1st time camping-suggestions?

Finnigan and I are off to a campground in Lake George tomorrow........
I may need prayers, well wishes, advice,and tequila to make it through the end off the weekend (maybe not in that order!)
Any advice to successful camping adventures? I looked back at past postings, and have seen great pictures, so I know it's possible.
There is a dog area where he has to be kept on a leash, but at least he can play a little. My saving grace is that it is close enough to home that if it is a disaster, we can always come home early, or get kicked out for an unruly sheepdog.
I'll be bringing a camera, so stay tuned!
Kim
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No advise, just wishes to have a great time!
Sounds like a fun time! Take lots of pictures for us to enjoy. :D
RELAX and have FUN!
My advice is to check into the Hyatt Regency, they have room service :wink:
Find some places that you can take long hikes with your dog - a tired dog is a well behaved dog. Bring a brush - even if your dog has short hair, you'll want to brush every night to make sure there are no ticks or burrs hiding. Bring shampoo, just in case.

Have a great time!
We took Callie camping once a couple years ago. We were a little nervous beforehand, but it turned out just fine. The place we went also required them to be on a leash. We bought one of those tie-out stakes, just so we wouldn't have to be actually holding the leash the entire time. She had never been on one of those before, but she did really well. Also, we went with some friends who brought their (much older, much calmer) dog, so Callie had someone to play with. She slept in the tent with us and we had a really good time.
We need to do that again sometime (as soon as it's not 99 degrees in the shade!).

(note about the tie-out stakes... don't leave your dog unattended on them, as a strong dog could pull it out of the ground and get loose, or get tangled and hurt. Also, make sure that there is no way the dog can reach any part of the campfire from the tie-out. I don't know (thank goodness), but I'm guessing that sheepie hair might be flammable 8O )
As long as I'm toasted, every camping experience is the BEST.EVER, so my only advice is lots of tequila. Then nothing can go wrong, and you'll probably remember everyone have a great time, even the dog!
I second the tie out stake. A wayward squirrel and your pup could be gone.

As for the Tequila....have you tried Tequila Rose liqueur? Strawberry (?) cream with tequila........think Baileys but fruity. Goes down easily.
We just got home from camping (in a trailer) for 2 weeks with our dogs, and Id like to second the advise of a long walk every day! Not only does it keep them tired, but also makes the "I don't want to go potty in a strange place" thing less likely :roll: . Dogs actually seem to like the close, cozy quarters of a trailer or tent, so nighttime shouldn't be a problem. Good luck, and have fun! :D
We camp with ours. They have always done well.
I love to walk, so bringing a dog camping is wonderful. I have a built in excuse to get up and walk, I get to see the scenery at the place I'm staying. They also act as good icebreakers for meeting interesting people and talking to your fellow campers. Then there is always the added security of knowing you have a built in alarm system!

We camp with the dogs either loose in the tent, or in their crate in the tent at night. It depends on the dog(s) we happen to have with.

When we had our popup it was real handy to put the crates under the slideouts. Then it was our labs with, and they love the crates. Plus they were usually wet from swimming, so they dried out better and kept the camper cleaner.

I always bring a cable with. I never use the tieout stake part. I hook them on a tree, the picnic table or the vehicle. (small dogs only to the picnic table :) ) The places we camp always seem to have ground like concrete, or lots of rocks. I barely get the tent stakes in, let alone a tieout!

Todd and I are camping Aug 23-26 with Simon. It is for our basset rescue's big get-together and yearly fundraiser called Bassetfest. Picture a huge fenced park are with over 300 bassets roaming and playing! It is a blast 8O . It will be our 3rd year camping with Simon - he loves camping, so no issues planned. Last year was full of rain, and we still did well and stayed dry. It stopped during the day for the events and rained all evening and night.....please do a non-rain dance for the Milwaukee area..... :D
I take all 3 dogs with us when we go camping (typically every other weekend), and we do very well with them. Here are a few things I find helpful:

Baby wipes (for the dogs and for us when they get muddy paws all over us)

crates (my dogs sleep in their crates, and it's good for them to have a quiet place to go if the kids and activities get to be too much)

cable (with or without the stake... trees are good for ties, too). I use this for Stella (Brooklyn can be staked with a piece of string and one of the tent stakes :lol: )

Water jugs (the dogs go through a LOT of water when we camp)... they drink a lot and it has to be changed a lot due to nature getting into the water, and having jugs to carry to the water spigot rather than taking the bowls each time is helpful

Doggie first aid kit. Mine just has a flashlight (in case they get hurt at night), liquid bandage (paw-pad cuts and scrapes), ear cleanser and powder (great for after swimming), cotton swabs, Q-tips, Coban (in case a leg needed to be wrapped for some reason), and tweezers (in case I find a tick). I also bring Lomotil (in case one of the dogs gets a sudden case of ..well... you know).

Clicker, leash, treats (I am still in the training process with Stella and Sampson, so we work about 15 minutes a day while we're camping, so they keep in their minds that the rules are the rules, everywhere.

Waterless shampoo, brush and comb, and deodorizing spray (in case they get into something stinky)... this is also another good reason for bringing crates even if they usually sleep in the tent. If they get into something really stinky, you may not want them in the tent.

Zip lock baggies (I always use a bunch when I'm camping, but not always for dog-related stuff). I also just bring pre-bagged meal portions of dogfood in zip lock baggies instead of a big bag of dogfood. It keeps the smell from enticing bugs, and it keeps the food fresh, and makes it easy for the kids to help with feeding (no measuring).

Poopy-bags to clean up thir messes. This seems like an obvious thing, but the first time we went camping I forgot to bring them, and we ran out of bags to use :oops:

Sampson is still pretty small, so I bring his playpen as well.

Dog toys (the kind that can easily be rinsed in water, not their stuffed animals).

Copies of their vaccinations (some campgrounds require this, and even if they don't it's still good to have them).

Old towels (in case they are really wet and need to dry off in their crate... the towel helps absorb some of the water).

Travel water dish (the canvas style ones that folds up) and water bottle if we are going to do any hiking.

That's a pretty good start :roll:
Great list, Iheartstella! :D
Did I mention we have to rent a U-Haul when we camp?!?!

Actually we take the Camry (the dogs and kids ride in the car), and our old pick-up with all of our supplies, but the pick-up broke last month :cry: so when we go camping next week we're going to rent the small U-haul truck for $19.99/day :roll:
I just found out they're having something called the "Redneck Games" at the campsite next weekend... guess the U-Haul wont stand out so much afterall :lol:
SheepieBoss wrote:
As for the Tequila....have you tried Tequila Rose liqueur? Strawberry (?) cream with tequila........think Baileys but fruity. Goes down easily.

Think Strawberry Quick or YooHoo, but with enough of a kick to make you forget the rest of the evening. 8)
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