Love the idea of camping with your dog? Your furry four-legged friend can be a good companion in the great outdoors. Just be sure that you follow these important tips for a smooth camping excursion with your pet.
Do Not Leave Your Pet Unattended-Make sure that you know where your pet is at all times and do not not leave them by themselves for any significant length of time. It sure would ruin the camping trip if your dog wanders off or gets in an altercation with another animal.
Explore Leash Length-When your dog is not in your camper, RV, or tent, he or she will generally need to be kept on a leash. Many parks and campsites require that you use a 6 foot leash to maintain good control of your pet. Check the website or call the location where you are heading for that destination’s particular rules.
Keep Your Dog From Munching On Random Plants-At a campsite or on the trail, you may encounter plants that are not found in your dog’s home environment. Some of these can be very bad for your canine’s health such as Azaleas, Lily of the Valley, Oleanders, and numerous wild flowers. Do not let FIDO make a buffet of the surroundings. Have pet-friendly snacks that you bring instead to offer your pouch.
Know Where Your Pet Can Go-Each camping area will have different rules about where your pet can and cannot go. Most do not allow pets in buildings, swimming pool complexes, or concession areas unless service animals. Some parks such as Yellowstone do not allow pets in boardwalks, trails, or in the back country due to the number wild animals who live in the area. Pay attention to the guidelines where you are staying because they are for you and your pet’s safety.
Leave No Trace-Pick up your pet’s waste. This not only keeps other people from stepping in it (yuck), but also from potentially spreading germs to other animals.
Make Sure That Your Dog’s Vaccinations Are Up-To-Date. Your vet can provide you with a copy of your pet’s shot record. Have your fuzzy companion wear his or her current rabies tag, as well. Also, be sure that flea and tick treatments are current. And take the added step when camping of periodically inspecting your pet for any creepy crawlies that may have hopped in the fur while outdoors.
Train and Condition Before Longer Hikes-Just as people need to work up to longer hikes, so do our furry friends. Do not head out on a 5 mile hike with your pooch if from the couch to the food bowl is the furthest your four-legged companion has gone before.
Watch water consumption-Dogs can not cool themselves off nearly as efficiently as humans, so be sure and keep Fido well hydrated. Where us homo sapiens have sweat glands all over our bodies, not so for our beloved canines. Especially, if taking your pooch out of a trail with you, make sure that you bring along a collapsible bowl and H2O for him or her.
Following these simple guidelines, when camping with your dog, can help make for a wonderful trip for the both of you.
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This is great advice. I cannot say I have camped w my dog but we did take one of our yellow labs to a campground where she swam in a pond designated for dogs to swim. She loved it but within a day she (and my house) had FLEAS everywhere! Ugh. What a nightmare. We know what to do now to keep that from happening again but back then we were clueless.
Sinea♥
Great advice. Reading this as my Aussie is passed out next to me in our camper after a long day hiking along the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota. Great day and great article, nothing better then camping with a good dog. The Broke Dad
Love it!