What to take camping for your dog?

We’ve just returned home from 2 weeks of camping in the UK, we tried out 4 different sites which I will write about soon.  In October last year we got a dog, so we find camping perfect for us as a family.  I can sit in a field and drink beer, my daughter can run feral with other kids and our dog gets to spend loads of time with the family and outdoors.

Camping with a dog

A lot of campsites will allow well-behaved dogs, we did find that some do charge a bit extra, but it’s a lot cheaper than putting them in kennels while you’re away.  However, the majority of sites will require you to have them on a lead at all times, which is understandable as they can get into all sorts of mischief.  This is our dog on the naughty step after nicking Prosecco from another site.

Camping with pets

We did find a couple of sites that had areas (paddocks) to run your dog and a few dog friendly beaches.  You might also want to check that certain breads are not banned from sites as we did see this as well.

We’ve taken our dog camping a few times now and these are a few things that we recommend that you take with you.

13 Things to Take Camping for your Dog

Folding Crate and Bedding:  We have a folding canvas crate that he sleeps in at home, it folds down flat so easily slips in on top of our camping gear in the car.  The crate is not only a safe and familiar place for them but can also keep them secured at night.  We also found that he used it during the day to get some rest but do be careful if you are blessed with good weather as tents, like cars can get incredibly hot.  Also take their bedding as temperatures can drop at night.

Ground Peg, Flexible Lead and a Karabiner:  As they will be on the lead a lot of the time I would recommend getting a ground peg and a flexible lead, this gives them a bit more freedom.  We find the easiest way to attach them is using a large Karibiner, which will also come in handy when you get home.  We use ours a lot in pubs and parks.

West Wittering Beach with Dogs

Dog Shampoo:  After two weeks our dog started to get a bit smelly, but to be fair so did we, in hindsight we wish we would have brought his dog shampoo with us.  He also went into the sea a few times, a local farmer claimed the sea water is good for parasites etc, but I can’t imagine it would feel nice.

Food and Water:  This one is fairly obvious but do take enough food for the time you will be away, especially if they tend to have a brand that is not readily available in all stores and store in a water proof tub to avoid soggy food and other animals getting into it.

Travel Water Bottle:  As mentioned before we do take food and water for him, depending where you are a lot of places will have water bowls for dogs but not always.  We tend to keep a travel water bottle in the boot of the car at all times.

Towel:  Definitely take a towel that is dedicated for the dog, unless you fancy sharing yours with your pooch.

Poo Bags:  Take a plethora of poo bags with you, you can never have enough.  Plus, they also come in handy for other things.

How to camp with dogs

Tennis Ball and Ball Thrower:  These don’t tend to take up a lot of space and are an excellent way of running your cooped up dog when you get a chance.

*Warning!*

The only downside of taking an adorable dog camping is that you will have every other kid at the camp-site at your pitch from morning till night, but it was a great way for our daughter to meet other kids.

Did I miss anything?  If so, please do leave me a comment.

 

Licking Wounds

Another example of over protective parenting…..

We went to a family day/BBQ at the pub on the weekend.  It was great they had arts and crafts, face-painting and free food for the kids.  My mate came and she brought her dog.  He’s a border collie with a lovely disposition, 100% safe around kids, fully vaccinated and better than any toy you can bring along to entertain the kids.

However, a little rubber ball went rolling passed and he loves a good game of fetch and is amazing at it, the ball never has a chance to hit the ground.  So, naturally he nicked the ball and had a whale of a time with it.  My mate realised that it was someone else’s ball so she politely walked over to return it and to apologize.

Instead, of saying no problem and thank you, the woman, who had two small children, said ‘you can keep the ball now, as it has dog slobber on it and I can’t possibly give it back to my kids’.  WTF?   Could she not just give it a rinse?  I would have happily washed it for her.  She’d be horrified if she knew what I’ve had to ferret out of my daughter’s mouth in the past.

My mate came away feeling slightly scolded and embarrassed, but I assured her that the woman was a complete ass.  Yes, dogs lick their wounds, sniff each others backsides and on occasion get into the bins, but you’re more likely to catch a serious illness from another human before a dog!

Is this is myth?  Do you agree?  What would you have done?