Looked back a few pages and tried to do a search and didn't see anything:

Have a dog (Sherpard/Husky) who's been great on day hikes, southern AZ desert during summer months, and Flagstaff during the winter. Even on hotel stays.

But, will be camping for a weekend in a tent in the next month and the spouse just assumes we will be bringing the dog. I really hadn't thought of it, but anything I should take into consideration?

She's on heartgard (the dog not the spouse) but nothing for flea & tick...

When I took my dog on extended hiking, camps (RIP buddy) I'd always have to account for his food and water, which got heavy quick. I ended up buying a pack so he could hump his own food and water up the mountain... made it much easier.

They sell variaions of these at PestSmart and Petco. Cheap and worth every penny.

My only worry woukd be wandering off.  Damn dogs follow new scents and just get lost sometimes.

As a kid I did numerous solo trips with my yellow lab.  She spent much of the day rolling in the swamp eating frogs.  She always cleaned up the baked beans too.  I spent many nights in a tent with her farting upwind of me.

How mindful is your dog?  If he sees another hikers dog or some squirrel will he stay by your side or charge into the fray?  

Few things worse in the field than people with un-mindful dogs.  

Every husky I've known were runners.  You shouldn't have to worry about your dog when he's hiking the trails with you.

In all of our jaunts, never had a problem controlling her on or off leash...but not sure of guidelines for camp sites, thinking of finding some approved area far from the crowds.

She's protective, and normally stays close to the family, but yeah, the women in the household are just short of painting her toenails...at times I think shes got a vicious streak, but other times, a trans-breed who self identifies as a French poodle.

The water and food would not be a problem...but wondering if a should pretreat her with flea & tick, or would a spray, or treated dog shampoo work..and as far as gas buildup in the tent, hold back on the protein a day or two before hand?

That run line is a good suggestion. If your dog is not a free ranger at home, that Husky blood could draw her out on a long range freedom escapade if she cuts loose. (I'm a rural former owner of a Husky that never knew what a fence or kennel was...my dad saw him and his partner in crime seven miles from our place once.)

Take her.  I've never known a dog who ever regretted going out on a camping trip. My current mutt loves it.

My boy loves camping. Just make sure to pack emergency dog washing/brushing stuff. Muddy beasts suck in a tent.

..or when your hiking on the AT and they 'find and then roll in' some human poop. Then come back to your tent, all ready to snuggle with you. Been there done that.


Floorless shelters rock with a dog, fwiw (I wasn't using one when the dog rolled in the poop tho)


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I have had both my dogs on Nexguard all year so far.

It's great stuff.

Both have tested positive for Lyme after getting loaded with ticks and we took a different approach because they are both hunting dogs and in the field a lot.

I haven't found a flea or tick on either of them yet. I am doing a combo once a month of Sentinell for intestinal and heart worm, and the Nexguard.

The first overnight trip our dog didn't like staying in the tent but i didn't want him out wandering around with the high cougar and black bear levels in our area. Every trip since then he knows the routine and passes right out.

I usually make my own run line in camp using spare 550 cord I carry. He also has his own pack now to carry his food, treats and some water. When hes going to be camping with me I make sure to take an old woobie for him to lay on, it protects the floor, sleeping bags and keeps him warm in the shoulder seasons if hes already lost or not gotten his winter coat.

I would use some kind of preventative flea and tick medication as at least up here they were bad this year.

I have soresto tick and flea collars. flea collars aren't what they used to be. these are polymer and non toxic if eaten. put it on in spring and throw it away after the first good freeze. $50 or so on Amazon for tick and flea free all season is way worth it to me.

every vet I've spoken with loves them too.

I have mine on Trifexis which covers all things from fleas to heartworm. My boy can play with flea infected dogs and be ok.



I don't think I'd leave a dog unsupervised. Too likely to be 'liberated'.

Mine lab isn't even leash trained. He is either by my side where I am, or at home snoozing on the porch.

He has been field trained since week one.

My hound on the other hand.....he is leash trained but he is a free spirit. He stays at home inside the invisible fence most of the time, or up on the farm if he isn't coon hunting. When I take him to town he liberates himself from the truck and walks into the store on his own to check things out.

I just don't trust other humans.

Nor do I.

Luckily my coon dog is a prick to strangers.

I would never leave my lab tied up somewhere though. If he isn't at my house watching the property with the mean one, then he is with me, no exceptions.

After the coon dog dies I am going to get a Chesapeake Bay Retriever because I need a waterfowl dog, but having two labs guard the hose would be like letting two floppy eared bunnies watch my things. I am sure right now the lab would help a stranger load up my shit. First time he met he UPS guy he jumped in the truck and sat up on his seat.

I have been camping with a couple of beagles. Beagles are scent hounds and even well trained ones will wander off if not restrained in some way. I kept them on a leash, or in the tent, or the camper. One of them had a great time, the other did not seem to enjoy it all that much. Most people who go camping with dogs in campgrounds keep their dogs on leashes or tie outs so they do not get into other people's ways.  Dogs will be dogs and they get curious and just naturally wander around some. Most campers do not seem to mind, but some people are not dog people and would just as soon not have a dog hanging around looking hungry.

Out in the wild, if there are no other people around I suspect most people let their dogs loose. A lot of dogs are OK with that but any dog can take off, no matter how well trained. Most times they come back, but you never know. The dog might wander off 100 times without incident, and then the 101st time not come back.

Some breeds are far less likely to just take off, but all might do so.

I don't allow my current beagle off leash except in a fenced in area. I know she would eventually smell something that would interest her and off she would go.

You take risks I wouldn't take and I take risks you wouldn't take, I guess.

Old Loggers Path had rattlers sooo.


Most of the time he was like this
or this



He crawls in with me in my hammock at night.

Alright....appreciate the support. Went without a hitch on on the Mogollon Rim, prepped her for flea & tick. She was up all night with the sounds and smells. Took a day on the couch for her to recover

We live in SE Texas near the coast.  So, we camp on the beach often, especially this time of year when after school begins again the beaches are only rarely frequented.  It's really paradise.

With our Shepherd, we stake him out during the day near enough to the awning that he can get under it so that he doesn't get too hot.  He's black and tan and the black back on him get frying hot in the sun.

We also walk him with us quite a bit and we throw a frisbee with him to keep him occupied and to tire him out.

At night, we wrap a mosquito net around his kennel and put him to bed within the front room of the three room tent.  He's complacent there and he's an excellent watch dog if anyone tries to approach (we're armed 24/7).

But we also camp and hike in West Texas near Big Bend National Park.  We don't dare take the dog hiking with us as the mountain lions, coyotes and recently introduced Mexican brown wolves would go out of their way to kill him.  So, we leave him under cover, in his pen and protected from the son in the bed of the truck until we get back.  There's no way any predator could penetrate the kennel we confine him in.

The only real problems we've had with the dog are:

1) unleashed dogs, particularly bull terriers, on the beach.  They're a real problem as they're aggressive and I've had several unpleasant encounters with them and their owners.
2) Horse flies.  They just eat the dog alive without the mosquito netting.
3) He's always trying to drink sea water...a definite no no.
4) He thinks that when I cast a weight and bait into the surf it's a toy for him to retrieve.  Very dangerous.  So, we keep him staked down.
5) He's all sandy if we leave him anywhere near our bedding and he loves to jump onto the cots and sand up the sleeping bags.

Otherwise, we always love having him along.  He really does contribute greatly to our security at night on an open beach or in an open campsite.

Oh, here's a tip from my time in the Marines.  We always carry a spool of that conductive wire that is often used as an electrical conductor for electric fencing along with a bunch of long ground stakes.  And, around the campsite, particularly on the beach as there's such good access by foot of auto we string several strands of "tangle-foot" around the campsite and concentrated in areas where it's easy and concealed access to the campsite.  The wire's strung about six inches high and parallel to the ground.

In the military it was barbed wire.  But we don't go to that much trouble as it's use would probably get us in trouble.  We also don't use concertina.  We use just enough to make someone be noisy so the dog and alert.  Then we shine powerful lights from our weapons on the area to identify the threat.

That' stuff is hard to see at night and anyone trying to make a close approach to our campsite would be tripped up and make enough noise for the dog to notice and go to barking.  No one sneaks up on us at night.

Best,

LF

Me and the gf went on a 30 mile hike with my two dogs thru Kisatchie. It was the first time I've taken dogs on an overnight trip.
My observations:
- I bought packs for them so they could carry their own food and water. As they ate thru their supplies they carried some of the humans gear, which was nice. I bought them cheap packs to try on their first trip and had a zipper failure of one pack. I've been thinking about some ruffwear packs
- one of them picked up three ticks. It had been over a month since her last Frontline treatment but she's usually fine for three months.
- it started raining on our hike out which made both of them really cold
- I kept them on leash the entire time
- If you're going to go where they will get dirty plan a way to clean them before letting them in the tent
- Mine slept like babies after we got home and they had a warm bath.

I let my wife take her dog camping years ago.  What a mistake.  The dog was blind and kept running into the side of the tent all night every night so I didn't get any sleep the whole trip.  I never took either one back again.