If a person is interested in getting a dog for outdoor excursions, should they get a big dog or a small dog? I admit that the first thing that comes to mind is an image of a Labrador retriever or maybe a herding dog, a classic ranch dawg. They can run faster and further and are coyote-proof.
But what if the big dog has a bad foot or has gotten older? It is counter-intuitive, but the case can be made that small dogs are handier on outdoor expeditions of various kinds. Of course this depends on the means of conveyance.
But it is advantageous for the dog to take up less space in a canoe, kayak, or even a side-by-side ATV, let alone a bicycle or backpack. My current dog, a 20 pound miniature poodle mix, can be stuffed in a milk crate on the rear of a mountain bike if she becomes tired.
Of course my thinking about this issue is colored by the ease of traveling in a small RV with the dog. You might consider the example of the Foresty Forest You Tube channel, with his wonderful little sidekick, Rocko, a (small) Jack Russel Terrier.
More important than these mundane practical issues is the effect a small dog has on your mood or attitude about enjoying the smaller, humbler pleasure in the outdoors -- the ones that are likely to be right outside your camper's door. Remember, a 'simple' pleasure need not be an insipid pleasure:
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