How many of you camp with 2-3 dogs?

[koolaid5]

Ok, so when I get back from Afghanistan I plan on taking the wife, 2 kids, and 3 dogs camping/wheeling. You'll probably see several threads on various topics having to do with this, because I have way too much time to just sit around, think, and wish I was anywhere but here.

Anyway.... I know I need to get my dogs better trained. That will help out tremendously. They are all fine once they get to know people, but when they first see somone new they want to jump up and pretty much just have no manners. When I take them wheeling locally I just have to stay on them and keep them from jumping up for the first 10-15 min. After that they are fine running around while we wheel. They don't bother anyone, they stay close by or in the HEEP, and they listen to me when I call them.

Back on topic.... Do most of you that camp with your dogs just use tents, campers, or what? We don't have a camper yet, so the first trial run is going to have to be with tents. I figure the wife and kids can sleep in one and I'll bunk with the dogs in another. I eventually want to buy a camper, but I would only have the '99 Durango or '92 XJ to pull it. So, it can't be too huge and I'm thinking that 2 adults, 2 kids, and 3 dogs would crowd up a camper prett quick.

Post up some pics to help give me some ideas....

 

[Your Hot Dog Guy!]

We camp with 1 dog, very well behaved and not allowed to bark. A low growl is all he will do when startled. You can walk this dog on a thread by other dogs that are raising hel7. and he just looks at them. He is great with kids and not possessive of his food or toys(for small child's sake). He has manners because we travel to commercial camp grounds. Our previous dog traveled to 47 states and was very well behaved.

 

[koolaid5]

We camp with 1 dog, very well behaved and not allowed to bark. A low growl is all he will do when startled. You can walk this dog on a thread by other dogs that are raising hel7. and he just looks at them. He is great with kids and not possessive of his food or toys(for small child's sake). He has manners because we travel to commercial camp grounds. Our previous dog traveled to 47 states and was very well behaved.

I am very envious. My dogs are decent off leash, but I took them hiking with the family and they go BALLISTIC when passing other people with dogs when they are on leash. I have to see them coming, hop off the side of the trail, crouch down with them and try to keep them under control. It's ridiculous. My wife tried to take the biggest spaz to obedience training and they got kicked out of the class on the 1st day. It took the full class time for my crackhead dog to calm down in a SEPARATE ROOM! Then they wanted to see how he reacted to the next class arriving. He started back up all over again. Howling, barking, snarling at the door.... Now, he does act up a lot more when I'm not around and it's just the wife, but jesus H! We had a lady come to the house and spend 2-3 hours with us for an "assessment". It was going to cost $900 for in home training with her. Didn't have the money at the time and now I've been deployed for 7-8 months. The wife was making progress on her own, but then I went home on vacation for 3 weeks. After I left she said they regressed and she lost motivation to get them back on track.

 

[Granny]

When our last dog died we opted not to adopt another, however we still like dogs and we don't mind other folks dogs coming to visit us when we are camping. Having said that, there are also some limitations, and a few things we just plain don't like... and I am sure there are others who share our thoughts on this.

1. We don't want your dogs visiting when we are cooking or eating. Show us some courtesy and keep them at your own campsite.

2. We once had a large male dog wander into our campsite, walked over to the cooler we had our food and drinks in and proceeded to piss all over the cooler. I believe if I had been armed at the time I may have shot the sonofabitch.

3. We all know dogs have to take care of their bodily functions. I don't want your dog shitting in my campsite. Take him/her for a walk in the wood and see if you can make that happen there.

There are others, and I could continue, but these are the biggies. If your going to bring your dog, a little bit of common sense, respect, and courtesy toward others will go a long way toward making your dog a welcomed guest.

 

[koolaid5]

Oh, all of the above goes without saying. I would never allow my dog to wander into your site ANYTIME not just when you were cooking. Would never allow them to piss on your cooler either... hahahahaha it did make me laugh picturing it though. Thanks for that.

 

[Your Hot Dog Guy!]

What are you trying to say Don? You shouldn't hold in your thoughts! LOL I agree with Don, Dogs are just that, a animal like a horse. A horse has to be broke to be accepted with others and so do dogs. I like my dog a lot and would never mistreat it but he must show me the same respect! My dog wears a choker chain collar when we are out in public for a reason. He gets out of line I jerk the leash, it is not rocket science to train a dog! I have been attacked by a dog and still have the scars to prove it on both wrists! The dog lunged at my face and I grabbed him with both hands around the neck and that is where he took his last breath! I choked him to death! I knew if I let go he would have bit me in the face.

 

[koolaid5]

What are you trying to say Don? You shouldn't hold in your thoughts! LOL I agree with Don, Dogs are just that, a animal like a horse. A horse has to be broke to be accepted with others and so do dogs. I like my dog a lot and would never mistreat it but he must show me the same respect! My dog wears a choker chain collar when we are out in public for a reason. He gets out of line I jerk the leash, it is not rocket science to train a dog! I have been attacked by a dog and still have the scars to prove it on both wrists! The dog lunged at my face and I grabbed him with both hands around the neck and that is where he took his last breath! I choked him to death! I knew if I let go he would have bit me in the face.

right... sorry to hear that. Must have been an experience. My dogs aren't mean and I don't worry about them biting anyone. They wouldn't do that. They're sweethearts. They are just a bit aggressive with their affection They need to learn manners... especially when my wife is attemptiing to handle them. I can manage....for the most part.

Thanks for all of the input and feedback. Still waiting to see some pics on how some of you camp with multiple dogs (not talking about little rats either) and manage to remain somewhat comfortable.

 

[Jeff B]

http://www.elite-tek.us/products/ET...rd-Shock-Training-Collar%2d-2-Dog-System.html

I have this for our dogs, anti-bark & remote control with different levels of shock. Has beep & vibration correction.

For my plott hound it the full shock a few times. The doberman only took 1-2 at a lower level.

One of the best investments I have made. I can walk my plott of leash anywhere & he will stay at my heal, if he gets out of line he will hear a beep & he is right back.

it does take training though. They get a shock & come back to you for a "safe place".


No I don't take them camping often, when I'm camping I'm usually wheeling. I don't want the added responsibility.

damn hound is stubborn, but loving..

 

[koolaid5]

http://www.elite-tek.us/products/ET...rd-Shock-Training-Collar%2d-2-Dog-System.html

I have this for our dogs, anti-bark & remote control with different levels of shock. Has beep & vibration correction.

For my plott hound it the full shock a few times. The doberman only took 1-2 at a lower level.

One of the best investments I have made. I can walk my plott of leash anywhere & he will stay at my heal, if he gets out of line he will hear a beep & he is right back.

it does take training though. They get a shock & come back to you for a "safe place".


No I don't take them camping often, when I'm camping I'm usually wheeling. I don't want the added responsibility.

damn hound is stubborn, but loving..

I have thought of something like this before. I might have to check into it when I get back. Thanks for the advice.

*edit* that looks awesome. I wish they had a 3-dog system though.

 

[f i s h]

Our three are with us almost everytime we go. Jake(Shitzu) hates it but we take him anyway. Sally (Carin mix) can be a holly terror at times but mostly keeps to herself. Baron(GS) looks like he would remove arms but is very docile.

The actions of pets are a good reflection of how they have been trained, I will not have an animal that cannot trust, or command.

As far as pissing on the cooler, I agree with Don, that dog would have died standing on three legs!

 

[koolaid5]

Our three are with us almost everytime we go. Jake(Shitzu) hates it but we take him anyway. Sally (Carin mix) can be a holly terror at times but mostly keeps to herself. Baron(GS) looks like he would remove arms but is very docile.
The actions of pets are a good reflection of how they have been trained, I will not have an animal that cannot trust, or command.
As far as pissing on the cooler, I agree with Don, that dog would have died standing on three legs!

Thanks for the info, but back to my whole point of this thread.... How do you camp? Tent(s), camper.....? With a family of 4 and 3 dogs I'm trying to figure out the most conveinent/comfortable way to camp within my budget. Given that... a $60k RV is out of the question. I'm deciding on sticking with tents, a pop-up camper, or maybe even a small travel trailer.

 

[upnover]

We have two Labs, we did have three, but lost one recently. But the most we ever took was two with us. We have camped in tents, Van, Truck, Pop Up, and an RV with them. For the most part, ours stay on a leash or on a chain when we go wheelin. Too big to take on the trail. They are non aggressive, but the younger, Black Lab Jake, is rambunctious. We have to keep a tighter control of him. Semi, the elder, is no problem at all. She is however a big moocher, but she knows people will feed her. We tried to keep it from happening, but we gave up. She is 120 pounds, but everyone seems to want to feed her.
From your description, for your enjoyment, and for others, I recommend leaving your dogs at home, and just hire a sitter(which I have done many times)

 

[koolaid5]

We have two Labs, we did have three, but lost one recently. But the most we ever took was two with us. We have camped in tents, Van, Truck, Pop Up, and an RV with them. For the most part, ours stay on a leash or on a chain when we go wheelin. Too big to take on the trail. They are non aggressive, but the younger, Black Lab Jake, is rambunctious. We have to keep a tighter control of him. Semi, the elder, is no problem at all. She is however a big moocher, but she knows people will feed her. We tried to keep it from happening, but we gave up. She is 120 pounds, but everyone seems to want to feed her.
From your description, for your enjoyment, and for others, I recommend leaving your dogs at home, and just hire a sitter(which I have done many times)

Sorry to hear about your dog.

No way I'm leaving the dogs at home. I'm sure I'm making them sound MUCH worse than they actually are. When I go wheeling at an actual park they will be leashed the whole time. I let them run wild other times, but that is at a local spot when the only people they are going to be around are the people that I was with, so no big deal. Even if someone would wander past I just call them and tell them to hop in the Jeep and they do. We even encountered a horse the one time. The guy riding it owned the land. He had no problems with the dogs. He brought the horse over to Levi (my crazy one) nose to nose... Levi looked terified It was hilarious. The other two were scared and ran and jumped in the Jeep.

 

[koolaid5]

Here is another thread I started. It has some pics of the Jeep and my pups in it.

http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126487&highlight=

and here we are going for a walk. Can't for the life of me remember the name of the park right now though....

and the last pic is to show that they aren't really total maniacs. I was spraying weed killer on the grass and they knew they had to stay on the front porch, so they were just hanging out watching me.

 

[f i s h]

Thanks for the info, but back to my whole point of this thread.... How do you camp? Tent(s), camper.....? With a family of 4 and 3 dogs I'm trying to figure out the most conveinent/comfortable way to camp within my budget. Given that... a $60k RV is out of the question. I'm deciding on sticking with tents, a pop-up camper, or maybe even a small travel trailer.

Sorry I got off track. We only tent(10x14) camp. I have a basket for the Jeep (TJ) and split ownership in a 4'X8' trailer(If I'm camping, He's camping) This last trip my wife drove down to URE and had the Yukon full. We can go lightly but rarely do.

My suggestion would be to get a good tent, air mattress, sleeping bags, lighting and a good white gas stove. You can grow from there to however extreme you feel necessary. This is where we began and I will continue to camp this way as we all enjoy this the most. We includes myself, my wife, two kids (1 boy, 1 girl), and three dogs. This group cannot fit in the TJ so often we take the Yukon and leave the Jeep behind (insert crying smiley here), If camping includes offroading two cars are needed to get the job done.

 

[koolaid5]

Sorry I got off track. We only tent(10x14) camp. I have a basket for the Jeep (TJ) and split ownership in a 4'X8' trailer(If I'm camping, He's camping) This last trip my wife drove down to URE and had the Yukon full. We can go lightly but rarely do.
My suggestion would be to get a good tent, air mattress, sleeping bags, lighting and a good white gas stove. You can grow from there to however extreme you feel necessary. This is where we began and I will continue to camp this way as we all enjoy this the most. We includes myself, my wife, two kids (1 boy, 1 girl), and three dogs. This group cannot fit in the TJ so often we take the Yukon and leave the Jeep behind (insert crying smiley here), If camping includes offroading two cars are needed to get the job done.

Ok, sounds like we are in the same boat. Right now, this minute anyway, I'm thinking we stick with tent camping. I already have one. I'll just pick up another one and a few small things to make it more comfortable. We can all fit in the XJ, but to make the trip to the park more comfortable I'm thinking I should get a car hauler and pull it behind the Durango. If all of this goes well then I might upgrade to a pop up camper. I was looking on CL and can get one in great shape for between $2000-$2500. If we're just camping I can pull it with the Durango. If I'm planning on wheeling then I can pull it with the XJ or try and convince the wife to pull the pop up with her vehicle and I can pull the XJ behind the Durango.

anyway.... all sounds good to me. Now I just need to get out of this shithole, get home, and put the plan into action.

 

[Tacoma747]

How would they do if you just tied them up outside the tent? I know our dog doesn't like to be tied up, but since he has gotten a little older (just turned 1), he has done better with it the recent times I have tied him up, he just sits there, and will finally lie down after he stops getting attention.

I wouldn't let the dogs in a tent, especially if you have an air mattress, just asking for a hole in it.

We camped @ a campground near Hanging Rock once, the people beside us were CRAZY (really nice), they absolutely LOVED Sarge, coaxing him INTO their tent, playing with him on their air mattress, etc, this was back when he was probably 75lbs. I kept trying to keep him 'contained', because I think I was thinking more about their air mattress/tent than they were, and it's hard to tell a dog 'no' when people are egging it on...

 

[Tacoma747]

Another idea besides a pop-up is a small enclosed trailer, pop-ups often have problems with leaks/rot if not properly taken care of, you might could buy a 12-14' enclosed trailer and outfit it as you want, would be alot more room than a pop-up if you go the folding bunkbed route with the beds.

 

[koolaid5]

How would they do if you just tied them up outside the tent? I know our dog doesn't like to be tied up, but since he has gotten a little older (just turned 1), he has done better with it the recent times I have tied him up, he just sits there, and will finally lie down after he stops getting attention.
I wouldn't let the dogs in a tent, especially if you have an air mattress, just asking for a hole in it.
We camped @ a campground near Hanging Rock once, the people beside us were CRAZY (really nice), they absolutely LOVED Sarge, coaxing him INTO their tent, playing with him on their air mattress, etc, this was back when he was probably 75lbs. I kept trying to keep him 'contained', because I think I was thinking more about their air mattress/tent than they were, and it's hard to tell a dog 'no' when people are egging it on...

No air mattress. They would definitely be sleeping in the tent with me. Then if/when we upgraded to a pop up we would make room in there for them as well. My dogs are like my kids and that's how I treat them. If, for some reason, I DID have to stick them outside to sleep I would be right there next to them keeping them company.

 

[koolaid5]

Another idea besides a pop-up is a small enclosed trailer, pop-ups often have problems with leaks/rot if not properly taken care of, you might could buy a 12-14' enclosed trailer and outfit it as you want, would be alot more room than a pop-up if you go the folding bunkbed route with the beds.

Yeah, I've thought of that too, but looking at the layouts (without gutting one and redoing it myself) I think that we would have more room in a pop up and it is lighter weight, so I could pull it with the XJ or the wife's toyota, if need be. If we were all in there I could tell the dogs to hop up on one of the beds, so they weren't under our feet and they were still be right there with us. Doesn't feel like the same would be true with a small travel trailer.

 

[koolaid5]

Oh, and I HAVE thought of the toterhome route. I might be picking up a 24' Uhaul from a guy. I'm planning on using it to help move to PA when I get back. The only problem with that would be getting to the wheeling destination. We can't all fit in the cab, so we would have to bring another vehicle anyway. If that's the case then why not just tow the Jeep on a trailer behind one and have the wife tow a pop up? I'm TRYING to come up with a way that the uhaul would make sense, but I just can't do it, so I'll probably just sell it after we move and use that money to buy a pop up.

 

[upnover]

From everything I read your best bet is what I am using.
An RV. You don't have to spend 60K like you previously wrote. You can get a decent RV, Class C for 5-10K Low miles, with a big block. Put your trail rig on a trailer and go.
By the time you add up gass for something to pull a camper, and gas for something to pull your Jeep, you will come out better.
You will have enough room for everyone in one place to sleep, eat, and travel. Cheaper in a lot of ways as you don't need a weighted tag. No need for a bunch of camping stuff like EZ ups, sleeping bags cook stoves, and so on.
Check Craigslist for some good deals at this time of year. Look for one with an OD transmission. The Ford 460, V-10, The Chevy 454's, are all good choices. Even one without an OD trans will get ya there, just a little slower on the open road(because of RPM's) and will take a little more fuel.
With what you are talking about pulling a pop up or larger camper, you won't be happy with and I am afraid you'll be plauged with break downs. A pop up the size you'll need to even come close to accomidating all of you and the pets, will be big, heavy and expensive. Not to mention you have very little storage for taking everything with you. You will also be cramped. Even when sleeping you will be cramped. With all of your floor space taken up by the dogs. Trust me, I have been there.

A few examples
http://hickory.craigslist.org/rvs/2784275198.html

http://hickory.craigslist.org/rvs/2736208782.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2772429087.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2783006044.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2788701695.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2788452472.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2768659234.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2752505083.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2786482753.html

 

[koolaid5]

I know you're right. My only problem would be convincing the wife to go along with buying one. I guess after we move to PA and I sell the Uhaul I'll have to plead my case. Thanks for the advice.

This one looks like a good deal and just within my price range. I would have to keep it no more than $5k

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/2788452472.html

My parents do own a beast of a motor home that I will be able to borrow until I can pick up my own.

 

[barnee]

We camp in a 31' camper with 2 kids & 2 dogs. One is an 8 year old Boxer. He is perfect & no trouble except he gets aggressive after dark so he gets to go inside early. The other dog is a 1 year old Pit. She is very shy around new people & tends to bark too much sometimes but she is getting better with age.

 

[01blktaco]

I have 3 dogs all 65lbs plus and take them camping all the time. My best recommendation is take them some where secluded first. Somewhere you wouldn't have to worry about someone shooting your dog for misbehaving. Once your dogs get use to things and as long as you make sure you are the pack leader its smooth sailing