Camping with Doodles

[Lynda Kamrath]

Oh man!  My DH asked if we (the dogs and I) would like to go camping with him next week.  Sure, why not!  His buddy has a new small travel RV that he wants to try out and the lake (about an hour south of here) has great bike trails for them to practice on.  Okay, let's go.

Not so easy with my DH!  We have all the camping and back packing equipment one could ask for, but that means lots of decisions to make.  First of all, what will the dogs eat?  How about dry dog food - that's what most dogs eat.  I don't think we need to cook for them at the campgrounds.  And what should be bring for them to sleep on?  We have a family sized tent, but he has to keep his bike inside - don't trust a lock on the bike outside the tent.  Let me see - memory foam beds, air cushions, egg carton sleeping bag cushions?  If we use the air mattresses, we can take an air pump, but we will need the 12-volt compressor that runs on the car battery.  It goes on and on! 

I was looking forward to a simple camp out with the dogs.  Just let them get dirty and run around.  But I remember the good ol days when we went on motorcycle trips with layered clothes and just a change of underwear and a toothbrush.  Now if we can get everything in one car we will be lucky!

[Camilla and Darwin]

I know what you mean about wondering what to bring. I really want to go camping too. But I wonder, can he sleep in the tent with us? How cold is too cold for him? Should I bring his crate? His food bowls? The questions are endless.

I am kind of a camping novice, so that doesn't help. But I know Darwin would LOVE it.

[Nugget's Family]

I'm not sure Nugget would love a tent if the weather was hot. I know it can get pretty stuffy in a tent when it's all buttoned up for the night and she likes to be cool. However, if the weather is cool, they'll probably love sleeping in a tent cuddled up together.

The bigger question is: Are you going to a remote location where you will be on your own, or are you going to a public campsite where you may need to share your space with other (hopefully friendly) dogs? And, will there be places to tether the dogs safely when you need to be prepping the campsite/dinner/breakfast/ or heading out for a bathroom break?

As for the food, we serve Nugget raw, but on overnights we sometimes bring canned salmon for her to eat for a couple of meals. Easier to transport, don't need to refrigerate, it's good for her and she loves it!

[Camilla and Darwin]

I guess I would worry that if we leave Darwin outside, he might see a squirrel or something and try and pull off of his leash. Or be eaten by a bear. (can that happen?) I am so ignorant in the ways of camping!

[Lynda Kamrath]

That's funny! We are definitely not novice campers and this campsite is very public by a lake near here. Our dogs get along with everybody and there will be four adults, so they will always be with someone. We will have a large tent and a travel RV (small - 19 ft.) and three dogs. The men will be riding their bikes during the day and the gals will be hiking with the dogs. There is even a store and a restaurant nearby, but we will bring our own food. I'm not going to cook for the dogs, however. They can eat dry food (like a regular dog).

[2qnpolyp1871h]

we went camping with our doodle when she wasn't even a year old. we left our mini poodle with my mom (he's small but a lot more maintenance haha .
she did so well! we bought a stake to put in the ground so she could be on a long leash. we also brought her crate which is huge and had it in our tent and she was ok. i think at one point we removed it and just had her sleep on her bed.

[Lynda Kamrath]

My boys have never been crated except inside a vehicle when they were puppies. I think I will be the "stake" for Groucho Too, as he is so impulsive and it is a new area for them. They have deer roaming the area and all kinds of other small animals. We will see how it goes. For now, Groucho Too will just be attached to me (or another adult person) the whole time. Hondo responds to verbal commands and does not need to be on leash. It will be an adventure.