TOP 5 CAMPING WITH DOGS TIPS
If you're either new to camping as a whole and you plan on taking your furry friend with you - or just new to camping with dogs in general - then this post is for you! As here we cover all the little things we've learnt over the last 3 years, camping with a beagle.
Beagles are well known for needing a lot of attention as otherwise they can get quite restless, noisy and destructive. So being cooped up in a confined space with a limited amount of treats or toys can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you have a noisy hound and close by camping neighbours!
And not forgetting that the types of places you can now go to explore will have to change/be adapted to suit - as you can't exactly leave your furry best friend in a car/van/tent for hours whilst your out exploring without them.
So without any further delay - here are our TOP 5 TIPS FOR CAMPING WITH DOGS!
TOP TIP 1:
PLAN YOUR ACTIVITIES FOR THE TRIP IN ADVANCE
- Research things to do before you go – Obviously, you've got your walks where the 'majority' are dog friendly, and most countryside pubs tend to be also which is great! In fact, some pubs we've been to even cater for dogs and do 'doggy roast dinners' or 'puppy parties'. But when it comes to exploring and seeing sights our main advice would be to plan ahead and check they accept dogs. For example, we went to Bakewell a few years back for the weekend, didn't plan at all as it was last minuet and discovered that Haddon Hall does not accept dogs anywhere on the site, even the garden grounds.
Most National Trust places etc allow dogs on the grounds, but not inside the buildings or cafes. So you can still go and visit, (and on the plus side it may cost you less!) but make sure you wrap up warm as most of your time will be spent outdoors. We also often take our own lunch and a coffee flask too as it works out cheaper/more convenient for us as if we're not sitting in the cafe, we can find a nice peaceful spot mid walk for lunch.
The other thing just to bare in mind is the terrain of the walk. As I say most walks are dog friendly, however, there's been a few times we've been caught out where we've had to carry our Wander over stepping stones, a metal grate, styles, over bridges, and even 'pass her over' a rocky decline as she just refused to go herself - which for us with a beagle is not issue at all - but if you've got a larger breed - this could be a lot more problematic.
Don't be disheartened by this, as we've seen and taken our Wander to some great places over the past 3 years. We've seen castles, stately homes, giant head sculptures, got lost in mazes and even been on boats and steam trains with her - and this year we're hoping to try her on a rowing boat / kayak! (Disclaimer: please only do what is safe for your dog, and ensure they have life jackets etc).
If you're in a caravan or have space in you're van you also always have the option of popping out for an hour or so without your dog, just make sure it's safe to do so, eg: not too warm or cold, they have plenty of water and no toys or collars on that could be dangerous.
TOP TIP 2:
INVEST IN THE RIGHT 'KIT' TO SUIT YOU AND YOUR DOG
- below I've listed our main must-have dog accessories for when we're at the campsite and out and about (this will obviously all depend on how you are travelling and the amount of space you have)
A waterproof backpack
with poop bags, spare lead, water bottle, treats, collapsible water bowl, and wet wipes! This usually also houses our lunch, extra layers/waterproofs, first aid kit, a torch and we take it whenever we go on a walk. It also keeps everything stored away tidy in the van/tent (although we have to remove the treats/any food and put them in a sealed box so she can't sniff them out). We love the Jack Wolfskin Back packs as they're great for long walks for all our gear and Wanders. You can read the review on them here.
A ground spike and 2m wire lead - these are great as they can stay out on the grass and doesn't soak up water - but always please supervise your dog, and be careful - they can hurt if you trip or get tangled. Also, even though the lead has a plastic coating on, if your dog is a chewer, the wire can become frayed and cause injury to the dog's mouth, so best to keep an eye on them. Most campsites request that dogs be kept on lead at all times, so these are great to hook your dog onto so you have free hands for more beer/gin drinking.
A dog towel, some air spray to defuse the wet dog smell! and yes - a raincoat of sorts for the dog -Let's face it - the UK weather is 85% chance of rain and quite chilly all year round! And dogs don't smell pretty when they're wet! So a little rain coat just to take the worst off is fantastic! Our Wander also loves to climb into bed with us/cuddle on the chairs - so anything we can do to help prevent her being cold and wet the better! We also have a little jumper for emergency days when we're out a lot and it's bitterly cold. This is breed of dog dependant - just keep an eye on them and see how they're adapting and get them what they need - most dogs don't need jumpers as they have thick layers of fur - but if they're shaking and clearly uncomfortable - it's worth a shot - especially if they like swimming in rivers in the day but it drops down to single figure temperatures in the evenings.
A dog bed with a waterproof bottom - Somewhere for them, they know it's there's and they can rest after that 10mile walk you've just done - and so you don't need to worry about it getting wet if placed outside on the grass. The bed we have for Wander is a Wainwright one, and she loves it as it has sides and she can curl up in it. We place this at the bottom of our bed in the camper with a blanket over the top and she usually sleeps here till apx 6am when she decided she wants to join us in our bed. We also bought our princess her own chair - as we found when we were out in the evenings she wouldn't settle as the floor was too cold.
We also take an extra blanket as you can guarantee to wander always steels ours!
A windbreak - if you got an over-excitable or nosey and noisy dog and have space, I highly recommend taking one - as they're great to block distractions and give you that little bit of privacy so your dog can relax.
Take plenty of dog treats, and toys with you. We specifically like something we can stuff (such as a Kong toy) and she can chew on for an hour or so in case the weather is bad and we can't get out and about anywhere.
And lastly - if we're away for like a week or more - I like to take a mini dustpan and brush to sweep up the living quarter of dead grass, dog hair and dry mud- but I'm well fussy
TOP TIP 3:
GPS TRACKER AND A SPARE LEAD - Due to the nature of the beagle breed, we don't let Wander off the lead, so this isn't so much of a problem for us. However, we do know a lot of beagle owners who do, and therefore hear a lot of stories of them hunting for hours to re claim their pooch after they've ran off chasing a rabbit scent - hence a GPS tracker being a god send! It can also interesting to know how much ground they cover!
If you do let yours off lead, I highly recommend the Tractive Dog Tracker, so you can monitor where they are and locate them if they do runoff, in realtime straight to your mobile phone. There are other cheaper alternatives out there, but this is the one we use.
There is other dog-tech you can buy, such as the Pit Pat Tracker
- this doesn't have locatable GPS in it, but it does monitor the dogs activity for the day so we know how far they covered.
Speaking of scents and animals, a lot of walks in the country have public bridleways that pass through farmers fields that have roaming live stock. It is an offence for dogs to scare livestock as it could hurt them. You may come across signs that state that 'dogs must be on leads at all times when passing over the fields, and any dogs that are seen by farmers scaring livestock can be shot...' So best not to risk it. This is also why we take a spare lead with us - just incase one breaks and we need another - we have also had two re-tractables break on us in the past!
TOP TIP 4:
BE PATIENT AND LISTEN TO YOUR DOG
– If camping is still new to your dog - then remember they may take a while to get used to it and to adjust - try to stay patient with them and understand what they're going through. For example, we once arrived at a site late one Friday after work, so Wander only had a quick 30min walk around the filed and then it was bedtime. But she would not settle - and I was up every 20 mins due to her crying to go outside. I eventually gave up at 1 am and took her for an hour walk in my PJ's and soon learnt that the field was littered with rabbits! so no wonder she couldn't settle!
If your dog is crate trained, it may be worth taking this with you if you have space. Crates can be really comforting for your four legged friend and can help destress them in their new surroundings. Also, if you are in a tent, it gives you a little more peace of mind that they haven't chewed through the side of the tent and legged it while you are fast asleep.
TOP TIP 5:
BUILD UP TO LONG JOURNEYS AND TAKE REGULAR BREAKS
– Find what's right for you in terms of 'traveling'. Wander's always been fine when traveling in our car/van - but they've always been the shorter journeys, so when we got our van and we started doing longer trips, it was a whole other story and it took her a while to adjust.
As a pup she was only comfortable traveling long distances if she was in her crate - so we had to 'pack' it in with the rest of our stuff to make sure it didn't move around. Eventually, starting with really small trips, we got her used to sitting on the back seat. Over time we've learnt she's happy here, if she feel's 'secure' - so we have a seat belt attachment, and we also pack the rest of our gear in close to her, so there's not a massive 'gap' or 'drop'. We've also recently bought a bed with sides which seems to help. If you are in a car and going tenting, you may not have this problem as much, just make sure there is enough room in the boot/backseat for your dog to relax and isn't cramped in with all your gear. Roof Boxes are great for storage on cars when doing a camping trip for all your gear (Not the dog!).
We also make sure we stop regular for breaks, roughly every two hours at a service station or a lay-by so she can stretch hers legs and have a drink.
Unfortunately its just going to be a bit of trial and error until you find what works for you all - but please ensure, if they're not in a travel crate you have them attached with a seat belt/headrest to a harness - not a collar - think about what would happen if you had to do an emergency stop!
We've not yet had the experience of camping with a dog in a tent, but we do have friends that do! So if anyone has any tips to share, please do get in touch
to let us know what you do and how you manage.
Lastly one campsite I cannot recommend enough if you have dogs is the Oskada campsite near to Filey... you can read the review on it here.
our top 3 tips to getting your dog used to travelling in a van
CAMPING AND TRAVELING WITH DOGS IN HOT WEATHER
COMING SOON
How they can occasionally lend a hand... or paw!
COMING SOON
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