How to Enjoy Camping with a Reactive Dog-5 Tips
© 2024 by Clair
When Linus and Luna joined the family, we figured these husky mutts would be great camping and hiking companions. And it’s true, they both love exploring the outdoors. But what we weren’t prepared for is taking a reactive dog like Linus camping. Well let’s be honest, we weren’t prepared for a reactive dog, period.
One of our first attempts at camping with Linus and Luna was in Santa Cruz, CA. We were excited to get a last minute campsite at New Brighton State Beach, a popular beachfront campground with bluff top views of Monterey Bay. But our campsite was located in the middle of everything, right next to the bathroom, with few trees to block our view of all the other nearby campsites. So Linus reacted to triggers all day and night. Needless to say, it wasn’t very relaxing or enjoyable for the people or the pups. But we’ve come a long way since 2022 both in how to help Linus through his reactivity and in finding places to camp with fewer triggers.
Here are some of the things we’ve learned over the past 2 years.
Practice crate and place time daily at home. We are consistent with training “place” and “crate” at home. After eating, hiking, walking or playing, Linus rests in his crate or on his cot. This routine helps with clearly establishing expectations and boundaries for Linus, so when we’re in a new exciting place like a campground, he knows he can decompress and calmly relax in his crate. And luckily Linus likes his crate and will often choose to go in there when he needs a break.
Practice recall. We practice recall on hikes, in the yard, and when he’s with another dog like Luna, so when he is lunging or barking at another dog at a campground, we can more easily get his attention back on us rather than the trigger.
Try dispersed camping. Dispersed camping is more rustic than camping in a designated campground, and requires some more preparation. There are usually no services such as trash pickup, toilets or water. But the benefit of being able to enjoy nature in a quiet, peaceful and solitary setting is worth the extra effort especially when camping with a reactive dog. A couple areas we like are the Stanislaus National Forest and the Inyo National Forest. Just be sure to know the rules and regulations, recreate responsibly, and leave no trace.
Check out private campsites. We’ve used Hipcamp to find private campgrounds and off grid cabins locally as well as on road trips. Some of these campsites are on over 100 acres with varying amenities and lots of privacy.
Stay at a forest service cabin. These type of cabins are usually booked far in advance. They can be booked up to 6 months in advance, and not all of them are dog friendly. But it is easy to filter for dog friendly cabins and lookouts. We stayed at this type of lodging in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
And one final tip, go into any adventure with the mindset that this will be a training opportunity! If Linus is left without guidance, he WILL make a lot of mistakes, so we plan to be proactive and consistent in giving him clear direction. It can be difficult and exhausting at times, but the more we practice, the better chance he will make these good choices on his own! And of course, reactive dogs love adventures too!
