camping with dogs...

Discostuy

Hi All

Has/Does anyone here ever go camping with their dogs?
Im interested in taking a weekend camping trip to Wicklow and was thinking about bringing the two dogs.

Is it a bad idea? it is far to much hassle?
or can it be good crack?.

It would be a case of arriving on a Sat, doing some walking, set up camp for the night and back home on the Sunday.

Any advice would be great!

lightening

Great fun, have done a good bit of camping with a terrier. Great for getting you back to your tent if your lost! Watch out for electric fences and of course livestock. Lots of kneejerk reaction on this forum when it comes to dogs and livestock, so expect a lot of warnings!

Bring a bottle of doggy shampoo, I was doing a canoe trip and the dog rolled in a dead fish. We were sharing a tent with the dog... not nice. You don't need to bring a huge amount of water for the dogs, they will find water in Wicklow no problem. Restaurants and pubs can be a problem, we cooked for ourselves, but went for pints a few times, most of the pubs were cool as long as the dog was quiet.

whitser

wouldnt call warning someone to watch their dog around stock kneejerk,its just warning them for their dogs sake.
we always brought our dogs camping as kids,no bothers. with the rain we've had you wont need to bring water for him,plenty about. make sure he's able for a treak or hike if thats what your doing, an unfit dog could struggle and you could have problems.

Discostuy

Thanks for the replies...

They are still young, just turning 1, so the walking wont be a problem for them, they have plenty of energy.

And they wouldn't be off the leads, so there should be no problem with going near any livestock.

How did you find your dogs react at night, do they freak out if they hear strange noises? i just dont fancy being woken up every 5 minutes if they hear a noise (unless its a serial killer).

And site wise, is it handy enough to find somewhere off the track where people wont be passing to close?.

Thanks again

lightening

To be honest, parts of the Wicklow way are perfect for letting the dogs off the lead for a run. Doing good mileage every day on pretty thin paths with your pack on your back holding a lead can be a pain. This would be a perfect opportunity for the off lead training to start. You should be able to find plenty of sites for camping, there are some really really good books on the Wicklow way. Sometimes you may have to ask a farmer permission to camp. I have found them to be mostly happy to let you camp on their land, clear up any ragworth before you leave! They will appreciate that.

Depends on the dogs regarding the barking. My guess is that if they do it at home the will do it on camp.

Discostuy

Thanks lightening...

Yeah they are grand off the lead in places we know, i'd be a bit weary of them in such new interesting places, they have a great ability to turn a deaf ear...but i suppose if there was no one around they could do a bit off lead running.

They dont bark at all. Their breed is very quiet, except when strangers come to the house or they hear a weird noise in the house.
Thats why i'm thinking if i got a spot away from people they would be perfectly quiet.

I think im going to go ahead and start planning this so...should be fun

lightening

Have you done this sort of thing before? You know to use a compass and map, pack your stuff in plastic bags and pack a survival bag and all?

Well, best of luck and enjoy!!

Discostuy

Ah yeah i've backpacked a good few places in the world, but havn't camped in Ireland in a few years....and never with dogs.

Im not very familiar with Wicklow but im confident enough to not get lost or in trouble. I'll have OS maps and everything i need.

Im not looking to go way off the track, just enough to get some peace and quiet

whitser

Discostuy wrote: »

Thanks for the replies...

They are still young, just turning 1, so the walking wont be a problem for them, they have plenty of energy.

And they wouldn't be off the leads, so there should be no problem with going near any livestock.

How did you find your dogs react at night, do they freak out if they hear strange noises? i just dont fancy being woken up every 5 minutes if they hear a noise (unless its a serial killer).

And site wise, is it handy enough to find somewhere off the track where people wont be passing to close?.

Thanks again

dogs dont worry bout noises at night,they havent watched any horror movies:D,if your dogs are grand at home they'll be the same camping.
i've camped on the wicklow way plenty of times,no hassles what so ever.
one spot you could go is,straight down the hill from knockree hostel,in the bottom of the valley. you can camp there beside the river.plenty of good walks etc..around there.

Honey-ec

Discostuy wrote: »

They are still young, just turning 1, so the walking wont be a problem for them, they have plenty of energy.

Can I just ask, what breed are they? A lot of medium and large breeds' growth plates don't close until 18 months or thereabouts, so you need to be careful not to over-exercise them before that age.

5 minutes of exercise per month of age is the recommendation until the growth plates close.

Discostuy

Thanks whitser, sounds ideal, i'll check that on the map now, get a rough idea of locations.
They are quiet at home, im just hoping some strange surrounds dont bother them.

Honey, they are American Akitas. I know what you mean about not over working them. I dont over exercise them at their current age, and i wouldnt plan on doing any over the top hikes or anything, it would just be basic walking, nothing to tough.

lightening

Sounds great. Are you going in September? Wicklow is stunning in Sept... The weather is usually good in Sept too!

Discostuy

lightening wrote: »

Sounds great. Are you going in September? Wicklow is stunning in Sept... The weather is usually good in Sept too!

Its really weather permitting to be honest. If we get a bit of a clear dry spell i'll chance it...

Sigma Force

Dogs will love it, few things to keep in mind before setting off.

If there are two dogs make sure there's at least two people going to hold leads.

Make sure the dog is good at recall if letting off the lead.

Ensure the dogs have their collars and tags with your mobile number etc on it and microchipped, lots of dogs get lost in the Glendalough and Wicklow mountains every year.

Some people like to bring a doggy first aid kit or if you have a basic human one you could add one or two things in it should the dog get a thorn or a cut.

Emergency number for the nearest vets to hand.

Small bowl for food&water, no point in lugging a great big bowl you can always refill it if needed.

If you want to go all out a doggy waterproof and reflective jacket..handy for unexpected rain and if the dog slips the lead you can see it.

Make sure there's room in the tent for them although some dogs might break out of it in the middle of the night so you might have to tether them on a short lead. Check them regularly so they aren't getting caught up in it.

Mind you the dogs will probably just collapse at night and sleep very soundly after their walks.

Discostuy

Some good points there Guineapigrescue, thanks.
The one about the nearest vets number is something i wouldnt have thought of...

There will be 2 of us walking them so no worries from that end.
and they are chipped and tagged too.

Yeah im hoping they just crash and sleep once we settle on a spot

ValerieR

Camping with your dog is excellent fun.

If you are going to a campsite, make sure ahead of time that they do take dogs as this is not always the case :-( especially in the summer months (what summer you tell me :-)).
I don't know in Ireland, but we ran into a problem once in England where this particular campsite did not take dogs in tents ... The excuse being ... if they bark, it makes more noise than in a caravan or a campervan ...

Do take water with you ; it's amazing how much a dog needs.

ValerieR