Camping with a dog is one of the genuinely great things about owning one — and it goes wrong in predictable ways that are easy to plan around.
Before you go
Check the site allows dogs, and read the actual rules — many limit numbers, require dogs on leads at all times, and prohibit leaving dogs unattended in tents or vans. Assume you cannot leave your dog alone.
Check the surroundings. Livestock in adjacent fields, ground-nesting birds in season, and water hazards.
Practise at home. Put the tent up in the garden and let your dog investigate it, eat in it, and sleep in it for a night. A dog meeting a tent for the first time in a field at 10pm is a dog who will not settle.
Update the microchip and ID tag. Consider a temporary tag with your mobile number and the site name.
Locate the nearest vet to your destination, and note the out-of-hours number.
Vaccinations, worming, tick and flea prevention current — you are heading into tick country.
Kit
Their own bed or blanket, unwashed. Familiar smell is what settles a dog in a strange place.
A tether and a ground stake, so your dog can be safely outside with you without roaming. Never leave a tethered dog unattended, and never use a tether where it can tangle or where they could go over an edge.
A long line for controlled freedom.
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Dog Training Lead 30ft Long Line
Lets a dog range and sniff in an unfamiliar place without relying on a recall you have not tested there. Attach it to a harness, and keep it away from trees and guy ropes.
Water and a travel bowl. Do not rely on streams — leptospirosis, giardia and blue-green algae are all real.
PupFlask Dog Water Bottle
Bottle and bowl in one, with a pour-back so nothing is wasted. On a camping trip carrying your own water matters more than usual.
Their usual food, pre-portioned. Do not change diet and environment in the same week.
A first aid kit, including a tick hook.
Towels, several.
Poo bags and a way to carry them out.
A torch, and a light for the dog’s collar.
Something to occupy them in the evening, when everyone else is sitting around and the dog has nothing to do.
LickiMat Wobble Slow Feeder Lick Mat
Prepared in advance and kept in a cool bag, it occupies a dog for twenty minutes at exactly the point in the evening when they start wondering what is happening. Licking is also calming, which helps in an unfamiliar place.
A warm coat and a sleeping mat for thin-coated dogs. Nights get cold, and a dog on cold ground loses heat fast.
In the tent
Most dogs settle better in the tent with you than outside it.
- Bring their bed inside and put it in the same relative position as at home
- Keep the routine — same feeding times, same bedtime
- Expect some restlessness the first night. Every noise is new
- A stuffed food toy at bedtime helps
- Do not tie a dog inside a tent where they could tangle
Night-time barking is the most common camping problem, and it is almost always a reaction to unfamiliar sounds outside. Options: a covered crate if your dog is crate-trained, a radio playing quietly, and choosing a pitch away from paths and other groups.
If your dog barks all night, be prepared to leave early. It is not fair on other campers and there is rarely a quick fix in the field.
Fire safety
- Never leave a dog unattended near a fire or stove
- Dogs burn paws on stones around a fire pit, and on the base of a recently used stove
- Sparks land on coats
- A tethered dog near a fire is a genuinely dangerous arrangement
- Keep food away from the tent overnight — it attracts wildlife, which brings the dog into contact with things they should not meet
Wildlife and livestock
Lead around livestock, always. Sheep worrying is a criminal offence in many countries and farmers may be entitled to shoot a dog worrying stock.
If cattle approach, let the dog off the lead and get yourself to safety separately. People are hurt by cattle most often while holding a dog.
Ground-nesting birds in spring and early summer — many areas require leads.
Adders in heath and moorland in summer.
Ticks. Check thoroughly every evening: head, ears, neck, armpits, groin, between the toes, under the tail.
Water
Rivers, lakes and the sea. Check for blue-green algae — if the water looks green or scummy, keep the dog out entirely. Watch currents, and never go in after a dog.
Rinse and dry the ears after any swim.
Heat and cold
Tents get very hot in the morning sun, very quickly. A dog left in a tent in the sun is in the same danger as a dog in a car. Pitch in shade where possible, and never leave a dog inside a closed tent on a warm day.
Nights get cold, particularly for thin-coated dogs. A coat and a mat off the ground.
Being a good neighbour
- Keep your dog on a lead around the site
- Pick up immediately, every time
- Do not let your dog approach other pitches, other dogs or children
- Do not leave them barking
- Keep them out of shared facilities
Dogs get banned from campsites because of a small number of owners. Being unobtrusive is how the rest of us keep being welcome.
The best part
For most dogs, camping is genuinely brilliant — a whole day outdoors with their people, new smells, and everyone within a few metres all night.
Do a garden trial run first, plan for the evening lull, and take more towels than you think you need.
