Camping

[chubbypup]

Hi All

Have been thinking about going camping, but not sure how Metz will cope with it. Alot of campsites here in the UK will only accept dogs if they are well behaved..fair enough. Now Metz is a gem, except for barking in the yard (thats a cairn for you). I was just wondering if anyone has already taken thier 'baby' camping and whether they have suffered from 'noisy cairn syndrome' or whether the open countryside experience has been a good one?

[SaFireCarin]

We took our senior, Nessie, for her first camping trip about a year ago. She was fantastic. Normally she's always on the run but she stayed really close to us while we were out. Make sure that your pup stays well away from the fire (if you're going to have one) and bring a create with you. We didn't and Nessie walked all over us in the tent. She did bark some (louder because of the echos off the mountains!) but our camping 'neighbors' didn't seem to mind too much. The winning attitude of cairns...

[Toto times 2]

We have taken Ghillie camping many times with no problems. He does bark at other dogs in the camp site if they go by our site but settles down at night. He didn't even wake up when the racoon was in our campsite. We haven't tried taking both boys yet.

[CallisMom]

We JUST got back from Calli's first camping trip. I was a little nervous because lately she has started barking alot in the yard (a new thing due to wandering dogs and cats). I was really nervous how she would handle the barking aspect.

She did so well (MUCH better than the kids!!) Hardly any barking - and when one did let loose - it was usually a single yap. I was especially nervous when we discovered that the people next to us had brought their CAT!!!! Calli was interested in the cat but never barked at the cat and the cat didn't seem at all phased with Calli which made for - thank goodness - a very pleasant experience on both sides of the campsite.

We are not allowed to let her run loose in the US - we put her harness on a tieout and tied it to various trees on the edge of the campsite when we were hanging out there - close to where we were - so she could either explore the woods or hang out with us. We would change it up alot so she wouldn't get bored. And then we would bring her for walks or she would go canoeing with us . . .

We had already purchased a "Canine Camper" by Midwest because we travel to the farm almost every weekend. That was the BEST! we would keep that near her tie out as well and she could go lie down when she felt like it, chew her bully stick - and at night when we put her to bed but were still hanging out by the campfire - we would zip her in that and face it towards us so that she could "see" us. She was happy to sleep there until it was bed time and then she was allowed to sleep in the tent with us. Plus it was little bit of home for her, I think.

We had just the best time with her - even with our cat neighbor. I think part of the barking problem we have at home has to do with terrirtorial insticts. She doesn't bark at other dogs when we go for walks - and she didn't bark at the other dogs when we were at the campsite (or the other children).

[bradl]

Sounds like a lovely time! I'd not seen a Canine Camper before -- it looks very nice. I suspect you are right about the territorial part of barking. I wonder if you stayed at the same campsite for two weeks if she would begin to 'patrol' it, thinking it your new home?

[bubba]

We take Cooper up to our lake place, which is a private campground every chance we get and he loves it! This last time we took him, he got away from us and would not come to either of us....I was quite cranky! By the time I was able to grab him twenty minutes later, he had decided he really does like to go in the water...and since there was mud so close, it seemed a good time to check out that! Well, the mud was about six inches deep and after frolicing in that, he was kind enough to return to the water and rinse off. As he made is exit from the lake, I was finally able to nab him and off to his enclosure he went! But what a time he had! He kept looking at us, tilting his head, as if asking 'Now what did I do wrong?' We can hardly wait to see what Yoda is going to do up there as he swims in the water bowl at home any chance he gets!

pat.

[chubbypup]

Well we took Metz for his first camping weekend this weekend and he was a star. Where as he is always barking in the yard, we didnt hear one whimper out of him all weekend.

[Guest Cristina Perez]

We took Scruffy, our 8 month old baby for camping in the first week of August, wow.. was he an angel! He did not make any trouble at all! Although, we had to tide him up with a 15 ft long leash during the day, so he can run around no problem in our campground. We didn't bring any crate but we should have--something to think about , we almost lost him when my husband did not zipped our tent all the way and our Scruffy found his way out. Though, he came back after he was called but you may want to crate him when he is inside the tent. Otherwise, he had so much fun and I recommend it!!!

[Guest chris in San Antonio]

Some years ago we took our Judy Garland to Chaco Canyon in NW New Mexico. She stayed sacked out and exhuasted at the foor off our sleeping bags for the first few hours of the night, but as the full moon rose higher in the night sky, coyotes began to call in the distance. We were inside a small tent and the moonlight revealed Judy wide awake ears pricked and listening to the call of the primative canine. All of a sudden a coyote, perched on the rim of the ravine we were camped in, let loose with a piercing call as loud as any coyote i've ever heard; he must have been just yards from our tent. Judy jumped out of her skin! I think it was the only time she has been intimidated by another critter. By all means take your cairn to the wild, you'll have an experience you'll never forget.