New Puppy
We took a camping trip with a brand new puppy after traveling for four years without any pet and after having no dog for decades. We have a precious goldendoodle, Sophie, who was three months old when we begin our two-week trip. This major change will certainly have a big impact on how we experience camping.
Sophie is such a smart girl. She is progressing well on potty training and has learned basic commands such as sit, down, stay, and leave it. But, she can be quite a handful. Biting and nipping, standard puppy behavior, is a challenge every day. So, it will be interesting how she adapts to a camping environment.
Paraphernalia and Limited Space
Our T@B 400 is a wonderful camper, but space is definitely limited. We chose a doodle predicted to top out between 35-45 pounds. She will not require a lot of room in the camper, but when you add all her stuff, it will have an impact.
Undoubtedly, the biggest use of space is her crate. We have an interim crate that is smaller than what she would need if fully grown, but it certainly takes up our dining space.
We also brought a variety of items including toys, bully sticks, a brush and comb, harnesses and leashes. I packed those in a covered box. Lastly, we needed food for the two weeks and her bowls. Whew, camping has become much more complicated!
Riding in the Car
Sophie has previously taken a couple of short trips (45 minutes one way), so we believed she would be okay riding in the car. However, we didn’t know how she would do on a much longer trip. I am delighted to say that she was a real trooper. Mostly, she slept in her crate. We made frequent stops to stretch her legs and for potty breaks. She was such a good girl in the car!
Puppy and First Night Camping
Out trip consisted of three different campgrounds with a one night stopover at a Corps of Engineers campground. This would let us know how she would adapt to new surroundings and sleeping in the camper.
She slept wonderfully well in our camper, just like at home. I think she was a bit tired from the long drive, but she was a good little camper.
Three Campgrounds
We stayed at three campgrounds, Tomoka State Park for eight nights, Fort Clinch State Park for four, and Coastline for two. The awning and rug helped with the sandy site at Tomoka and the dirt site at Fort Clinch.
I wish I could say that she stayed on the rug most of the time and played, but she did not. She discovered digging! So it was sand at Tomoka and dirt at Fort Clinch and it made quite the mess!
She was so sweet to have as a campsite buddy though. The potty training continued to go well and she was mostly a nice companion.
However, she would not leave sticks and Spanish Moss alone. We were constantly taking them away from her.
Campground Environments
It rained a lot at Fort Clinch and because the sites were dirt only, we had a horrible, muddy mess.
We have dealt with wet campsites before, but kept our trekking in and out to a minimum. But, that was not an option with a puppy who had to go out often.
Our last campsite was a dream for puppy camping though. Coastline RV was all bricks, concrete, and gravel.
Walking with Sophie
Sometimes, it was easy to walk Sophie. She would stay close and not pull. I began working with her to heel. At times, she did an amazing job. At other times, she became a crazy puppy. She would bite on her leash, jump upon us, and nip at our hand and clothes. It was like a switch was flipped. That part was not fun!
One thing she really loved about walking was encountering other dogs and people. She loved them and tried to go see everyone near her. That tail would be wagging like crazy! It was a joy to see all that puppy happy.
First Visit to a Restaurant
We had a very delicious lunch at Sandollar, a restaurant with outside seating on the water. It is a very dog-friendly establishment. Our server was very responsive to Sophie and gave her a big bowl of water. You can’t really tell by the picture below, but Sophie was really good. She just didn’t want to pose for a picture.
Puppy Camping Conclusion
So, our new puppy is a great little traveler. The issues we had with her, such as the biting and not behaving on the leash are issues we had at home as well. I hope she will outgrow those tendencies with proper training. The downside is that our small camper is much tighter with the three of us. We may have to get a bigger camper at some point in the future.
Lastly, if you would like to see more of our posts, check out our page, Retirement and teardrop camping!
Happy Camping from the three of us!
