Camping with man’s best friend - your dog - requires more than packing a sack of dog food in the car along with Fido. To make the experience enjoyable for not only you and your family, but also your pet, canine camping requires preparation, travel safety, obeying camp rules and staying open to how your dog reacts to the experience.
Preparation
Besides the normal preparation of getting the right camping equipment assembled, if you plan to take your dog, or dogs as was our situation during the late nineties when we had two Shelties, you need to follow a few simple preparation steps.
First, is a visit to your dog’s veterinarian. You will want to ask about: vaccinations for Lyme disease, repellent for fleas, ticks, mosquitoes (if your dog is not all ready being protected by one of these type repellents), and booster shots for any other disease which might be contracted by your dog while in the area you plan to camp. It is also a wise idea to have your dog checked for heart worm disease before putting him/her on a preventive medication for heart worm.
It might be helpful to call a couple veterinarians located in or near the area you will be camping. How to pick one, consider which area that has a veterinarian or several veterinarians, you would consider contacting if you had to take your dog in for emergency treatment while camping. You can locate vets for any area on the Internet.
If you do not have Internet in your home, local libraries usually have computers with Internet capabilities for use. For those who are not familiar with computers, or the Internet, nothing beats the good old fashioned way of going into the reference section of the library, finding a phone directory for the area you will be visiting and simply copying the phone number and addresses of two or three veterinarian clinics down. You might want to note the name of the vet, so you have a name to refer to when calling for information. You can ask the vet, what vaccinations he/she would recommend your dog to have prior to arriving to the area to camp.
When we camped in Mammoth Lakes, there were two vets, I called both, and got just about the same advice regarding vaccinations, and camping tips for keeping the dog happy and safe.
Another source of information is the area’s visitor’s bureau. Often much information can be obtained by calling this organization. Many times you can have free information mailed to you. But for a mailing, ask at least four to six weeks before your planned vacation.
Once the vet visit is completed, you only have packing preparation to do.
Packing includes more than dog food, dog dishes and a leash. In fact if you are going to be traveling across areas that are extremely hot, like the Southwest or California desserts, for more than one day, I suggest, dry dog food. From experience, the canned dog food spoils from the heat.
I have found, from many camping excursions, that the following list of items to be necessary:
- Dry dog food in a secure container
- Dog dishes, for food and water
- Tie-out chains
- Leash, collar or halter
- Identification Tags. One which will give your name, address and phone
number. And if your dog is on medications a tag indicating this, the medication
and time of day the medication is given. I know of some dog owners who also
buy an extra tag with the veterinarian’s number on it. This is probably a good
idea if your dog has been treated by the vet for an on-going condition.
- Grooming items - comb, brush, scissors (for cutting out mats), nail clippers,
waterless shampoo, and a couple old towels.
- First aid items - antiseptic ointment (if you take an antibacterial ointment in
the first aid kit you pack for yourself, this can be used for cuts and scrapes on
your dog.) An ointment for healing dried or cracked pads on the dog’s feet.
mineral oil, is the only agent I have found to quickly, safely, effectively
remove pine sap from dog fur.
- Bedding - if your dog sleeps in a crate, by all means take it along. If not, then
provide some form of soft bedding, such as an old sleeping bag. Most mountain
wilderness areas get chilly at night, so a warm blanket or sleeping bag will
make it more comfortable for your dog.
- Dog clothes - I have never been an advocate of dressing my dogs in doggie
attire. However from a practical view point, taking a dog sweater, socks or
dog boots, and a rain slicker can keep your dog warm and dry in close to
bone chilling weather. Even in the summer, weather conditions in most
mountain areas can change rapidly. A tip about socks, if cash is a problem
buying infant or toddler socks at your local discount store works great,
especially if Velcro is sewn as tabs to adjust the fit to your dog’s leg.
