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Camping With Your Dog
Camping With Your Dog
Here are some tips when you plan to take your dog camping
with the family.
by Robin Shortt
June 18, 2004
Man's best friend your dog , and you, can go camping and
have lots of fun. Look at it as a walk that doesn't end, during
which he gets to spend all his time with you. For us campers,
it can give us another means of security and another way of
bonding.
For those of you who are wanting to get involved in this
great adventure with their pet, there are some things you
need to do to make this as fun as possible for both of you.
First time camping pooches should be shown the wonders of
nature slowly. City or urban dogs need to be brought along
slow because of their tender pads on their paws, and they
need to get used to all open spaces and wonders of nature.
Start with taking them on a some day trips to state, county
and conservation Parks
The wide open spaces will help your dog get used to unpopulated
areas. He wll also find new odours and sights in this stress
free environment. Going on nature and hiking trails will also
help your dog gain muscle strength and fitness before you
go camping.
As we enjoy the companionship of our dogs, they become a
member of our families. Going with us on family outings, walks,
trips around town, just about everywhere we go they tag along
with us. Thats fine because we care about them so much. Its
not always the same with camp owners who feel dogs are not
man's best friend in their camping area. They have good reason
to be. A lot of dog owners are not very good in keeping their
pets leashed or cleaning up after them. They also don't abide
by the camp rules the way they should, but many irresponsible
dog owners feel the rules don't apply to them and their dogs.
Of course because of these pet owners , we all suffer, thus
there are now many campgrounds not allowing dogs. Check ahead
to see if the campground you' re going to allows dogs, and
if so, are they allowed on the trails, or have special trails
set aside for dogs. Also some campgrounds charge two dollars
a night for dogs as well.
As loving, caring, pet owners, we need to find a way to take
care of our dogs while we go out on the trails with our other
family members. We could take turns dog sitting with family,
friends, other campers with dogs. One thing we need to do
is make sure we are good responsible pet owners. Check ahead
before you go camping with man's best friend.
Here are some pre-camping tips:
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Try to take your dog for a pre-camping visit for possible
needed shots, and a Rabies shot tag for his collar.
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Look at a possible Lyme disease vaccine.
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Take with you a current copy of his records and his vet's
phone number.
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Pick up a proper dog license & ID tags for your dog with
their name, your name, ect.
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Microchips, tattoos and pet registries can be used.
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Bring medications and a copy of prescriptions.
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Try to get a site with some shade for your dog.
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Supervise your dog closely around children, other visitors
and other dogs.
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Keep your dog quiet. Frequent and continued barking disturbs
the wildlife and other campers.
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Let your dog have time to adjust to his new surroundings.
Give him time to rest.
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Try to use ziplock bags to pick up after him and properly
dispose of it in appropriate trash containers.
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Keep an eye on how weather conditions effect your dog,
heat, cold, rain etc.
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Consider use of a crate for travel and short term restraint,
while you are near. Your pet could be stolen if not watched
carefully.
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You should be aware that your dog will have increased
exposure to ticks and fleas. Take the proper tick/flea
collars, repellants or use Frontline applications. Other
diseases can also be transmitted by wild animals and insects.
- Robin Shortt
Robin Shortt is a father of five children and five step
children and thoroughly enjoys the outdoors. He is also
a Cub Scout leader,who sees the big picture when it comes
to helping our children to love and explore the great outdoors.
Visit: http://www.goodnightcampingequipment.com
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