RE: camping dogs ?????

[Jo Ann]

 
Ok, you take your dog with you...but what do you do with it when you go biking or somewhere where pets can t accompany you?

[Tim5055]

 Jo Ann
There is no simple answer to this question, every dog is different and you have to make your choice based on the temperament of your dog.  Remember, you dog is a member of the family and should be treated as such.  Do not place them in a dangerous situation.
 
 First of all, check with your destination to see if a kennel is available. This is always the first choice. If not, then a dog that is comfortable being left alone in the pop up may be OK. On a couple of camping trips " test"  the dog. Put them in the pop up and go out and get in the car, slam the doors for the correct number of people and drive away. One person stays behind and keeps quite listening to see what the dog does. Some dogs will go to sleep, some will whine/bark for a coupe of minutes then quiet down while others continue to bark.
 
 If you do plan to leave them alone, please keep in mind they can t care for themselves.  Make sure the temperature will be in a safe and reasonable range.  While you may have A/C or a heater, what will happen in a power failure?  Remember food and water!
 
 This is also not something you should spring on your dog out of the blue.  If your dog has only experienced being with it s " pack" , being abandoned may be difficult for them to deal with.  Over several trips in the pop up you may want to slowly build up the time you leave them alone.
 
 Some things that may help:
 
 A bed the dog is comfortable sleeping in; even better is a crate if your dog is comfortable in one.
 
 Close all curtains to keep it dark
 
 Run your A/C to keep it cool (plus it adds background noise)
 
 Leave a radio on softly to block outside noise.
 
 For more information, check out my [link=http://www.title-3.com/DoggieCamping.htm]Camping with your Dog Web Page[/link]
 
 

[CampinCrazy]

 Jo Ann
We adopted a dog 3 months ago and had many of the same questions.  She LOVES camping.  We have a crate I can put in the camper to keep her secure if we are away from the site.  We ve done the super secret checks, and even had friends check on her as well.  Plus she gets special treats to chew on when we can t be with her while camping.  It takes her about 2 hours to get the hang of it and figure out what her territory is and isn t.
 
 One problem we ran into is burrs in her furnishings (Schnauzer with long hair on legs and chest).  I ve rec d recommendations for ShowSheen and Cowboy Magic (both originally for horses) to prevent and help remove burrs and matts.  We ll see how well they work on the next trip out.  Last time it took me almost 4 hours to brush her out!  
 
 Good luck!

[Jo Ann]

 Jo Ann
well manny for the most part is quiet...and has been left alone in the house...we adopted him last november and it took him till about the end of march to feel at home now.  he does hate to travel, but have meds for that...so far tho...we have only been on one camping trip and will be on our second, both at places that don t allow pets....but i was thinking about putting up the camper and then putting him in it and sorta leaving to see what happens...he does chew alittle bit...but only things taht are mine

[whitestar505]

 Jo Ann
Jo Ann,
 
 
 

but what do you do with it when you go biking or somewhere where pets can t accompany you?

  Some dogs you can teach to run/walk aside of you while you are bike riding. Of course this is with leash on. We use to take turns biking and come back to camp site and switch out to dog sit. Then we found out we only needed one bike for the two of us, which took some weight off our packing. Now hiking/walking is the name of the game and of course we take the dogs.
 
  When we are out camping they are with us at all times. I agree with tim in that the dogs temperment has a great deal on what you do. When we go out to eat when camping, dog stays in the car if it is not hot. We normal go after sun down or find a real nice place to park with shade. Then we are checking on them about every 20 mins. This will drive you nuts I may add. At times we go to church on Sunday moring and the sun is like a firer ball. I stay in the car with the dogs and BW gets the blessings for us all. Of course the A/C is running.
 
  There is no real good answer except that you the loving Master will care for them no matter what. You are all they have.
 
 " to prevent and help remove burrs and matts. We ll see how well they work on the next trip out. Last time it took me almost 4 hours to brush her out! "
 
  We have cockers, and we have learned that in the summer to bring them to a groomers and cut them short. This not only helps with the burrs and matts but keeps the dirt down, and the fleas and ticks also.
 
  By the way, your pet told me to tell you, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
 
 
 

[JemJen24]

 Jo Ann
We went to Arkansas for a weeklong trip last week with the dogs. I had contacted a local boarding facility to house them while we toured Hot Springs for the day.  On the day of our scheduled tour, it was in the mid 70 s and a bit drizzly.  So, I turned on the A/C to circulate the air, put them in the camper with some water, and made sure that prior to our departure they had LOTS of excercise so they d be nice and tired.
 
 We left and came back about 4 or 5 hours later.  Our neighbors were flabbergasted that they never even heard a single peep out of the dogs even with all their children riding their bikes and playing around our campsite.
 
 I know my dogs.  I know what they can and can not handle.  If it would have been real hot or cold I would ve, more than likely, taken them to the vet s for boarding.  However, the temps were mild, the dogs were excercised, and as many times as we ve been camping, they now know that we WILL return and so they don t " stress"  about being left alone in the camper.
 
 Jennifer []

[whitestar505]

 JemJen24
JemJen24,
 
 " stress"  about being left alone in the camper.
 
  Jen, I have to tell ya that every camp grounds that we have been to here in the Mid/North east will not allow pets to be left alone in the campers at the camp grounds. Can not tell ya if this is good or bad.  Is this the same way in Texas?
 

[wahoonc]

 Jo Ann
NC State parks have the same rules about no dogs being left alone in campsites too. We saw the reason why on a trip to Kerr Lake a year ago, someone had tied a beagle up in a campsite down near the lake, got in their boat and went out on the lake. The poor fellow was miserable,(and he wasn t the only one) he barked and howled the whole time they were gone. which was several hours.  When they finally got back in they were fined and asked to leave the campground, one of the few times I have actually seen the rules enforced in a state park[&:]
 
 Aaron[]

[Jo Ann]

 Jo Ann
that is also one of the problems...the campgrounds i checked said that pets are not to be left alone at the site..
 
 my dog is a whippet so taking him biking with us is out of the question, they are good for the fast short run, but do not have the fat reserves, the bones and foot pads that would allow for sustained speed...so taking him biking is out...cuz we like trips that are 4-15 miles.
 
 also (something which seems inherent in whippets and greyhounds) they love lying in the sun to the point where ya have to physically drag their butts back out of it....although manny will get up and move into shade...he doesn t do it often and is then back out in the sun too soon. so he can t be left out alone where there is lots of sun...cuz i can t trust him to get out of before frying....
 
 for the most part he is quiet till he sees another dog or an animal he wants to chase...then he has a sort of baying barking sound....he won t bark for long...but still...one thing tho...when he chases something and actually corners it...he kinda doesn t know what to do with it...unlike the greyhound i had which would tear whatever it was apart...but greyhounds are actually hunting dogs...where whippets where stricting for racing....they do have alot of terrier in them and will try to go to earth....

[JemJen24]

 Jo Ann
For the person that wanted clarification...
 I define " Stress"  as howling, barking, chewing, etc.
 
 Yes, I do believe TX has the same rules about unattended pets, but if it s IN the camper where they can t see it (or hear it) ...how would they know?! [8D]
 
 If my dogs were howlers, barkers, or chewers, I wouldn t leave them.  When we first camped in the camper with them we did several " test"  runs.  
 
 First we left to go to the restrooms and came back.  Then praised the dogs for being quiet (we listened outside the camper).  Then we slowly increased our departure time each time.  
 
 What we also did (and still oftentimes DO) is give our camping neighbors our Cell phone number if we left, for example, to run to get some ice or to go to another campsite for dinner.  Our " neighbors"  agreed to call us if they heard ANY howling or barking.  They never did and most people tell us they didn t even know we had two dogs. []
 
 Yeah, I know, i m breakin  the " campground rules" , [] but open containers aren t allowed in our parks either and I ve seen plenty of those. []
 
 Like Tim said (I think it was Tim).....it just depends on your dog and how well you know your dog.  My 14 year old is half deaf and blind and my Boxer gets so much exercise when we camp that he s happy to have his peace and get an afternoon nap. [&:]
 
 Jennifer []

[Jo Ann]

 Jo Ann
jem,
 
 was gonna put my camper up this weekend (need to clean the plastic windows) but the weather is gonna be wet....was gonna see what manny would do being left alone in there....will have to wait i guess.
 
 the only thing about camping is we really like riding bikes...hiking too so we could take the dog with us...but we do love to bike...sigh.

[Michicampers]

 Jo Ann
We take our dogs with us when we bike, in a kiddie trailer like this. Our dogs are small (10 and 20 lbs.) but you could fit one larger dog in one of these - I ll bet a whippet would be fine. We put a large pillow on the bottom so they have a flat and cushioned seat. We also put harnesses on them and attached safety straps to the belts. The safety straps are available at pet stores, and are made for attaching a dog s harness to a car seat belt strap. For a squirmy dog you might need 2. Our Chihuahua really enjoys the ride - she s happy as long as she is with us. Our Boston (" Mr. Intensity" ) isn t so relaxed, but he does okay. It s worked out great, because now we can all bike together. We get some pretty funny looks when we pass people and they realize what s in the trailer.

[JemJen24]

 Jo Ann
ha! Yeah...I ve seen people use those for dogs too.  
 
 Another suggestion for bikers.  They actually make a part that attaches to your bike (It looks like a metal rod with a bungee cord).  You leash the dog to this contraption ( a short...maybe 2 foot leash) and you can ride your bike while he runs along side you.  You don t have to use your hands, and he s leashed.
 
 The bungee partof this contraption allows ample time for you to stop in case he decides to stop or go another way.
 
 I ll see if I can find one on Ebay to show you what I mean.  
 
 Jennifer []

[deniski]

 Jo Ann
The contraption attached to the bike sounds like one I have called a " Springer" .  I ve had it for a while, but I think they still make them.  If you have a big dog, like I do, you have to be careful because they can pull you off balance if they see a deer or some other wildlife pop into their view during the ride!!  But the thing does have these little plastic " safety"  connectors that break when that happens.  Then you just have to catch up with your dog....

[4campinfoxes]

 Jo Ann
We have 2 large labs.  They love to camp & be with us.  When we are camping for the weekend where we can be with them most of the time they come along.  For our longer week vacations we usually board them at the kennel near home.  We have done a couple of things with the dogs when we ve had to leave them alone. One is to leave them in the PU, with windows pretty well closed to keep them from seeing out.  As far as we know they haven t been a problem.  Another thing we ve done is have them in our big van with the windows cracked & the sunshade in the window.  They are used to being crated during the day & they seem to treat being in the van the same way.  
 
 Of course, what we do or don t do depends on how long we ll be gone & what the temperature is.  
 
 Sharon