Camping with Your Dog: What to Bring With You
Spending as much time as you can in nature is super beneficial for your overall well-being. While soaking up the sun and breathing fresh air can improve your mood and ease your mind, nature can provide you with many benefits that can improve your overall well-being. Speaking of spending time outdoors, nothing can beat the beauty and benefits coming from camping and hiking, especially with the ones you love.
And if under the ‘ones you love category’ falls your furry friend as well, make sure to take it on your next camping trip and have the best time of your life. Just don’t forget to pack some outdoor dog accessories in addition to your camping essentials. While dog food, bowls, water and plastic bags are a must for keeping your furry friend’s basic needs satisfied, there are some other things that you should bring in order to stay safe, sound and happy.
Carrying Backpack for Dogs
Backpacks for dogs are designed to carry your pet when travelling, hiking, and camping or anytime you need to carry your dog with you. As the name implies, these backpacks are designed to be worn on the back just like regular backpacks, however, some models allow for them to be worn as front packs as well. Either way, dog-carrying backpacks are super convenient and comfortable, perfect to give your dog a break from walking, especially on long distances.
And you really don’t have to wonder about do dogs like being carried in backpacks or not, since most of them enjoy this, especially when having to hike long distances. Of course that there’re exceptions, so make sure not to rush things out when introducing your dog to the bag. Give it some time to adjust in order to enjoy its feel and design.
Speaking of overall comfort, you should really choose the right size of backpack depending on your dog’s size. A smaller bag won’t feel comfortable and secure for a larger dog and vice versa. If not sure what is the right size for your dog, don’t hesitate to consult with the experts from the chosen store.
The material itself also plays a huge role in how comfortable and secure your dog will feel when carried in it. That being said, you should look at dog-carrying backpacks that are made of sturdy, durable and comfortable material.
Ideally, it would help if you look for a backpack that is made from polyester or nylon on the outside and removable cotton or fleece inside cover for easier maintenance. Given the fact that you won’t be able to carry any other backpack on your back, make sure the chosen one has extra storage space for some of your own essentials like hygiene products, a phone, a water bottle and other accessories.
First Aid Kit Box
A first-aid kit is an essential type of gear that you should carry when camping/hiking with or without dogs. But the most interesting thing is that aside from you, your dog can also benefit from carrying a kit of this kind with you. There’s a vast selection of first aid kit box models on the market, allowing you to choose the right size for your needs.
You can either choose a regular first-aid box, one that’s designed for animals or you can pick a regular and modify it by separately buying some other dog-related kits. Either way, you can’t go wrong since mostly, these kits contain things that are needed for both humans and animals, maybe with some little differences.
But regardless of the size you decide on, it would be great to pick one that has hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting cuts and wounds, scissors with rounded tips to trim the hair around wounds, gauze pads, bandages, and tweezers to remove any foreign objects in the wound, socks or booties to protect a wounded foot, antibiotic spray etc.
In case the kit isn’t specially designed for dogs, make sure to invest in non-stick bandages as well which will make putting on and taking off easy and fuss-free. Since magnifying glass isn’t that common in first aid kits, make sure to invest in one because it can be quite useful for dealing with dog cuts and wounds when it’s hard to work closely and precisely because of the fur.
Since it’ll be applicable to both you and your dog, make sure to keep its things separated in a smaller bag inside the box, so it could be easier to find them when needed. Mistakes can easily happen, especially when in a rush, so make sure to keep your dog’s emergency essentials separated from yours.
Collar and Leash
If this is your first time camping and hiking together, then you should certainly bring your dog’s collar and leash. This will allow you to feel more secure since you’ll be able to see him all the time and not wonder about where he is. Just make sure to use a sturdy leash that can withstand everything.
However, if you’re one of those pet owners who have confidence in his dog’s behaviour, having your dog off the leash will help both of you feel independent and confident. But if this is your first time going camping in an unknown area, then you should probably invest in a GPS tracking collar at least. Collars of this kind will easily alert you when your dog leaves the safe zone that you’ve set and you can call it or go after it anytime you want.