Camping Tips if You Have a Pet?

I agree whole heartedly Frank.... My three dogs over 60 years ... none was trained as a shepherd/bird/cattle dog... they were perfectly behaved until a rabbit or deer came in... bam gone. I have decided as I don't do pedigree dogs... rescues I get what I get and most can be brought to great behavior... my current three year old ... a cattle dog mix with shepherd. ( and DNA says a bit of Korean hunting dog) .. gets a whiff and she is electric. She came a long way from the abuse she suffered before getting to me...someone hit her nose and fractured it... bent... ( don't get me started).... it took a year for her to calm, walk, follow commands... still there are triggers whereby she freaks... memories... I know she is not an off leash dog when traveling.... we are lucky we live rural... remote...have a 5 acre meadow with electric underground fence...she knows the boundaries and loves to run within it (19 squirrels to date have paid the price of entry).

We have 40 acres of woods we walk/snowshoe daily on a lead... she'd love to be off lead but we happen on coyote, fox, deer, skunk porcupine, etc......  and at this time would love to know how to stop her from bolting. So.... she is on a lead ...happy but I wish I could have her off leash

I have a problem with folks who walk their dogs off leash on public land trails... It assumes those they encounter feel okay with that and I have a number of friend who have been bitten and are quite anxious of 'loose dogs' regardless of their owners confidence that they can control them... They are put on the defensive.  I believe if it says dogs should be on leash at all times then so be it. Rule breakers just plain bother me in public places. It seems so blatantly inconsiderate. But then again I am happily an ole codger.  

As an adult the only dogs I've owned were Australian Shepard's.

Both great dogs very smart.

The second,Fred was such a kick. As said before he was total voice control.

We would take him CX skiing and he would stay right at my side.

Dog owners that let their dogs run loose bother me.

It's not the dogs fault but we seem to take it out on them.

On our walk there is one household that let their 2 "grubby" little yappy dogs

run loose.They roam a good distance from home and come running up to you

and bark and growl.

One morning the owner was out,I made a comment to him about his dogs bothering people

and all I got was a "so what". I didn't pursue it any further it wasn't worth a confrontation.

The concern though isn't getting bitten but the dogs,it's getting under foot and being tripped up.

What don't people understand about a "leash law".

Well enough of my soap box.

I am not a dog hater just keep your not under control dog and while I am at it child away from me.

Frank

Oh the plastic bags are great but you can't just pick up the poop

and leave the bag there and pick it up on your return.

Sorry it doesn't work that way."Pack it in pack it out".IMO

Frank

Frank I am with you 100%! Leave no trace. Nor dog poo. Civil such a good word.

my last three dogs have been a, aus shep/lab  mix, border collie/lab mix ,  and a very very active  border collie and aust/cattle dog mix-so that makes me herder man (2 strays, one pup). All the dogs were/are smart, friendly, trust worthy field dogs and I forgot to mention in my first post answered to hand signals (once I figured out  that is what they were waiting for me to do). Sometimes Me thinks  they are to smart for their own good but I would never have another type (even if I know they are smarter than me). By the way, over the years I have learned balls of any kind and  letting them watch./stalk   fire hearth living  lizards and any creeping  tree creatures make  great baby sitters to keep your header dog from getting to  bored between field walks (and nothing is worse than a bored herding dog) .

Smoke

There is a farm nearby and the women there have a dog daycare. They asked if my dog could come for free as she herds all the fat dogs to run.... she comes home exhausted 2 times a week. A tired dog is generally a happy dog (and owner) 

I've been thinking about this.

1. When traveling with pets, add time. Just like a small child they will need to stop and get out of the vehicle.

2. for a dog, long lasting chew toys that they like will make the travel easier. Unfortunately what works for mine is cow hoofs, the odor can get a bit thick in the truck.

3. Keep a copy of your vet records with you. You don't know when they might be asked for.

4. I prefer remote dispersed camping, this works out good for my dogs because they get to run while I am waking up and getting ready for the day. then they are more willing to relax in the truck while i am driving. In campgrounds etc they have to stay on a leash or tie out.

5. If I stop around other people I do my best to make sure my dogs do not become a nuisence. I did have a host tell me my dog ws making too much noise one afternoon. There was a couple boys playing and Gabby really wanted to join in. I had to get her so she couldn't see them.

My dogs are German Shorthaired Pointers, They are willing to run/hunt for many miles every day. They also tend to stay fairly close and come back to check on me. I am lucky to live where they are rarely on a leash. I do have Dogtra Pathfinder GPS tracking collars for them, so If needed or in a place away from home I can always know where they are. I learned that Sox is an incredible scavenger. While in AZ, he found an elk leg from a hunter in one spot and a couple winter kill carcasses. they don't understand that they can't keep their trophys.

Riley is pretty good at voice control, unless there is a an RC vehicle nearby. He chases and howls at those. Won't touch them. When he is off leash I still carry a leash with me just in case. I don't have to keep him occupied when we're traveling. He's happy to spend hours with his head out the window covering my truck with drool.

I run into far more people who ask if they may pet my dog than the other way around. Of course if helps that labs look non threatening.

Vet records are a very good idea. I keep a copy in the camper. 

Everyone will think I am an old grump.

Dogs (and cats) are predators.

Predator pee is a major deterrent to wild animal behavior...

If you are visiting an actual wild area you might consider leaving Fido home.

Campgrounds, parks etc are already contaminated so anything goes.

David Graves

I travel alone with a beagle.  One thing that hasn't been mentioned is what to do if you have to leave your pet in the vehicle for a little bit.

I have a sign on my dash saying: CONCERN FOR MY DOG?   CALL (123)-456-7890

I also have water easily visible, an exhaust fan in the rear sliding window, and a remote temperature sensor.

Never have the sun shining on your pet.  I try to keep the rear of my truck into the sun, shading the whole cab.