I’ve been camping with my dogs for 20 years and have done so with dozens of other canine friends.
When I first got a dog, naturally I couldn’t leave him alone at home for days at a time, so I just took him along. It was fun, but the purpose was practical.
Luckily, the trip went well and he quickly became a camping expert himself – he loved sleeping under the stars with me.
When I got my second dog, he had a lot of anxiety and reactivity and was on Prozac, so I thought I’d just take him camping unprepared and see what would happen. To my surprise, he did great and enjoyed himself.
It was then that I realized what a wonderful and fulfilling activity camping can be for dogs.
However, camping isn’t suitable for all dogs, especially if you’re a newbie to camping or dog ownership in general.
Over the years, I have developed a list of dog skills and behaviors that will help ensure a more enjoyable experience for both you and your dog.
We also learned some dog personality traits that may indicate your dog isn’t ready to go camping.
Useful skills to teach your dog before going camping
While it’s not essential to train your dog in these skills before your first camping trip, it will help make the trip more enjoyable for both dog and owner.
I’ll come when called
If you plan on taking your dog camping, one of the most important things for him to know is how to recall, i.e. come when called.
We don’t recommend purposely letting your dog wander away from your campsite, and letting your dog off-leash while keeping them nearby can also be dangerous.
But if the lead breaks and your dog becomes lost, a firm call is the best way to get him back.
Find out where to go and how to settle
Even if the dog is attached to something by a lead, Placement Commands We will also explain how to sit on a mat or bed.
If your dog is constantly resisting the leash to get to something, constantly whining, or constantly on guard, it’s no fun for you or your dog.
If your dog knows the place command, you can tell him to lie down on a specific target (usually a mat or dog bed) and stay there.
If you know how to stay calm, being on your mat is your cue to just be quiet.
Idle Command
When you’re cooking camping and in a small space with distractions, you’re more likely to drop something you don’t want on the ground.
There are also poisonous plants in the forest.
Teaching your dog a firm command to “leave it” can help prevent him from swallowing something he shouldn’t.
Manners
When camping, there is a good chance you will be next to people, so it is important to be respectful.
Many etiquette rules can be achieved through management — in other words, dogs don’t need to know anything specific.
For example, keep your dog on a lead or leash to prevent it from wandering into other people’s campsites or causing trouble to wildlife.
Minimizing distracting noise is also important, and training can help with that.
The quiet commands you use to teach your dog to stop barking at home, like “quiet” and “enough” can also be applied at the campsite.
In nature, there are different sounds than those around the home that can make your dog bark: common sounds include people talking, other dogs barking, babies crying, dishes clanging, etc.
As your dog gains more camping experience, it’s likely that he will naturally become accustomed to these sounds and learn to ignore them.
However, simulating these sounds yourself or using recordings from Spotify or YouTube and exposing your dog to these sounds outside the home can set you up for successful dog training.
Desirable behavioral traits for a canine camping companion
I firmly believe that any dog can go camping and that no dog with minor behavioral issues such as reactivity or anxiety should be denied the camping experience.
If your dog has idiosyncrasies that can cause him to misbehave or become stressed in certain situations, it is possible to choose a campsite that minimizes his exposure to these triggers.
That being said, some dogs that are easy to take camping with and will settle in quickly have the following personality traits:
No extreme fear or anxiety
If your dog is highly reactive, extremely fearful of new, unfamiliar environments or aggressive towards people, camping may not be right for your dog.
While it is possible to carefully manage the environment so that dogs with these characteristics can go camping, it may not be an enjoyable experience for either owner or dog.
No noise phobia
Many of my friends are scared of fireworks so they take their dogs and go camping in the woods on the 4th of July.
If you choose your campsite carefully, far from town and somewhere that bans fireworks, it will work out just fine.
Examples include backpacking through miles of woods and dispersed camping on Forest Service land.
However, one time my friend tried to “escape” from some fireworks with her dog, but the small community near our campsite was setting off fireworks loud enough for the dog to hear.
Some dogs are afraid of running generators or diesel truck engines, which are common at campgrounds.
If you think your dog might have an extreme reaction to the noises they might encounter at a campsite, camping may not be a good fit for them.
Friendly and sociable
While it is good etiquette to keep dogs and children within your campsite, accidents can happen.
Children and off-leash dogs may wander into campsites, and depending on where your campsite is located, you may encounter children riding their bikes or skateboards.
It’s also common for camp hosts or rangers to walk into campgrounds to see if you have any questions or to make sure your fees have been paid.
While some interactions can be managed by temporarily putting your dog in the car or walking him to the edge of the campground to meet people, the trip will go much smoother if your dog is friendly with other dogs and strangers.
A manageable prey drive
This is a personal challenge for me: my dog is a Dachshund, a dog with a keen sense of smell and bred for hunting.
Thankfully, only one of my dogs has an extreme predatory instinct, and even then, it’s rarely an issue for us… until it becomes an issue.
The first time it really became a problem was when I was camping in a campground in the high desert of California, where the rats were accustomed to being fed by humans and scavenging on campers’ leftovers.
As we sat around the campfire and the dogs lay peacefully in their camp chairs, a rat literally walked up to them and just stood there, almost like it was dancing in front of them.
My daughter, who has a strong prey drive, completely lost her temper and began yelling (yes, her yells sounded like screams), causing trouble and disturbing the other campers. We tried distraction methods like training sessions, treat toys, chew toys, or natural calming supplements, but nothing worked to calm her down.
It was late at night and there was nowhere else to go so we ended up sedating her.
We will never go to that campground again and try to avoid existing campgrounds in the desert for this reason, but it was a very unpleasant experience.
No resource protection issues
This isn’t as much of a problem if you go camping alone, or only with people and dogs that you and your dog already know, but dogs that guard people, food, or toys can be difficult to manage in a group.
People who are not used to being around your dog may not realize the need to monitor interactions or may not be aware of your dog’s body language signs that indicate intervention is needed.
Resource guarding can have serious consequences and result in bite injuries, and the last thing you want is for that to happen in the woods, where medical care is unavailable.
Going with the flow
Dogs that are set in their ways and get upset when their environment or habits change may not be the best choice for camping.
I don’t maintain a set routine in the house. I leave my dachshunds at home, so they’re used to new dogs coming and going. Also, we travel and camp a lot, so they’re used to constantly changing situations. New situations don’t upset them.
While exposing your dog to new experiences helps him become more resilient, camping is probably not the best first experience for a dog.
Start by staying in a hotel or a friend’s house where the sights, smells and sounds are more familiar.
Testing your dog’s camping behavior
If you think your dog is ready to try camping, the next step is to actually test the camping experience. There are two main ways to do this.
Go on a day trip
Typically, when out walking or hiking, dogs only encounter people and other dogs for a split second before passing by quickly. At campgrounds, dogs are confined to one spot and neighboring dogs are forced to “linger.”
To test how your dog will handle this presence, go to a campground or picnic area near your home (preferably one with other patrons nearby, but not too many) and spend most of the day there.
You don’t need to set up a full camp, but consider doing one or two of the typical camping activities (such as cooking lunch).
Backyard Camping
Sleeping in a tent is a strange experience for a dog: they are “outdoors”, but they can’t see through the tent walls, and they can be scared of noises in the night and flapping tent walls.
To test whether your dog likes to snuggle up to sleep or stays alert all night, ready to bark, pitch a tent in your backyard and sleep there overnight. If you don’t have a backyard, choose a campsite as close to home as possible.
After that, you could try camping in your backyard or stay at a campsite for a day with your dog to see how he responds to spending the day outdoors with you.
I also keep in mind that there are more strange nighttime sounds I’ve heard in my neighborhood than I’ve heard in the woods, so this could also be a worst-case scenario sound test.
If your dog handles both of these scenarios well, then you’re ready to actually try camping with your dog.
lastly
Camping is a great way to add excitement and enrichment to your dog’s life as well as provide them with new experiences and teach them resilience.
It might sound fun and easy, and of course you’re welcome to just give it a go and see what happens (that’s what I did at first). With a little preparation, you can ensure an enjoyable and satisfying experience.
A good camping dog will know a few useful commands, not have a lot of anxiety (unless that’s easily managed), and will need a bit of practice.
