Tips for Camping With Your 4-Legged Best Friend

There isn’t much in life that is more enjoyable than vacationing with your best friend. But what if your best friend has four legs, a wet nose, and a tail that can’t stop moving when they get excited? It just means that you need to prepare a bit to ensure that your canine companion is safe and comfortable during your adventures. This requires a bit of planning but will be worth it when you and your BFF are sharing precious moments together in nature.

Research Dog Friendly Campsites

You will need to bed down at some point, and you want to make sure that your pup is welcomed. Make sure you look into the specific sites’ leash laws as well, as some sites only allow restrained pets. A pooper scooper of some form comes in handy when cleaning up Fido’s messes, since this is not only the rule in most places, but good common courtesy.

Prepare for Emergencies

Before you leave for your trip, make a laminated card with all of your dog’s identifying information, vaccination records, health history, and your contact information. If your dog is micro-chipped, ensure that it is up-to-date, as well as their tags. First aid items specifically for your canine also come in handy. Such items may include a flat-bladed tweezers and mineral oil for tick removal, needle-nosed pliers for extracting large thorns or porcupine quills, booties for protecting injured paws, and contact information for nearby vets.

Pack a “Doggy Bag”

Make sure you pack light, but have all your canine’s needed items. Doggy water bottles, collapsible food and/or water bowls, a small backpack for hikes, sleeping pad or blanket, reflective leash/collar, and first aid kit will keep your pup feeling right at home.

Only Leave Out Food During Meals

Leaving your buddy’s munchies out will invite other wildlife into your campground. This is not safe for your or your furry friend. You don’t want your campsite to turn into the neighborhood cafeteria.

Bring a Properly Sized Tent

You will want to make sure that your housing for the trip has enough space to comfortably accommodate you, your pup, anyone else that may tag along, and all of your provisions. This is especially important in case you run into some rainy days. This is the perfect opportunity for some relaxation and quality one-on-one time for you and your companion.

Never Leave Your Doggo Unattended

The title of this article is “Tips For Camping with Your 4-Legged Best Friend", not “What To Do With Your Dog While You Camp”. You should make sure during your prior trip planning that your pal can accompany you everywhere that you go. Leaving your dog at the campsite unattended (even if secured) is asking for trouble. Other campers, wildlife interactions, weather, and freak accidents can mean disaster for your best friend. It’s best not to chance it. Where you go, they go.

Have Fun!

This is obviously the most important. Whether this is a once in a lifetime trip for you both, or something you do every weekend, these are the moments that you will always remember. Unfortunately, dog’s life spans are not as long as ours (wouldn’t it be amazing if they were!), so spending as much time with them while they are with us is imperative. They give us so much joy in life, the least we can do is return the favor.