Copper and Zoe are going CAMPING!!

Hi all!!

Well we are going camping next weekend. This will be my first camping trip with dogs!! Oh they are going to love it!! We don't need muzzles as we will be camping at a private campground!! WooHOO!!

Anyone have any advice or experiences I should know of, about camping with dogs??

Call ahead and make sure the campground allows dogs... That's about it. :D

Oh dogs are allowed!! My fiance's cousin's wife's family owns this property. It used to be a public campground but now it is for friends and family only!! Best of all.............it's absolutely FREE!!!!

Well, that's a good deal. Where is it? Is it in a nice spot? I guess it would be otherwise you wouldn't go, eh? :o

Have a great time camping. My only advice would be if you have an air mattress, keep the dogs off it. We went camping for a week and my husband's family golden punctured it before we made it through the first night! The dogs are going to love camping.

Have a super time dont' forget the first aid kit :D

Watch out for poison ivy and be sure to take extra pair of shoes incase the ones you wear get wet :D

Ohh I always bring double the socks. If you run out and have to wear wet ones or none at all, it's not such a fun vacation.

Have a great time camping. Just remember that not everyone is a dog person and they may not appreciate a loose dog running through their campsite. Other than that you could pick up one of these for camping in style with the pooch. :thumbs up

Oooh a hippy wagon! Yey! :) http://bestsmileys.com/peace/1.gif All the leaves are brown, the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey, and the sky is grey! Hee hee. It's just what the van makes me think of even though I am to young to have been there. ;)

Oh no, thats no hippy bus. Although I'm pretty liberal I don't quite get the whole hippy lifestyle. No offense to any that may be here, just not my style. To each their own I always say. The bus is a way of life though. Really makes you slow down and appreciate getting there along with the final destination with almost all the comforts of home. :)

Oh, I didn't mean the lifestyle. I just meant the bus. :D The lifestyle didn't even occur to me.

I took my first pet camping in 1988. She was my cat Chelsea. She went many years. We then took our dog and now our two dogs. Its a lot of fun and yes they love it. Never had a problem with air mattresses but barky dogs was an issue a couple of times. We go to a provincial park so we are mindful of our neighbours.
Take care, you'll all have a blast!

Just remember that not everyone is a dog person and they may not appreciate a loose dog running through their campsite. Other than that you could pick up one of these for camping in style with the pooch.

Oh no worries there. I don't allow my dogs to run free unless they are in a fenced area and always supervised!! There may be at the most 1 or 2 other families camping there!! It's private property!! We'll have a beach all to ourselves!!
We have a camping trailer -- no tents for us! The dogs have already been in the trailer at home and they love it.

First Aid kit is all packed Luba! Complete with Benaryl, asprin, hibitane cleanser, polysporin, gauze, insect bite stick, band aids, scissors, safety pins.............am I forgetting anything??

No air mattresses for us, so no worries there! No fishing gear so we don't have to worry about hook injuries either! Basically we will be out walking/hiking, swimming and lounging around!

My dogs aren't barkers......unless they are being ignored!

I will have extra everything for the dogs - tie outs, leashes, collars - just in case anything breaks! I'll probably pack more for them than I will myself!

Beaches are the worst place for a dog to pick up hookworms, so you'll probably want to ask your vet about that when you get back. The only other think I can think of is to check for ticks. Make sure that you take a good brush so that you can get stickers out of their fur - if there will be any bushes that will leave stickers anyway. :)

We've always taken our dogs camping with us - both to the mountains and to the local lake. They love it! This last weekend Parker (newf) had his first look at a rabbit! He tried to chase it, but it quickly outran him. :p

I'm sure they'll have a blast!

Beaches are the worst place for a dog to pick up hookworms, so you'll probably want to ask your vet about that when you get back. Ewwwwww!!!!

Ewwwwww!!!!

Ewwww is right! Have you ever read what hookworms do to a dog?? Nasty little buggers can get into a dog's bloodstream just by the dog walking on or close by them. They love moist areas (like beaches) and the spores/eggs can survive for up to two years - even in freezing temperatures!

If your dogs swim in the lake, watch they don't drink to much water. They can get and illness equivelant to Beaver Feaver in humans. My vet offers a vaccination for this. Sorry I don't have more info on it.

On another note I took my dog camping for the first time on the Aug long weekend. She loved it!!!

I would say depending how prissy your dogs are, bring an outside blanket they can lay on at night when it gets cold. Roxy had to be sitting in a lawn chair, as she does not like laying on the ground very much. Luckily Roxy is spoiled and has her own low rider lawn chair and outside blanket.

One more thing. If you are going to a really wooded area, check your dogs for ticks. It shouldn't be hard to spot them on the short haired dogs.

And if they do get ticks and the heads are buried, DON'T PULL THEM OUT!!

Good for you Copper'sMom!

The thing about a chair or a blanket is a great idea esepcially for cuddly pitties.

Capone loved camping but hated to sleep on the dirty floor god forbid! If you got up from you chair he would be on it in a second. HE would roll himself up so nicely into a ball. Now we take an extra just for him. Spoiled brat!

Also be wary of the leash going across the fire while the dogs are moving around. We had one melt!

Also be careful that the dog doesnt get to close to the fire. Capone tries to pratically sleep in it. So be careful as they like the heat. And the sparks off the fire can hurt them and damage there coat.

Have fun! I know capone likes it. If he even smells the camping stuff he goes crazy!

Oh have a great time I know they will. Both my last dog and Tucker love going to the cottage, if they had their way they would never return and I'd be right beside them. I guess I'm a bad mum cause my last dog was never tied up at the cottage, he never wondered further than shouting distance and always came when called. Now Tucker is tied out when we are busy as he has a habit of wondering off a little too far, but is allowed off leash the rest of the time. If he wonders off a little I call him back, he comes charging back with this big happy look on his face. When we came home last night he wouldn't get out of the truck, I guess he figured that if he stayed in it would go back again.

The dogs drink lots of the water in our lake. Some dogs can handle it, others can't. Parker had diarreaha a couple of weeks ago, and the vet thought that maybe he had picked up something from the water. Hazel hasn't had a problem. The vet put Parker on antibiotics and dewormed him. He hasn't had a problem since then.

The name of the organism that lives in the water that makes the dogs sick is Giardia. If you google Giardia in dogs you should find some more information on it.

THANK YOU LADIES!!!!! :D
Kandy - for letting me know about hookworms!! And the reminder of ticks! I would have never known about these!
ROXY"S MA - for letting me know about Giardia!! I would rather have a heads up on these things before we go camping just so I know what could possibly happen!

I would say depending how prissy your dogs are, bring an outside blanket they can lay on at night when it gets cold.
No worries here!! They get blankies to lay on at home and at work! And when we do sit out at night, and it is cool, they get all wrapped up in the blanket. Copper loves this! Zoe wiggles her way out but when she's cold she comes to cuddle with Momma!!

Luvmypit - unfortunately, we can't have a camp fire :( . I think there is still a ban on for fires. This will be the hardest part! I've never camped without having a campfire!!!!!

doggylover - you're not a bad mom for not having your dog tied up! If he always comes when called - even with distractions then no worries! I don't risk it with my dogs because they are Pit Bulls and if they were running loose someone might shoot them or steal them and I'm too paranoid something would happen to them!! That's cute, Tucker not wanting to get out of the truck!! :p He knows what he wants!!

Thanks again for the tips!!! :grouphug:

Umm. If they're going to be swimming, you might want to bring a hoodie, just in case. Jemma wouldn't stop swimming one day and when she got out she was so freezing and the towels weren't doing it, so I gave her my hoodie. It covered up all the important places. Just thought I'd share in case- it's really a good fit on a doggy for warmth. (not really for running around though, but for lounging and warming up..) :)

LMAO Prin!!! Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!! That reminds me of the one day I took Copper and Zoe to the beach for a quick dip. On the way home, Zoe was shaking like a leaf!! It was hotter than hell outside. It must have been 'cause I had all the windows rolled down!

Hi coppers mom, check this out> http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=13811&highlight=camping
Daisys owner, posted an amazing list for camping!!

Have a great time!!

Thanks Happycats! I checked the list and by the looks of it, I've pretty much got most of it! We bought a trailer this summer and I have it stocked with everything but clothes and food! I knew there was a reason for me being a pack rat!! I hate getting rid of things just-in-case!

It's going to be a great time!! It'll be even better because I will have my babies with me! I don't have to worry about missing them!!! :love:

Bring way more bandaids than you will ever need. If you don't have any tape, they can be a handy subsitute, especially if you are bandaging stuff.. :)

Don't forget the duct tape! My hubby used it to fix the hitch on the camper last time we pulled it! :D **Everyone bow to whoever invented this fix everything miracle!** I laughed so hard when I saw that he was going to use duct tape - but it held up really well! My dad (who raced stock cars) used to say his best tools were bailing wire and duct tape! :p hehehehehehe

(my dad uses duct tape on cuts... He swears they heal faster. Almost like the windex on My big fat greek wedding... :D )

For anyone else who may be reading this thread looking for tips on camping with pets:

I also got the name and telephone number of a Veterinarian clinic in the area in case of an emergency! And best of all - they can be reaced 24hrs!!! :D

I also got phone numbers for town halls to call regarding any by-laws they may have in place for dogs.