Camping with dogs.... Zzzzz time...

[Nemesis]

Now that my little mate (staffy) is getting big enough to brave the wild world I am keen to start taking him camping, but have yet to do so with any dogs.

What i'm wondering is what you guys do with your pals overnight whilst sleeping in the wild?

I'm not so much paranoid about his safety from wildlife etc, seeing as he looks like a steroid muncher, but i'm paranoid about someone potentially flogging him. He's so friendly and i've heard too many stories about peoples Staffs being nicked from their backyards.

I normally use my swag for overnighters, but am i set at looking into a tent to keep him in. What do you guys normally do in general at night in regards to the campfire beer time, and sleeping quarters for your best mate?

[Beato]

The few times we've taken our staff camping, he's just slept on the ground beside the swags. But he is three years old and pretty well trained. I understand your concern as sometimes they are too friendly towards strangers. Maybe while they are young you could tye them up with a bed under the vehicle or as you say in the tent with ya.

[953]

I luv my staffy & take her camping all the time. I can undestand your protective but dont get paranoid,Ive never heard of dog theft in the bush but I spose its possible. Enjoy your staffy& dont tell anyone where your going camping:p
Cheers Dean.

[Spimon_NH]

Where does he sleep at home?
Probably best to try and simulate what he's used to. If he sleeps inside at home, the tent idea would probably work (give him a sense of being inside). If he's an outside dog he'd probably be happy sleeping outside or under the car etc...

When my dog goes camping he sleeps in the back of the car (sleeps in the laundy at home). I tried having him sleep on the floor in the camper he never really settled down. Wanted to jump up on the beds and walked around and barked every time the camper creaked or rocked,
(old camper + windy night + mental dog = no sleep for anyone).
Having his own blanket/bed (or whatever he sleeps on) will probably help too.

[Harb]

When I do take my dog, which isn't often due to the nat parks doing a backflip when I do.....I take a chain and use my winch.....
I tie the end of the winch cable to a suitable tree about 15 or 20 meters away using a tree trunk protector of course!!, then I slip a pulley block over the lightly tensioned cable and hook his chain to the pulley block with a "d" or bow shackle, sort of makes a low slung flying fox type of setup so the pulley isn't draging on the ground.
If you want to limit the travel he can go, or you are worried about him going around the tree and getting stuck, I use one of those wire rope clamps..like a little "u" bolt, and put that on the cable where I want him to stop.......
He tends to sleep where ever he feels comfortable, which is sometimes under the 4by or sometimes at the other end of the cable depending on how much I snore !!!


But if he needs to do his thing at least he has a bit of a runner.......

Oh yeah, if its raining , I throw a tarp over the winch cable at one end and weigh it down on the corners with rocks or wood...whatever, then he also has a shelter to get under..

I supose you could run the cable past where the camp fire is, if you really wanted luxury for him !!!!


cheers

[crawla]

my two (X bully/X staffy) sleep in the shorty with me. Other times they sleep in our tent (what a laugh!) During the day they are on their snatch straps.

If you go camping Nemesis be mindful of the baits placed by rangers for pests.
You sound like you wouldn't let your staffy stray too far anyway but it has happened to plenty of dogs and is a horrible death. Happy camping.

As a luxury I do what Harb said too. I adjust the strap so they can get close to the fire with the rest of us of a night. They curl up and watch the fire with us.

[Harb]

x2 on the baits.....be careful.

crawla, ever time I read your sig it reminds me I still love that 40 of yours, that 6.5 must sing............:)

[Zam]

when I used to have to canopy on the lux, I just put a couple of blankets down and locked him in the canopy, but now I have taken it off, i either take his bed to keep him off the ground and put it under lux for a bit of shelter or put up a tarp.

But perhaps a check tent would be a good option.

I have never heard of dogs getting knocked off out bush, but have heard stories of em getting knocked from backyards, good idea to him microchipped.

[disco_thrasher]

i have 2 staffy we go camping with all the time the both have body harnesses and long chain which i then chain to the bull bar ,i have one of those tents that have area between the two rooms there blankets are brought aswell makes em feel secure,i have noticed when we have been camping at night my staffy are very protective of the camp site ,,so much so they latched on to two blokes who was trying to steel my waeco at LCMP and did not let go serves them right,since then anyone walks within 100m of our camp they let them know they are there,,during the day they are freindly as ,,,,when the fires going the lie in front of it and sleep ,,,,they love it and you will love camping with yours have fun
they are to brave for there own good in the bush watch for snakes they dont like to back down

[Vanda]

Mine thinks she human..........Likes to sleep with my boys in the trailer when out in the bush..

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x312/Vanda274/DSCF1203.jpg

[stuartd]

I have a rotty that we like to take when ever we can. At home she has her own blanket that she sleeps on. We take this with us and just lay the blanket where we want her to sleep i.e. back of the wagon / under the wagon when swagging it or in the CT annexe or under the trailer when the kids are with us.

We had to train her at home to sleep on the blanket first but now it works like a treat. We have never had to tie her up to anything when out in the bush

[disco_thrasher]

I have a rotty that we like to take when ever we can. At home she has her own blanket that she sleeps on. We take this with us and just lay the blanket where we want her to sleep i.e. back of the wagon / under the wagon when swagging it or in the CT annexe or under the trailer when the kids are with us.

We had to train her at home to sleep on the blanket first but now it works like a treat. We have never had to tie her up to anything when out in the bush

you lucky when we go camping we gotta chain ours up or they chase after anything that moves at night once we lost them for a entire day when they decided to chase some rabbits,,,,,,,we live on a 250 acre farm and they have free run of that so when we camping they think they have free run out there to ...not good

[stuartd]

you lucky when we go camping we gotta chain ours up or they chase after anything that moves at night once we lost them for a entire day when they decided to chase some rabbits,,,,,,,we live on a 250 acre farm and they have free run of that so when we camping they think they have free run out there to ...not good

Just lucky I guess disco thrasher, She has never been tied up from day 1 and never strays too far from home. We left the gates open one morning by mistake and got home late that night. Called her a couple of times and she strolled back in from the bush accross the road. Each to there own. If I had to leave her at camp while we drove off somewhere I would tie her up then

[Nemesis]

Thanks for the input so far guys. As to my little bloke, he sleeps in the laundry at home which is external with the door open, so he's half inside half out i guess.
So far on any bush walks we've done he's great, won't stray more than about 20m from me before sprinting back. He seems to love the outdoors and so far doesn't chase animals much, when he does (like the 300m magpie pursuit on the oval the other day, funny stuff) I can call him off when i want and he comes back. I'm stoked how well behaved and cluey he is at only 5 months old!

[Chester]

Nem

Walk him before you go to bed and then put him in the runner soon he will see the runner as his and you can chain him to the back and he will quiet happily sleep underneath on the warm nights once he realises the car is his trust me no one will come to close .

Another tip to stop the away from home barking is in the late arvo find a quiet track throw him out of the car and run him till he drops

Remember also if you are taking him on a property with grazing stock make sure you have stock proofed him first as most farmers are not tolerant if you dog injures their stock and you will find a one chance only rule applies. One method i have used to ensure this does not happen is to take the dog on a short leash near the stock and chastise if he makes a move to rush or chase you may need to repeat this over several times they soon get the message

[disco_thrasher]

yeah Nemesis thats the good thing with staffys you get em young and train them they will be well behaved ,suppose thats with all breeds:crazy:
anyway key is to get em young oyr two are 90% of the time well behaved in coming back to me if Brick comes back Simba will ,but if Brick on a mission they stay together,,,,i take it down to all the space they have on the farm ,they do what they want??

you got a good looking staffy there look after him,we show our two staffys, and buy given them eggs once a week there skin and coats shine nice and healthy
from kelvin

[Zam]

Damn I lucked out on my staff, or my training of him. When he is on the lead he is perfect and I won awards with him at dog school etc, however, as soon as he is off the lead he is all over the place and if there is another dog I have no chance of getting him back. Although in saying this I have let him off the lease while out bush and known there is only us around and he only seems to stray about 50m max and then stops looks around for us, then we call him and he comes back not a problem.

The eggs work a treat on their coat, I do this with mine as well and they get a nice shiny soft coat, also what you can add to their diet is fish, either sardines with oil or tuna.

[toddles09]

a dogs natural diet back in the day used to consist of a lot of fats and oils not to mention the plant matter they get from the animals they eat stomachs a lot of people find there dogs eating long grass and sometimes leaves some pople say its cause they a sick not im not a vet but so ive been told its not they will eat grasses if they are hungry so a lot of fat in an active dogs diet is great for them but a lot of fat in a not so active dogs diet.. you get the pic kinda liek the human way lol i feed my pup eggs but also lots of bones with ligaments andfats still on them fatty meats ect hes got a excellent coat all black http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/5214/aceposinmm9.jpg notice the sun shining (very proud of that sh!t lmao)

[disco_thrasher]

totally agree with you there is a book written by a vet can't remember his name ,DR Ian _________-'Give your dog a bone' and prity much say todays dog foods nowdays are prity much poison for your best friend ,,to much grains not enough bones and meats

since our boys have been pups all they gets is meaty bones, chicken wings chicken carcusses all uncooked and either kidney/liver/hearts once a week,twice a week they get greens blended together as if its out the guts of a animal ,1 crushed kelp tabelet teasponn of brewer yeast ,splash of codliver oil ,lettuce,spinach cucumber,any raw vegtable scraps garlic and mix it all up in blender add egg and little bit of kidneys or liver blend to gether and serve ,,they love it

dog food must never be cooked ,don,t know about you but i have never seen a animal start a fire and cook it food out in the bush???

and suprising enough its cheaper feeding them this way

they have not once been given dry dog food or canned food,,,

sorry to change topic Nem

[Zam]

Yep fully agee with the above mentioned about diet, we feed ours chicken or pet mince from the butcher mixed with soup mix (contains lentils, beans etc), some rice, oats and garlic sometimes some pasta. But also add a little bit of dry food (we use SuperCoat, as we told by our mate who is a vet that this is one of the best). and then he gets egg yoke in the morning with night before leftovers.

Once a week or fortnight try to give hime a bone.

[sh0rtyf0rty]

we took our 4month old border collie pup camping for the first time last weekend..

she did pretty good, the owner has 5 dogs himself and she was a bit scared of them when we signed in (at the springs).. however at the campsite she was ok.. until she discovered other people using the facilities and ran over to them.. we had a ground anchor and 5m chain which we'd use if she strayed too far..

early morning was ok she seemed to check everything out in about a 50mtr radius.. and come back when called (although this didnt always happen)..

she slept with us in the tent (we practised this at home with the tent in the lounge room).. it was sub zer0 temperatures and the girlfriend ended up stuffing the dog down her sleeping bag.. after that the dog was pretty settled and slept through most of the night.

i got up halfway thru the night to drain the vein and the dog came too.. she did her business (no.1's and no.2's) and came back to bed.

we have a mat and blanket for her and when she was tethered she just curled up on her mat next to the fire..
http://www.phat42.com/gallery/d/12026-2/P7150040.JPG

she was stick keen but we didnt have any problems with her and the fire.. she seemed to realise that it was a no go zone (she walked through a fireplace on our arrival)..

There was a lot of roo poo around and she would eat that.. i was wary of baits but confirmed with the owner that there were none on the property.. (there were some next door though)..

theres some pix here if your interested:
Camping with the Dog (http://www.phat42.com/gallery/v/trips/dogcamping-150707/)

[toddles09]

what gets me thou is that garlic is used in almost every dog food you can get but its considered toxic to dogs haha as are onions,grapes and chocolate i dont know whats goin on there

[disco_thrasher]

what gets me thou is that garlic is used in almost every dog food you can get but its considered toxic to dogs haha as are onions,grapes and chocolate i dont know whats goin on there


onions are toxic ,,garlic is a natural flea killer there has been a report on garlic for dogs and the chemical thats in onions is in garlic but at much lower % in strenght so garlic in moderation is deemed non toxic large volumes of it can be toxic

[toddles09]

well there you go learn something new every day lol cheers

[Celt's]

Your little fella will be right as rain Nem so long as you always use the same camp setup routine. Rani our little red 4yr old staff is a poeple person and wants to say G'day but just a call and she comes back.

Best idea as mentioned before, run the little bugger into the ground before evening showers/drinks and after he has his feed he will happily sleep the night away. Ours sleeps in the tent as she is in the bedroom at home so it would be to confusing to change that when camping.

[-PAJ-]

My good little girl before she got cancer used to sleep in the end of my swag and cuddle up to me....,.... now she has succomed to cancer and must be put down tomoz.... ITS A SAD DAY TO LOSE MY GIRL MOLLY she will be missed {silky cross australian terrior} 2000 to 2007 RIP MOLLY

[Baldricks_Mate]

My good little girl before she got cancer used to sleep in the end of my swag and cuddle up to me....,.... now she has succomed to cancer and must be put down tomoz.... ITS A SAD DAY TO LOSE MY GIRL MOLLY she will be missed {silky cross australian terrior} 2000 to 2007 RIP MOLLY

I offer my sympathies. Sometimes I think dogs are better than people and if your dog is a mate, it would be very, very hard.

Our Scottish/Silky cross (Benny) is only little but he's loyal to a fault and loves camping and travelling as much as we do. He is seriously in love with my ute and riding in the tray. He has major dog dreams for days afterwards...

[BMKal]

Haven't got a dog anymore myself, but my mum and her partner go camping a lot in Tassie in a Toyota HiAce campervan. They have an old labrador and have bought a small one or two person dome tent - fairly cheap one like you'd buy for kids to set up in the back yard. They take the dog's usual mattress and blanket from the laundry and put it in the tent - last time we were in Tassie camping with them along the East coast, he seemed pretty happy with this, and the nights were pretty cold.

[318 cruiser]

I used to sleep in the swag rusty sleept on my feet with a tarp over him, but now with the pup the 2 of them get tied onto the tray and just string up a canvas cover. Just a tip zip you swag up during the day, tired dog salt water and open swags equals sleeping dog hard to get out and a gross swag.

[Tired Triton]

Another thing to keep in mind when camping with dogs is to make sure they have plenty of water to drink during the day as well as during the night. If you tie them up overnight make sure they have an area to dump a load without treading all over it during the night, then when you get up in the morning they'll wanna jump up on you for a hug....and put dog-poo on your shirt! (Happened to us once...)

[disco_thrasher]

Another thing to keep in mind when camping with dogs is to make sure they have plenty of water to drink during the day as well as during the night. If you tie them up overnight make sure they have an area to dump a load without treading all over it during the night, then when you get up in the morning they'll wanna jump up on you for a hug....and put dog-poo on your shirt! (Happened to us once...)
LOL:) :eek:

[stuartd]

ONE DEAD DOG lol

[matt h]

My 2 ridgebacks sleep in the tent or camper trailer. They would not accept anything esleas they would keep the camp up all night.

[rosedog]

i took my new(5 month kelpieX) dog camping for the first time the other day and was very surprised at how he hung around with no lead on, if i couldnt see him id call him and hed come running(usually sleeping in sun behind the tent.) but i didnt trust him to not tie him up at night though, i think he would of been ok and was tempted to try but have had to track dogs before and it gets painful.
so i tied him to the esky, which was right outside the tent(gotta protect the beer.) he seemed okay, i think cause he could still hear us, and see us if we came out.
some dogs seem to be better than others when it comes to this sort of thing, i had a collie that just could not be trusted, damn thing would take off, and come back a couple of days later. as said above, wear you dog out in the arvo, and they will usually sleep pretty good all night.

[heemon]

I take my two evryehwre with me, wouldnt have it any other way. They usually sleep in the swag with me, its a double so theres plenty of room cept when the missus comes along then we use a tent. I find they put themselves to bed at around 8:00 evry night(a good days chasing trucks thru the bush helps) only problem with that is the buggers are up at the crack of dawn which means i hafta be too. They tend not to wander too far away from me so i dont really hafta worry bout them around camp, driving thru the bush its defferent tho if they see a roo u they wont be back for at least ten minutes.

[Irk]

heres a clue train it to stay and tell it to stay at the end of your swag or under the car.Most dogs can be trained fairly easy just by putting a bit of time into it and if it cant get a new dog because its a dud

[Yonk]

The first I knew of it was the almighty thump of a tackle like you hear in rugby or grid iron games. Out from the end of the awning fell this bloke, arms akimbo and my compressor flying from one of them. He went down face first and I realized the hound was attached to the fella's right arse cheek and was enthusiastically tugging.
He stood and tried to run but the woofer had a mouthful and was hunched up with back feet in the dust, resisting.
They disappeared around the end there into the gloom with the dog tossing its head and wriggling its powerful body.
I love that darn dog too much and was terrified for it.
I shouldn't have worried.
Woofer soon trotted up out of the night with a mouthful of denim and lo and behold a wallet with teeth speared right through it and the multiple named credit cards inside.
The gendarmes were most interested in these, and left the dog out of it as they went to his house and were told he was at the hospital having his arse re-attached. He was arrested charged and put away for various serious crimes, and all because he was poking around in the crate where the dogs frisbee and ball collection are kept.
Friendliest dog in the place too. The gendarmes came back for an update and beer and were very impressed with the friendliness of this handsome protector.
The thief should have stuck to credit card theft.
Do your arse stealing at our campsite.
Literally.
(Also posted under 'Theft')

[Pauly-au]

We have a 4 month old Blue Cattle, hes no dramas when we are awake and is happy to settle around the fire. For sleeping we bought 2 wire compost bins from bunnings and he sleeps in the tents awning.
Other dogs we have had all sleep in the tents awning reluctant to leave the kids

[PJ.zook]

haha nice story yonk.

Would love to take my labradoodle (man i wish they thought of a more manly name) camping one day, but too scared of baits. She is a reasonably obediant dog but can be stubborn, and when she has something on her mind she refuses to listen and come when called (ie when trying to eat bait).

Is there an antidote to whatever they use in the baits? A mate takes his dog hunting all the time, and always carries around a syringe full of vitamin C, apparently if the dogs bitten by a snake he overdoses it with vitamin C which puts it in shock or something but gives a lot more time to get to a vet.

[stets]

i put mine on a lead with the end tied to a tent peg on the corner of my swag or tent, i am a light sleeper so i feel everytime that lead goes taught, mine aint too friendly when it comes to strangers invading camp though, (ask coupland about her going off when some1 went near his car, out of camp and out of sight but she still knew).

[Coupland]

i put mine on a lead with the end tied to a tent peg on the corner of my swag or tent, i am a light sleeper so i feel everytime that lead goes taught, mine aint too friendly when it comes to strangers invading camp though, (ask coupland about her going off when some1 went near his car, out of camp and out of sight but she still knew).

Stets, that dog of your's is a bloody ripper. Great watch dog and very smart.:thumb:

[Yonk]

[quote=PJ.zook;610183]haha nice story yonk.
------
Thanks cobber.
------
Would love to take my labradoodle (man i wish they thought of a more manly name) camping one day, but too scared of baits. She is a reasonably obediant dog but can be stubborn, and when she has something on her mind she refuses to listen and come when called (ie when trying to eat bait).
------------

Be grateful its called a Labradoodle buddy, the alternative is a "Poobrador"

---------------
:(

[Coupland]

Be grateful its called a Labradoodle buddy, the alternative is a "Poobrador"

---------------
:(

I don't think I would be telling to many people what breed of dog I had...

[squeeker]

I tie my two up to a recovery hitch in the tow bar, I have two horse lunge ropes so they are light and pack away to nothing ness, i leave the tray down and the window down on the canopy so they can get under cover if it rains and as they are tied up with rope not chain it means no damage. Saying that we took a friend and her dog camping recently and cause it wasn't used to being tied up it kept chewing through the rope and tyeing its self around things, destroying my gas lamp, bending my stove and kept ripping out the guy ropes on the tent.

As for anyone flogging them during the night, i feel very sorry for the person that tries to take our dogs away from us, one is a kelpie (love that working dog loyalty) and the other is a maremma that has bonded to us, so any one that he doesnt know comes to close they will most likley have their arm removed (if they are lucky, i have seen him rip down a 70kg bull mastif X by the throat, he has a knack for going directly for the neck).

Both mine love camping and because it isn't their property they are quiet untill somthing comes with in a couple of meters of the car or tent.

[Yonk]

Those Marrema's are a regal looking breed.
Our woofa regards being tied tantanmount to being a P.O.W and sees it as her duty to seek her freedom.
She can chew through anything and only stops when you are watching no matter how much she is scolded.
She has to be chained with the chain looped around her neck and the other end attached to steel.
She has honestly chewed through a tree branch and a wooden post before we learned our lesson. 28 kilos with 600 kilos of pulling lower you have to be wary of what you chain her to.
Luckily she is great with people, we only have to rescue kids as her favourite activity to stave off boredom in campsites is to spring on them and lay on top of them and lick their necks while their screams of terror turn to gasping giggles as it does tickle. She hasn't grown out of doing it to me either, undignified as it is for a bloke in his forties.
Sometimes parents are irate and bail me up. I am very calm and reasonable, I always point to the dog and say
"Fair enough if you feel that way, you go ahead and punish it".

No takers so far.

[91GQ]

Nice one Yonk, mine is still a bit small to take out... but give it a few months and he will be out with me...

[Big_Waity]

Tie him to the swag. Maybe even use padlocks or something so some effort would be needed to move him. If someone tries to nick him you should wake up. And take him for a walk before you go to bed so he doesn't get too keen to disapear...

[Yonk]

In reality, how often does someone get their dog nicked?

I reckon if you found someone nicking your beloved mate you should bury them where you find them!:mad:

Does it really happen?

I can imagine mine going with someone for a bit, but when it wanted to come back then being between the dog and me would have to be the most dangerous place in the country.

[orejap]

Now that my little mate (staffy) is getting big enough to brave the wild world I am keen to start taking him camping, but have yet to do so with any dogs.

What i'm wondering is what you guys do with your pals overnight whilst sleeping in the wild?

I'm not so much paranoid about his safety from wildlife etc, seeing as he looks like a steroid muncher, but i'm paranoid about someone potentially flogging him. He's so friendly and i've heard too many stories about peoples Staffs being nicked from their backyards.

I normally use my swag for overnighters, but am i set at looking into a tent to keep him in. What do you guys normally do in general at night in regards to the campfire beer time, and sleeping quarters for your best mate?

My heelers sleep in camper tent on floor. When the minister for war & Finance starts to snore they join in and yes it's pure harmony. I leave the door open a bit so they can attack any theiving mongrel that hasn't read my sign. CAMP GUARDED BY ANGRY MAN WITH SHOT GUN & DOGS THREE DAYS A WEEK....YOU GUESS WHICH DAYS!!! I love all animals except some two legged varieties & it's usually the owners fault if their dog wonders & attacks others in the neighbouring camp. Don't blame the dog the owner needs a smack not the dog.

[grimbo]

my lab just sleeps in the tent with us. You need a air siren to wake her

[squeeker]

Those Marrema's are a regal looking breed.
Our woofa regards being tied tantanmount to being a P.O.W and sees it as her duty to seek her freedom.
She can chew through anything and only stops when you are watching no matter how much she is scolded.
She has to be chained with the chain looped around her neck and the other end attached to steel.
She has honestly chewed through a tree branch and a wooden post before we learned our lesson. 28 kilos with 600 kilos of pulling lower you have to be wary of what you chain her to.
Yours is a marrema i take it?

Ours is chained up when we aren't at home, as we got him a bit older and he was mistreated, so he has only realy bonded to us not the home area so he just wants to be where he can keep an eye on us. Also gives the advantage that he is used to being tied up so it is no problem to him. The kelpie doesnt get chained up anymore but she used to where we lived before as we had no fences so once again she is used to it. So when they are tied up it doesn't bother them they just get tangled and fall asleep.

[squeeker]

In reality, how often does someone get their dog nicked?

Unfortinatly is is not that uncommon with staffy's as the original question was about. it is because people, that deserve nothing mor than to be ripped apart by the dogs, steal them and fight them. I belivee that when caught the scum should be put in a pit with the dogs that they have tortured and then left to be torn apart by them. Or somthing similarly painfull. there is no justice for doing this to an animal, the bar****** should just be put down, bring back capital punishment!

[orejap]

My good little girl before she got cancer used to sleep in the end of my swag and cuddle up to me....,.... now she has succomed to cancer and must be put down tomoz.... ITS A SAD DAY TO LOSE MY GIRL MOLLY she will be missed {silky cross australian terrior} 2000 to 2007 RIP MOLLY

You might not know about a song titled "Old dogs, children & watermelon wine" It was sung by an American C & W singer called Tom T HALL & the chorus is...."there's just three things in this world worth a solitary dime and that's old dogs,children & watermelon wine. Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes & God bless little children whilst there still to you to hate ......and on it goes. Very true I believe God made dogs to care for us & be our best friend. After all spell DOG backwards....Best wishes

[orejap]

i put mine on a lead with the end tied to a tent peg on the corner of my swag or tent, i am a light sleeper so i feel everytime that lead goes taught, mine aint too friendly when it comes to strangers invading camp though, (ask coupland about her going off when some1 went near his car, out of camp and out of sight but she still knew).

Hey STETS, I hope you realise that your pissan Nissan Man is sticking it into the wrong end of the Mitsubishi man does he always do that annally whoops sorry I meant annually!!! Out of interest the 4.8 petrol Patrol used to be the most powerful 4 X 4 on our roads until Mitsubishi bought out the new 3.8 V6 which is only 1KW less in power but 237 KG less in weight. I'll wait for you at the top of the track!!!

[Asha]

Has anyone ever taken their pets up to Cape York? Not looking forward to leaving part of the family behind....

[StevenB]

my lab just sleeps in the tent with us. You need a air siren to wake her

If she is anything like our lab, you would also need a canary in the tent;)

[Xav-mc]

When I do take my dog, which isn't often due to the nat parks doing a backflip when I do.....I take a chain and use my winch.....
I tie the end of the winch cable to a suitable tree about 15 or 20 meters away using a tree trunk protector of course!!, then I slip a pulley block over the lightly tensioned cable and hook his chain to the pulley block with a "d" or bow shackle, sort of makes a low slung flying fox type of setup so the pulley isn't draging on the ground.
If you want to limit the travel he can go, or you are worried about him going around the tree and getting stuck, I use one of those wire rope clamps..like a little "u" bolt, and put that on the cable where I want him to stop.......
He tends to sleep where ever he feels comfortable, which is sometimes under the 4by or sometimes at the other end of the cable depending on how much I snore !!!


But if he needs to do his thing at least he has a bit of a runner.......

Oh yeah, if its raining , I throw a tarp over the winch cable at one end and weigh it down on the corners with rocks or wood...whatever, then he also has a shelter to get under..

I supose you could run the cable past where the camp fire is, if you really wanted luxury for him !!!!


cheers

That's a great idea, i might give that one a go. Just gives that ability for the creature to move around I guess go do its whizz elsewhere and come back in to bed.

Xav

[Yonk]

Yours is a marrema i take it?

Ours is chained up when we aren't at home, as we got him a bit older and he was mistreated, so he has only realy bonded to us not the home area so he just wants to be where he can keep an eye on us. Also gives the advantage that he is used to being tied up so it is no problem to him. The kelpie doesnt get chained up anymore but she used to where we lived before as we had no fences so once again she is used to it. So when they are tied up it doesn't bother them they just get tangled and fall asleep.


No not a Marrema, a fabulous yet much maligned Bull Terrier type.

I agree about people who fight dogs.
I'd like to see them blindfolded in a bullring or rodeo naked except for leather chaps with sausages tied to their genitalia, an arena of screaming fans .
Then..... let the dogs in.
I think it would bring real tourist dollars, give the crowd some fun, a real deterant to other like minded sadists, and the rehabilitated would get a head start in a new peaceful career that's dieing out, yodelling.
Even the dogs get a feed.
Everyone wins;)

[squeeker]

Yonk you sound like you put alot of thought into that. I love it! Even that is probably to good for them.

[TUF-35T]

we have 200 acres at wollombi and when we take the dogs we dont worry about chaining dogs up no real threat of dogs getting nicked its 40 min drive up the driveway we have 40 head of cattle never bothered them in the slightest my main concern was foxes as we have seen a few last time we were there we also had my parents dog with us he is a 58kg labrador he isnt overweight he is bloody huge a fox came close to the camp and the three of them chased the fox nearly a 1km to the other end of the valley i thought my kelpie was gunna nail the fox ive never seen her go nuts like that before but sure enough when i called they bolted back

anyone else have any problems with foxes

[sschmez]

What i'm wondering is what you guys do with your pals overnight whilst sleeping in the wild?

Well, ...... you could build a "kennel":crazy:

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8598/1383803ar3.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5163/060317093314it4.jpg

when tenting .....:zzz:
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/684/1373723rm2.jpg

Or, on the floor in the camper trailer
http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/2816/cobram0010lo9.jpg

Usually, I only chain them up when I have to leave them at camp or if there are bait warnings about.

Stevo

[Yonk]

Great stuff Stevo!
I can't imagine what your vehicle looks like fully loaded.
My Bully is hilarious when sleeping on her elevated bed.
For some reason she likes to sleep with her head off the bed and her nose pressed against the floor!

[Chester]

sschmez when i die i am coming back as one of your dogs to enjoy the good life as for you other wierdos that let the dogs sleep inside the tent or swag i cannot believe that as i would not wake up the next morning have you ever smelt the farts of a 55kg bullterrior x labrador x boxer it is outside or nothing mind you that does not stop the bugger sneaking in if you do not zip the tent up how a dog that size can get his arese in a 10cm gap of zip i will never know thought i was having a heart attack as the bugger spread out across my chest

[Yonk]

The secret of reducing the likelihood of 'fartdeath' is to play around with foods until you find ones that produce milder smelling gasses.
For our mutt the best brand is 'Pedigree' mince veges, those sausage tubes and 'alert' brand create a smell that even the dog runs from.
At 6 years old she still hasn't figured farts out.
She still leaps out of her bed snarling and searches under it and digs up the blanket searching for the invisible pervert that wiggled her clacka.

[saharayeah!]

Yonk.
For our mutt the best brand is 'Pedigree' mince veges, those sausage tubes and 'alert' brand create a smell that even the dog runs from.
At 6 years old she still hasn't figured farts out.
She still leaps out of her bed snarling and searches under it and digs up the blanket searching for the invisible pervert that wiggled her clacka


Hahahahahahahah!! I have tears comming from my eyes.!!! Thats Gold!!!:D

[SURFINLEE]

At 6 years old she still hasn't figured farts out.
She still leaps out of her bed snarling and searches under it and digs up the blanket searching for the invisible pervert that wiggled her clacka.

Lucy and read that and we both ended up laughing so hard we were crying. Thank god our 2 muts dont do that....


we hav'nt taken our 2 camping yet. we will as soon as we can. I am gong to have to get some wire as bundy (our heeler x collie) chews through the lead when she cant see us and they come looking for us.

[nqgu]

They just curl up under the car. I put them on a leash with water nearby.

[tariadamar]

ummm people i have went with just lock them up in their cages on the tray yes i must admit thought they were hunting dogs and we were hunting. as for that though they woulld just sit their and not move at all maby 5 meters from the car or my mate who owns them. yes very well trained dogs. but the main point was dog cages. but a bit of an over kill for most.

[tariadamar]

anyone else have any problems with foxes

hey mate u shouldn't have to worry foxes are kinda small and smart. they know not to take on a bigger dog as they can basicly turn around and catch a rabbit as they are easier food.

[RUT RAT]

Our Labrador always comes camping and she has her own bed on the floor of the camper. She doesnt get tied up because she never goes to far from camp. As for when we go 4wheeling, she loves it. On all the rough stuff she just stands in the back of the patrol and takes it all in her stride.

[Mick B]

I have staffy 5 years old take her camping all the time. during the day I just let her run around but keep a good eye on her as I am bit worried about snakes and traps that might be out so she is always in my eye sight. during the night I just tie her up to the ute with a big rope so she can walk around the camp site with us and when it comes night I just roll the swag out on my tray and she sleeps in the swag with me

[scarecrow2]

Hey guys,

check out what's going on in the post: A Good Bloke that deserves our help! Why you may ask? DONATION A/C DETAILS PAGE 7 ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page) under the General Fourby Discussion thread.

Scarecrow2 (that's me) is gonna get uglier!! - for a good cause. please go read about it, we really need your help!

Cheers. scarecrow2.
__________________

[08crd poatrol]

like others i trained my dog to never go out of eyesite. Also she has a bed which she knows is hers where ever she goes (notice i didnt say we). I can leave the gates open at home and she will sit in the front yard and wait for me to come home.

[Statho]

Well I've taken my pup away with me since she was 6 weeks old, granted I was like a neurotic parent for the first few weekends, though my mates 4 year old shepherd/kelpie kept her in line, directing Kelly back if she wondered a few meters out, or onto the track. she even helped Kelly into the car, by putting her snout inbetween Kelly's two back legs and flicking her up, funniest thing i have ever seen. Anyway, Kelly usually sleeps at the base of my swag if im swagging, if i sleep in the car I usually leave the canopy window down so she can jump out if she needs to use the loo, but other then that she will not leave my side. I only ever tie her up if i think the area is bated.

Here is picture, why?, because I can :D By the way, she only just turned one the other day.

P.S. Yes i am obsessed with my dog.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/Statho/122.jpg