dogs in tents

[sandra s.]

We'll be going on a 12-day mapping course at the end of August, and Kessie is coming along (wooohoo!!). We'll be sleeping in our own tents on a campground.

 

So, to those who've camped in tents with their dogs, is there anything special to remember? Anything you've forgotten and kicked yourself in the butt for it when it was too late?

 

Since we'll drive there in my own car (the bus was already full when I came along) space isn't an issue. I'll take the crate along so she'll hopefully have a dry place to sleep even if we bring our own classic field-trip weather with us, and the campground has a dog bath, so she'll be able to cool off if the weather is actually nice (yeah, right ).

I'm getting her used to a good brand of kibble (don't want to gross out the others too much by feeding raw) by mixing some into her breakfast every day, and will take a medium sized bag of that. It probably won't be necessary though...holy cow did that girl stuff herself (begging) on the tectonics weekend trip :eek: .

 

A towel or two to dry her off/wipe her filthy feet ...anything else? We've been on trips before but never in a tent. I'm really looking forward to this!

[Keegan's Mom]

Don't forget seam sealer for your tent. We forgot that one time (didn't have dogs then)...but it rained cats and dogs. Our tent had about an inch of rain in it. I will never forget seam sealer again!!!

 

I take one big blanket to make a bed for the dogs as Keegan likes to sleep on a dog bed (except when Laura is sleeping next to us...then he sleeps on her bed ). This works nicely because he can get chilly at night.

 

Don't forget water buckets and lots of fresh water if you don't think you will have some available.

 

And lastly, our camping has leash requirements. So I have a 50 foot leash and a 30 foot tie out. I use this because I also don't have to watch that they don't wander off if I'm busy cooking dinner or something.

 

Have fun and I can't wait to see pictures!!!

[sandra s.]

Oh yes, seam sealer!! I may be very thankful to you when we come back!

 

I normally take bottles of water with me on walks. The campground will definitely have water.

 

She has a fleece blanket, so that's going on the list too..

 

I was wondering about taking a long lead for tie-out on the campground (leash law or not, she needs to be kept away from the grill ), but I keep seeing her get tangled in the ropes and tearing peoples' tents down...I'll take a long one anyway and adjust it when we get there.

 

Thanks!

[Keegan's Mom]

Sandra...our 50 feet leash usually gets tied down to something like 25 but I like to have it if needed.

 

Have fun!!! Glad I could be of assistance by reminding you about seam sealer.

[INU]

What kind of mapping course are you taking? Sounds like FUN!

 

I was going to say tie out too. I always take a soft crate but it's too hot and I'd rather have her socialize than staying in the crate.

 

Are you allowed to have her off-leash? When my dogs work off leash, I put a big bell on them. You can here where they are. And I always have a herding whistle on me. One time Jazzy got stuck in the woods at night. Her glow stick was gone. I freaked out. The whistle helped her find me faster after she got released. Walking stick for snakes and hills. Meds for the dogs, and you. Big cooler with ice - will last for a few days. A book or two along with a lantern to read in the tent. An umbrella or a tarp to create a shade for the dog.

 

Have fun!

[Keegan's Mom]

Inu, that is a good idea about the bell!!!

[Allie Oop]

I'll second the fleece blanket (or two, if you have space). Also, if you have an extra thermarest pad or thin foam piece to put under her (and you) for insulation from cold you will both be a lot happier.

 

I also agree with the length of rope for a tie out (if there are leash requirements). We use an old length of climbing rope which is thin, easy to tie and strong.

 

Towels and dog shampoo. One time our dog was rolling around next to a lake and we thought "Oh how cute!" Well, what we soon discovered was that the dog had been rolling in a large decomposing dead fish and phew!!! What a smell! You don't want to have to be sleeping in a tent with that.

 

We also take foldable canvas bowls for Allie's food and water. They fold down flat and also tuck into a pocket or small back pack.

 

I'll be interested to hear how your tenting experience with Kessie goes. Is there much wildlife in the area you are going? Once we were camping with our previous dog and in the middle of the night we heard a loud yelp, a "clomp, clomp, clomp" and the dog frantically scurrying right into our sleeping bags. We grabbed our flashlights and there was our poor pup cowering underneath the sleeping bags. The side of the tent was partially caved in where he had been sleeping. :eek: We cautiously peered outside and milling around our campsite, snorting and stomping, were 4 or 5 very large moose. Unfortunately, they liked our camp and hung around our tent the rest of the night.

 

Needless to say, we didn't sleep too much after that and there were muddy hoof prints on the outside of the tent when we were finally able to get out of it the next morning.

 

Our dog was physically fine, but wanted to sleep in the car the rest of the trip.

 

Good luck! (And as always -- take lots of pictures!)

[sandra s.]

I'm not actually sure what we'll be doing, since I came in late (was going to take another course which got cancelled). It's in a flat area for a change, and the prof is a micropaleontologist so I expect the focus will be more on paleontology than just geology as the other ones have been. We'll see!

 

She's off leash all the time normally. When I can't keep an eye on her at all I just put her on a long lead and clip her to my backpack. I could try the bell though, there's still one left over from the latest dead ball!

 

Thanks for all the ideas! List is growing.

[sandra s.]

Hi Deb, posted simultaneously

 

No, no moose I'm afraid. We've killed almost all our big wildlife in Germany, ages ago . Wild boar, perhaps? Those can get "interesting" ...

 

We won't be cut off from civilisation, though. Geologists like the good life. The place has a shop, a restaurant, a nearby pool and g*d knows what else... There is even a hotel and I've already heard certain people talk about moving in there!

 

You're right about a lantern, though a dark tent is a fine excuse for not being able to work in the evening...but then so is beer!

[Cheri McDonald]

Sandra,

 

Doggie first aid kit goes with us camping all the time.

 

Be sure that you zip the tent closed with zipper on top, our Rob figured out zippers fast.

 

The bell is a great idea, we used a reflective collar on Rob in the Sierra's for those night time hikes to the loo.

 

A roll of Duct Tape. You'd be suprised how many times it gets used.

[Deb Mickey]

I don't want to scare anyone, but be sure your dog has identification (tags, tattoo, microchip, whatever) and take a couple of recent photos of your dog along, both body & head shots. These photos can be used to make up flyers in case he becomes lost. :eek:

 

Towels, plenty of dog towels for those muddy paws!

 

 

Have fun!

[sandra s.]

Ok, first aid, towels, duct tape, pictures...

 

She's microchipped and registered with an organisation that tries to return lost pets to their owners. She wears their tag on trips. Hope we won't need it but it's definitely coming with us!

 

I don't think she's smart enough for the zipper, but maybe she'll surprise me!

[smileyzookie]

When we went camping with Riven last month at the coast we brought.

 

1. first aid kit

2. doggie water and bowl

3. kibble and bowl

4. retractable leash and long lead

5. blanket and towels for her

6. dog clothes that were supposed to keep her warm

7. we bought 2 sleeping bags and zipped them together. There was enough room for DH and I and Riven in the middle if she was cold-or attention starved.

8. rabies vaccination papers (required for one of our state parks we were at)

Im sure there was other stuff I just cant think of it lol. Let us know how it goes. We are camping in Yellowstone Park at the end of August so we need to realize if we are missing anything too lol.

 

Edited to add:The zipper really is important. Riven saw us zip once, and immediately realized if she stuck her paw in the middle of where the tent zippers met, she could press the zipper and force it to open... and out she went.

[sandra s.]

My own list is still longer than Kessie's - but only if I put the geo-stuff and the other-stuff list together and list each sock individually...Isn't it always that way with us lot?

 

Thanks a lot for all the tips!!!

 

It's still over a month away but I'll try out the new tent when the exams are over. I'll post some pictures of Kessie's reaction then!

[sandra s.]

Originally posted by smileyzookie:

We are camping in Yellowstone Park at the end of August so we need to realize if we are missing anything too lol.

:eek: I just realised what I read here! Had to stop in the middle of putting my shoes on to come back and protest!

 

Camping in Yellowstone, you lucky ***** ... take lots of pictures!

 

(You do know Yellowstone is getting ready to blow up, don't you? Sure you don't want to send me instead? )

 

Anyway, we're going at the end of August too so that will be to late. At least we'll be able to compare...rain vs geysers...

[Lunar]

How fun!! I camped with Oreo quite a bit, and really the only thing I took was the long tie-out... and a bucket of her food, her leashes and brushes. She's easy thought. BUT I will not do tenting again... after waking up to realize we'd pitched my tent int he middle of basically a dry creek bed.... and it was now raining, pouring.... and the creek was no longer dry. *sigh*

[Sky92x]

I'm very glad we brought the kennel. The second Rezso got in the little 8x8 tent, it was ZOOMIES-FROM-HELL time.

[Kitch]

it was ZOOMIES-FROM-HELL time.

Oh my yes! Dublin couldn't decide what he was happier about - the fact that we were all in a giant 'crate' together or the fact that I was sleeping on a 'dog bed' too.

 

I think everything that I bring has been covered: first aid kit, towel, crate, folding water dish, food, various leashes and tie outs.

 

Bring a nail file in case Kessie gets a jagged nail - those are murder on tent floors. Oh and baby wipes come in handy for cleaning up messy dogs (thank you Julie P.)

 

Have fun!

[sandra s.]

Originally posted by Kitch:

the fact that we were all in a giant 'crate' together or the fact that I was sleeping on a 'dog bed' too.

Since we always sleep on a giant "dog bed", that shouldn't impress her too much - I hope! I love nothing more that a case of the zoomies, but in a tent? Uh oh.

 

Will remember the nail file. And I won't put the tent up in the middle of a riverbed/creek whatsoever (LOL) , but I'm sure we'll get just as wet anyway. I just can't picture the towels winning the fight if it really rains a lot. Oh well...the red wine kept us warm enough last time the weather was nasty.

[Allie Oop]

I actually love camping in tents with dogs. They think its a big den and want to be in there all of the time. You used to be able to set your watch by my old dog, Kamp, when we were out camping. At 9:00 straight up, he would be sitting in front of the tent door begging to be let in.

 

I think you and Kessie will have a great time!

[juliepoudrier]

Sandra,

I've done a lot of camping with the dogs at sheepdog trials. A tarp that's large enough to cover your tent can be a godsend if it turns out to be a very rainy time (rain flys just don't cut it after a while). They also add warmth if it gets cold at night. I don't leave a tarp over the tent, but have it with me in case of need.

 

A dog that is sufficiently motivated can easily break out of a tent (which is where duct tape can come in handy). I have one dog I trust completely to stay in the tent and not try to get out, but I would never trust the others not to go through screen doors, etc., if they really wanted out. That's why it's a good idea to have a crate and/or tie out with you for those times when it's not completely safe to leave your dog alone in the tent.

 

I personally always cover the tent floor with something like old bedspreads. I can't stand the sound of dogs and dog nails on plastic tent flooring.

 

If it's going to be hot, a fan for her crate if she has to be crated for any reason and you have to leave.

 

I also like some sort of mat at the tent door to wipe feet on so dirt, etc. is not dragged in. I also put plenty of dog towels on the inside of the tent door (like a door mat, only covers more area) to dry dog paws (dew on the grass can create as much moisture in your tent as rain) as they walk across before they hop on the bed or whatever.

 

I did have the reputation for having a "Taj Mahal" tent for a reason...

 

J.

[Keith Ramsay]

Smiley and other had a great list and a few months back there wasa great discussion on a dog first aid kit:

 

http://www.bordercollie.org/cgi-bin/ultima...t=009483#000000

 

One thing I really like are glow collars or chemical light sticks for the pups at night. Angel has a travel bed that packs down smaller than my sleeping bag, and also has a fleece blanket.

 

The last thing I always have is aboout 14' of 1" climbing webbing. It is set up as a leash, but can be used for a mess of things in an emergency. It is actually long enough I can make a swiss seat out of it if I am really in a pinch.

 

http://home.arcor.de/varn/rappel/swiss_seat.htm

 

Ahhh... and one last thing, a screen repair. Angel decided to paw at the screen in my nicer backpacking tent and made a nice little hole. I reapair that with two peices of mesh and seam glue.

[sandra s.]

The space is sort of limited

but I'll stuff in some towels and tarps and mats. Depending on the weather forecast, of course (not that they're always right...).

 

I've been looking for a rope for Kessie anyway, since I left her old one lying on a mountain while taking photos. So she'll have a nice new one when we go.

 

Thanks a lot for all the help!

[Joe Anne]

Take extra blankees incase your pup gets wet swimming or rain and it gets cool later. I don't know what your temps will be?? We were camping in Canada during the summer, very warm days and cold water to swim in, we couldn't keep Bruno out of it. When the sun went down however it got way cooler, and he wasn't drying off... started major shivering. We had to put him in the car with the heater on full blast and he finally was ok... slept like a puppy!

For rainy days/night you can always tie a tarp at a slight angle between trees, and over your tent to help,(this will give you a dry area to slip in and out of tent also and for shoes, also put a plastic tarp under tent (but make sure to roll up and tuck under the tent any excess! This will help keep bottom of tent dry, if you do it right.I forgot to roll and tuck under tent, and woke up floating on my air mattress.. I can LOL now, about it! I learned that the hard way... grrrrr!

If you have skunks???... take at the very least dish soap (like New Dawn) and tomatoe juice. If the dogs don't get skunked, you can drink the tomatoe juice on your last night (bloody mary) or with morning breakfast! LOL

If you have an old blanket or better yet piece of canvas to put on bottom of tent, it will save the tent from doggy claw holes.

A word of warning about taking pup off leash while hiking or camping. This is a place she is not familiar with, possibly new people, animals, noises etc., so the dog who is ok at home off leash may not be in this situation. Not to mention if she sees any wild animal running away, she just may take off after it... and that is not worth the risk. We were camping with my GS who was very well trained, with training titles etc, and a Ranger came by and acknowledged how well trained he was, then told us a story of a couple of state cops camping with their K-9's... well you know how well trained those dogs are. One spotted a deer in the woods... took off and did not listen to his handler, and they never saw the dog again...

I used to let my "good" dogs off leash while hiking etc., but never again!!! scares me to death.

PS...did you know you can use duct tape for preventing blisters too!! If you start to feel your shoe rubbing, put duct tape on the area, (BEFORE it gets too red (that is important). It will prevent blistering...

Anyway have a great time.. enjoy!

[Joe Anne]

What a beautiful picture!!!! One of my wishes is to visit Germany some day. Part of my heritage is German, and I took German in high school... eons ago!