Summer’s here, and that means that some of the coolest activities around: swimming, hiking, and camping -- are available for you and your dog to try. Whether you’re a first-time camper or a seasoned veteran, camping with your dog is a wonderful and fulfilling experience for you both. Read on to find some tips and tricks to make the experience a pleasure. 

Safety While Camping With Your Dog

Camping with your dog is fun and rewarding, but preparation is key. Before you leave the house, you should be sure that your dog’s tags and microchip information are up to date, and that the tags are hanging on a good collar that won’t slip off easily. You’ll also want to put together or purchase a dog (and human) first aid kit. For your dog, your first aid kit should include antiseptic, an antihistamine like children’s Benadryl (always check with your vet for correct dosage!), some styptic powder, tweezers, and various sizes and shapes of bandages and adhesives.

You’ll want to include any usual medications if they need to be given while you’re away. For example, your monthly flea/tick protection should not expire while you’re camping, or you might be spending time picking off ticks instead of having fun. 

Finally, if you’re going to be near a river or lake, be sure to bring along your dog life vest. Even if your dog likes water, you may not know the body of water you’ll be near. As always, don’t let your dog drink from rivers or standing water, as it may harbor germs like Giardia that can leave your dog very ill.

Supplies For Camping With Your Dog

When you go camping with your dog, you’ll lose access to things you take for granted: fresh clean water, fresh food, and mud-free places for your dog to take a nap. You’ll want to make sure that you bring enough supplies of your own to cover this. If you’re car-camping, water might not be a problem - but you should bring some for your dog (and for you) just in case because sometimes, water at campsites becomes suddenly non-potable. 

You’ll want to bring extra food, too. You should add 10-20% more food to your supplies, because you’ll be more active, and want to make sure your dog doesn’t go hungry. If you normally feed raw food, don’t worry: there are freeze-dried options to make sure your dog can eat, even if you don’t have access to a fridge or freezer. You can use freeze-dried raw food or The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food to get all the nutrition your dog needs on the trip. 

Finally, bring some extras of everything. Extra blankets to lay on; an extra leash and collar, just in case. You’d be surprised at how many of our at-home pet supplies will break in the wilderness. You don’t want to be left high-and-dry because of equipment malfunction. 

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