I spent 6 weeks testing the best dog cooling vests with a thermal camera, an infrared thermometer, and three dogs of different sizes. I wanted real data, not marketing claims. My Golden Retriever, my brother's French Bulldog, and a neighbor's Husky each wore every vest on 85F+ walks, runs, and beach days. We measured surface […]

Boating with my golden retriever used to mean one of two things: either I hauled him up onto the swim platform by his life jacket handle (bad for my back, worse for his hips), or he barked at the water until someone helped him scramble out. After 12 years of boating with dogs, I have […]

I have pulled ticks off my dog after hikes more times than I can count, and I have lost sleep to the sound of a dog scratching through a full-blown flea infestation. After testing eight different collars on three different dogs over the course of three months, I can tell you with confidence that the […]

Last summer our team tested eight of the best dog beds for camping over a four-month stretch across the Pacific Northwest, the Sierras, and a beach camping trip in Oregon. We brought them on backpacking trips, basecamp weekends, and a few rainy car camping nights. After 14 trips, our dogs were tired, our gear was […]

I learned the hard way why the best collapsible dog bowls matter. Two summers ago, I took my husky Max on a 6-mile trail in 90-degree heat without one. We ran out of water at mile 4, and Max started panting hard. I had to cut our hike short and carry him part of the […]

Taking your dog on the trail means carrying their hydration, and the wrong bottle turns a great hike into a soggy, frustrating mess. Our team has spent months testing the best dog water bottles for hiking across day hikes, backpacking trips, and everything in between to find which ones actually hold up on the trail. […]

Last summer I spent six weekends across three national parks with my 70-pound Lab mix, and the single piece of gear that saved my sanity was a solid dog tie out for camping. After going through two flimsy cables, one stripped stake, and a near-escape involving a raccoon, I tested eight systems side by side […]

I took my German Shepherd, Ranger, on a 200-mile weekend camping trip last spring and returned home to a backseat covered in mud, shed fur, and lake water. That was the moment I started hunting for the best dog car seat covers for outdoor trips. After three months of testing across muddy trailheads, sandy beaches, […]

Taking your dog kayaking is one of the best ways to spend a weekend on the water, but without the right safety gear, that fun trip can turn dangerous in seconds. I have been paddling with dogs for over six years, and our team has tested dozens of canine flotation devices across lakes, rivers, and […]