Perhaps we're taking a "leave of senses" - but Ed is talking about exploring the Pacific Northwest after our daughter's family moved to Portland. The conversation started with the thought that we could cover a lot more ground, cheaper, faster, with a minivan - and stay in dog-friendly hotels along the way. We'd go in the fall, with cooler temps in case the dogs had to sit in the car for an hour or two.Me? I love to camp...so after Ed nixed the "Let's get a Pop-up idea"; I came back with "what about a tent with cots (concession to old age)"? He said that would be OK on an occasional basis. :-)So surely there are dog-lovers here who have tent-camped with dogs, either now or in the past? Any advice? I'd probably camp out back, here at work, just to get the dogs used to being "one with the outdoors" - I'm picturing Jimmy being on High Alert at first....I've tent-camped in Black Bear country here in Michigan - I know the rules about no food in the tent, cooler locked in the car, etc.

We tent camped all over the West...CA, NV, OR and WA with our two Dalmatians...when we were a lot younger and a lot broker. But, we got tired of dealing with mud, dirt, tough cooking and cleaning up situations, living out of an ice chest for days on end, setting up and taking down a tent and all the gear involved, ...often in wet conditions.......so, now, being older, the comfortable trailer has kept us camping.It is certainly doable. We had a great time, had lots of adventures and made a ton of memories.

We used to tent-camp and pop-up camp with a rat terrier. Never a problem in the tent, but there were two different times in the pop-up when "Butch", who liked to be up on the bed, saw a squirrel and went right through the screening. Had to replace the screening!

We tent camped for years and years and always took the dog. No problem with the dog. Just keep them on a leash all the time and never leave them alone.

Back in the 70's the DW and I did camp in a tent in the rain with two small dogs for a week. No problems then. I would not do it now that I am older, but then it was fun and the dogs always let us know when something was around. JMO

We camped with a dog for some time before graduating to an RV. There were some considerations necessary as tents are not really made for enclosing/restraining dogs. A lot depends on temperament of the dog, otherwise a crate would be a must. Free choice feeding was a no no as raccoons also like dog food (duh!!).

Tent Camping With Dogs? | Good Sam Community

MrsMingo
Explorer
Apr 30, 2014
When we were both still working and attended BMW rallys in WI, DH would ride the bike and I would take the car (the support vehicle) with all the camping stuff and the dog, Molly. The worse problem we had with her was the "wet dog smell" during the night if it rained before bedtime. Or the time she purposefully jumped into the lake next to us because we wouldn't play ball with her anymore right before bed! Molly would sleep on my side of the tent and when I woke up in the morning, I would "peek" at her from under my arm and she would be laying there with her head on her paws just waiting for me to wake up! Once she saw my eyes her tail would start moving! She was happy because then the pack was up and the day could start! But then, the whole world was her pack and she got along with everyone.
chezmoose
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
Haha! So true! My dogs are just as happy to go for a R-I-D-E (hafta spell it or chaos ensues) to the end of the driveway as they are to the store or the campground.
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2014
chezmoose wrote:
Deb and Ed M wrote:
We wouldn't tent every day - just when offered a pretty place and cooperative weather :-) Coleman is bragging about setting up their Instant Tent in under 1 minute (the poles are already connected to the tent)....so we'll see.....

Ah, that sounds like a good plan then! I'm sure your dogs will enjoy it as much as you do.

LOL!! They're DOGS..... they'd be perfectly happy making a 6,000 mile trip in a wagon behind the lawn mower - just as long as they're with us!! And in all fairness - I can't imagine NOT having them with us? Now that we no longer have little kids - it's fun to see the world through their eyes
chezmoose
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
Deb and Ed M wrote:
We wouldn't tent every day - just when offered a pretty place and cooperative weather :-) Coleman is bragging about setting up their Instant Tent in under 1 minute (the poles are already connected to the tent)....so we'll see.....

Ah, that sounds like a good plan then! I'm sure your dogs will enjoy it as much as you do.
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2014
We wouldn't tent every day - just when offered a pretty place and cooperative weather :-) Coleman is bragging about setting up their Instant Tent in under 1 minute (the poles are already connected to the tent)....so we'll see.....
Crowe
Explorer
Apr 25, 2014
Perhaps we're taking a "leave of senses"

In a word, yes.

Personally, I think sleeping with dogs in tents is the *easy* part of your quest! I'd be more concerned with setting up and tearing down camp constantly if you're on the move, plus dealing with wet stuff (I hear it can be kind of damp out there).

X2.
chezmoose
Explorer
Apr 25, 2014
Personally, I think sleeping with dogs in tents is the *easy* part of your quest! I'd be more concerned with setting up and tearing down camp constantly if you're on the move, plus dealing with wet stuff (I hear it can be kind of damp out there).
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2014
I don't worry about Jimmy and Ben pushing through or scratching the tent to get out. Between the two of them, you couldn't squeeze out 2 ounces of "bravery"....LOL!! Ben is small enough that he could probably fit UNDER a cot in his bed. I think the biggest challenge will be getting them to ignore all the sounds they will so clearly hear in a tent.....
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2014
AZPops wrote:

Wonder if there might be one available at an auction. Buy it, use it, when you're home sell it!

Pops

I can always put a "bug" in my "buyer's" ear :-) Because that's surely what we'll do with a minivan....LOL!!
campn4walleye
Explorer
Apr 25, 2014
We always tent camped with our dog before we got our RV.

We just made sure we had his bed with us, to keep him comfortable. They get used to it. On chilly mornings our 75 lb weim would climb into the sleeping bag with us. It does get a bit cozy. :B

Depending on the dog's size, we also brought a pop up play pen to keep it secure while setting up and breaking down.

No matter what type of camping you enjoy, your dog will just be happy to be with you. Enjoy yourselves.

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