A Camping Pet Question

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Dogs are the best, aren't they?

I tease my kids all the time and tell them if I had known how much I liked chihuahuas they might not be hear. :rofl2:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

My best friend's adult son said, "Mom you love Rascal more than you love us." Her reply, "when you are so happy to see me that you pee all over yourself I might love you that much!"

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

We camp with our 3 border collies. Like others have said, they're actually the reason we have a camper in the first place - because we enjoy them so much we actually want to take them on vacation with us!

Last year they made us buy both a bigger TT and a bigger truck!  :argh:

But seriously... our dogs are super energetic (ok, they're insane, but we love them).  We've camped with them tons of times - including several 2-3 week trips to the Fort.  For them the key is that they get plenty of exercise, attention and play time.  If they're exercised and tired, they're perfectly content to hang out in their crates in the camper while we're out and about.

Luckily the Fort made this that much easier for us a couple of years ago when they opened the dog park near the 300/500 loops!

Now we have our Disney routine each trip - every a.m. I take Brady for a walk down the 300 dog walk (he's not a dog park dog) and DH walks the girls around the loop.  When we get back we toss the girls on the golf cart and head to the dog park.

After 20-30 minutes of racing around like their life depended on it, they're good and tongue-draggingly tired.  Back on the cart for their "cool down lap" (they love riding) and then back to the camper where everyone gets a stuffed kong in their crates. We crank up the air or fan (depending on weather), turn on the TV (Disney channel of course) and off we go.  We've found if they can't hear/see what's going on outside, they're perfectly quiet and content.  That's why even if the weather is cool, we turn the fan and TV on.

And when I say we bought the TT for the dogs, I wasn't kidding.  This is our setup...

It's actually a little more plush now than the picture with dog beds in each.  The top part lifts up so we can put a fan in there if needed, and since this area was the "bunk slide" before we modified it, the TV hookup is right to the left of there.

Yes, my dogs have their own TV!  :rofl2:

We come back after a while for potty/play breaks - depending on how old your pup is for your first trip, these may need to be more frequent - and we never get any complaints. 

We also setup an x-pen at our site for them to hang out in when we're there (it's against the rules to leave your dog outside the TT when you're not)

Routine is the key for most dogs, and very definitely is for ours.  They've all spent 3 weeks at the Fort at least twice now (Brady's coming up on his 7th trip!) and they fall into the routine very quickly now.

When it comes to camping, best advice I can give is to know your dog.  Practice at home before you head out for your first big trip to make sure he's comfortable and you have a setup that works for you all.  Last thing want to find out when you're parked at Disney is that your pup HATES the camper and/or barks his head off the entire time you're gone.

When it comes to puppies and camping, best advice I can give you is SOCIALIZE!!  That's really the best puppy advice period.  Make sure your pup has lots of good experiences with all kinds of people and other dogs from Day 1.  Your dog will be welcome a lot more places if he's friendly and comfortable with all kinds of people and places.

All 3 of our dogs were rescues (although Bz came to us as wee pup) and I can tell you how difficult it is to try and work through the issues of an unsocialized dog later in life (very hard and NOT fun).  Do the work early, and you'll all be SO much the better for it down the road.

Really great puppy book...

Before you get your puppy

by Ian Dunbar

Camping with your dog requires a little extra planning and preparation.  Camping with your dog at Disney requires a little extra work since you generally spend less time at your camper than you normally might.

But as far as we're concerned it's all worth it to get to see this every day on vacation...

Good luck whatever you decide!

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

"When it comes to camping, best advice I can give is to know your dog.  Practice at home before you head out for your first big trip to make sure he's comfortable and you have a setup that works for you all.  Last thing want to find out when you're parked at Disney is that your pup HATES the camper and/or barks his head off the entire time you're gone.

When it comes to puppies and camping, best advice I can give you is SOCIALIZE!!  That's really the best puppy advice period.  Make sure your pup has lots of good experiences with all kinds of people and other dogs from Day 1.  Your dog will be welcome a lot more places if he's friendly and comfortable with all kinds of people and places.

All 3 of our dogs were rescues (although Bz came to us as wee pup) and I can tell you how difficult it is to try and work through the issues of an unsocialized dog later in life (very hard and NOT fun).  Do the work early, and you'll all be SO much the better for it down the road."

Excellent advice from BradyBz!    :)

I would just add that not all Rescue Dogs need work. Because of the economy, many families are giving up Dogs that are already housebroken and socialized and are just Aching to be with a family again. Don't be afraid to look into an older Dog, just ask lots of questions of the Shelter staff, they know the good ones from the bad pretty quickly.

:) :) :) :) :)

[campingmommy aka Kelli 7]

We have always camped with a dog. Unfortunately our 13 year old Llasa Apso won't be making anymore camping trips, she's blind and has a hard time getting around. We recently got a yorkie puppy and boy is he high maintenance! He is crate trained and that's best for him and us! He's a chewer and would probably do more damage if left by himself than the lab would! Lol

I'll admit...a puppy is a lot of work but he's becoming his own and fitting in with the family very well. Now if we can get the house training down, we will good! He's harder to potty train than my 3 year old was!

And he will make his maiden voyage to Disney in just two weeks and yes, he will have family vacation T's that match the rest of the family!  :argh:

[campingpixi 11]

our doxie tink had her first camping trip with us over easter since we adopted her and she did great! We don't crate her at home so we didn't even think it for the camper. The couch was her best friend while we were gone and my bed replaced that when we were there. LOL

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I would just add that not all Rescue Dogs need work. Because of the economy, many families are giving up Dogs that are already housebroken and socialized and are just Aching to be with a family again. Don't be afraid to look into an older Dog, just ask lots of questions of the Shelter staff, they know the good ones from the bad pretty quickly.

:) :) :) :) :)

Excellent point!!  I've volunteered with border collie rescue for about 10 years now and we've seen PLENTY of issue-free, wonderful dogs who were simply a victim of circumstance.  In fact MOST of the dogs we get into rescue are simply "normal" border collies that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In fact one of the biggest bonuses of adopting a dog from a good shelter or rescue is that you know what you're getting!!

You can say to them "I need a dog that's good with cats, kids, etc." and they can steer you in the direction of a dog that's a great match for you.  You sometimes might need to be a bit patient depending on what you're looking for, although not always - there are a LOT of dogs out there needing homes right now.  Chances are good that you won't have a hard time finding what you want.

I've had lots of people tell me they're getting a puppy because they want a dog  they can "start from scratch" with.  But even with a puppy you never know what you're going to get.  Even if you raise them exactly right and do everything you're supposed to (which btw, is a LOT of work!!) genetics still come into play.

Bz comes from a litter of dogs born into rescue and raised by a wonderful person with eons of experience in training and behavior.  She did everything right from day one (a monumental effort with an entire litter) and socialized those pups like there's no tomorrow.  Of the 6 pups, all but one were extremely social and fearless from day 1.  But that 1 pup showed signs of shyness and difficulty dealing with new situations from 2 weeks of age.  Lucky for him, that same person that raised him also kept him, but she still had to do a lot of work with him to get him past the stuff that was genetically programmed in him.

Factor into that equation how hard it is to find a truly GOOD breeder these days - one that does all the physical testing of the parents, chooses their breeding stock for sound physical characteristics AND temperament, and spends a crazy amount of time raising their puppies right...

The more you start to dig, the more it starts to sound like adopting a dog is the way to go. :)

That's not to say that a puppy isn't appealing.  Seriously, puppy snuggles are about the best thing ever!  But having gotten Bz at 10 weeks and gone through the whole "puppy thing" (with the gray hairs to show for it) I can safely say that I'll NOT be doing that again!  :banana:

Whatever you decide just be sure to do your homework.  A dog is a lifelong commitment, whether you get them at 8 weeks old or 4 years.  You want to make sure it's the right dog for your family and your lifestyle.  Trying to shoehorn the "wrong" breed/dog into your life is setting the dog up to fail from day one, and is a mistake I've seen lots of people make.  (I know it's one of the top reasons border collies end up in rescue)

Good luck and be sure to report back with pics of your new pup/dog!

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

We have always camped with a dog. Unfortunately our 13 year old Llasa Apso won't be making anymore camping trips, she's blind and has a hard time getting around. We recently got a yorkie puppy and boy is he high maintenance! He is crate trained and that's best for him and us! He's a chewer and would probably do more damage if left by himself than the lab would! Lol

I'll admit...a puppy is a lot of work but he's becoming his own and fitting in with the family very well. Now if we can get the house training down, we will good! He's harder to potty train than my 3 year old was!

And he will make his maiden voyage to Disney in just two weeks and yes, he will have family vacation T's that match the rest of the family!  :banana:

Our Diabetic Lab is now almost completely blind and has slowed wayyyyy down, but she still comes along with us, we just have to allow extra time for her to "smell and hear" her way around    :)

Puppies are hard work.....  CODE BROWN!!    LOL!  Nothing like that smell either....  :)

T-shirts?  We want PICS!    :)

:) :) :) :) :)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I'll admit...a puppy is a lot of work but he's becoming his own and fitting in with the family very well. Now if we can get the house training down, we will good! He's harder to potty train than my 3 year old was!

I feel your pain.  Our Bz was more than a bit of a challenge to housetrain.  And it didn't help when I kept hearing from the people that had her sibs how EASY they all were.  :)

I should have known then that it was just an early indication of our "independent" girl.  She has her own agenda and her own mind, and humans be damned. 

She'd be running and playing and having a jolly old time and then would just stop and squat right in the middle of a run through the living room.

She could hold it just fine and never messed when she was in her crate, so we knew it was just a matter of working out the communication and getting her to TELL us when she needed to go out.

Hence the bell on the door!  Worked like a freakin' charm.  Of course it eventually led to her whacking the bell 300 times a day just because she wanted to go outside, but by then we had the housetraining thing down.  (thank goodness)

Hang in there, it'll happen!

And he will make his maiden voyage to Disney in just two weeks and yes, he will have family vacation T's that match the rest of the family!  :banana:

Oh yay - we definitely need pics!!

[Lou... 3,118]

I've volunteered with border collie rescue for about 10 years now and we've seen PLENTY of issue-free, wonderful dogs who were simply a victim of circumstance.  In fact MOST of the dogs we get into rescue are simply "normal" border collies that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time

Absolutely, and here is another example. One of daughters is very involved with rescues. She has two, more if she could. Piper, the border collie, is the best dog in the world. We just love him. We're are always threatening to kidnap him. I recently visited Monique in NH and her Brady reminded me so much of him. The other dog is a Great Pyrenees and is also a great dog. It's so hard to believe that someone could or had to give them up.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

That photo is priceless!

And now I see what you mean by Brady looking so much like Piper!  Stand the tips of his ears up straight and they could almost be twins. :banana:

[campingmommy aka Kelli 7]

Oh and another thing....spring/summer I think is the best time to get a puppy! It's much easier to train them in warm weather than in cold (mainly because I'm the one who doesn't want to freeze my :moon: off!  :grpwelcome:)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Agreed!  We got Bz in January.

January in New England is a horrible time to housetrain  a puppy.

It seems even colder and snowier when you're slogging outside at 2am in your pajamas!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

That's why I had to paper train. Chihuahuas don't have enough body fat to go out in the winter. Little Nada got out this past winter not knowing what she was getting herself in to. She got across the yard and stopped dead in a snow drift. I had to trudge after her cause she was so cold she couldn't move. It took the hair dryer and a heating pad to thaw her out :moon: She did learn really quick that snow was not as fun as it looked :grpwelcome:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

And then you've got my knuckleheads... who have the body mass and hair, but not the good sense to know when it's time to come out of the snow!

I've literally had to drag Brady inside when I found him laying in a snowbank shivering!  He was laying there waiting for someone to throw the frisbee ....again.

Brady and Lyn have double coats, but Bz doesn't, and we have to watch her in particular.  The poor little princess will sit on the deck shivering, but won't actually ask to come in.

And of course they LOVE to play with the snow.  We take them to camp in Maine in the winter and the funniest thing is to see them "dolphin swimming" through 3' of fresh powder!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Ya, if mine went out in 3 ft. of snow, we would have to send rescue teams for them :rofl2:

[campingpixi 11]

This past winter tink wanted nothing to do with the snow so hubby made sure she had areas to go in the yard that were clear of snow!! LOL

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I'm thinking of doing something like that when the temps aren't to low. They decided this Spring that going out side is fun. Right now I have a sad puppy. He got stung by a bee this morning and the benadryl has him all dopey. And to make matters worse he won't step out the door. :rofl2:

[campingpixi 11]

awww poor thing

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

This past winter tink wanted nothing to do with the snow so hubby made sure she had areas to go in the yard that were clear of snow!! LOL

We do the same thing. After a snow storm I go out and shovel a maze of paths thru the drifts. they love to go out and run around, the chihuahuas can't see over the drifts so every corner is a surprise with all four dogs and the cat running through it.....  :rofl2:

:rofl2: :) :) :) :)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

We snowblow paths through the backyard at home when the snow gets too deep.  They eventually trample it all down anyway.

At camp they're on their own...

Here's Princess Prissypants staying out of the deep stuff watching her dad try and get the snowmobile unstuck...

When we first got her she was 10 weeks old and it was January.  Her first trip to camp we put a pink, hooded parka on her because she was teeny and had hardly any hair.  She ran through the deep stuff regardless... pink hood flapping in the breeze!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Aren't dogs wonderful people :banana:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

When I lost my Mickey, a little maltipoo, I swore I would not get another and now I have Lola. Of course, I've done that everytime. Life just does not seem complete to me without a dog!

[Lou... 3,118]

Look at them. Not a care in the world. What a life.

[BouncingTiggers 98]

BradyBzLyn I don't believe we are far from if I remember correctly as we are in Dracut. This was the first year I've ever had a dog suitable for playing in the snow. Our labradoodle would have been out there every waking moment if we had let her. It was the funniest thing watching her run through 4 feet of snow chasing down her football. I was tired after 1 or 2 times of having to dig out for her never mind running through it. Then she would just lay in it without ever being bothered that she was slowly becoming a popsicle. I love the pics of your dogs out there in the snow. I only wish I had thought to take some pics myself.