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I've camped with my dogs a number of times. My Lab was pretty well suited for it, but my Corgi was tough to handle. Of course that was probably my fault for putting her in a 6 person tent with 3 other people and 3 other dogs. She a little territorial, so she divided each night in the tent between picking fights with the other dogs and sleeping on my friend's face.

As noted above, a long lead clipped around a tree is a good idea for when you don't want them to wander off too far. The first time we went, I was super neurotic about how little the Corgi was compared to other woodland creatures. Especially when she ran off and didn't respond to my calls. Luckily, we found her a ways off, staring and barking at a guy chopping wood.

Never thought of the glow stick, but I'd also recommend a few extra towels so as to keep them from muddying tents and sleeping bags at night.

I would love to camp with my dog but it seems that the dog-friendly campgrounds tend to have a specific camping section where dogs are allowed. I get it but at the same time, that will only cause my dog to go crazy. She loves to be outdoors and around people but having a bunch of other dogs so close by that she won't be able to play with will cause her to whine and bark and drive me a bit crazy (if not everyone else).

I went to an awesome place that we could only get to by canoe but, they didn't allow dogs (go figure).

I am a big camper and I say be careful because the tent heats up faster than inside a car in the summer. I do not take my dogs camping in the summer months..just too hot and dry in California.

i'm curious...who's camped w/cats?
I have one who I think would enjoy it...

My boyfriend and I have taken his dog (an Anatolian Shepard) backpacking before. He was perfect. He didn't need a leash on while we were hiking, and at night we just made sure to tie him up really well close to our tent.
The only mishap we have ever had happened when the dog became protective during the night when the coyotes were howling. He ended up walking circles around our tent with his rope on and the rope ended up breaking our tent poles. So I would suggest fixing them up somewhere a little further from your tent if your dog is over protective:)

the pic with the cats in the tent is both hilarious and sad.

yes, if anyone has camped with cats, please comment about it!

I have never taken a cat camping but I did take a cat hiking—once.

We were about a half hour into the walk. The cat was on a harness with a long leash and enjoying the new experience. Suddenly, we realized that it was NOT rain that we were hearing. It was ticks launching themselves from the trees at the delicious little guy. We picked him up, ran out of the woods and spent the next hour inspecting him for ticks. They were black and he was white so it was fairly easy to pick them off. But that wasn’t how we had planned to spend an afternoon.

I wanted to make a crude reference to "Snakes on a Plane" but every time I look at all those dogs in the tent, I go awwwwwwww

I've gone backpacking with a cat.
We had her in a fanny-pack for the hiking, or on our shoulders.
She was a little freaked out, but the hiking was fine, the evening was fine.
But during the night, she needed to step outside to use the facilities, but didn't know how to wake us up.
The next morning wasn't so fine.

posted by danasays

My boyfriend and I have taken his dog (an Anatolian Shepard) backpacking before. He was perfect. He didn't need a leash on while we were hiking, and at night we just made sure to tie him up really well close to our tent.
The only mishap we have ever had happened when the dog became protective during the night when the coyotes were howling. He ended up walking circles around our tent with his rope on and the rope ended up breaking our tent poles. So I would suggest fixing them up somewhere a little further from your tent if your dog is over protective:)
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You're gonna need a bigger tent. Bring your dog in the tent with you guys - fixing him up further from your tent would leave him vulnerable to wolves and other wildlife. :-)

thanks for the tips....I am taking my little guys camping for the first time in a few weeks.

my boyfriend and i camp with our lab/greyhound mix a few times a year down in south-central missouri and he loves it! it's an isolated piece of land, so we don't have to worry about him disrupting other campers, so he's allowed to run loose and always comes back when called. a crate at night is essential so that he feels safe in the dark, and frontline is a MUST! and not the generic stuff, either -- we used generic last time and he came back covered in ticks. he also has a backpack so that he can carry his belongings.

I've taken the hound camping (lab/greyhound mix too) and she's just great. She runs off leash, sticks near us, and has a great time splashing in the water, exploring etc. . and the kennel is a must--my tent is large enough, I can fit her kennel inside it, so at night, we all have our own beds. She's so tired at the end of the day, she crashes and sleeps pretty well at night--just take in to consideration that they're burning more calories than they normally do (swimming, hiking etc), so you should up their food intake.

Cheers.