Camping with puppies

we just got back from camping with our 6 month old pup. She actually did amazing! She didn't run off, stayed in the general area with us, and only got into some cow pies and deer poop (her favorites) Oh, she also got a fish head from the fish we caught somehow, thought we packed them all up in the garbage. We took her regular kennel and just broke it down, then set it up at the site. This was invaluable, so much less worrying. She slept in it and we used it when making food and eating, since she isn't well trained yet to leave things alone. She got absolutely filthy and found a burr bush, so that was fun, but she loved it. We bought a tie out to use, but never had to because she stayed. We were in a dispersed camping area. If we were in a campsite with people everywhere, I think it would have been a nightmare, keeping her from barking or wanting to play with other people. So if possible, see if there is somewhere off the beaten path. She also seemed to respect the camp, and went elsewhere outside camp to do her business, that was nice!I took 2 liter bottles of water, for the drive up there and during camp, food in a plastic container. If it was bear or raccoon or other critter country, be careful where you put that! We made sure to never let her in the tent or trailer, and she did great staying out so we didn'thave any problems there. We were so excited that things went well, so I hope the rest of you will go for it and have fun camping with your pups! The only downside I would say is that when we got back she had regressed a little with the leash and mouthing hands for some reason. Too much freedom, I guess. But it was worth it. I felt happy knowing she would alert us to anything major, and in the crate she was good about not barking at every little thing(another thing I was worried about).hope to make many more trips with her now!

oh, I saw you also asked about kids, I would have to say the kids and dog had a great time playing together. The kids absolutely cracked up when Daisy would stick her head in the tent!The last day they started a game of "kick the can" and Daisy was right in there with them. she also stole the can a few times Although she wasn't behaving very well for our niece and nephew who didn't really know how to act around her. For example, they kept telling her "down" if she jumped, and we use the word "off" so that was frustrating. But not much we could do training the kids in that short of a time,even though i kept reminding them. So if you go with others, maybe a quick lesson at the beginning. A few of the kids did get food snatched out of their hands, but we are still working on that with training. Our girl is big enough to do that, a smaller puppy couldn't. Overall, I think it is a lot of fun, with a lot of work. The packing list for the dog seemed longer than the people list! I compared it to travelling with a baby!