Camping with my dogs – advice? Special needs?
We are avid tent campers. This is the first year we’ve had dogs. One dog, the Chi, simply cannot handle being out of her element (fear aggression and non-stop barking), so I’m afraid she’ll have to have a sitter. Our other dog, however, the JRT will simply love it – so much to explore and learn.
Having never taken the dog(s) camping – what should I plan to buy or have on hand? We will be in the mountains at about 5000ft. and also on a few beach trips. The dog(s) are both crate trained, so that won’t be an issue. But what else? Tie-outs? Special vaccinations/preventatives? Will the dog draw bears or prevent them?
Helpful advice appreciated especially that of experienced campers.
We will be sure to go to take the dog(s) near the river to potty. No worries there… no animals to consider at the beach, just worried about confinement and/or security.
We camp in the same campground and same spot every year. We have brown bears here in California, but we aren’t camping at the top near the dump where there’s easy pickin’s for the bears… we camp down on the river. Fishing… loads of fishing. And no worries about the JRT bolting – she adores me and won’t let me out of her sight.
I would differently get a tie out… or a run cable so that you can tie them up and wont have to worry about them running wondering off … their urine may attract some kinda animals so u may want to take them to the same spot every time to go to the bathroom.. other than that make sure the vaccinations are up to date
i might suggest their fav toys or a blanket or something that has the smell of home. Whenever I take my dogs to a strange environment I bring familure things to make the adjustment easier. As far as vac’s go, I would call your vet to see if there is anything they would recommend as far as first aid for dogs. The tieouts would be useful so they did not have to stay in the crate all the time but would also prevent them from getting lost. be careful
Everything the person above wrote plus warm bedding for cold nights, tons of water.
if you are going to be in bear and/or coyote country – keep your animal within your eyesight at all times and don’t let it wander at night. We always either keep our dogs in our tent when backpacking or in the car when car camping. Dog food attracts animals the same as people food, so again the same precautions you take for yourself must be taken for your pets. Frontline Plus or equivalent helps prevent flees/ticks/mosquito’s, but you must be vigilant in checking for ticks at least a couple times a day (apply BEFORE you go as requires 2 days before waterproof). Lastly check with your vet to make sure there are no known problems with the local water sources (streams, lakes, etc) in the area that you’ll be such as heartworms, etc. If there is, your dog will need to be put on a heartworm preventative before you go. If you are in an area with no fresh water source, be sure to pack enough drinking water for them too! Other than that, Have a great time!! I LOVE camping with my dogs.
“We will be sure to go to take the dog(s) near the river to potty. No worries there… no animals to consider at the beach, just worried about confinement and/or security.”
ACK! Do not allow your animals to relieve themselves near any water source!! I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but as I said before, you pretty much take the same precautions with your pets as you would yourself. That means taking care of waste as well. You can either pick up and flush in site restrooms, bag it and dispose of in trash cans, or, if neither is available, dig a hole at least 12″ deep and 12′ away from a water source (the farther the better!) and bury it. While its true that the bears get to you-know-what in the woods, dogs (like us) do not live on a natural diet consisting of foods directly located within that area. Dog waste is as mush a polluting factor, ESPECIALLY to a water source, as ours is!
from experience!! bring dog shampoo. The first day camping, our dog found a dead fish by the river and rolled in it. He smelled soooo bad we could hardly stand it.
You need to keep your dog leashed or kenneled when you’re camping, so you will need tie-outs. Loose dogs are not allowed in camp sites. As for bears, black bears are generally afraid of dogs, but grizzlies are attracted to them. The park rangers will let you know if there are any grizzlies in the area.
We take our dogs camping all of the time. For us the most important thing for our dogs to be current on their vaccines and current identification. We microchip and use tags, if you are out of cell phone range put an alternate phone number like your parent, family or friends.
I also keep the dog food in a small Rubbermaid container since the squirrels seem to like it. If you are camping far from home you might also want to find the closest vets location and phone number just in case of an emergency. Other than that bring along some toys, rawhide, an extra little blankie, his pillow and any other extras you might usually want.
Another thing to consider when tent camping is where the zipper closes on the tent. On our old tent it only closed at the bottom and our dog was able to use his nose to open it up.
Have fun camping!