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Camping With Galgos


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I may purchase an Oliver trailer and camp with my hounds. This would be my first endeavor with dogs. Any suggestions or comments?

 

 

 

Take the dogs and test them in the trailers, with doors closed etc. Rocket hated small spaces and would never have gone for staying in one. He didn't even like the small room at the Red Roof Inn and drove me nuts the whole time.

 

Tricia (45MPHK9) has posted pics previously of the temporary fence setup they use when camping, Hopefully she will post this and give you some ideas, although if you have jumpers you may have to figure out a way to put a net or top over it.

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Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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We've camped with 3 hounds on many occasions. In fact, I used the dogs to justify purchasing a camper. My dinette is in semi-permanent bed mode for the dogs. It also provides lots of storage are underneath. The first few days after getting the camper I took the dogs and would hang out in there with them. Fed them there. Tested leaving them there alone for a few minutes & then longer periods. Basically did standard "alone training" in the camper. Our first camping trip turned out to be cold, rainy & very windy. The camper was warm and cozy. The dogs couldn't get into the camper fast enough & didn't want to leave it. In the Summer, the camper is cool & comfy. The dogs couldn't get into the camper fast enough & didn't want to leave it. :lol My dogs have been very good in the camper while we go off to do other things. We did test this a lot in the first camping trips. It was a big relief to find they treated the camper like our home.

 

We have a couple screen houses to help give shade & protect us from bugs. I even set up fans if it's really hot. We set up xpens in the campsite so they didn't need to be on leash. It also helps protect them from other dogs. Most people in campgrounds are good about keep their dogs on leash or at least within voice control, but there is occasionally an idiot. It's the little yappers on flexileashes that worry me the most. They always seem to have a foolish owner on the other end of the leash.

 

Time4ANap mentioned jumpers. There are wire tops you can get for xpens but my preference is to use shade cloth with built in grommets. (There are some made specifically for xpens, but also other more general purpose ones.) That allows you to clip it to the xpens helping to both keep the hounds contained but also giving them shade when needed.

 

Many campers, including my Aliner and the Olivers, are short on floor space. If you are able to dedicate a bed to the dogs you can get them off the floor & out of the way. If you can secure their water bowl on that bed like against a wall, or directly underneath the bed you solve another problem. Plastic, weather resistant totes, like some Sterilite, Iris and Hefty bins, are great for storing dog food/treats & easily slid in & out from under beds or just keep that in your tow vehicle.

 

Train the dogs to go into the camper ahead of you and never to jump out until you give the command. Even then, it is best to set up an Xpen outside, around the door to the camper just in case. I admit I no longer do that, but did do it for quite a while. With multiple dogs, it is just too easy for one to accidentally get out before a leash was on them or while you are going in & out.

 

As you should anytime traveling, keep ID on the hounds that includes your cell phone number. Leave that on them even when in the trailer. Make sure you have their rabies certificates with you.

 

The plastic water tanks in most trailers produce water with a slightly off taste. We have one of the filters that hooks onto the drinking water hose and use that to fill our tank. For the first day or two the water from the tank tastes fine but then it slowly starts to taste odd. The RV folks warned me about this. That water is perfectly safe to drink, it just doesn't taste great. We bring plenty of water from home in containers that won't leach a plastic flavor into the water. On occasion I've also used distilled water since that has a fairly consistent flavor. Only one of my hounds is picky about water, but I noticed all the hounds drank more with either distilled or freshly filtered water. Same applies to the humans. :)

 

Expect for it to take a while to get all the kinks worked out of your camping set up. And know that nearly all of us have trips that involve problems, large or small. RV's are boxes into which we pour money. Repairs &/or modifications seem to be constant. Still, I love my little, beat up trailer. It's been a huge blessing. We've made trips I'd only dreamed of before I got it. My dogs don't love camping, but they do prefer coming with us to staying home by themselves. It does annoy me a bit that they'd rather be in the camper than enjoying the outside with us but as long as they're comfortable and being good dogs, I'm fine with that.

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By yourself or with help?

You should still use temporary fencing, or are you tethering them?

Bring your own bottled water.

Prepare lost dog fliers and investigate emergency vets, regular vets and greyhound/galgo adoption groups along your route.

 

Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Rita the podenco maneta, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto
Angels:  Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella),  Charlie the iggy,  Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt.

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I will be camping by myself. I have been single over 50 years and still lovin' it. Thank you all for the information. I hope to be ordering my Oliver soon (it is about a 8-9 months turn around). Still trying to figure out a tow truck..nothing at all fancy.

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we camp w/ our dogs, but tent camping...until now. we outfitted a honda odyssey into a camper van. we travel tight, close and always bring plastic bags and dog towels for the wet n.e. weather. we have never had enough room for an x-pen and our last girl ate the canvas x-pen which folded up into nothing. so if you invest- go wire, lots of stakes and again plastic bags. at one point i had a nice plastic folding mat for the dogs. it save me from cleaning up lots of dirt and the dogs like it. they do deteriorate in a matter of time.

 

have fun and show us pics!

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We have a camper and bought it to take the hounds with us on vacation! LOL! We have had no problems except for one getting away from me. The alpha female whined at him and he came right back to me. Praise the Lord! We have gone to Florida with 3 hounds and the only trouble we had was a female pit bull who had recently had puppies was always loose and very grumpy. Also when we were getting ready to leave, my DH and DS took the camper to dump the black water and told me to walk the dogs there so they would potty before we left. Our alpha freaked out that our house on wheels was leaving without her and attempted to run greyhound fast with me flying along behind! After we caught up to them, she was fine! :hehe:hehe:rofl:rofl

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I have tent camped several times this past summer with my one greyhound & my friends large German Shepard. They stay in their own separate annex to sleep in at

night. I never leave her unattended in this. They both sleep well in there. I am right beside them in a separate tent. If we want to go for side trips they are both

in the back of the Jeep. When we are sitting out near the fire she is with me on her leash of coarse. She really does well with all of this.

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