Quote: Cheri Grissom

 Quote: Duane Hull

A lot depends on the dog you have. You seem to have a good read and your heart is in the right place, so I am sure you will sort through everything and make decisions that you can live with.

Yep, there are a few different opinions being offered here, and I respect everyone's varying experiences and takes on the topic. I think Duane summed it up very nicely in what I quoted.

I would never advocate forcing a dog to endure a camping trip if it turns out he really hates it. I'm just saying I wouldn't base a decision on just one trip. Try it a few more times, see if there is any improvement. If not, and especially if you have a boarding kennel Dixon is comfortable with, then that's the way to go. But if he is not used to being boarded, that could be equally stressful.

It is a dilemma, but in the end, we who love dogs will choose what is best for them, even if it inconveniences us.

You bet, Cheri All are giving excellent input on this thread -- While some dogs are Unhappy in a boarding Kennel environment (and certain sensitive Dobies are famous for this) it is also true that once their Owner is Out of range, most simply resign themselves to the separation & settle right down for the duration ... Having a K9 pack-mate to share the experience with, and having a boarding kennel that provides activities like three-walks-per-day, plus play time With Staff in a securely fenced yard adds to the dogs' Happiness quotient while staying at a pet hotel.

Thanks for all of the opinions and suggestions.

For this trip in particular, I wasn't terribly worried about any noise he made since it must have been eclipsed by the multi-family group with kids screaming (playing / yelling) until 3 am every night and their daily use of air-horns... but in general, I agree that noisy neighbors of any kind can be annoying, which is why I'm asking for suggestions.

Dixon is turning 12 this summer, so he gets some allowances in my book for being a grumpy old dog on occasion, lol. We did not take him camping before mainly because Jake (late pal) was afraid of everything, despite years of patient adult socialization, and could be aggressive towards people and dogs he didn't know. Although Jake improved vastly during the time we had him, he never reached a point where I thought taking him camping would be fun for him or us. They stayed home and my brother-in-law house sat if we were out of town. I would like Dixon to continue to go camping with us in the future, but if after several tries he just isn't happy, he can always stay home with the BIL.

Cheri- I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to move the crate out of the tent, great point and worth a try; I assumed it was the obscured view of the tent that made him more comfortable so perhaps a simple drape will help. Or maybe we should just go camping in winter, lol. I will plan to take a few pre-frozen kongs with us to give him something to focus on, too. The cold treat will be even better when it's hot. We almost hit 90 in the afternoons which is about the edge of what seems comfortable for him with all of that fur.

I was pretty surprised at his response just because we do go lots of new places and he's usually so happy. I guess I never leave him anywhere when we go those places, though. I don't really know how much longer we'll have him around, so I suppose I'm being selfish in wanting to take him along now that we can. Our window for comfortable weather is closing so it may be this fall before we get to try again anyway.

Best to all

 Quote: Carolyn Pike Roman

For this trip in particular, I wasn't terribly worried about any noise he made since it must have been eclipsed by the multi-family group with kids screaming (playing / yelling) until 3 am every night and their daily use of air-horns...

I'm wondering if this was part of why Dixon found the experience so unpleasant. I love camping, but I know I'd be stressed and unhappy if I had to endure that kind of racket at a campsite!

Maybe you can try a couple short, quiet trips with just you and whoever else lives in Dixon's immediate household, just to show him it isn't always a three-ring circus. And if he just doesn't like camping, period, then you've got the solution with the BIL available to dog-sit.

Carolyn, I know that you and most of our regulars here know this, but I just mention it for the benefit of less experienced folks who might be reading this thread. It's fine to crate the dogs outside, under supervision, but be careful of the location. You don't want a crate placed in direct sunlight or anywhere that the temps are going to be too high for comfort.

Thanks Cheri!

And to add on to your last piece of advice, to keep an eye out for fire ant mounds in the area... A crated animal has no defense against these horrible pests if they are accidentally disturbed.

 Quote: Carolyn Pike Roman

Thanks Cheri!

And to add on to your last piece of advice, to keep an eye out for fire ant mounds in the area... A crated animal has no defense against these horrible pests if they are accidentally disturbed.

Amen to that! I didn't even think of it as it's not an issue in my part of the country, but we all need to be on the lookout for ants, bees, and other critters that could get easily get into a crate.

Carolyn,

In my opinion Dixon's age cancels out your concerns, or certainly mitigates them.

Just enjoy Dixon, and maybe cater to his idiosyncrasies a bit.

Ignore my earlier epistle. I think at Dixon's age, all kinds of conditioning or stress testing situations is absolutely unwarranted.

Keep him with you and enjoy his company. Be mindful of the possibility of jealousy in re the puppy.

At 12 I would just keep him close by, and take him, or leave him with the BIL to be coddled!
Can you skip the tie out and just leash him and keep him by you?
Ditto to noisey kids..I don't camp anymore,
Campgrounds are more noisey than the city!
We always used to camp mon-fri, so we didn't have to be there for the weekend crowds!

 Quote: Mike Arnold

Carolyn,

In my opinion Dixon's age cancels out your concerns, or certainly mitigates them.

Just enjoy Dixon, and maybe cater to his idiosyncrasies a bit.

Ignore my earlier epistle. I think at Dixon's age, all kinds of conditioning or stress testing situations is absolutely unwarranted.

Keep him with you and enjoy his company. Be mindful of the possibility of jealousy in re the puppy.

THANK you, Mike My sentiments exactly -- As an oldie in my own right now, rapidly closing in on 70 years of age, I have personally abandoned all former willingness to voluntarily subject MYSELF to being Re-Trained / Forced to Change / Made to Please other folks' whims (barring some Life-or-Death necessity, of course) ... That degree of DISTRESS is Detrimental to an old-timer's Health, so I would not do this to any Senior K9 Citizen either.