advice on taking German Shepherd camping in TT with kids?

[tlemon]

Hello,

We recently purchased a TT parked on a seasonal spot and are getting settled in with our 6 kids in camper. We would love to take our German Shepherd as we see lots of dogs at our campground but he is a 1 year old somewhat rambunctious puppy and are concerned on how to manage him there. He is an excellent dog but this will be a new environment and close quarters. Any advice would be appreciated.

TIA
Tammy

[BizmarksMom]

I regularly camp with a 60# pit bull. The advice you've gotten is spot on. Start training your dog now, socialize the snot out of him. Train him to sit at doors and wait for you to tell him he can go through (this gives you that second you might need to grab him someday). It takes time and work, but I can tell you my meatball of a dog is very polite at campgrounds. He knows that he only goes for walks when I have the leash. He does not bark his fool head off.

I also make sure he stays contained on my campsite. He has a crate, and a tie-out. And I make it my business to keep track of him at all times when I take him camping.

[Go_Dogs]

I have taken a Great Dane, English Mastiff and a Pit bull camping. Start at home with a lot of obedience training and socialization. Walk them thru a campground before you camp, to get them used to sounds/smells/bikes/other dogs, etc.
I repeat-start them young at home. Trying to train a pup with six kids at a campground is not a good idea.
Good Luck!

[moonlightrunner]

I would suggest that you not wait until a holiday weekend either. Got a 1yo greyhound puppy (at 1yo they are still pupppies). Just started in campgrounds. Went from fenced yard with full run of it and barking at anything she thought was a threat or a cat. Into campgrounds where it is "no bark". Doing well although nosey. She likes to see what is going on. Leaving alone is a challenge. Been putting a drop of Chamomile Essential oil (Wal-Mart in the vitamin section) on her collar under her nose, makes a big difference. She is socializing nicely. Warning, tiny dogs think they should be allowed to attack her. She doesn't understand that.

[Crowe]

Pawz's analogy above is spot on. Please, please PLEASE do not wait to start socializing the dog. It could be a number of years before the dog "matures". Start taking him with you whenever you can prior to a camping trip to start exposing him to changes in environment and lots of people. Be consistent and firm in your training. If necessary find a good trainer and work with him/her. There's far more risk in NOT socializing the dog.

SIL breeds labs. She starts socializing her litters as soon as it is safe to do so. Her dogs go to their new homes so far ahead of their unsocialized "peers" it's amazing. Start now or be prepared for a potentially uncontrollable dog.

[Pawz4me]

I agree with Flapper, ToedToes and others. "Wait until he matures" is often a recipe for disaster. You need to have been working on training and socialization from the day you brought him home (maybe you have been). "Waiting until he matures" is akin to waiting until a human kid is 25 before you take them out into the world or start teaching them manners. By the time maturity occurs you're so far behind and have missed so many critical time points it's difficult to impossible to make up.

[Campinghoss]

We started ours when they were pups as well. Both of them were exposed to all aspects of camping travelling. As stated here already it takes a lot of patience and work but starting them young definitely has its rewards.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

Our GSD is on a trip across from Alberta to Glacier Fri, to Yellowstone & Cody Sat & Sun, to Sheridan to DC Booth Fish Hatchery (played in the river there with their blessing today), and now as I type this has just arrived at Mount Rushmore. She has been in lots of lakes and rivers swimming and having a blast and she turned 1 year old this February.

When at home she is trained to not go on any of our carpets, automatically now go to her bed and not look when we eat and is an absolute pleasure to be around. We were very strict on her when she was an "adorable" baby puppy, when most get away with blue murder. Our golden retriever we sadly lost 3 years ago was the exact same on what's acceptable.

Train them whilst they are very very young and you will have a dog that gives you untold pleasure for many years ahead.

Her biggest problem we are still trying to resolve is due to excitement when one of us comes home or we have visitors at the house for a couple of minutes, is she is very vocal telling us too much info so to speak and making a lot of din about it, and we are still training on the not acceptable to jump up unless invited with out stretched arm.

We love our animals and they give us great pleasure and are fun to have around but we are very very strict on them when most small so they don't become obnoxious adult dogs that others don't enjoy having around them.

Take your dog with you, it's part of your family and deserves to be included and felt loved. However, be strict and nip bad habits in the bud before they become ingrained as being acceptable to them. Reward good behaviour and chastise bad, just as we teach children that folks delight being around. You'll be so glad you did for many enjoyable future years ahead, and it'll make you proud when folks say "wow, what a well trained dog".

They need the social interaction, different locations etc to learn as well!!

[Home_on_Wheels]

We started taking our puppy as soon as she was six weeks old. Getting them used to the environment makes all the difference.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

The good: exposure to new people and pets will be good for socialization - the lack of "nap time" that tends to come with camping will probably make for a tired (therefore "good") dog

The uh-oh: I can see with that many kids, and an outside filled with adventures, that your pup could slip out the dog and be off like a shot in the blink of an eye. I would probably not take him along with the kids until he has what's known as a "bomb-proof recall" and a strong "stay".

We camped once along the ocean a decade or so ago, and a few trailers down from us was a family with youngish kids and (ironically) a rambunctious shepherd. I can't tell you how many times he got out - in his case, he made a beeline for the water to chase waves, so he wasn't exactly a threat to the other campers, but hearing his family of 5 chase and shriek his name as they tried to catch him, multiple times each day, got wearisome....LOL! In that dog's case, he had ZERO recall.

[DutchmenSport]

We have had a few dogs over the last (many many) years and the dogs were all ... well ... just plain nuts! We took them with us camping and exposed them to everything. Now please understand! Listen Carefully! .... It took WORK! Lots of WORK! 100% attention!

But, we exposed the dogs to 100% over-stimulation! The noise, the traffic, the people, other pets, constant changing environments, motion, things going on, constantly something happening. All day, and lots of noises all night Yes! Every dog we've had ... at first ... goes ape-nuts! Want to bark at everything, chase everything, and play with everything. But soon find it absolutely impossible to keep up with everything and literally exhaust themselves with over stimulation!


After about the 3rd time camping, they mellow down and eventually, absolutely NOTHING excites them any more!

Time, work, constant attention, and it pays off. Take the dog for car rides, let him go with you everywhere you go. Let him out of the car, even if just a parking lot. Play, play, play! But the secret is 100% stimulation, so much exercise, so much excitement, so much exposure to new things, and everything constantly changing... and they literally will give up!

Then they turn into really GREAT camping dogs, and now we work very hard to keep everything calm and peaceful. We have always had GREAT camping dogs, but it took work to get them there!

[tlemon]

Good advice!

[toedtoes]

I agree with Flapper. The idea of avoiding any potential training issues until he's grown IS a disaster waiting to happen.

My Bat-dog has people issues. I have always taken her camping with me (along with her brother who is a good boy). I've never pretended she didn't have issues, I've never let my attention wander from her, and I've always had a positive experience with other campers in regards to her. Most folks were happy to assist with a little positive reinforcement. When we started, she was a 95 percent problem camper. With a lot of 3 and 4 day trips, she has become a 10 percent problem camper (when she gets tired and cranky she regresses a bit).

Most shepherds are eager to please and a stern "NO" and "the look" can do wonders for them. They don't like having you upset with them.

I would recommend that one adult take on the task of keeping him in line - no trying to handle six kids AND the dog by one parent. Always keep him on a 6ft leash and always have an adult holding onto that leash and paying attention to him.

I squirt bottle with water can help when he gets "excited" and forgets to listen - the squirt of water is enough to break his attention from the excitement and remind him that you're there talking to him.

Exercise is great. A routine is great. A "cuddle" period at night before bed where he can lay down and let the kids touch him and just be calm and relaxed can help settle him for bedtime. A toybox with some special "camping only" toys can help also - you might stay away from tug-of-war and keep away games as those tend to encourage over excitement.

[tlemon]

yes, we have worked hard to train him basic obedience but he does still get excited and ignore us lol! I agree with you that we maybe should begin when he is young and keep it short and simple when there but also leary of the "disaster waiting to happen" lol as he is a big boy! My husband and I have thought about possible taking him down a weekend when we go alone without the kids so we can focus on acclimating him to the new environment with training and lot of treats

[Flapper]

You seem like pretty responsible owners, just by posting the question. I'll assume that you are already working on, and doing well, at basic obedience training. If not, well.....

But otherwise, the dog needs as much socialization to other people and dogs as you can get. The more he experiences it at a young age, the less problems you will have later. Worst would be to ban him completely until older, when behaviors/personality become more fixed.

That said - do it slowly, for limited times, in a controlled manner. Take him up for just a day or weekend. Make sure he is always on leash. Time outs work for dogs too - misbehavior, and isolate him in the trailer briefly. Talk to your obedience instructor about specifics, since they have experience with your dog. And remember the most critical - "A tired dog is a good dog". So lots of walks and running, and then introduce him to the new environment.

[tlemon]

Yes, we are hesitant for the above mentioned reasons. Figured we need to wait till he matures