Regardless of their size or breed, k9′s can be sensitive to temperature. When camping with your dog it’s important to make sure you choose a campsite that caters to their needs . If it’s particularly hot outside , for instance, then choose a campsite with adequate shade. Conversely, a campsite with some exposure to sunshine should be selected if it’s chilly , so they can stay warm.

One of the pleasures of camping is sitting around an open fire. Unfortunately, this pleasure can pose significant danger to dogs if they unintentionally get too close. Especially when they are playing. Chasing a flaming dog can be a result of them swishing their long tails across the flames. That’s not fun.

When camping during hunting season, or in and around hunting areas, it is a smart idea to put on a brightly colored vest, and be sure to put one on your dog, also. You wouldn’t want a hunter to mistake your dog for being a deer.

When you are camping in public camping areas, it is important to pay attention to leash laws and keep you dog close by at all times. Even if you have the best dog in the world, other dogs and humans can cause trouble . Not only are fights between dogs scary, but your dog can become seriously hurt.

Although it is still important to keep a close eye on your dog, if you are in an open area camping, then a leash isn’t required . A dog, that thinks he’s just having fun, can be injured by deer, moose, bears, skunks, and other animals.

First aid kit. When you go camping with your dog, it is crucial to always have a first aid kit for your dog.  A first aid kit will contain the following items:

* Coated aspirin
* Bandages
* Septic powder
* Small nail scissors
* Ear and eye ointment
* Tick tweezers
* Waterproof surgical tape
* Snake bite kit
* Benadryl
* Antibiotic ointment

Pack a stake and long leash so you can give your dog some independence around the campsite and don’t have to be concerned about them wandering off. Portable pens function well also, for smaller dogs.

Pack food and treats. To avoid having ants crawl around their dog food and food bowl, it is tempting to feed your dog the food you are consuming while camping; however, most of what we eat isn’t right for a dog’s digestion and some of it can be poison. For instance, dogs don’t need sugar, and although smores are delightful, the chocolate can be toxic to your dog. Only feed your dog his regular food and keep him on his regular schedule.

Pack water, lots of it. Water should be made available at all times to your dog. They can get overheated easily, and water helps them cool down. Puddles, rivers, or lakes, which are untreated bodies of water, can be toxic to your dog because of algae, not to mention parasites, so you don’t want your dog drinking from them.

Baggies for waste. It is not natural for dogs to be in that environment, so although it is tempting to let your dog go au natural and leave dog waste on the ground when camping, it is displeasing for other campers. Utilize suitable materials and tidy up after your dog. Make sure your dog doesn’t get into the waste of other animals, so keep a close eye on them. Dogs have a strong sense of smell and it sometimes gets them into difficulty. You certainly don’t want you dog eating animal waste or rolling in it.

Bedding. This is for comfort, but also for safety. Bedding will help your dog regulate its body temperature at night when it gets cool .

Life jacket. It is important, when going in or around water, to ensure you have a doggy life jacket. Many dogs love to swim but they can become tired quickly and they don’t have the ability to tell us. Make sure your dog is safe on the water by using a life jacket.

Flea & tick repellant. We all know that fleas and ticks carry many diseases and they’re prevalent outdoors. Keep your dog safe from these insect born sicknesses by utilizing powder, spray, or a collar.

Both of you can have a wonderful time when camping with your pet. While enjoying being out of doors, your dog will also have the opportunity to explore new areas, experiences and scents.By taking the time to plan in advance and pack accordingly, you and your dog will have a fun and safe camping experience.

{Stop Dog Aggression | Dog Food Aggression | Stop Puppy Chewing}

Since we didn’t have a pickup truck to tow a fifth wheel, we decided on a 32′ Sun Valley Road Runner travel trailer from a local dealer. Our first camping adventure took place directly after leaving the RV dealership. The Doll Mountain campground located on Carter’s Lake in Gilmer County, Georgia is one of the jewels in the Army Corps of Engineers’ recreation areas. Among its amenities include 34 campsites (roughly half of which are RV sites or dual purpose), 2 boat ramps, laundry facilities, picnic areas, and shower houses. The grounds are well kept by a full time staff and the campground is open from April-September.

When we first arrived I made several attempts to back in to the site and it took about 15 minutes, and the help of a friendly camper to get us backed straight into the site. Hooking up was simple after the mandatory orientation given by the dealer. Lighting the furnace for the hot water heater was a little more difficult but once the pilot was lit correctly the system fired right up. Within 45 minutes all the systems were running and our awning, chairs and tables were setup, ready for some serious relaxation. That’s when it hit me. Had we been tent camping we would have spent the rest of the trip gathering firewood, running back and forth to the bathroom to take showers and do laundry. Instead, we had a closet full of clothes, stove, microwave, oven, shower, and toilet. We spent the rest of our three day weekend wondering if we were ever going to go tent camping again.

MSR Whisperlite Internationale

The folks at Mountain Safety Research know the outdoors. Having used their MSR Whisperlite Internationale multi-fuel portable stove since 1994, I can tell you that this stove is one tough hombre. Not only is the design bulletproof, but this stove will cook with nearly any fuel available. MSR recommends using White Gas when possible, but I have personally cooked with 87-octane gasoline and ate like a king. Switch out the IG jet (preinstalled) with the included K jet and you can cook with diesel fuel or Kerosene. Weighing in at less than 16oz, this stove puts out some serious heat and will boil water faster than you can say, “Man, it’s cold!” I’m on my second Whisperlite and that’s only because my 1994 version was stolen. The fuel bottle has never leaked in my pack, nor has the stove ever failed to ignite. Sometimes it takes a little getting used to how much pressure you need in the bottle, but you can pick it up pretty quick based on the type of fuel that you are using. If I had a complaint about this stove, it would be the difficulty in getting a good simmer setting, but I solved this by removing the folding aluminum heat saver that surrounds the stove during operation and bleeding off some pressure from the bottle. When the flames start to die at this low heat setting I would give it 1 or 2 pumps on the fuel bottle and it’s back in business. However, 95% of the time I operate it wide open and that’s where it really shines. At less than $80 from internet discounters such as Amazon you can’t afford to miss out on this portable cooking monster.

Our first camping experience in the travel trailer was a bit confusing initially, but we soon settled in and found out what all of the fuss was about. The first benefit we discovered after getting the electricity and water connected was convenience. When we were tent camping, my wife had to get in the car and drive to the public bath house in the campground to even use the restroom. In the camper there is a toilet, shower, and sink with full privacy and safety. The next thing I noticed was that there was more free time to actually enjoy the camp site. With tent camping we would focus most of our time on making the gear work, like messing with tent stakes,  the rain fly, sleeping bags, and propane bottles. With the RV, things just worked. The bed was made, dinner was ready in minutes instead of hours, and we spent less time looking for things that we knew we had brought but couldn’t seem to find. Now traditionalists may find these very activities a reason FOR tent camping, like part of the experience, and it is. But sometimes you just want to relax. Camping in a travel trailer allows you to focus on the parts of camping that are enjoyable  like endlessly messing around with the campfire or reading a good book or playing guitar. When the rain comes, you just go inside the camper and do something else until it quits instead of praying that you sealed all the seams correctly in your tent.

My wife and I will still go tent camping, but without the puppies and probably in conjunction with some hiking. So if we are going to get drenched, smoky, and tired, the destination will make it all worthwhile.