# Camping



## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

So we are taking Wile E with us camping next week. 
I've not camped with any of my dogs other than my Velcro dog Christine (beagle) a few years ago. 

Does anyone have any tips or advice for camping with their dogs? 
I'm really hoping that we can fit his crate in the car with all our other stuff :/


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Boy oh boy.. Camping....no advise for Wile E, but make sure your tent is 'tall' enough so that when you get dressed, you can stand up! Have a great time!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Teach him to be tied out (always supervised). Much easier than messing around with crates or X pens. Take treats for the first few nights to help him understand that the sounds of the camp sites are OK and nothing to guard or worry about. Practice at home first if you have a yard.
We just did this with Deja. And of course that day she went into heat and started bleeding, the only one day she is hormonaly bratty and disobedient. But after that she was great. All other camp dogs were fixed so no problem. Sad for them, easy for us.
Enjoy your trip! I love camping with dogs, especially that it is an excuse to sleep next to her.


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## flyfisher22 (Feb 28, 2011)

I camp with mine all of the time, she loves it. I did buy an old crate that I take with me to put in the tent. I have a six man tent and when the wife goes it fits two cots with the crate in between perfectly. 

She does not have to have the crate but she settles better in it and won't get in my face in the morning, or start to pace if she hears something outside. I also run a tent heater when we camp in the winter, the crate allows me to get up and move it outside before she starts walking around. 

Cam


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

I thought about bringing out tie out, but figured he would be more comfortable in his crate, we are only going for two nights so it's not a big worry. 

We have an 8 man tent which will be nice and roomy for my boyfriend daughter and I and Wile E is good at making himself small lol. 

I'm excited for this it will be a good time. And happened by fluke when our dog sitter backed out for the weekend... We found a backup but thought it would be easier if he just had the one to watch. 

What does everyone do when it comes to beach time? Bring them or leave them at the site? That's my only worry, is what we will do with him then.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

bob_barker said:


> What does everyone do when it comes to beach time? Bring them or leave them at the site? That's my only worry, is what we will do with him then.


I never leave her alone on a campsite. Beach time = dog time, never complete without her.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

He can't stay unattended at the campsite. But not sure if there are going to be lots of other dogs at the beach.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

wolfy dog said:


> I never leave her alone on a campsite. Beach time = dog time, never complete without her.


Yeah, never good to leave dogs alone at the campsite. If they bark or someone considers them a nuisance, it fuels the argument to ban dogs from campgrounds.

A lot of places we've camp at don't allow dogs on the "human" beach, but allow them at boat launch areas or other alternative water access. So, we've grown accustomed to swimming at boat launches and fishing areas. Have fun!


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

We camp where we can be alone in the mountains. I don't want neighbors. Ha! I've never used a tie out or a crate. If I don't want my dogs to run off, I put them in a down stay. When we hike, they join us off leash (though I bring the leash with me in case I need it). The dogs sleep in the tent with us. I've had all 4 in the tent at once. Never had an issue. They don't chew on anything. Their nails don't puncture the tent floor. Nothing.

We started training them by setting up the tent in our backyard and having them sleep with me and my kiddos. I wanted to test them to see if there would be any problems with them barking at outdoor cats (wildlife!) or anything else. So far, so good. The huskies and GSDs all passed the test. I've had them out there 1 at a time, 2 at time, and all 4 at once. We have a 6-person and 2-person tent. I use the 2-person when it is just me and a dog or two.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

We camp remote so ours are off leash the whole time. We camped in a campground once and won't do it again. Our girls are experienced campers, the boys have not been yet. We were hoping to break them in this year, but it got hot quickly and the fire danger risk was elavated to 3 almost right away. Its just not the same without a fire.

We do leash up on hikes. Rarely do we see other people/dogs, but you never know. They sleep with us in the tent or camper whichever we decide to take. We bring a dog oriented first aid kit. We will also walk the camp area to look for hazards. Other people may discard bones, cans etc. Most people are good with "pack it in pack it out" but you never know.


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Doggy first aid kit! Great idea! 

Yeah the park that we are going to has a sand beach but also a rock beach where the dogs are welcome... So looks like we will just invest in some water shoes for ourselves  

I wouldn't feel comfortably leaving him at the site i don't think anyways.... Too many wackos out there that I would be afraid of him getting swiped :/ 

Anything else anyone brings for them? 
He will have his own cooler for his food. And we have a dog backpack for hikes... Not that it's too treacherous out there. 
I'll probably bring his bed for in the tent.


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## mburitica181 (Jul 22, 2015)

Some campsites don't allow you to tie your dog outside or to a tree overnight. So if you don't crate looking into the rules.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Nigel said:


> We will also walk the camp area to look for hazards. Other people may discard bones, cans etc. Most people are good with "pack it in pack it out" but you never know.


 Funny, as soon as I read this, it made me think of the last time I went camping with Kaze and my 9 and 6-year old daughters. Kaze went to explore the bush area and popped back out carrying an entire deer leg. I guess hunters butcher their kills at this same camping area. When we go there, there are no humans around. Some people drive down the nearby road, but other than that, we have hundreds of acres, probably thousands, all to ourselves. It's so nice!


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

mburitica181 said:


> Some campsites don't allow you to tie your dog outside or to a tree overnight. So if you don't crate looking into the rules.



Oh he wouldn't be tied to a tree over night. He will be in the tent with us. 
The only time he will be on the tie out is while we are cooking etc.

I would never leave him tied up unattended.


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

counter said:


> Funny, as soon as I read this, it made me think of the last time I went camping with Kaze and my 9 and 6-year old daughters. Kaze went to explore the bush area and popped back out carrying an entire deer leg. I guess hunters butcher their kills at this same camping area. When we go there, there are no humans around. Some people drive down the nearby road, but other than that, we have hundreds of acres, probably thousands, all to ourselves. It's so nice!



That would be really nice!! 

We are going to a provincial part.... Unfortunately for Wile E we won't be finding any deer legs lol. 


I don't think there is anywhere like that around here unless you camp on someone's property


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## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

We camp with our dogs a lot and they love it. We're lucky in that we own 8 acres on a lake in the mountains, about 1.5 hours from our house, so we camp there whenever we have a spare weekend. No close neighbours, no strange loose dogs, no annoying drunken campers (other than us and whatever friends have come along with us for the weekend).

We don't use a crate; we just put their beds in the tent beside our sleeping bags. We have a 4-man tent and it gets pretty full with hubs & me, and Frankie & Nox, and our backpack. But we all fit. The dogs have been surprisingly good with sleeping in the tent. They stay on their beds all night but they do start getting restless once the sun comes up. Luckily, hubs is an early riser and I get to sleep for an extra hour or so.

The dogs do try to get into the tent sometimes, while I'm in there getting my extra hour of sleep, or changing, or whatever, but they get off it when told to back off. The tent material seems to be pretty strong - we haven't had any tent or floor rips in 6 years of camping with dogs.

We have a tie out for Nox that we keep him on while we're in camp. Frankie is 6.5 yrs and sticks close to us so she is free, but Nox is just over a year and wants to wander a bit, and his recall isn't great yet. So he'll be on the tie-out until he gets older.

We have a first aid kit for humans and doggies. When we go to the lake, the dogs come with us. When we go ANYWHERE the dogs come with us. We usually bring a toy or two, but not too much. And we usually bring some training treats too, and do some random training while we're there.


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## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Oh! One other thing - if Wile E is going to be swimming a lot, bring a fur saver or something for him to wear while swimming. The nylon collars take forever to dry.


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## 3dogcrew (Apr 23, 2006)

We bring Rocky camping with us when we go to Florida. Bring extra towels for Wile E since you are going to the beach.I learned a lesson last year...I don't like using the flea and tick preventatives if I don't have to.Rocky was towards the limit on his when we left for Florida so I didn't use it,big mistake.We pulled several ticks off him.A quick trip to Petsmart that evening! Also I put a second collar on with a tag with both our cell numbers,for that just in case time.I don't crate or tie out.We just put a long line on him, he stays close to us.And for that other just in case moment...an updated picture. Most importantly... we always find the nearest vet and e vet ahead of time and put their numbers in our cell phone.Have a great time!


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

McWeagle said:


> Oh! One other thing - if Wile E is going to be swimming a lot, bring a fur saver or something for him to wear while swimming. The nylon collars take forever to dry.



Great idea!


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Off we go!!! 
I think it's time for a bigger vehicle.... This is minus one child and one dog ?


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Have a great time.


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

He's not understanding why we are sleeping outside... In a tent...


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Oh, Wile E, I understand. I don't sleep in tents either.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Many years ago I had a dog open up the zipper on the tent in the middle of the night(raccoon was right up against the tent). Needless to say all the dogs took off in the pitch black night. They all came back, a couple went swimming before heading back. I got little locks for the zippers, no more escaping for them


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Wile E's first camping trip was a success!! 
I couldn't have asked for a better behaved dog! 
He got so much swimming in, did amazing in the tent, even went in a couple times through the day for a little nap after all the walking. 
He didn't react to a single dog that walked past our site. 
Him and I walked the beautiful Boardwalk while the family went to the sand beach. 

Thanks for all the great tips


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## MamaofLEO (Aug 8, 2014)

bob_barker said:


> Wile E's first camping trip was a success!!
> I couldn't have asked for a better behaved dog!
> He got so much swimming in, did amazing in the tent, even went in a couple times through the day for a little nap after all the walking.
> He didn't react to a single dog that walked past our site.
> ...


That is awesome!!!


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## IronhorseRomo (Jul 20, 2015)

Great pics. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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