Top Tips For Camping With Your Dog
As the summer holidays approach we share our top 8 tips for taking your dog camping.
Australia has plenty of great camping spots for both you and your dog to enjoy. Many of these spots have dog-friendly caravan parks as well.
Preparation is the key to any good camping trip, and that includes making sure your dog will be safe, healthy and happy wherever you go. Here’s our top 8 tips for taking your dog camping in Australia.
Tip 1: Consider whether your pooch will be suited to a campsite environment
Your dog will usually encounter plenty of strangers at a campsite. If they don’t like strangers or they tend to bark a lot, that could quickly make you unpopular with fellow campers.
Tip 2: Check if you can take your dog to a campsite before you go
Not all campsites allow dogs. For example, National Parks are dog-free zones. Ring potential campsites and check with their management before you decide where to go. Check www.camplify.com for dog friendly options.
Tip 3: Pack a first aid kit for your buddy (as well as yourself)
Make sure it includes:
- a water bottle - Checkout DOOG's 3 in 1 water bottle and bowl
- a towel (The DOOG Swim towel is perfect as it packs up small)
- bandages,
- a dog-friendly, iodine-based antiseptic cream,
- gloves,
- scissors
- tweezers or topical cream for removing tics such as lyclear
Tip 4: Make sure your pooch is up to date with their tick and flea treatments
Dogs can easily pick up ticks in bushland and areas with long grass. Those areas are common in popular camping spots. Ticks can make them very ill. Make sure you give them a treatment before you go and that all their vaccinations are up to date.
Tip 5: Take things to keep your dog entertained
You might want to spend your time lazing around and relaxing, but your buddy may not always want to! They’ll still want to walk, run or play, so make sure you take their lead, toys and treats so that you’ll be able to keep them happy and stimulated during your camping trip.
Tip 6: Quickly become aware of your campsite surroundings when you get there
There can be plenty of potential hazards in any camping area, including campfires, toxic plants and sharp items lying around, like fishing hooks. Scope your campsite, both when you get there and regularly during your trip, so you become aware of any potential hazards and you can ensure that your buddy avoids them.
Tip 7: Keep your buddy safe and secure
Camping spots usually have plenty of wide, open spaces. It can be easy for your pooch to wander away and get lost in unfamiliar surroundings. Before you go on your trip, make sure your buddy has a current collar ID tag and is microchipped. Take a playpen with you if you have one and your dog is small.
It’s good campsite etiquette to keep your dog close to you at all times. Don’t leave them unattended.
Tip 8: Always clean up after your dog
Even though you’re ‘getting back to nature’ when you go on a camping trip, it’s important to be considerate of other campers. Clean up after your pooch does a ‘number two’.
How we can help
At DOOG, we have plenty of things that you can take on your next camping trip to make sure it’s safe and enjoyable for both you and your dog, including:
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