How old is Gunther?


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Gunther will be 2 this month. Any younger and I wouldn't even contemplate a backpack.

 

Sorry don't have any input. But we're in the same exact situation. Were also planning a camping trip the end of this month and have all the same concerns / questions. I'm planning on taking a long line (25') and one of those screw in the ground anchors for when were just relaxing. Worried he'll see something and go after it..

 

Ok. Just get him used to the backpack before hand. He can carry his own water and food.

As for the fire, if you find out let me know. My last GSD grabbed a flaming log and took off through the woods with it, to greet sone new comers.

I would bet, if you hike him before hand, he will relax at night. Maybe not this first time, but he will get used to it.


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Ok. Just get him used to the backpack before hand. He can carry his own water and food.

As for the fire, if you find out let me know. My last GSD grabbed a flaming log and took off through the woods with it, to greet sone new comers.

I would bet, if you hike him before hand, he will relax at night. Maybe not this first time, but he will get used to it.


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That would be scary (in bold)

Thank you and I'll start training him with the backpack (trip won't be until late July or August so I have some time).

 

for no legitimate reason i can give you, i don't like doggie back packs. there are cloth light weight crates you could try inside the tent, but if he really wanted out it wouldn.t hold him. i have never camped without having a water supply near by. cabelas sells those water purification tabs and containers. if i was really out in the middle of nowhere i would bring 4 x the amt of water i thought i needed.

 

They have canteens that turn into water bowls for water. I would stop at least once when traveling for 4 hours. We have bon fires all the time and the dogs just stay away from the fire , I still watch carefully. i strongly advise getting little locks for the tent so he can't push the zipper open in the middle of the night if he hears something. I learned this the hard way when camping with my dogs many years ago. The one heard the raccoons walking around the tent and busted out, the other dogs followed. It was 2am and pitch black, I couldn't do anything when they ran into the woods. They all came back by the time it got light out but it was very scary. They can't get out with the locks.

 

Would a carabiner work so we're not fumbling with keys in the dark? I'd have to check to see if the zipper tab is even big enough to accommodate the carabiner but it would be an easier thing to clip on and off.

 

We have camped with our new GSD our 5 times since he was four months old and he is now 6.5 months so he got used to it early, but we still prepped him with short hikes on trails at home before we left and camper beforehand we left. Our old dog was a 2 year rescue before we got her and took her camping too. They both have done great. We tent camped before with our old dog and she slept in the tent with us no problem. Will all of the excitement, hiking, new things to explore, etc...you will probably have no problems with him being so tired that he will go right to sleep beside you in the tent and be just fine.

You didn't say if you are packing into a remote area, campground, or what but at campgrounds around here (state parks especially), dogs are required to be on a 6 ft leash at all times. We did, however keep a bit of a longer line on ours and no one ever said anything.

For our youngster, we stop every 2 hours for a potty break...make sure we gave him plenty of exercise before we hit the road and he pretty much sleeps the whole way.

When you get there, before you even set up the tent, let him explore the area a bit to let him sniff and get to know the area. We always take one of those big water jugs (like on the sidelines at football games) of clean water plus a few gallon jugs in the back of the truck for extra. We also have a uv light water purifier if we need it.

Backpacks are great for dogs if you are doing long hikes, but what I think is more important are boots. Here, we have cactus and lots of rocks so we use them to protect their paws. We had to turn around once on a trail because there were so many little cactus thorns all over the place. For water, I carry a collapsible water bowl and pour water from my own bottle or camelback bladder for the dog.

For fire, watch the dog like you would a toddler. Keep the dog on a leash and don't leave him unattended. By fire time, our boy usually is exhausted and will just sit by me in my chair while he waits for his hotdog to be done! . Camping is so fun for our dog and it is the one place we let him eat "table food"...a fried egg, steak, and hot dogs. He loves it!

This year was the first year we have upgraded to a popup camper and we love it, but have always tent camped before. Oh, other tip is to make sure you get a can of bear spray. We had a bear in our camp last year and scared me to death! It went away on its own (we didn't have any food out), but wild animals will know/smell a dog and may be curious. We carry our gun and bear spray. Mountain lion encounters happen here an lot...one came into a camp near Tuscon last year and grabbed a dog and ran off with it! Yikes! Samson heard his first coyote howls last weekend camping, gave a couple of GSD head tilts at me, and went back to sleep.

 

You didn't say if you are packing into a remote area, campground, or what but at campgrounds around here (state parks especially), dogs are required to be on a 6 ft leash at all times. We did, however keep a bit of a longer line on ours and no one ever said anything.

We'll be at a KOA in Winthrop, WA it's a really nice campsite and is pet friendly. I'm going to keep him on his 6' leash just for safe keeping.

We're going with my sister and my brother in law and they're really finicky when it comes to "roughing it" and don't really like to. Took me like two years just to get her to TRY camping and now she likes it but it has to have a gazillion amenities.

 

Oh and get a light that hangs on his collar for the dog at night. They sell them at camping stores.

 

Dumb question.. Is the light for him to see or just to know where he's at? Would a smaller glow stick work?

 

At least she is trying! Lol you should have plenty of access to water then! Have fun and let us know how it goes!

 

We have a small light that is activated by motion,( the light itself is red) so when Tess is laying down it's not irritating, just flashes when she walks. She's been camping with us since she was 3 months old and loves it. Depending on where we are we have strung a rope between trees and looped a rope over it to give her a little more range. We usually go early enough or late enough in the season that we don't always leash her, no other campers around us.

 

We have a small light that is activated by motion,( the light itself is red) so when Tess is laying down it's not irritating, just flashes when she walks. She's been camping with us since she was 3 months old and loves it. Depending on where we are we have strung a rope between trees and looped a rope over it to give her a little more range. We usually go early enough or late enough in the season that we don't always leash her, no other campers around us.

Where could you get something like that?

 

I have taken all my dogs camping on numerous occasions..including chihuahuas and a puppy. Including drive up sites and canoe in sites.

If we are isolated I leave the GSDs loose and only let the small dogs in the tent.

If we are close to other campers I use a cable tie out for the big dog. If the need to get under cover they will usually crawl under some spruce boughs or a bush. If its a drive in site then bring a crate and the dog can sleep in the car.

For hiking trails GSD is on an E Collar, water is wherever they can find it (dont carry any). Plenty of lakes and rivers around here. I have been toying with making the current dog carrying our water and snacks.

I had the current dog camping at 4 months.

As for keeping up I like the Darwinistic approach. Stragglers get left behind..lol.

Have taken numerous dogs on long 14 hour multi day road trips. When we stop if they dont go...they dont go. (They all go eventually)

Dont worry about it the dog will adapt, its a GSD!


This dog was a fear aggressive mess. Had no issues.



Puppy on a hike. (take it easy on distance if they are young) I tossed her in the lake when she got too hot.



They find water were they can..lol.

 

I would be worried about lepto (even with a vax) letting Gunther drink out of puddles/ponds/slow moving water.

Cute pups by the way! and as for a solid recall, not so much. That's why he's going to be on a leash at all times.

 

I would be worried about lepto (even with a vax) letting Gunther drink out of puddles/ponds/slow moving water.

Cute pups by the way! and as for a solid recall, not so much. That's why he's going to be on a leash at all times.

Thats why there are shots to prevent it. Risks are pretty low anyways around here. None of those dogs pictured were vaccinated.

Dont bubble wrap the dog!

 

Puyallup to Winthrop? You'll be passing through some of the best camping in the north cascades. Every dog I've owned just drinks from the creeks we camp at, never an issue. Hope you all enjoy your camping trip.

 

Thanks and I'm looking forward to the trip it'll be fun.

 

Hi I go camping alot with my dogs kinda prefer to sleep outdoors When I first moved to vancouver Island I got a gsd to camp with thinking from a defensive view There are things in the wilderness that see humans as prey Companionship as well I go by myself Average trip 3 days out by foot 3days back
I would suggest bear bells for the dog's collar (play lots of hide and seek with him Helps the dog to keep me in sight Helps the dog to circle back and check on me Renforces natural unspoken communication so I belive)
We pack lite but the load is divided Tryed a pack did not think much either way Use a ,not sure of the name Two branches one on each side of the dog webbed together on a old modified pulling harness Make them as I need them can adjust the width Native American's used it behind their ponies The dog likes the work We take a break when I need one
Water is not a issue Dogs can drink water that a human could not As long as the water is clean and moving should have little issues Can always boil the water to remove all doubts Feed is 2cups more than normal rations Broken down to feeding each rest stop( I eat and have coffee aprox every 2 hours at the longest The rest for nite feeding)
At the camp when setting up I use a short cable run at first So I can not concern myself where and what the dog is doing and the dog gets the idea of sticking around the camp
(As with hide and seek to get the dog to check on me and sticking arround the camp I encourage the dog to make the connection on their own with little input comand on my behalf)
He may be nervous a bit with all the new stuff But that is good for you You can be come his protector so to speak by showing him all is well
Flea tick and heart worm may be something to look into As for the fire I see stuff like that as a learning curve thing
You should have a blast camping with your gsd

 

I think we got ours at Bass Pro or Cabelas...or search amazon....I can't imagine keeping our dogs out of lakes or rivers...they love swimming....

 

I think exposure to nature and the various germs and bacteria they encounter out there from a young age as well as proper nutrition and base vaccinations builds a strong dog that can handle drinking out of a puddle or going for a wade in the swamp without dying.
There are always exceptions to every rule. There are always freak accidents, and genetic outliers. In the end you realize life is just to short, especially if your a dog. They live and thrive in terrible conditions here and around the world. Strong, intelligent, adaptable and resilient.

 

Got back from camping today Gunther did great. We had to change the plans a bit and ended up going to Pomeroy, WA (nothing is there o.o I got a little bored sadly but when you have to change our reservation the day before to a completely different place you can't complain about your choices). Winthrop, WA was out of water, electricity and gasoline due to the huge wild fire out in Eastern Washington. The campsite was in between Pomeroy and Dayton so really in the middle of nowhere but farmland.

It was adorable watching Gunther try to figure out from a distance what deer, wild turkeys and quails were haha .

We only had one potty accident in the car because we couldn't find a safe place to pull over and pushed it because we were only thirty minutes away but it wasn't that big of a deal, easy clean up. He just is so easily distracted when in a new environment that he forgets to use the bathroom.

He's thoroughly exhausted from the 5 1/2 hour car ride home with three breaks and a zillion things to smell.

He was perfectly behaved though. No barking or anything, just the occasional whine when one of us left. We're all glad to be home and probably won't be hitting up that campsite again. I think three hours is our max travel time for camping.

I only had a few shots of Gunther on his tie out at the campsite (he slept in the tent with us) because I couldn't keep my phone charged.

He enjoyed the river at one of the state parks which was surprising because he hates water but walked in like it was nothing made my day and an excuse to get a kiddie pool.

I wanted to thank you all for all your advice! The glow stick worked perfectly and kept him from getting accidentally stepped on in the dark. I didn't have to worry about keeping him away from the fire due to a burn ban. I had a thirty foot heavy-duty tie out that I shortened by wrapping around trees and used a carabiner to attach it to his leash so he had a decent amount of range inside the campsite. I didn't have to worry about water, brought plenty and still have 2 gallons in the fridge left over.

I'll have pics up tomorrow...well since it's almost 1am, later today then!

 

Sadly only two pics that didnt turn out .

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