First weekend trip with our dog, any suggestions?

[Going Coastal]

We are planning to head out on our first weekend in the Ollie soon, and we will be bringing our dog with us.   She is a Chiwawa trapped in a Doberman body... hahaha... really, she is just a feisty little dobie-girl that likes to bark.   I am interested to see how she handles the campground and people.   Any suggestions for those of you with larger dogs as to how you handle sleeping arrangements, outside tie-outs/runs, or other tips y'all have learned along the way would be greatly appreciated!  

 

 

[Steph and Dud B]

We had a springer spaniel that liked to bark and it was problematic in a lot of campgrounds because you're so close to your neighbors. We worked with a trainer and an electronic bark collar to break that habit when we were camping. 

Back then, we had a long tether that we clipped to our steps. Nowadays, I see lots of campers with folding dog pens, like you see at dog shows.

[LeBill]

Tire her out with walks and playtime. Make sure she has toys/chewy things all the time. Introduce her to the other campers (at a distance, from the road). Keep reassuring her that everything is okay, you’re safe, she’s being a “good girl”. Frankly, camping with a dog can be exhausting until they get used to being in a new place and protecting you from new dangers. Our Great Pyrenees was born to bark, and it’s a struggle to keep her from barking, as it’s her inbred way of protecting us. Be assured, with the windows closed, Ollie’s are almost sound proof. Tie-outs are a struggle, because you can’t tie her out and ignore her, she still requires constant feedback that she doesn’t need to bark.

good luck, she’ll come around and embrace camping too!

 

[Katjo]

Here are a few things we like and use when we camp with our dog. 
This year we’ve added a dog fence that I will be doing a video about in the near future. 
 

 

[Patriot]

We are huge dog lovers having previously owned a Flatcoated Retriever for 16 yrs. We don’t have a dog presently as we find traveling with one is just way too restrictive since we like to fish, hike and bike, and enjoy other out door activities. Leaving a dog inside our Ollie all day is just not something we are comfortable with. And don’t think it’s fair to the dog. Just us.
Something that we have seen all to often in CG’s is dog owners failing to control their dogs constant nuisance barking. Most would agree that while you’re kicking back and relaxing at your campsite, a dog barking at every person that walks by is just down right annoying.
Fortunately most CG’s and SP parks will give a fair warning upon the first nuisance barking offense. The second offense you’re likely going to be asked to leave. Many CG’s and parks we have stayed at have pretty strict dog control rules which benefit everyone. 

If you wanna travel with your dog which I think is great if you can make it work, please be considerate of other campers and use a bark collar if your dog is a nuisance barker.
It sure makes for nicer neighbors! 😊

Patriot🇺🇸
 

[ShallowGal]

Be sure to pack a doggy first aid kit. 

https://wearwagrepeat.com/diy-dog-first-aid-kit/

[Hokieman]

 We camp with our female Labrador retriever.  She is not a typical pet in that she is an ADA certified guide dog in training, legal to take in public places, airlines, public transportation, restaurants,  etc.   She is well behaved and does not bark.  We never leave her unattended inside the trailer, she goes everywhere with us.   We take her on extended hikes on dog friendly trails (she can go a lot farther than most humans), she carries her own water in a dog pack.   She swims when and where we allow her, and chills out when needed.   One  limitation is that my wife and I cannot go on bike rides together.   One of us stays behind with the dog and reads or putters around, not a bad compromise.   Outdoors, we have a long nylon tether to the steps, and a large mat to keep her out of the dirt and away from pine cones, acorns, sticks, and fire pits.    Caution should be used when tethering to keep camp chairs and tables out of their zone.  If they get their tether wrapped around a chair or  table and see a squirrel or another distraction, a lot of damage and injuries can occur, especially with outdoor stoves or grills.   We keep her out from under the trailer for same reason, and they can get grease on them from the suspension.   We have an outdoor water bowl within reach.    Indoors we keep the indoor water bowl in the bare shower pan  because she is a sloppy drinker.   We  mop up after with quick drying microfiber “dog”  towels.   We feed her the same way, in the shower.   When we take a shower, we just set the bowl near the closet door  temporarily.  First we clean her bowl to get the water hot to the spray nozzle.  Our dog is not allowed on beds or dinette seats.  We have a thick fuzzy microfiber dog bed that stays in between the twin beds.   At bedtime, I can reach down easily and pet and talk to her.   The rug goes to the coin laundry with us about once/week when we wash our clothes.   When we get out of our bunks, we have to be very cautious we don’t step on her.  She has come to trust us and does not move.   We don’t wear shoes inside our trailer, so it’s easier to not step on the dogs paws and tail.   We sweep the floor several times/day, and if we have shore power, we have a small Shark vac.  When walking her,  I always carry a can of potent pepper spray to protect her from negligent dog owners that don’t keep their dogs on leashes, or if they do, cannot control them.   I have had some close encounters with aggressive breeds.   It would be a lot less hassle to not have a dog with us camping, but she’s part of the family, so leaving her home is not an option for us.   

[MAX Burner]

1 hour ago, Hokieman said:

It would be a lot less hassle to not have a dog with us camping, but she’s part of the family, so leaving her home is not an option for us.   

Concur, 100%!  Magnus is part of the family and has learned that he can go where ever we go (we haven't informed him yet that we plan everything around his hairy butt!) Ha!

[SeaDawg]

@Hokieman, you two are wonderful dog trainers. My dog is often intimidated by big dogs, but she took to Koda right away. What a sweet and well behaved dog he was.

I'll look forward to meeting the new family member one of these days...

Our little dog travels with us pretty much everywhere she's allowed, even flies with us. She stays with our daughter when we go to most foreign countries, but she's spent a lot of time in Canada.

Many people buy campers so their dogs (and cats) can travel with them. Well-trained pets with responsible owners are welcome in at least some part of most campgrounds. If Liv isn't welcome, well, we don't feel welcome, either.

[SeaDawg]

Honestly, training your dog and making him/her feel secure in your campsite is really important for all of you, especially for your pet's well being and security.

Liv's first trip away from home was the RV supershow in Tampa, 2015. She was a little mite, only a couple months old. Camping her whole life, really. 

Our previous dog, Oliver, adapted well, with help., guidance, and love. He was three when we got the Ollie. (Well, except the night he ate half a stick of butter, and threw up on everything, requiring a trip to the laundromat in Lanesboro,  MN 🤢.)

They depend on you to set boundaries,  and support them, and keep them safe.

Other campers depend on you to keep your dog with you, calm, quiet, and secure, and clean up after them. 

 

[VBistro]

We’ve travelled with our beagle extensively.  Here are some of the things that have worked for us:

* Walking Trixie is the first thing we do in the morning, and the last thing we do at bed.  In addition, of course, to some sort of long adventure walk/hike during the day when we are in camp.

* She has her own dog bed to sleep in that we put near the bathroom.  She snores like a sailor, and having her any nearer to the beds is a no-go. She also has a loose-fitting fleece jacket for cold evenings, since we keep our windows open at night.  she gets a bit chilly when the temps drop into the low 40s

* We have two tie-outs:  one for our own camper, and one we set up in our traveling companion’s campsite when they are with us.

* A collapsible dog bed helps keep her clean, and she is much less restless when she has her own space while we are eating or sitting around the fire. https://a.co/d/fOYzidI

* Camping in relatively uncrowded places — she is a beagle, after all.  While she doesn’t usually bark while in the camper, or while we are around, she generally does better when there isn’t a lot of foot traffic right outside our door.

* We now try to avoid National Parks with strict no-dogs-off-pavement rules.  Olympic National Park was rough on all of us because the campground was pretty isolated, and all we could do was walk her around the camp road.  This really wasn’t great for a dog used to 4-7 mile hikes.  We left early.  🙂

All in all, we love camping with Trixie.  We’re very lucky that she is OK with our leaving her for 3 or 4 hours to go adventuring.

 

mb

 

 

[Going Coastal]

Thanks for all the great advice and tips!!!  Just a quick update, out first overnight trip was good!   We had a short tie-out I used at our stairs while we sat outside, and the bark collar.  A morning walk does wonders also.  She did have to be reminded a few times to be sweet, she is probably more on the overprotective side.  She is still young too...

My only negative is that I had big plans for her to sleep on the dinette...  but she chose otherwise  😄  who needs to stretch their legs out, right?  

 

 

[ScubaRx]

We've traveled with two different male Dobermans during our 15+ years of traveling in our two Oliver's. Storm and Reacher. Sadly, both have passed on. They were great traveling companions and they both loved the side dinette as their sleeping nest. Good looking dog.

[MAX Burner]

HA!  We built a "Lagun" table which is designed to straddle the twin beds and create a sleeping space for Magnus.  Like your Dobie, he chooses otherwise, and sleeps on one or the other twins...  Oh, well!

Gotta love 'em, right?

Woof!