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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Camping with dogs

36 replies

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 28/07/2013 16:02

I'm considering it. Is that totally mad? How hard is it? We've put the tent up in the garden and the DC are sleeping out tonight. I'm considering slinging the dogs out there, too, just to see if they settle.

OP posts:

EauRouge · 28/07/2013 17:26

Watching with interest, we already camp and plan to get a dog soon. We went camping last month and I think we were the only ones at the site without a dog!

LEMisdisappointed · 28/07/2013 17:31

As Eaurouge i will watch with interest, although we already have dogs, we are considering camping!

Original poster

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 28/07/2013 17:34

I'm wondering how it will work. I mean, I can crate them both at night, they're both ok with crates, but won't they just bark at everything? And what about if it's boiling hot in the tent, how do you keep them cool? Do you need special dog camping equipment? Can I even take my dog fear aggressive dog camping at all?

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pimmsgalore · 28/07/2013 17:40

We crated pimmsdog last year and he just slept in the tent in his crate. Worked quite well but we did pick a deserted bit of the campsite. Not sure how it will work with pup this year but should be able to tell you as we are off for a week in 2 weeks time. Trying it out in a friends field for a week to see how noisy new pup is

MagratGarlik · 28/07/2013 18:10

We went camping with our two a couple of weekends ago. We had crates for each, though the first night we didn't close the doors and whippy took himself off exploring. We found him (eventually), but it did teach us to close the crates the following night. In the daytime we used those spiral tethers to tie the dogs to with their leads (most campsites have a dogs on leads at all times rule), but there was also a fenced exercise area for dogs where you could let them off.

It was very hot when we went, but we just moved the dogs travel crates to shady areas so they were not forced to lie in full sun all the time.

All in all, very easy. Only essential dog equipment, travel crates, tethers, leads and harnesses (so you don't tether them using their collars).

topbannana · 28/07/2013 18:54

We have camped numerous times with ours (though we aborted the LandSharks first camp this weekend as thunder was forecast!)
My top tip would be to go for a weekend first. Find a small campsite (normally on a farm, few facilities, no fixed pitches and as close to home as you can manage)
Leave the dogs behind and pitch the tent. Get camp properly set and then go back and fetch the dogs- the act of getting set up, particularly with children can be enormously stressful without worrying about what the dogs are up to.
Pitch your tent in a quiet secluded corner (you will sadly be miles from the toilets ) and use those corkscrew tethers if your dogs are prone to wandering off. Bring them indoors if they are anxious about people passing by. Peak times will be morning and evening and meal times. Above all, ignore your children and ensure the dogs enjoy every moment of their first trip- good groundwork makes all the difference :o
Once they are accustomed to camping things are so much easier. Ours snooze on and off all day but are constantly on the go when we are away so are exhausted at night (this is the reason we start with a weekend only, so that newbies can recover from the shock to their system without getting overtired and stressed)
Go for it! As eaurouge says, most campers have dogs and many will not be beautifully behaved so you will not stick out like a sore thumb while you all get accustomed to it.

AnnaFiveTowns · 28/07/2013 19:58

We always take our dog without any problems at all but then you know your own dog better than anyone else.

We've got a spiral peg thing for outside. We choose dog friendly campsites, where there are lots of other dogs and people are generally dog tolerant. Our dog sleeps in the back of the car with his duvet and the windows slightly open. He would sleep with us on our bed but he snores terribly and keeps us awake.

Why do you think it would be so difficult? Does your dog have any particular issues?

AnnaFiveTowns · 28/07/2013 20:03

Forgot to say that being able to take your dog is one of the best things about camping. You should definitely give it a whirl!

Original poster

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 28/07/2013 20:28

Well, he's a mental spaniel who doesn't really do 'calm'. And he isn't keen on other dogs. He's fine unless they directly approach him, but then he goes a bit batshit.

OP posts:

officelady · 28/07/2013 20:31

Our dog adores camping - I think because she gets our attention 24/7 and never gets left al

officelady · 28/07/2013 20:34

Alone ... Ffs stupid fat typing fingers! Everyone else has mentioned the usefulness of crates/harness/spiral lead etc. As long as you plan your break around your pooch you will be fine. Don't expect to be able to leave your dog alone in the tent and go off for the day - not going to happen.

Lilcamper · 28/07/2013 20:47

You can use a windbreak to block the view of other campers and dogs :)

Twooter · 28/07/2013 20:52

Our dog never settles in the tent in the garden, but was perfect on a campsite, although he ended up getting tangled in the rope to the spiral peg, and chewed through both his leaf and a guy rope in his confusion. Next time I'll just have him in his crate when he's not either in the tent or being held on the lead. He's an old dog, and I worried like mad last year as it was our first time for ages, bug he really loved it.

JazzTheDog · 28/07/2013 21:07

Our dog shared a room with DS2 last week when we were away. We don't use a crate so we tied a long rope to a peg and hammered it into the ground to give her space to stroll and then at night she just curled up next to DS (well she's a greyhound so he curled up next to her really!)

MelanieCheeks · 28/07/2013 21:13

Watching for suggestions!

Why I think it might be difficult? Well, my 2 dogs don't usually sleep with us so that's different. They would need to be on leads all the time which would be tricky- do they come with you when you go to the loo or showers? What about meal times? What do you do all day?

GoSuckEggs · 28/07/2013 21:23

we camp with our two dogs. We have done so for the last 3-4 yrs. One thing we have learnt is not to get a tent with a seperate ground sheet. - one year we was woken up by site security at 3am because our dogs had escaped under the door, and was trying to play with the guard alsation!

we have this one

It has a sewn in ground sheet and two enclosed sleeping areas, so we slept in one area and all of our stuff went in the other area and the dogs slept in main compartment. the door all have vents.

GoSuckEggs · 28/07/2013 21:26

chickens We have a lab that is not keen on other dogs AND a mental springer! We have a stake for the lab and the springer LOVEs living outdoors!

GoSuckEggs · 28/07/2013 21:30

also ^^ this tent zips all of the way round, so we did actually manage to leave the dogs in the tent whilst we went to loo and showers.

We also left them for 3-6 hours if we went out. the doors ^^ on above link are all mesh, so we left them up so there was a lovely breeze going through tent.

MagratGarlik · 29/07/2013 00:16

We did loo and showers sequentially, so I went for shower whilst dp stayed with ds's and dogs and vice versa. Takes a little longer, but you'll be up earlier anyhow. One of us took the ds's for showers in the evening whilst the other walked the dogs.

In terms of what to do all day - most of our activities tend to be very dog friendly anyway. We went walking, went for lunch at a dog friendly pub, built sand castles on the beach etc

EauRouge · 29/07/2013 08:31

If there was something you wanted to do that wasn't dog friendly then could you get recommendations for local dog daycare before you go?

Original poster

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 29/07/2013 10:43

We'd only go for a few days, and I'd be planning on having the dogs with us at all times anyway. Hmm. It's becoming increasingly appealing....

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Onwardsandsideways · 30/07/2013 23:25

What about barky dogs - anyone taken one of those? Our collie/spaniel/coiledspring cross is a 'barking at the wind' type of girl in the garden & DH is convinced she'd be barking all night in a tent (mind you she's barking most of the night in the house at the moment!) - any positive examples I can work on him with please??

PareyMortas · 30/07/2013 23:30

Can it be done without crates? One of mine has never been in a crate as far as I I ow and the other not since he was a pup, plus he's a big dog so it'd have to be ginormous.

officelady · 31/07/2013 05:38

onwardsandsideways our usually barky dog doesn't bark when we camp. At home she barks at thunder, cats in the garden, birds in the garden, the postman, every arrival/departure to/from the house etc etc. But not when we are camping - maybe because she's off her home turf? And she sleeps in our compartment in the tent at night so doesn't feel the need to be on high alert.
PareyMortas we don't crate our dog anymore but she is not left alone for one single second. It sounds like hard work but really isn't - most of the time she's either tied to the chair someone is sitting on, attached to a ground spike, or off-lead inside the tent with us. I would not leave a dog unattended in a tent without a crate - tents are fairly easy to escape from. You would also need to make sure they were secure at night while you are asleep.

nooka · 31/07/2013 06:43

We take our dog camping, but most of the camps we stay at don't have leash rules, so he has a pretty free reign. He still looks very puppy like and is totally aggressive and not in general particularly interested in other dogs. He sleeps in the tent with us and the only problem we tend to have is that he can never make his mind up who to snuggle up to, so can be very restless.

When we go home again he tends to sleep for a good few days!

The only problems we've had is when he has found a dead fish to roll in, or the time we camped in a national park and so he had to be on one of those screw in long lines but he ran for a chipmunk so enthusiastically he broke his collar. Then we had to hide him from the warden before she spotted his collarless state (we had already had the lecture about dogs bringing bears back to the camp).

He does love camping, although recently he decided that campfires were a very scary thing and spent most of the evening in the tent with just his nose sticking out.

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