a needle and thread. A dog pack
consists primarily of two bags or pouches (Figs. 209 and 210), with a yoke piece attached to slide over the dog's 
head and fit across the chest (Figs. 209, 210, 211 and 212). Also a cincha to fasten around the waist or small part 
of the dog's body, back of its ribs. The pouches (Fig. 210) should have a manta, or cover (Figs. 211, 213, 
and 214), to keep the rain, snow or dust out of the duffel. Simple bags of strong light material on the pattern of 
Fig. 210 are best, because the weight of anything unnecessary is to be avoided.

THE DOG HITCH
Is not as complicated an affair as the diamond hitch, and anyone who knows how to do up an ordinary parcel can 
learn the dog hitch by one glance at Figs. 213 and 214. Slip the breast band over the dog's head, put the 
saddlebags well forward on the dog's shoulders, tie the cinch around its waist, after which spread the cover or 
manta over the bag, and throw the hitch as shown by Figs. 211 and 214. Fig. 213 shows a bundle with a breast 
band made of the lash rope, in which case the lash rope is usually made of cloth like that in Fig. 211; the whole 
thing is simplicity itself and a good dog can carry quite a load packed in this manner.

A DOG TRAVOIS
Can also be used at times with advantage, as it was used by our red brothers of the wilderness. Fig. 217 shows a 
dog harnessed to a travois, made of two shaft poles; the harness consists of a padded collar similar to those used 
in Northern Quebec for sled dogs, and a cincha of leather or canvas and traces of rope or thong. Figs. 215 and 
216 show a rig made by one of my Boy Scouts; the material used was the green saplings cut in the woods, the 
traces were made of rope manufactured from the roots of the tamarack tree, so also was the cord used to bind the 
parts of the frame together. The hooks to which the traces were fastened were made of wire nails bent over, and 
the staples to which the collar was fastened by thongs to the shaft were made of wire nails, the heads of which were
ground off by rubbing them on stones; the nails were then bent into the proper curve and driven into the shaft in the
form of a staple. Fig. 216 shows the same rig with a leather harness. The American Indian used the travois on dogs
the same as they did upon horses and the sudden appearance of game often produced a stampede of dog 
travoises, scattering the duffel, including papooses, loaded on the travois.

It is not expected that the reader will make every one of these contrivances, but if he does he will learn How, and to
be a good woodsman he should know how, so as to be prepared for any emergency. It is possible to make the 
whole pack for the dog from birch bark, but however it is made, if it serves the purpose of making the dog carry part 
of the pack, when you put the bark on the dog's back, you will teach the animal that there are two kinds of barks; 
one of which is useful as a duffel bag, and the other as an alarm.

In Alaska and other parts of the far North, as well as in Holland and other parts of Europe, the dog is generally used
as a beast of burden; it draws sleds in North America and milk carts and market wagons in Holland, but it is not
necessary for us to live in Holland or in the far North in order to make use of the dog; a good dog will cheerfully 
carry the packs on the trail, loyally guard the camp at night, and, if necessary, die in defense of its master.

End of Excerpt.
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