Boondocking pet dangers

We boondock in the high desert of CA most weekends of the winter. Most of the wildlife will keep their distance. During the warm up March and April we tend to restrict the dogs to the immediate camp ( inside the ring of RVs) due to increased snake activity. I can't count the number of snakes we have come across sunning themselves in the middle of the trail. As for insects we use a flea and tick gel as well as flea and tick collars. I even hang the collars in the storage compartments of the MH.

he will ALWAYS come on command, even when in high pursuit.

He might come when called in while in high pursuit. But he's not going to make it back when an animal snatches him in mid air during or on the way back.

Always hike with my Basenji but always on leash - no telling what's in a bush, around a rock or where the ledges are or what wild animal is in hiding.

Don't forget that large grazers (elk/moose/antelope/deer) will gladly stomp a dog to death!

I have let my dogs run offleash under certain conditions (nice mowed lawn while parked at a Cabelas...LOL!) but while boondocking - I would keep them on a leash. They can sniff and explore the world in a 6' circle around my legs.

On the topic of bears, a very good book titled, 'Bear Attacks - Their Causes and Avoidance', explains the behavior differences between black and brown (grizzly) bears. The book also describes how to best manage an encounter with each type of bear and how to adapt your reaction after assessing the bear's response to your presence.

During August, up to 5 black bears a day stroll by our cabin, usually just scrounging for ripe berries and visiting the creek that is a couple hundred feet from our cabin. None of these bears have been threatening and they ignore our barking dogs, who are within the fenced area around the cabin. The fence keeps predators out - we also have coyotes, wolves, lynx and porcupines in this area.

Even though we live in wilderness and our dogs wouldn't bother anyone because there is no one around, they are both leashed when we're outside the fenced area.

I'll just add a fact about black bears. They DO attack. I spent last summer in Florida on some property that just happened to have several bears. They will and do attack unprovoked. That whole thing about the bells and walk quietly past them, well while that might work, it is NOT a sure thing. Don't be lulled into that bit of advice being absolute. :W

I watched countless news reports that seemed almost daily about these incidence. Owners walking dogs and the bear grabbed the dog and when the owner bent down the bear grabbed the owner.

If anything my advice would be to look up the local DNR website where you are going to camp, they have REAL serious information about bears.

I think everyone has had at one time or another heard about laying down real still and you might survive a grizzly attack?

Well, don't try that with a black bear, they will kill you if you lay down. Just saying look up the facts first!:B

There are some animals in the west that will kill your dog if given a chance. Coyotes will lure a dog out and the pack attacks it once it is away from its humans.

Rattlesnakes very from problematic (diamondbacks) to quite deadly (mojave green), depending on where you're talking about, and will lurk in shady places or lay in the sun, depending on the weather.

In some areas in the west, javelinas roam and are quite capable of attacking and killing a dog.

Mountain lions and bobcats will attack dogs as well.

Bears can be a problem and dogs end up dead because they rush forward to confront the bear and protect the human. In most cases bears don't attack humans, unless you go to grizzly country.

You need to know what the local conditions are where you are going as "the west" is a huge area and some threats are greater in some places and less in others.

The terrain also plays a part as far as visibility and knowing what is or is not around.

Weather conditions not just in the immediate sense, but as far as good years/bad years for game (CA is in a huge drought, for example) can make wild predators hungrier and much more aggressive.

Finally, if you cannot absolutely recall your dog off of ANYTHING in an instant... then you're just begging for trouble. Squirrels and rabbits will abound in wilderness areas, and there's the coyote issue as well. Even a well-trained dog that has not been proofed on such temptations is very much at risk when first encountering them off-lead. Boondocking isn't the time I'd choose to start those lessons.

So... pretty clearly, the safer bet is to keep your buddy safely tethered to you in wilderness areas. You will have the final decision, of course. Personally I've had dogs off-lead in shall we say "wilderness interface areas" but those were under conditions that I knew and understood from living in the area. In a strange area where I don't know the risks on the ground I would be much less likely to do so.

IMHO put a bear bell on your dog. The biggest danger from bears and mountain lions, when it is a normal sized dog like yours, is surprise. I walk my dog off leash, but he will ALWAYS come on command, even when in high pursuit. If yours will do that, then off leash is ok IMHO.

Get a bear bell so your furchild will not surprise any wild animals, and keep him in sight at all times.

I agree....you gotta keep the "kids" leashed. We're headed to Rattlesnake country in a few weeks and Ive already been instructing my resident dog walker(My wife), that she needs to keep the girls from poking their little heads into places they dont belong. I also told her she'll have to wait on me to walk with her so we both can keep our eyes peeled and carry a Big walking stick!

Letting our dog off the leash is one of the added benefits while camping in the boondocks. We look out for wild critters, but don't seem to come across too many.