Camping

[Unluckycat1]

Do you camp with your dog? Do they enjoy it? Any tips?

We camped last weekend with our 1yr old dog, and it was not terrible, but not great either. There were a lot of dogs and she just wouldn't wee at the campsite, I'm guessing due to some kind of territorial anxiety? So both nights woke me up needing to wee, and then whined when we went back into the tent (first night I spent aaaages settling her, and the second night I just gave up and we were up from the crack of dawn).

We have two more camping trips planned, and I'd love for her to enjoy them. I'd really love to not be completely shattered because of the dog when my children are now old enough that they sleep in 😫. Tbf in the day she seemed very happy to be out in nature, sniffing new smells, rolling on new grass, paddling in rivers etc. but she did struggle to nap.

I guess I'm hoping for stories of dogs that were a bit weirded out by camping but came to love it!

Our dog came camping with us for over a decade, but at the beginning I think the stimulation and alteration to her routine unsettled her. As she got used to it she absolutely loved it.

My tips would be to try to choose quieter campsites and the quietest spot in the campsite. Position your tent so that it looks away from other tents - might lose your view a bit, but it'll make for a quieter life for your dog.

Get a windbreak of some sort and form a compound/domain area around the door of your tent...that way you'll have your own area and your dog can settle in it without fear of other dogs intruding on her territory.

Our dog always had her basket from home in the same place in the tent every time, food brought from home, routine as unchanged as possible. Routine walks away from the tent until the dog wees/poos. Our dog didn't like going to the loo near the tent, perhaps because we ate out there and had chairs out there it felt like pooing in the house - which she never did.

Bedtime routine again, as much as possible like home. Last walk, bedtime biscuit, last drink and then basket.

I'm sure she'll settle into it and you'll have many happy trips. Have fun.

Camping can be incredibly overstimulating for them - all these new sights and sounds and smells and without the security of home.

A tent is also nothing like a home in terms of security and comfort - it's noisy and cramped and looks/smells unusual too.

I would maybe start having the tent up in the garden at home and getting her accustomed to settling there by herself while you potter.

Yes we do. We started taking our pup when she was 6 - 7 months old so she became used to it quite quickly. We have a camper van and use an awning for a long camp or a garden and loo tent for a short one.

We found having a garden that goes around the van invaluable. That means they can be contained but not restricted. Obviously you don't leave a dog on a camp site.

It is pretty normal for a young dog not to relax - ours doesn't as it's so stimulating but she is beginning to calm down a bit now and can often be found on the back ledge of the van chilling out.

We always find the first day she is a bit jumpy and a bit barky and doesn't settle well but then she gets into it. Being a terrier (she is 18 months) she sleeps like the dead tbh so we have no night time issues as well as being in the camper as it's quite quiet and not like a tent. 1 is really really young. I would persevere but try to make it as low key as you can. I have found just chilling with her so she can see people and dogs and giving her treats if someone walked past for example helped a lot. Set your tent up at home and let her get used to it - play and the odd meal in it or even just chuck treats in so she associates it with good things. We did a lot of that in the van before we could camp. Take her out, we had a cup of tea and she had a chew.

Ours at the weekend. She did find it overwhelming at first.

My 2 love it and always have, but they compete at agility shows, and train in different places and so are very used to dealing with different environments, and more importantly being able to switch off anywhere.
I keep the routine much as normal, my younger dog sleeps on my bed as he does at home, and the older one has a choice between that and the open crate.
Mine were very sad to leave after last weekends camping trip. Photo of Arthur after I took the tent down.

Ours loves being with us wherever we are. She loved tent camping, but we were a little bit less comfortable with that when the weather turned wet and windy and we were stuck in the tent with a wet dog and nothing was getting dry. On a good week it was brilliant - we spent one camping trip unsure whether we had a dog or just a tail on a long lead as we rarely saw more then her tail as she was lying in the hedge watching everything going on in the field beyond.

We now all love camping in the motorhome, regardless of the weather.

That is an excellent point. My dogs have always been the same - agility trained and competed in multiple different places (current isn't ready yet but nearly) and walked and day trips all over the place even the last one who was an older rescue. It means they are far more adaptable to new experiences.

A dog that only visits a local park or lead walks around very familiar streets for example will struggle much more with it at least initially. Not saying the OP does this but it is quite common.

Omg she loved it! Especially since dh forgot to pack ddog food and she ate bbq food the first night!
Long line through the cable port during the night!
She slept like a log..

Mine love it, but they sleep in a crate when camping as it stops ddog2 worrying about the world outside (he loves crates and apparently when the door is shut then everything is our problem rather than his) and ddog1 from having bed indecision. It also lets us pop them away to go for a shower. When sitting outside they go on a tether and enjoy watching the world go by - for mine, blocking off the view with windbreaks wouldn't be popular

Loving hearing all your doggy camping stories and seeing your photos.

Sorry for posting this then not responding, I got logged out and forgot how to log back in again.

Great tips, thanks all. It was hot when we camped ( hard to believe now 😭) so we didn't hang out in the tent at all until we went to bed, which looking back seems an obvious reason why she found it so weird and unnerving. I'm definitely going to put the tent up in the garden on a cool day and try to make it an interesting place to explore.

We have a camper van too, but I prefer sleeping in the tent, and she prefers sleeping with me. But going forwards us sleeping in there instead is an option if she really can't get on with the tent.

And just because I love a pic (any more camping dog pictures welcome 😄) here's Unluckypup looking not exactly thrilled

We needed a bit more garden and our dog likes to look out too so we have gone for a vision section (netting) and hope she likes it 😂What we do for our dogs!