Your Ultimate Guide to Camping With Dogs
Camping with dogs is a wonderful experience to explore the outdoors and deepen your bond with your furry friend. Whether you're heading into the outback, setting up camp by the beach, or venturing into the hinterlands, thorough preparation is key to ensuring both you and your dog enjoy a safe, comfortable, and stress-free journey. This guide will comprehensively break down the essential steps for camping with dogs—from assessing your dog’s suitability for such trips, selecting top pet-friendly campsites, and compiling a must-have gear list to sharing practical tips—helping you easily plan an outdoor adventure where camping with dogs becomes a joyful highlight for both humans and pets.
Is Your Dog Ready For Camping?
Before embarking on a dog camping adventure, it's crucial to assess your dog's readiness across several key areas: behavior, health, and training. This foresight can prevent unexpected challenges and ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Behavior Your dog will encounter various new environments, sounds, and stimuli while camping, including other animals and unfamiliar people. It’s important that your dog is generally well-behaved around strangers and other pets.
Health A pre-trip vet appointment is a must to ensure your dog is healthy enough for the adventure. Confirm that all vaccinations and tick/flea treatments are up-to-date, especially since wild animals can carry fleas and ticks. For areas like the Eastern Coast of Australia, tick prevention is vital due to paralysis ticks.
Training Basic obedience training is paramount for a successful camping with dogs trip. Commands like "come," "sit," "lie down," "stay," and "leave it" are crucial, especially when distractions like kangaroos or potential hazards are present.
6 Dog-Friendly Campsites
Australia offers numerous dog-friendly camping opportunities, from caravan parks to bush campsites. Many locations provide specific facilities for pets, making travel with your dog more convenient and enjoyable. When choosing a campsite, always check their specific rules regarding leash use, noise control, and designated pet areas.
Jervis Bay Holiday Park, New South Wales: This park is noted as being dog-friendly, with amenities such as a boat ramp, fishing, fire pit, and bike/walking track. Reviews highlight its cleanliness and perfect spot close to shops, beaches, and a national park, with staff being very helpful.
BIG4 Opal Holiday Park: Many BIG4 Holiday Parks across Australia are pet-friendly and are identified by 'Dogs Welcome' icons. These park is recognized as one of the best caravan parks, offering dog-friendly accommodation with great value, fantastic facilities, spacious drive-through sites, and friendly staff. It also features an off-leash dog area.
Reflections Ballina Holiday Park, New South Wales: Located in a paradise for dog owners, this park offers dog-friendly accommodation options from campsites to cabins. It is conveniently situated near several off-leash areas, including Kingsford Smith Dog Park and Missingham Park Off-Leash Area, and includes a handy dog bath at the park. Reflections Holidays are committed to providing dog-friendly accommodation across NSW, often at no additional cost, with generous sites and deluxe dog-wash facilities near leash-free beaches.
Gordon Country, Queensland: This is listed as a park in Queensland that allows camping with dogs. Queensland also features other dog-friendly options like Goomburra Valley Camping and Foxbar Falls Camping Stanthorpe.
Turon Gates Mountain Retreat, New South Wales: This scenic 6,000-acre nature retreat in the Blue Mountains foothills offers an unpowered grass campervan or tent site that is dog-friendly. It features a river area and on-park activities like horse-riding and canoe hire.
Lakes Bushland Caravan Park, Victoria: This quiet, family-friendly bush park in Nicholson, Victoria, welcomes fire pits and is located 25 minutes' drive from The Lakes. It offers unpowered grass tent or trailer tent sites that are dog-friendly.
Remember to always confirm pet policies and guidelines directly with the campground before booking.
Essentials For Camping With Your Dog
Packing smart is crucial for a hassle-free and comfortable dog camping experience. A solid list of camping essentials ensures you're prepared for anything, from unpredictable weather to remote locations, and especially for your dog's specific needs.
Shelter & Bedding：Your shelter is paramount, providing protection from elements and a place to rest.For your dog, bring a familiar and comfortable pet bed, preferably an elevated one to keep it off the ground and dry. If dog camping during winter, pack pet blankets or a sleeping bag for your pup.
Clothing & Footwear： Aussie weather can be unpredictable, so pack layers for yourself to adjust to temperature changes throughout the day. This includes lightweight shirts and shorts for daytime, warm layers like fleece or thermals, and a waterproof raincoat. For your dog, consider paw protectors or dog boots for walking on damp, rocky, dry, or hot surfaces. A dog jacket might be useful for cooler evenings or winter camping.
Cooking & Food： Eating well is part of the dog camping experience. Pack a gas stove, BBQ, or fire setup (checking fire bans first), fuel, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, mugs, cutlery, and pantry basics like oil, salt, pepper, and coffee/tea.
Lighting & Power：Once the sun sets, lighting becomes crucial for safety and comfort during camping. It’s advisable to equip each person with a headlamp or flashlight, and keep a camp lantern or string lights on hand. Don’t forget to bring plenty of spare batteries or opt for rechargeable devices to avoid being left in the dark at night.For off-grid camping, a portable power station is nothing short of a "game-changer"—it can provide continuous power to various devices, from lighting and phone chargers to even small refrigerators, completely eliminating anxiety about outdoor electricity use.
The EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station is an ideal choice: With a 286Wh capacity and X-Boost technology, it can stably power heating devices up to 1200W. Whether it’s a camping electric heater, a small oven, or other high-wattage appliances, it handles them all with ease, ensuring convenient access to electricity even during off-grid camping.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station
Navigation & Safety：Even at well-known campgrounds, preparedness for the unexpected is smart. Pack offline or printed topographic maps, a compass or GPS device, and a whistle or signal mirror for emergencies. Save emergency contacts offline.
Hygiene & First Aid：Staying clean is easy with the right setup. Bring toilet paper, biodegradable wipes and soap, hand sanitizer, a quick-dry towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.
Weather Protection Gear：This includes a waterproof jacket or poncho, an extra tarp for shade or rain protection, a sunshade or gazebo, and a shade cloth or windbreak. For cold weather, pack warm layers and a beanie, and thermal liners for sleeping bags.
Entertainment：For dogs, bring outdoor-safe toys, Kongs, or puzzle toys filled with treats to keep them stimulated and prevent inappropriate behavior or wandering.
Tips For Camping With Your Dog
Ensuring a smooth, safe, and enjoyable experience for your dog while dog camping involves planning and adherence to campsite etiquette.
Plan Ahead
Planning is the best way to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip for both you and your dog. This includes:
Checking campground pet policies and rules.
Scheduling a vet check-up for your dog.
Reserving your campsite early, especially during peak seasons.
Planning your travel route with ample opportunities for your dog to take bathroom breaks and stretch their legs every few hours.
Practicing obedience training and socialization beforehand to prepare your dog for interactions with others.
Investing in high-quality gear, including correctly sized harnesses and collars.
Safety While Camping
Always keep your dog on a leash or under close supervision to prevent them from wandering off, interacting unexpectedly with other campers or wildlife, or getting lost. Some campgrounds may have fenced-in dog parks or "Paw Pen Sites" where off-leash play is permitted. Long leads or tethering cables can provide more freedom of movement while keeping your dog secure.
Comfort and Routine
Designate a specific hygiene area with biodegradable soap and quick-dry towels. Keep your campsite tidy by sealing and storing food, rinsing dishes promptly, and disposing of rubbish daily to deter bugs and critters. Shake off dirty gear outside your tent to keep the inside clean.
Conclusion
Camping with dogs is a uniquely rewarding experience, allowing both you and your pet to reconnect with nature and create lasting memories. By being well-prepared with the right gear, understanding campsite rules, and prioritizing your dog's safety and comfort, you can ensure a stress-free and enjoyable adventure. Remember, a bit of planning goes a long way towards turning outdoor trips into memorable ones for the whole family.
FAQs
Where Should Dogs Sleep While Camping?
Dogs have several sleeping options while dog camping. They can sleep in a collapsible crate, on a short lead with a bed outside, inside your tent with you, or in the back of a ute or car with a canopy for safety and space. Some large dogs may even have their own tent. Prioritize their warmth, comfort, and safety from environmental dangers.
Is Camping Stressful For Dogs?
Camping can be stressful for dogs due to unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. However, this can be mitigated by sticking to their routine, bringing familiar items like their bed or toys, providing plenty of reassurance, and conducting trial runs beforehand to acclimate them to new environments.
What Do People Do With Their Dogs When They Go Camping?
People enjoy bonding with their dogs while dog camping by engaging in various activities such as hiking, visiting beaches, boating, kayaking, exploring local parks, and enjoying outdoor meals. They also use the time to practice training commands, teach new tricks, and socialize their dogs with other pets and people.