Canine Camping: Part 3

A hoy-hoy and welcome back to the final blog of our three part blog series!! We both hope that you have enjoyed our three part series as we have really enjoyed writing this for you!!

Safety and Comfort

Anyhoo. We have already discussed dogs and their safety from themselves or other dog encounters. Now, let’s talk about their safety and comfort as it pertains to the weather. I never thought much about dogs and the weather growing up since I had long haired collies (made for winter) and Moose, who was a Labrador Retriever and Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix: hunting, outdoor dog. Both loved the winter and cold weather. However, they did not like the summer or warmer temperatures. I know we keep stating this theme throughout this blog, but… know your dog. Some labs love the cold, others do not. Some Pit Bulls love the heat of summer, others cannot handle it. Research the breed type and what they can and cannot tolerate. 

Weather – In general, whether camping or not, always think about the weather and how it will/might effect your animals (and kids). I feel that humans and animals alike can be taken unawares by the wether because we underestimate it. We are so used to staying in our houses and moving from the heat of house to the heat of the car and/or air of the house to air of the car. Now, depending on what kind of camping you are doing, you may or may not have heat or air conditioning. In any event, try to be as prepared as you can be (this coming from a dog mom that is usually not as prepared as she should be for the first couple of camping adventures) LOL, yeah…. 

Hope: I have a few tips on how to be prepared for the elements. First, know the weather patterns where you will be hiking or camping. We would all like it to be sunny and 72 degrees, but that’s unrealistic unless you are in San Diego. Ask yourself these questions… Is rain expected, or is the area known for flashfloods? Am I hiking a trail that goes up high in elevation where the temperature difference is significant? Am I camping in a dessert area with drastic temperature changes day to night?  Second, wear/pack layers and proper footwear, including whatever clothing gear your pups may need. If snow is on the ground and its below 20 degrees, your pup will probably need booties. The same goes for walking on hot pavement. Test the ground/pavement with your own hand, if it’s too hot to keep your palm on the ground for more than 10 seconds then know it’s too hot for your pup to be walking on longer than a few steps. Third, have a place to get out of the weather if it should become dangerous. My husband and I were camping one summer with the pups in Tennessee when a tornado came through the area. Everyone in the park had to evacuate and head for cover. Scary times, but it made us realize the importance of being prepared for anything. Lastly, humans and dogs are made to withstand changes in weather. It’s ok to be uncomfortable so long as safety is not at risk. Have fun hiking on a cold day when no one else is out on the trail or enjoy those hot summer camping trips where you can lay under the stars at night.

Research. Have we mentioned that you should research? The Husband typically researches the weather for the area we will be camping in and will continuously check it. Mostly to see what we will be dealing with and how it may affect our hikes and/or food preparation. But also, research your dog. What breed do you think they are? Research that. Moose – we did not research for Moose. We knew he was a hunting dog that loved the cold but detested the heat: like The Husband! Perfect! I knew how to deal with that! Keep both cool and hydrated, take them on walks in negative ten conditions. Good to go. Kind of. Remember that we sweat to cool off, dogs do not. If you notice they are getting overheated, cool off pads of paw and under armpits. For Moose (and The Husband), we made sure to always camp in an area with tree coverage. We also ended up buying a box fan for Moose so that we could turn that on and have some type of breeze on stagnant, humid days. 

Hope: When it comes to our pups, the heat can be more dangerous than the cold. Most dogs tolerate the cold far better than us humans. Bridget makes some great points on how to keep heat intolerant dogs safe. Having a fan is a great way to help keep them cool when hanging out at the camp site. Having one of the cot beds we mentioned before is also a nice way to keep them off the hot ground. Never push your dog too hard on hot days when hiking, and know the signs and risks for heat exhaustion/stroke. Camping or hiking near a place with a stream, lake, pond, or river is a wonderful way to take cool down breaks for the pups and for you. And, please always have plenty of fresh water for your pups to drink.

Moose had a double coat. This means very well insulated for colder conditions, not so great for hotter weather. When hiking, we always made sure to take it slow, stop and give him water. And we watched him; always watching him to make sure he wasn’t getting overheated. I was lucky that The Husband would exhibit overheating before the dog, so I kind of had a “canary” for the heat. I don’t mean to scare you. Please, take your dogs hiking! Moose always did great and now, Calliope, does even better as she is lighter and a little more agile. LOL. They both loved to hike. Calliope is a true, happy-go-lucky puppy that loves life, but she gets even more excited when she is camping and hiking with us (makes my heart warm). Moose, my Moose was a grumpy old man, with a look of perpetual disappointment. LOL. However, when we went for a walk or a hike, he just lit up. He loved walking and hiking with us. Not so much the stairs (LOL) but he loved hiking. 

Miss Calliope is a Pit Bull, which means she has one coat of fur. One. Now. She does have darker gray fur, so according to the vet, I don’t have to worry about sun coverage as you would for a dog with white fur. In the cold, she does require a shirt or sweater. But once we are moving and walking/hiking, she is good to go, and I do make sure that she is not overheating in her clothes (I can tell when she is warm by the color around her nose – if it is red, she is getting too hot). We actually have to watch her while at camp and just sitting. We took her on her first Thanksgiving Weekend camping and ended up wrapping her up in a Rumple blanket because she had started to shiver from the cold despite her sweatshirt and a blanket on her cot.

Hope: Some breeds are made for the cold. Take Huskies for example. They are cold weather dogs that love the snow! However, a dog like Bridget’s Calliope and my girl Margo don’t have the thick double coat to keep them insulated in the cold weather. While some people make fun of us and say things like “it’s a dog, they are fine in the cold” this is just not the case. Margo wears a sweater all winter, and walks around the house with a blanket over her like a turtle shell. In her defense I do keep our house pretty cold, but she just doesn’t like the cold and will shiver and refuse to go outside when the temps drop. As Bridget says… Know your dog. 

Boots. Boots? Yes, boots for dogs. We never used them for Moose, but, we will be attempting them for Calliope as her poor feet get too cold in negative degree weather. We will probably use them on rocky trails (if we ever get to any). Most of the trails we live by are either sand, or grass. We also have a raincoat for Calliope, which is great to have for bathroom runs. I wish we would have had one for Moose. LOL. 

While on the Trail – I know I sound like a broken record but research your trails before bringing your pets. Make sure they are pet friendly and make sure people suggest taking your dogs. As mentioned by Hope, AllTrails is a great website/app that you can review a multitude of trails reviews and what people have to say about the trail. My moderate might not be someone else’s moderate, and I want to know that! LOL. The Husband and I went on a trail with poor Moose at the Dunes. The DNR map told us the trail was 5 miles. No biggie. Yeah, no, it was not 5 miles, it was almost 7 to 8 miles. We were not prepared. We were tired, cranky, and even poor Moose was struggling towards the end. Since that awesome hike, we research to make sure we don’t get stuck in that type of situation again. LOL. Once you have your trail researched, get out there! BUT! Know your dog’s stamina. Moose was a hearty Labrador that LOVED to go on walks and hikes with us, therefore, he was up for anything! We did monitor how he did and if he began to pant more aggressively than usual. Same goes for Miss Calliope. However, she is a little tank that loves to walk as much as her brother, but her stamina is much higher than Moose’s was (I’m thinking the size difference: he was 110 and she is 63).

Story Time!! This is cute! We took Calliope on a pretty strenuous trail in southern Illinois and she was amazing. When it was time to go to bed, she plopped herself in between myself and The Husband, placed her tiny paw on The Husband’s chest (facing him) and promptly started sawing logs LOL!! Then next day, we got up and did it again on a different trail and repeated! Sleeping the next night in between us, head on our pillows and sawing logs! She plays hard and she sleeps hard! HAHAHAHA. 

Hope: Hiking with your pup can be one of the best exercises you can do together. It’s not only great physical exercise but also stimulating. Another way to spend time outdoors with your pup is to go on a  “sniffarie”. This is when you take your dog on a walk and allow them a loose leash to just sniff and explore the trail as slowly as they want. Instead of hurrying the walk/hike as fast as possible, slow down, and let them sniff away. It is quite stimulating and exciting for them, and I promise you will have one pooped-out pup by the end of the walk. With smaller dogs, I like to call these types of walks “a long short walk”. If you are on a familiar trail that isn’t as exciting for you, I suggest listening to an audiobook on speaker from your phone and tag along behind your sniffing dog. It’s a win win outdoor adventure that doesn’t require driving hours to a new trail or park.

Medical Note: A friend (thank you, Crissy) suggested adding to research the town around where you are camping for local veterinarians and pet ER places. I never thought to do that, not going to lie. When she suggested it, it was like a “duh” moment! So, now, we do research local vets and ER places in case something happens to Calliope (and maybe we should do the same for us humans!) HAHA. 

Conclusion

I anticipate that Hope and I have encouraged you to get out there and to bring your furry friends too! For me, nothing is better than seeing your dogs come alive out in the open air and freedom of the woods, or dunes, or dessert or wherever the camping gods take you! Keep in mind two things: know your dog and do your research! Heed these guidelines and the fun memories will follow! The Husband and I (and I know Hope and her husband) look forward to, and love camping, and to be able to share that experience with our babies is the cherry on top of the cake! I hope this inspires you to get out with your dogs and enjoy the great outdoors!  

Hope: Thank you to Bridget for allowing me to come along on this fun topic. I am already looking forward to making memories with my pups out on the trails. I hope everyone who reads this post takes at least one piece of inspiration to get outside with their pups. My pups and I wish everyone happy trails!