Top 5 tips for camping with dogs in Australia
Taking your four-legged friend on an adventure is one of the most rewarding experiences for both you and your dog, or in our case dogs! Over the summer holidays we got to experience this first hand when we headed off on a 2 week road trip up the east coast with our two dogs, Malto and Tucker. Both young and very active Australian Shepherds, we knew it would mean a different style of travel and holiday but we were excited to take them with us. Having only joined us on overnight or weekend camping trips we were excited to take them on a longer road trip. I had seen a post on Instagram that said “Your dog's world is only as big as you make it” and we decided then and there to take them on as many adventures of ours as we could going forward.
Although this wasn’t a huge trip, we were surprised at how quickly they settled into life on the road. We absolutely loved camping with our dogs and picked up some good tips along the way, so here are our five top tips to ensure you and your furry friend have an unforgettable camping trip together.
1. Research Dog-Friendly Destinations
Before you hit the road, it's essential to research dog-friendly campsites and parks. Many national parks in Australia have restrictions on dogs to protect wildlife, but there are plenty of state parks, private campgrounds, and beaches that welcome pets with open arms. Always double-check the rules and regulations of your chosen destination to avoid any surprises. We also recommend picking campsites that will work for you and your dogs. We knew caravan parks and crowded free campsites wouldn’t work for us as our dogs can bark and get overwhelmed by busy places. So we mostly used Hipcamp as it had plenty of dog-friendly campsites, which meant that both us and the dogs would be able to relax knowing it would be a quieter spot.
2. Pack the Essentials
Packing for your dog is as important as packing for yourself. We’ve created a dog travel checklist of the essentials that we took with us, which you can download here.
But the main things to pack are:
Food
Water
Bowls
Leash
A comfortable bed
Waste bags to clean up after your dog and a first aid kit specifically for pets.
Some other things on our checklist that we found extremely helpful on our trip were a collapsible bucket and some rope. We’ve always taken a collapsible bucket with us camping but we found it was extra handy for the dogs. We used it as an extra water bowl, to clean their sandy paws or just give them a quick bath after being at the beach! The rope came in handy when we were at a campsite where the dogs couldn’t be off lead. We’d tie the rope between 2 trees and thread their leads through it so they could still move around freely while being confined to one area.
An additional tip is purchasing an air tag or something similar encase for whatever reason your dog manages to escape. There would be nothing worse than losing a pet in an area you don’t know and although our dogs are microchipped and have current ID tags on their collars, having these put our minds at ease.
3. Sleeping set up
A big one to think about before heading off on a trip with dogs is where will they sleep? We purposely built our camping set up to include a dog box, which sits on the back of our tray. The dogs sleep and travel in the dog box and thankfully they love it! It has canvas window covers so they can feel safe and secure at night whilst also being off the ground and away from any animals that might wander through camp during the night. We also brought their dog swags (which they sleep on every night at home) so wherever we placed their swags they knew it was their spot. We felt by bringing their swags as well as some of their favorite toys it helped them feel at home in each new environment.
4. Plan for Activities and Exercise
Dogs like ours need regular exercise, so we planned activities that wouldl keep them engaged and happy. We would purposely look for dog-friendly trails and beaches where they can run off-leash, and parks with designated dog areas. One thing to keep in mind is to always check if there are any leash laws or specific hours when dogs are allowed on the beach or in certain areas. Keeping your dog active will not only make them happy but also help them settle down when it’s time to relax at the campsite or for long car trips. We found it especially helpful to find parks on big driving days to break up the travel and let us all stretch our legs!
5. Be Respectful of Wildlife and Other Campers
Australia's diverse wildlife is one of its biggest attractions, but it can be dangerous for your dog. Always keep your dog under control and on a leash when necessary to protect both your pet and local wildlife. We had stayed at a bush campsite by ourselves so let our dogs roam a little and the next day we found Tuck had a tick on his ear. Thankfully we found it and it was just a bush tick, which we able to remove safely (this is the main reason why tweezers are on our checklist) but it just goes to show you need to be extra aware of wildlife when camping with dogs. This is another reason we liked using the rope to ensure they could roam but not too far out of our site. And lastly although we hope this ones obvious, always be mindful of other campers and always clean up after your dog.
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful, camping and traveling with dogs really is a wonderful adventure for both of you! And with a little bit of preparation and planning, you and your furry friends can enjoy exploring the great outdoors together for years to come!
