Overlanding with k-9 companions.

[sasfrontier]

Just looking to see what everyone does to keep the dogs happy. The wife and I rescued a pup from the local animal shelter and she is a little over 4 months now. Next month we have a trip scheduled to Uwharrie, N.C. to do some camping/wheeling and I want to make sure we do as much as possible to introduce her to camping the right way.

On long trips how often do you feel that you need to stop for a restroom break for the pup? She will have the backseat to herself and i would prefer to keep it as dry and smell free as possible.

What works best in the tent? We just bought a large pillow for her to sleep on so that we could throw it in the tent with us, but I am not sure she will be used to it yet or not.

Are there any items out of the ordinary that I may forget to bring to care for the dog?

Picture of new pup (Daisy) Vet thinks she is a lab hound mix.

I looked through the forum and didn't find another thread quite like this but if there is could you please link me to it and i will delete this one.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

How to keep her happy? Let her come.

Our 100lb german shepherd needs plenty of space in the backseat, a window down every once in a while and plenty of water in the desert. Her paws get a big sore on rocks, particularly if we are out hiking for extended periods, my wife has a special lotion that really seems to keep her moving. Ours is ~3 years old so she does fine with 3-4 hours between restroom breaks, while long stretches on the pavement can push those limits our off-road travels usually have us stopping more often thus she has plenty of opportunity to do her thing.

 

[iigs]

Subscribed. I don't have anything helpful to offer but have a Great Dane that is a consideration for doing more outdoorsy stuff. I'm curious what everyone has to say!

 

[AxeAngel]

I have a rescue rottie(got her at 3 months), currently a bit under 100lbs and 9yrs old also have a lab/Akita mix that is 7.

Your pup will love camping, my dogs don't like sleeping in the tent so they sleep outside on their mats. Better that way since they are a first line of defense and would be a bit skittish hearing noises but not being able to see through the tent.

I feel infinitely safer when they are with us camping. After reading all the horror stories about people camping and having issues I feel a lot safer having them with us.

As for potty breaks as mentioned above, if we are on the highway every 2-3 hrs, if we are on a trail we go sooner, because we like to stop and explore.

At night we tried giving them a 50ft rope to run around on but it always got tangled, I prefer to now attach them to my 100ft winch line at night.

No issues with bears, other wildlife or most important 2 legged creatures.

-Sam

 

[bcrez]

I have done over 20 cross country trips with my dog, and multiple off highway trips as well. I treat my dog very similarly to the way I treat myself. When I eat he eats, when I drink i give him water too, when i have to pee I let him out, and regardless of my schedule I make sure he goes 2 at least once a day. I bring him a z-rest sleeping pad and light sleeping bag. Bug spray in the desert can be important for dogs. He had really bad gnat bites/ sand in the eyes/ worn pads on his feet last time we were in Utah. Things to be aware of. He has 'doggles' which he hates, but it beats him having to stay in the car when the wind is sand blasting his eyes (being only 20 or so inches off the ground) Honestly he was miserable in Utah when I went on a 4 day drive into the desert. You can do a little to make it more bearable but in the end the desert is no place for a dog.

 

[zjsheller]

My 3 year old Golden loves the backroads and goes whenever the Jeep goes. X2 on the potty brakes. He goes when I go, he eats when I eat. When we make camp he never leaves my side. It's pretty funny, other guys are amazed that he is never more than 3 or 4 feet from my side. He enjoys the trails, not sure about desert, but the snow and water are HUGE favorites and I let him in the water whenever I can.

Enjoy the adventure with your dog!

 

[matt s]

My 3 year old Golden loves the backroads and goes whenever the Jeep goes. X2 on the potty brakes. He goes when I go, he eats when I eat. When we make camp he never leaves my side. It's pretty funny, other guys are amazed that he is never more than 3 or 4 feet from my side. He enjoys the trails, not sure about desert, but the snow and water are HUGE favorites and I let him in the water whenever I can.

Enjoy the adventure with your dog!

They are ALWAYS 3-4 feet away, or underfoot, or licking you, or ....
First hand experience, I have two.

To the OP. Just take the pup. He will be thrilled. Don't worry to much about pampering the pup. It's dog after all and they take pretty good care of themselves. He will find a good spot to lie down, likely on your pillow.

 

[uberhahn]

My pups like to be in the tent with us and the kids. If you chose to follow this path, make sure that:
- the floor of the tent is reinforced (like an extra pad or carpet)
- keep the claws to a minimum (short)

Our first trip without these considerations caused the tent to get multiple punctures.

If I could do it over, I would have introduced the pups to the tent while at home, and ideally would have preffered for them to sleep outside of the tent.

uberhan

 

[washington taco]

Bathroom breaks like the others said, We use a foldable kennel that we strap to the roof rack. At night our pup (14 months) sleeps in it. During the day she runs free and stays close to camp and LOVES to look over my left shoulder when offroading!

 

[ersatzknarf]

What bug spray do you use, may I ask ?
Thanks in advance.

<snip>
Bug spray in the desert can be important for dogs.
<snip>

 

[rusty_tlc]

All of my dogs have loved camping, Jake guards the gear to make sure we don't forget him

I guess Jake didn't get the memo about the desert being no place for dogs. Early in the season, or on snow, we sometimes make him wear boots to protect his feet.

Mostly he just sleeps when we drive. We tried different seat covers and eventually found that an old army blanket works best to protect the seat. Easy to wash as well.

A collapsible kennel is good for dogs that aren't use to the outdoors, in this case we were babysitting my sons pup, Otto. Jake was insulted, if you couldn't tell.

As far as potty breaks, Jake can go longer than I can without a stop. He usually doesn't eat much when we camp, to many interesting things going on. When we take the pop-up trailer he sleeps with us, if we tent camp he sleeps in the truck. (Big dog + small tent does not make for a good nights sleep for any one involved.)

 

[rusty_tlc]

A couple of things I forgot.
Make sure you get your dog started on a heart worm medicine before you head out. We also use a product called Frontline that protects Jake from fleas and ticks. He has been crashing through brush in areas well know for an abundance of ticks and never gotten one. Without Frontline he picked a tick up during a 15 minute stop at the McDonalds in Mt Shasta.

Be aware that many National and State Parks severely restrict the areas that dogs are allowed, almost all required that the dog be on a leash or lead at all times. There have been a couple of trips we think Jake would been better off with friends/family than spending a whole weekend in the car or tied up.

 

[XJINTX]

Living in Texas I do a lot of remote camping in sandy type soil and on the Gulf beaches too.

My lab goes with me all the time... sometimes both labs do

I have found that around the campsite an anchor works well :costumed-smiley-007

It digs in so they can't run but does allow movement especially if they had too. I have a folding anchor I guess 10-15 lbs??? it works fine and does not take up a lot of space.

My dog sleeps in the tent with me.

 

[coreys88burban]

its good to take them IMO, my dog will only ride in the trucks, you tell him "lets go camping" or "go for a ride in the truck" and he runs to the door or follows your every move...yet you go to my moms car and he pulls at his leash to get away. ********, he love the outdoors and if i let him he'd go everywhere. it is also a god way to make him shut up and sleep at night as he get so tired from runnin aound everywhere.:wings: and he just needs water and bathroom breaks. he dosent eat much when we are out..unless we offer him a burger!

 

[Christophe Noel]

We got our black lab in 2001. That same year my wife and I loaded up the car, dog, skis, bikes and hit the road for a 4 month, 20,000 mile road trip. Our pup was only 5 months old. So, he's pretty familiar with being in the car and loves it. Some days I just let him hang out in the back of the car with the door open....in our driveway. He loves it.

He goes with us on every trip. If we go skiing, on long backpack trips, or places where he can't join us, we'll leave him at home, but that's rare.

I crack up every time I see people going on trips with the back of their rig loaded with coolers, boxes of food, furniture, etc. Our pooch takes up 2/3rds of the back of our Discovery. The Disco is the dog's car, not ours.