Please carefully read the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Linking criteria

My favorite photos of me and my dogs.

This page was created as a companion piece to Terri Watson Rashid's excellent, Hiking/Backpacking with Canines (which I used to link to, but it's moved three times and I can't keep up with it anymore). In addition to my own experiences camping with my two dogs, this page uses material from Terri's original site (with permission).

Contents Who Can Participate? Preparations Equipment Where to Camp? Heat Exhaustion or Stroke Pick It Up or Else Winter parking lot danger Be Nice and Help Us All Out Other Related Resources Moving to Germany with your dog(s)

Who Can Participate?

If you are going to camp with a dog (or dogs), it is important that the dog(s) is (are) well-behaved around other people (both adults and children) and animals. Camping, particularly in the evening and mornings, is a relaxing time - fellow campers may have just finished a long day of hiking or driving. While a campsite may be lively during the day, once night falls, it's time to settle down. Your dog will need to understand when play time is over and how to be quiet (no barking!). If your dog has never been to dog school, ENROLL IMMEDIATELY. The cost is minimal and it will make you a better, more responsive dog owner, as well as a better camper with a dog.

On her Hiking/Backpacking with Canines page, Terri Watson makes this excellent point: "Good canine manners will go a long way towards creating good will and increased tolerance of canine presence. Know your dog. Be aware of what situations may make him act strangely or provoke an aggressive or defensive reaction. Then prevent these situations or, if unavoidable, be prepared to deal appropriately with them. You should never take a dog out on the trail if you feel there is any chance of someone being injured by him."

Dog-Aggressive Dogs
For 11 years, I had a lovely Australian Shepherd mix, Wiley, and for 15 years, a boisterous Beagle/Basset Hound mix, Buster. I currently have an angel of a German Shepard-mix, Albi. All have great affection for people, particularly children, but Wiley would attack another dog on sight -- and go for the kill. It's not easy camping with such a dog, but it can be done, through a great deal of caution, sensitivity to surroundings and responsibility on the part of the owner (me!). I have notes throughout this guide on how I did it. If you have a dog-aggressive dog and don't think you can do ALL of the precautions I mention, I strongly urge you NOT to camp with your dog.

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Preparations

• Vaccinations and License
  It is of absolute importance that your dog's vaccinations be up-to-date, as dogs can encounter unvaccinated animals while camping. Dog licenses should also be current. And ask your vet about the areas where you will be camping/traveling, as some carry additional health risks for dogs and may warrant additional precautions.

• Know Your Dog
  What excites your dog? What puts your dog "on guard"? What makes your dog bark, growl or whimper? Know your dog's language, know what sets him off, and know how to calm him down. Learn to read his tail, eyes, ears and body posture. If you can't anticipate your dogs reactions to various situations, there is no way you are ready to camp with your dog.

  Dog obedience classes are ESSENTIAL for you to understand dogs. If you have never been in a dog obedience class with your dog, I do NOT believe you really know dogs, certainly not well enough to take one camping.

• Start With Short Day Trips
  Dogs stress out when their routine changes. Too much stress can lead to erratic, even aggressive behavior, even illness. Getting your dog used to the many scenarios he'll encounter while camping in the weeks before your trip is easy and fun. It will also help you further know and bond with your dog (and this is always, always a good thing):
  
  
  1. take your dog on a day trip every week, for at least four weeks. Take along the dog bed and dog bowl you intend to use while camping. Try to replicate the situations your dog will experience during a camping trip: long drives, walking around in a new area, playing, sitting and reading (in other words, quiet time), having a meal, your dog sitting in the backseat while you get gas, etc.

  2. put up your tent in the back yard the week before you camp, or as near the date as possible. Sit inside of it each day and read a book or listen to your ipod for a few minutes (an hour is best), and put your dog's bed beside you. Don't force your dog inside, but do give your dog lots of attention if he joins you. Even if he never joins you, you will have helped sensitize him to the tent.

• Physical Demands
  While camping with your dog is not nearly as physically-demanding as hiking, for many dogs, camping will mean some increase in physical activity, however slight; there will be more opportunities for walking, running and exploring than are usually found in their day-to-day routine, and the terrain may be more challenging. A visit to the veterinarian to evaluate general health is a good idea before your dog camps for the first time.

• LEASH YOUR DOG
  No matter how well-behaved you think your dog is, it is both impolite and dangerous to other campers NOT to have your dog somehow under your control at all times. Your friendly, unleashed dog could wander into a campsite where there is a dog-aggressive dog (like mine), or a dog-aggressive PERSON, and the results can be disastrous, even deadly. Don't chance it -- keep your dog leashed, unless you can absolutely assure that your dog will NOT leave your campsite without you, even if a dog wanders by. As someone on a dog-hike discussion group noted, "while he is your 'puddin', sweetums', or darlin', to the rest of the world he is an unfamiliar 40 pound carnivore." Don't assume every person is a dog lover and wants to get a closer look.

• Notify a Friend, and Sometimes, a Ranger
  This isn't a tip for camping with your dog -- it's a tip for camping in general, and it's too important to exclude from this tip sheet: let a friend or neighbor know what your travel plans are. If you are entering BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to camp, it's also a good idea to let the nearest ranger station know you are going in, particularly if you are alone. You are at risk for adverse encounters with wildlife, weather or people. Don't rely on a cellular phone; coverage is not good in many areas and technology fails (batteries die, phones get dropped and break, you can't get a signal, etc.). Make arrangements to check in with a friend upon your return, and let them know when that is supposed to happen; the check-in is essential because, if you often forget to check back with them when you get home, then when you're really in trouble it may take an extra day for them to realize that there's a problem and notify searchers.

Equipment

• Dog identification tags
  The s-hook-style attachments on collars for tags often fail -- my dog had one once; it's now somewhere on a beach south of Carmel, California. Instead, use a small, strong key ring to hold tags on the collar. There are also collars that allow tags to be fastened flat against the collar. Make sure your tag has your name, your city and state of residence, your phone number, the dog's name and your vet's phone number.

  Gwen Baggett says she camps with her three dogs and, each time, she uses an "instant" pet name tag machine (found at many discount stores, strip malls and vet offices) to make a temporary tag for each dog, in addition to the regular tags they wear:

  "Cameo"
  Fall Creek Falls State Park
  Campsite E-6
  8/17/2003--8/21/2003
  "If we do not know the campsite ahead of time, we might leave it blank or put 'contact ranger.'"

  I used an instant tag kit to create something similar for one of my dogs: a tag that says "Aggressive to Dogs, Not to People."

  In addition, consider having a data chip implanted in your dog; many veterinarians and animal shelters have scanners that will pick up this chip, which provides identification, license and vaccination information. There are different brands of microchips that require different scanners (readers), so make sure the shelters in your area have scanners for the chip you are going to have implanted. I got both my dogs "microchiped", then moved to a new city and got a new vet who used a different microchip; she used her brand of scanner to see if my dogs' chip would show up; they did, although the information was unreadable. Still, as she pointed out, were my dog to be found by someone else, a shelter or vet with a scanner would at least know if the dog was owned by someone, even if the chip information wasn't readable.

  Tattoos are often hard (if not impossible) to find on the dog, and hard to interpret once they are found, so I don't recommend them.

• leash
  Be certain before setting out that you have a leash, snap, collar and buckle in good condition and will not break if the dog suddenly lunges. Carry an additional collar and leash, just in case (you will be surprised how often you end up needing it). I bring two leashes per dog -- one style is a tough, thick leather leash, used when I need to keep my dogs absolutely under my control, such as with my dog-aggressive Australian Shepherd when any other dogs might be around; the other style is retractable, which is an excellent leash for when there are no other dogs around, and my dogs want to explore more freely.

• tether
  Using the leather leash and a specially-designed tether that fastens around a tree, a picnic table leg, my truck's back tire, etc., I can create a really long restraint that allows my dogs almost total freedom within our campsite. If you have two dogs, tether them far apart -- just close enough so that they can be side-by-side only at the end of both restraints -- otherwise, dog tangles occur. And what a pain THAT can be....

• harness (for the seat belt)
  You may be a wonderful driver, but many people aren't. Plus, driving on poor and/or curvy roads can send your dog all over the insides of the car, if not through the windshield. I put my dogs each in a dog body harness, then run a seat belt through each harness. The dogs can sit or lay down, but can't be thrown around the car. It also keeps them in the back seat, which is the coolest place in the truck, when I have to run into a store or something.

  If you have a truck with a bed and don't allow your dog in the cab (which, in my opinion, is ridiculous, but...), please purchase a dog carrier and put your dog in it when he or she travels with you; the carrier should offer your dog just enough room to stand up and turn around in, but no more. Dogs die from falling or jumping out of the bed of a truck, from being thrown against the cab during a sudden stop; even leashing them to something in the bed of the truck is no protection, as dogs have also hung themselves while trying to jump out. A dog carrier is the ONLY humane way to travel with your dog in the bed of your truck. Padding the floor, ceiling and sides offers even better protection.

  You may have taken your dog in the bed of your truck, unprotected, a dozen times, or even a hundred times, and never had any problems. So have all the people who now have dead dogs from riding unprotected in the bed of their trucks.

• bedding
  Bring bedding (a blanket, an air mattress, etc.) to keep your dog off the ground. If it's a cloth bed, you need something under the bed -- tarp, plastic, etc. -- to keep the cold from the ground coming up through the bedding and chilling your dog. A tarp or plasti will go a long way in keeping the dog bedding dry and clean. Also plastic underneath cloth beds that are laid directly on the ground, outside the tent, to keep out moisture. For my dogs, bringing their home beds along while camping is as much behavioral support as comfort; they believe that wherever their beds are, that's home. I put their beds in the back for the car or truck ride, and they are content for the whole drive.

• cold protection
  My Australian Shepherd, Wiley, with his long, thick hair, loved the cold. My Beagle/Basset Hound, Buster, did not. Albi, my German Shepard mix, loves snow and likes the cold.

  If your dog has thin or short hair, or is small, outfit him or her in a dog sweater (yeah, I hate 'em too, 'cause they make your dog look like a wuss). In addition to adequate bedding (see above), ensuring that my dog always slept on something dry, when sleeping in the tent in cold weather, I also threw my coat completely over Buster, including over his head (since I'm in a sleeping bag, I don't need it); within just a few minutes, he'd created a body oven, and because the coat is so big, he could stand up and change positions without losing his cover. Give your dogs additional insulation by letting them curl up against you.

  And, remember -- you MUST have padding under your dog's bed in the tent or on the ground; otherwise, cold comes up from the ground and through the dog bed.

  If your dog is shivering, he's either in pain or he's very, very cold or both! Find out what is making your dog uncomfortable and deal with it immediately. If that means moving to a hotel, so be it!

  One participant in a dog hiking discussion group (see below) noted that she sprays her dogs' feet and tummies lightly with "Pam" for short jaunts through snow; this prevents them from picking up snowballs in their fur, then licking and pulling snowballs for hours.

  If it's below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, I believe it's too cold for a dog and, therefore, we would sleep in the truck or, if it was really, really too cold, in a motel. A discussion on a dog-hike list about this garnered general agreement for 35 degrees or less being too cold for dogs to sleep outside.

• booties
  Depending on the type of terrain and the dog's tendency to tear footpads, if there is going to be ice on the ground at the campsite, or if fire ants might be a problem, or if the terrain is particularly rocky, consider buying some booties to protect your dog's feet. Hiking/Backpacking with Canines goes into great detail about what to look for in booties.

• food and water
  Clean drinking water is a must for both you and your dog. Although natural water sources may be plentiful near a campsite, the water may be contaminated with parasites, harmful bacteria or chemicals. In areas where giardia is a problem you should not allow your dog to drink from streams or lakes (call the nearest park ranger station to find out the condition of streams and lakes).

  When camping in primitive sites (pit toilets only, maybe water from a pump), I carry a 10 gallon plastic container of water I filled before I left home. When desert camping, the 10 gallon container is our only water source, and it's also an excellent backup should the truck break down far from a water source. I also carry two one-gallon jugs of water -- one for the dogs, and one for me (I carry one for the dogs because Buster liked to lick the opening while the water is coming out into his bowl). The dogs get water at EVERY stop we make (getting gas, rest area, wherever); riding in the truck really dry them out.

  A reader in Arizona offers this advice: "I live in the desert near Lake Mead. In August it gets to 110-116 -- really hot, so even a short trip in the car is blazing to a dog. I have two one gallon milk jugs in my car. I cut one down just underneath the handle, so that it fits on the bottom of the other jug. I fill the jug with water and when my dog needs a drink I slide the 'dish' of the jug and fill it up. I never worry about a water dish because it fits all in one and saves space in the car."

  Don't be fooled by cold weather into thinking you don't need more water. Adequate fluid levels are essential for heat maintenance in both temperature extremes. Drink plenty of water and encourage your dog to do the same.

• dog food
  I take two-extra days of dog meals beyond our planned stay, just in case. Whatever you use for food storage, it should be sturdy and water proof. It should also be critter proof. If there is a bear box at the camp site, USE IT to store dog food, your food, anything that food has been in, your tooth paste, etc. This isn't just to keep bears out -- there are a variety of critters who will go for dog food or any other food if they smell it. If there is no bear box, but there might be bears around, hang your food in a tree. If bears aren't a danger, then keep all food and potentially smelly items in your vehicle.

• towel
  Even if you don't think you are going to be anywhere near water, bring an extra towel just for the dog(s). You won't regret it. Plus, if you've read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I mean, come on, you need a towel!! There are ultra-absorbent towels you can get from camping shops or pet stores; they dry in just a couple of hours and soak up an amazing amount of water.

• first aid kit
  Your dog does not face as great of a risk of injury or death just camping with you rather than hiking/backpacking with you... but the risks are there, none-the-less.

  Buy a standard First Aid Kit, then enhance it with extra items just for the dogs (extra bandages, extra swabs, etc.). Become familiar with the items in your First Aid Kit and what they are used for.

  Always know where the nearest town is that might have a veterinarian. If your dog becomes injured, do what you can to make your dog comfortable and get to a vet FAST. Your goal when giving a dog First Aid is to stop bleeding, prevent further injury and to calm the dog enough so that you can transport the dog to a vet.

  Medicating your dog is very difficult and can be dangerous -- a dog is not a human; his or her system will often NOT react the same way to medication as a human's. Your dog's weight is also a tremendous factor when considering dosage. I do not suggest you try to medicate a dog except in the most extreme circumstances.

  These are some of the suggestions regarding first aid kits made on various dog-hikig groups. Taking all of these items, however, might not leave room in your vehicle for your dogs!

  A back country EMT on the dog-hike list suggested adding these items (to add the doggy stuff, look in pet catalogs or ask your vet):

  • coated aspirin (do not give regular aspirin to a dog, except by vet's guidance, and don't give any kind of aspirin to a dog unless you have absolutely no alternative)

  • VetWrap- sticks to fur better without pulling out hair

  • Kwik Stop or septic powder

  • Small nail scissors

  • Ear and eye ointment- in 1/8 oz tubs (a little Ottomax and Terramycin)

  • Good tick tweezers and maybe Tick Release

  • Hemostats, needle nose pliers and lighter Razor blade to shave hair from an injured area

  • Butterfly bandages- wound closure strips

  • Waterproof surgical tape

  • Sam splints

  • Secta-soothe

  • Mole skin irrigation needle (to flush eyes and wounds trauma dressing and 4 x 4 bandages)

  • Snake bite kit
    (although she warned, "if your dog gets bit by a rattler and you are way out, give him plenty of love and affection because no one is going to Medflight your dog out of the wilderness, unless it is a certified SAR dog. Sad but true.")

  She adds "one more thing to remember- dogs can endure a lot more pain then we can - or for that matter than we can watch them go through."

  Other suggestions:

  • Benedryl (in case your dog is stung by a bee or fire ant; keep dosage TINY)

  • Blood stop powder

  • Tube of triple antibiotic (works great for plugging puncture wound)

  • kotex (to absorb blood and act as a dressing)

  • suture packets (sufficient to do the job, the sutures can be taken out later at the vet)

  • bandana

  • hydrogen peroxide, to clean wounds and to induce vomiting (just a TINY amount will do, and do this only if you have no alternative)
  Enclose items in a ziplock bag (or several). Back country EMT courses also teach how to improvise things in the field, such as duct tape if you have no Vet Wrap.

• muzzle
  I always carried a strong, cloth muzzle for my Australian Shepherd mix, Wiley, the dog-aggressive-dog. It allowed him to open his mouth only enough to drink or have a dog treat. If you have a dog-aggressive-dog, you should not only muzzle such a dog in the presence of other dogs, because it conditions the dog to begin to worry as soon as you put the muzzle on. Instead, put the muzzle on whenever you leash the dog; then the muzzle means he's going for a walk -- always a good thing in a dog's mind.

  Even if your dog doesn't bite, BRING A MUZZLE. If your dog is injured, he may need the muzzle to prevent him from biting you or others trying to give him first aid.

• dog fight-deterrents
  I worked very hard to keep my dog aggressive dog away from other dogs. Outside, he was always leashed if there was even a hint of other dogs around, and often muzzled. If I saw another dog, we went in a different direction. Sadly, many dog owners let their dogs run up to strange dogs; and while most of these dogs heard or smelled Wiley and decided they didn't want to go near him, a few decided they wanted to fight (and, afterwards, their owners always said, "Oh, I've never seen Fluffy act like that!").

  Even if you don't have a dog-aggressive-dog, you could encounter one.

  Back in the early 1990s, I carried at least one old empty plastic soda bottle (2 liters), with their light and very crinkly plastic. If you took such a bottle and hit yourself in the head with it, it wouldn't hurt, but it would make a TERRIBLE noise -- it was recommended by my dog trainer to stop dog fights, and it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, soda bottles are now made with very hard plastic, and using such would seriously injure the dogs. But I post the idea here in case you can come up with something similar.

  There are some alternatives:

  • (1) carry a spray bottle filled with water, if your dog is afraid of such (Wiley wasn't).

  • (2) carry a soda can full of pebbles, or some other noise maker, and shake it during a dog fight, or when your dog starts growling (but note that this doesn't work with all dogs -- it never worked with mine). During the break in fighting or posturing that may result from any of the aforementioned, get your dog OUT of the situation.

  • (3) carry a small air horn (like the kind on boats). It's not only an effective startle effect during dog fights, it works great on bears too, I hear. You can get them at any boating/marine store. Large super Wallmarts may even sell them.
  • (4) You can carry a can of Halt!, a mild pepper-spray, the same stuff many letter-carriers have on their belts. It can be bought for under $10 in many cycling stores. Halt! has no lasting effects and can be washed out of the dog's eyes with water. Halt! has a range of only 15' or so, and if there's a wind blowing, you or your dog can get a "back-blast" from it if you're not careful.
  Many of these will not make you popular with other campers or dog owners. But if you think you might need to break up a dog fight, these are your choices.

  Someone also sent me this, and I think for large dogs, it's a great idea:

   
  My girls are anything but aggressive -- they are huge wusses (Malamutes). However, I have had to deal with them trying to take off on me. I finally purchased dual shock collars for them that operate off of one transmitter. Josie is the orange button and Lil' Bit is green one. It has an easily adjustable range of tweaking them a little to making them jump in the air and cry out. Each dog has different sensitivity to it. Josie at 130lbs can barely tolerate the first setting, it goes 1-5. Lilí Bit at 105lbs has been hit with 4 to stop her from deer chasing in my woods. It is a whole lot more humane than watching my dog get hurt or hurt someone else. if your dog is in contact with another dog and you zap him, the other dog gets hit too. The other dog won't know what hit him, but it should take the fight out of him! An added plus it that I no longer run after them yelling and screaming to stop. I call them once, if they don't make a visible effort to return to me... And yes, they know what "Mommy fry you!" means. All it takes now is me saying it, and they turn toward me, which is all I want. I paid right around $330 for the dual collars and transmitter. The girls also wear reflective Quick Spot vests and cow bells when itís deer hunting season. My ten acres of woods is fenced in and I and my dogs consider it our back yard, however some of the local poachers view it differently. It would be a good idea to have them wear the vests when camping or hiking too.

  If you have more alternative ideas on how to humanely prevent or break up dog fights, please contact me. (I sure miss those soft plastic soda bottles...)

• Other items
  Dog comb and brush, dog toys, dog treats, and extra bags or newspapers for doggie-business cleanup

• vehicle heating and cooling systems
  If you are going to be driving through intense heat or cold, your dogs will need the protection your vehicle can provide. For my dogs, heat is the worst of the two extremes (they are both more than 12 years old, and I always worry about heat exhaustion or heat stroke), so I make sure my air-conditioner is in good working order before we take off on a trip.

Where to Camp?

Most state parks allow dogs, and many also allow dogs on some or all hiking trails (dogs must be leashed at all times!).

Private camping sites are hit and miss: some are very accommodating regarding dogs, allowing you to walk everywhere with them, and some limit dog walking to a tiny patch of ground that won't at all meet your dogs' walking needs.

Dogs are allowed in the camp sites of National Parks, National Monuments and National Forests, as well as on or alongside paved roads, but they are usually NOT allowed on trails.

If I have the luxury of using the Web to research camp sites, I do. If there isn't enough information on the web site, I call or email the camp site. If I don't have that luxury, I have a look at the information board in the front of the camp site I want to stay in. Whether state park, national park or private site, the camp site bulletin board will give you the information you need regarding dogs.

I love camping on Bureau of Land Management land, because there's usually no one else around. However, your chances of wildlife encounters increase on BLM land, so be extra cautious of such.

Unfortunately, uncontrolled dogs and irresponsible pet owners have contributed to the closing of some campsites to dogs, and the hostile reactions by some fellow campers when they see you have dogs with you. Remember: your behavior with your dogs effects ALL campers with dogs!. Keep your dog quiet, exhaust your dog with exercise, keep your dog on a leash at all times and never, ever leave your dog alone at a camp site.

Having a dog-aggressive-dog, I made sure I left myself plenty of daylight to find a campsite, allowing for the possibility of having to move later (either because of the dog or because the guy in the adjacent campsite has an RV with a generator running all night).

If you have a dog-aggressive-dog or people-aggressive dog, it is YOUR obligation to keep the dog well away from other dogs or people, especially children. If you have to camp near other campers with a dog, don't hesitate to let them know, in the most friendly but firmest way possible, that you have a dog that should NOT be approached, and that while you will have this dog restrained at all times, they will need to kindly stay away. Most people will respect this and even sympathize; if you encounter someone who is unfriendly or confrontational or hysterical, move; reason won't work, and it's not worth it to try with such people.

A guy I met at a camp site in Billings, Montana had made a small printed sign in a clear sandwich bag telling people to not approach his dog. He hung it from a picnic table near his dog. You may not have your eye on your dog at all times, and the sign helps warn anyone you didn't see approaching your camp site.

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Heat Exhaustion or Stroke

Watch your dog for signs of heat exhaustion or stroke. Particularly, unusually rapid panting, and/or a bright red tongue or mucous membranes. The dog's primary mechanism for cooling off is through panting. Since this cooling process uses evaporation the dog will require more water when he is panting heavily. Shorter-nosed breeds (eg, Bulldogs, Pugs) may have a less efficient heat exchange rate, so should be watched especially closely.

Check with your vet for the best ways to cool down an overheated dog. There are more suggestions on The Dog FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers) about this and other dog health issues. There is also more information about heat exhaustion on the archived Backpacking With Your Dog FAQs.

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Pick It Up or Else

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Winter parking lot danger

When going on winter hikes with your dog, keep a keen eye out for puddles in the parking lot. These could be antifreeze. Some people top off their antifreeze when adding it to their cars in a parking lot, spill it, or have their car boil, leaving deadly puddles of antifreeze behind. All it takes is little bit, not even a table spoon, to kill your dog. "A musher in our club lost two dogs to this scenario last year." Even if your dog takes a lick and shows no immediate signs of problems TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!

Be Nice and Help Us All Out

My Favorite Resources Relating to Dogs

Moving to Germany with your dog(s)

I like to think of it as a really, really long, involved camping trip... in February 2001, I moved to Germany with my dogs. And I've compiled a list of resources and advice I found helpful in getting us all over to Deutschland.

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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Terri Watson Rashid, author of Hiking/Backpacking with Canines.

Thanks also to everyone who contributed information.

This information is subject to change, per new experiences and suggestions. If you want to suggest a link FROM this page, please read this linking criteria.

contact me