Whether you are RV’ing full time or just doing a weekend backpacking trip, you need to do some planning to take your dog along. From packing the right food, to knowing your schedule, or anticipating their emotional needs, here are some tips for how to camp with dogs.
Camping with dogs can add some complication to the trip, but their company can also add a lot of joy! Some things to consider:
- Where do they sleep?
- What do you need to plan for their physical health?
- What about their emotional health?
For us, we were worried our dogs wouldn’t like traveling, would bark too much, and would be a bit of a drag when it came to seeing the world. But a life on the road wouldn’t be the same without them, so we decided to learn what they need and plan for it.
Pet ACCOMMODATION
If you are planning on camping out, it’s important to plan on where, when and how your dogs will camp with you. Thinking about the type of campground, and the type of shelter, like tent, RV or otherwise will be key to success.
Campground Rules
Before your big trip, make sure to look into if the campground allows dogs.Most RV parks do allow dogs but make sure to know their rules before making a reservation. A lot of national parks also allow dogs, but don’t allow them on the trails in the park so make sure to know before you go.
RV vs. Tent Camping
One of the most important things to consider when camping with your pup is temperature. Dogs can easily overheat or become cold. So depending on where, when, and how you camp, make sure that your dog is in a controlled environment that is comfortable for your pup.
Tent/Backpacking
Because tents do not come with a heating and cooling system like RV’s, be prepared to stay with your dog during your trip unless the temperature is very mild. Even with the perfect temp, animals can get in the tent and dogs can often get out so consider staying with your dog no matter what. Tent camping and backpacking can work if dogs are very easy going and athletic breeds, and can keep up with your adventures.
When she was a kid, Jessi’s family tent camped with their 140lb. Newfoundland. They never left him unattended at camp sites, which meant the dog tagged along in the car on day trips. He also kept up with them on their hikes. With big dogs, little children, and cool climates, this combo can work. Having a huge dog around while camping also gave the family some peace of mind, because he could guard against animals in the night.
Nowadays, our dogs are good at warning us of raccoons raiding our camp, but are more likely to hide between our legs rather than protect us. They are also not great to hike with. We have two dogs: a border collie that could keep up with iron-man runners, and a short stubby terrier that can barely make it a mile. The little dog has more anxiety when left without his partner, so we generally keep them together. RV’ing gives us the flexibility to leave them together in a cool comfortable place for a few hours while we go exploring. It also gives us peace of mind knowing they are be cool and safe at home.
RV
One of the luxuries of owning a RV is that they often come with a heating and cooling system. Because of this, it’s super easy to leave dogs behind when we are out for a few hours. It is important, though, to check with your RV park or campsite, because a lot of the places say that dogs are not allowed to be unattended. Most of the time, as long as your dog doesn’t have separation anxiety and howls the entire time you’re gone, you should be fine.
Pet medical Health
Just as you may prepare for your medical needs before going to a foreign country, it can be helpful to plan for your dog’s medical needs before hitting the road for long camping trips.
Pest Prevention
When traveling, you wouldn’t believe the amount of critters your dog can get bit by! From ticks to the heart-worm carrying mosquitos, make sure to stop by the vet to get your pup vaccinations and the proper flea/tick/heart-worm medication. The humidity of the American Southeast means dogs need to take heart-worm medicine. Beaches are great places to pick up fleas, and ticks love jumping on dogs in forests. Now our dogs take a topical pill once a month that takes care of all three. Super easy and convenient-just the way we like it!
Paw Care
When we started traveling in deserts, we were surprised that our dogs developed paw problems for the first time. In New Mexico, our border collie started limping, and we realized her paws had gotten cracked in the heat and aridity. In dry climates, it’s important to moisturize your dogs paws and check for pricks and in moist climates there are a variety or burrs that can get stuck in their paws. We do some routine checks to make sure their paws are in good working order.
Veterinary Records
When our little terrier had a leg problem, we visited a variety if vets in a variety of states in order to get him fixed up. It was helpful to have records so the new vet could evaluate what to look for. Unfortunately, every new vet will have to do an initial evaluation and costs about $100 extra each and every time. Traveling with pets can be pricey so just prepare to help make the process easier.
Motion Sickness
On of our biggest concerns when planning for a year-long road trip, was the fact that our dogs got motion sick. Our little terrier, Maxwell, used to throw up while driving a mile to the neighborhood vet. Dog vomit in the back seat is NOT a fun thing. To anticipate this, we discovered giving them Dramamine in Pill Pockets every few hours. At first, we could tell when the medicine wore off, because they dog would start salivating and looking like he needed to throw up. Miraculously, the dogs eventually stopped displaying any signs of sickness. Now we travel hundreds of miles, and Maxwell sits up with us and shows us the way with no problems. We think this is due to him feeling more comfortable in the car but dramamine worked either way. Always check with your vet before giving any medicine to be safe.
Food, water & good climate
Most importantly, looking after their health and safety means planning for their water, temperature, and nutritional needs. If you are going somewhere remote, remember to pack dog food, or you’ll be feeding them people-food all weekend. If you are traveling someplace hot, make sure they have lots of water. Dogs’ primary source of cooling is through their sweat-glands in their paws, or through panting. Lots of water will help them drool to cool off. Particularly if you are taking them along hiking, it can be easy to forget to pack extra water for the dog. Sure, some hikes may have streams, but many do not.
If the day is between 50-60 degrees, they may be able to spend a little time in a shaded car with the windows open, but if it’s cooler or hotter than that, keeping them with you and well hydrated, or leaving them in temperature controlled rooms are essential for their survival.
Emotional health – you, your dog, and your neighbors
So it’s great to look after your pet’s basic needs, like food, shelter, and medical needs, but the real secret is planning for you dog and your own emotional needs. Most of us, after all, have dogs because they add some emotional benefit and companionship to our lives. They take care of us emotionally, so we need to take care of them emotionally. But they can also add some responsibility, and therefore a layer of stress. They can also annoy others, so planning on how we may be imposing on others is key to traveling well with dogs.
Dogs love Routine
Dog’s love routine and love to know what to expect during their day. If your dog has anxiety, creating a routine will help them immensely. Walks, food, and bedtime should be relatively the same time of day everyday. Our dog has gotten so used to his routine, at five o’clock on the dot he reminds us to feed him his dinner.
Keep your sanity – and sanitation
Any dog owner knows that having dogs, means cleaning up after them. Yes the poop bags, but also the fur balls. Managing the fur and dirt created by your dog can feel like a full time job. We found a mini vacuum called Pet Hair Eraser* that has worked like a dream. It easily picks up fur in our cushions and has helped us keep a relatively clean home. Other tips include keeping a fur remover available for your clothes.
Be a good Neighbor
Campground Etiquette
Clean up after your dog and be a good neighbor. Make sure your dog is well behaved and all around not a nuisance if you have a camping neighbor. A lot of people enjoy traveling with their dogs but recently more and more campgrounds have stopped allowing dogs because of problems. Don’t be that guy! Just be considerate and all will be ok.
Bring your own guest room
Another advantage of traveling with an RV, is that we feel like we are less of an imposition when we are visiting friends and family. Parking a little camper in someone’s driveway is much less work on both host and visitor’s part than making up a guest bed. As a visitor, you get more privacy and space. You can “retire” to your own house, sleep in your own bed, and not worry about waking up or making as much of a mess in your host’s home. Best of all, you can visit people who can’t handle dogs in their home.
We have a few friends that have little children or are allergic to dogs. Now, it’s pretty easy to leave the dogs in the camper when we are inside visiting. After dinner, we can still go on with our doggy routine of walking, feeding and putting the dogs to bed, as usual.
Know your dog
Last of all, the best way to prepare to travel well with your dog, is knowing what they need, and taking good care of them. If your dog has a lot of anxiety, has behavioral problems, or health issues, make sure to evaluate your unique position before going on your trip. Things like crating, anxiety medication, or having a strict routine can help but are not cure all’s. Sometimes, it’s better to leave the dog with a sitter rather than have a stressful vacation. But hopefully, with a little planning, you can have a lot of fun camping with your dog!
Happy and safe travels everyone!
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26 Comments
Awesome tips to start camping with adorable furries! This will be a great help for us in FurryCampers (http://furrycampers.com/).
Thanks!
Just found your site…not sure how! Amazing journey so far! Love it! Still browsing thru your site. We moved from SF to the Adirondack Mts of NY in a 24 ft rv with 1 dog and 3 cats. Are your dogs crated from destination to destination? In the back of the truck? Make sure you check out the Adirondacks on your way…220 million acres of awesome. You won’t be disappointed.
Hehe the magic of the interwebs. The pups ride up front with us! A bit cramped but it works. Adirondacks? How have we not heard of it?! Googling now- thank you!
What? You’ve never heard of the adirondacks? ADirondack chairs? It’s Lake Tahoe beauty without the people and prices! Lake Placid is in the ADK’s! Lake George is on the Vermont side. We live on the West side of the “park”. There are a million lakes up here……best kept secret!
This sounds AMAZING!!!
Thank you for the great information about traveling with pets. We’re thinking about getting a T@B and hitting the road with our Golden Retrievers. Much success with your continued travels.
You’ll love it! Totally doable.
Oh, I’m so glad to have found your site! I’m looking into building my own teardrop trailer and taking my dog with me on an extended road trip, but I’ve been absolutely agonizing over how to handle leaving him in the trailer at a campsite or even if I COULD do so. This was such a helpful post, thank you!
I’m so glad it helped! Taking care of the pups is number one!
My partner, Val and I are getting our first motorhome delivered next week for full-time. We are selling the house and hitting the road – finally!!! yay. I have enjoyed reading about your adventures and have written you before about how to obtain your “happy camper wives” stickers (which I now have and will proudly be displayed on our 35ft. Tiffin motor home!!! We are interested in any info you can give us on travelling with a senior pet. I lost my boxer, Zeus, back in March and we are naming our motor home in his memory after one of his trillion nicknames – “The Dootlebuggy” as his nickname was Dootlebug, however, we still have his partner, Haera (or Princess Pea) and she is 12 now. She’s in good shape but won’t be able to handle the hikes much. Does the dramamine calm the dog or just keep them from throwing up. She’s a great traveller – she moved to Ohio from Maryland with me 4 years ago and has been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (which by the way, if you have never been – go!!! It’s gorgeous!) So, she has done some distance travelling. Any info you can provide will be great.
Also, can I ask where you guys decided to domicile and how did you go about it? We joined Escapees last week, but are looking at all the stipulations in the 3 suggested states – Florida, Texas and S. Dakota. What did you do?
Sorry for the lengthy email – thank you for all you do! Will be hitting that “amazon” contribution button too for upcoming purchases for our new motor home!
Happy Trails,
Jen
Hey Jen! Thanks for reaching out again and sporting that sticker!!!
I’m soo sorry to hear about Zeus, geez, we dread the day… Both of our dogs are 9+ but still act like puppies so we are not there yet. The one, did, however break his leg on our trip so we have a few suggestions. 1. Get a step cover, the holes in the RV step get their nails stuck and doesn’t have enough traction for them to get up and down. Or, of course, if they can’t get in and out, you have to pick them up. 2. Jumping on/off things were impossible for our little guy but he naturally wants to spring from everything so we started using a kid gate forcing him to stay put until we could lift him. Dramamine helped our terrier calm down and stop throwing up. It actually helped him get comfortable in the car and now he goes everywhere with no problem/no pills. Eventually, both dogs just got used to the car rides, but the collie (she’s a rescue that’s was very abused) still is not a fan but tolerates the car.
Hmmm, what else, basically whatever you do at home you should also do in your RV. Nice comfy dog bed, joint medicine, etc. Also have pet records in case they need to hit the vet while on the road. The vet will still have to do an exam but at least they’ll know history.
Hope this helps!!!
Much love and excitement for your adventures!
Valerie
I just discovered your blog and am working my way through all the articles. I have a little silver T@B trailer named Bridgette and a Border Collie named Frodo. I wanted to share my tip for travelling with Frodo. He too used to get car sick even on short trips. I found out it was more the nervousness than the motion that was making him throw up. There is a homeopathic remedy that is called Rescue Remedy, commonly found in natural food stores. I’m never without it. It calms him down and he doesn’t get sick. Humans and animals can take it for situations of anxiety.
Love your blog! Happy travels!
Denise
Jessi, we have a young Newfie & our first camping trip with her will be a couple months before her 1st bday. Any tips specifically for giant breeds you think would be helpful for her first camping trip? Btw, we are staying in a tent.
Hi MK! Sorry for the delay…Hope your summer camping has been going well! Thinking about heat is a huge concern for dogs, and big furry breeds in particular.
1. Try to camp in cooler places in summer (if you can travel to desert destinations in fall/spring, versus cooler mountain or northern destinations in late summer, you can help manager the outdoor temperatures.
2. Keep on the lookout for some shade: whether its where to pitch a tent or where to sit at the park, always remember that your dog doesn’t cool herself as easily as humans.
3. Always have water handy: Dog cool themselves through their paws and drool. Thats it. So making sure they stay hydrated is huge.
4. Consider clipping/buzzing your furry dog in summer months. Growing up, my family never trimmed our newfie, but we have a terrier now, who gets a woolly coat in winter but a summer buzz cut really helps him stay cool in summer.
5. Be flexible and find air conditioning when necessary. RV’s/Campers can be a huge benefit because there is a way of having AC for the dogs. Tent camping is more challenging. If you are traveling in hot places, see if there are ways to leave someone with the dog in the car with the AC on full blast, or finding a dog-friendly place to sit and cool down for and the AC on full blast. Or if you are camping and a crazy heat wave comes, consider leaving a little room in the budget to grab a hotel for the especially hot night.
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