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Hi

Just wondered if anyone else out there has had any problems getting their puppy used to their tent.  We have got a 9 month old westie and he doesn't like being in a tent at all.  We initially took him away for a long weekend to break him in slowly to the new environment, but he got very disturbed by people taking a short cut across our pitch to the toilets constantly - the site had put us right next the the toilet block.  He did not settle for the entire weekend and became very aggitated and worked up.

On the second holiday in May, we went away for a week and had the same problem with him again, even though we had picked a quieter pitch this time.  He does not seem to like being in a tent at all.  We thought he would love the outdoor life and were looking forward to all the fun we would all have.  He loves playing on the beaches and the walks, but as soon as we get back to the tent, he gets very worked up again! 

Kaz & Dave

We have a 14 mth old westie and she loves camping.  We take her crate with us and she settles down for the night no problem.  

Last time we went however we didn't talke her crate as we were only going for one night.  She was manic! Growled at every noise, very very excitable.

I think lesson learnt!!  She obviously feels better if she has her own space to go into!

Hi Kate

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, we took his unwashed bed with us this last time - I had washed it the previous times, but wondered if that was a mistake.  We had also taken with us all his toys and chews - he did not seem interested in them, as it seemed he couldn't relax enough.

We had thought it best to get him used to camping whilst still a puppy - maybe we should have left it until he was a little older.

Yes take bed blankets toys and praise him when he is very very good. Play lots in the tent with him so he finds it a fun place to be not a scary one. When we took our little girl on her first trip she had more than a baby would need, she even has her home proper bowls for food and water to keep some kind of routine. When close to other people and stuff like toilets we kept taking her to see what was happening and when she grasped no-one was interested in us or her she chilled out completely.

good luck and dont give up on him

Maybe try putting the tent up in your garden and let him play in it? try to make it an enjoyable experience for him. I dont know much about re training dogs but if he has had a bad experience then maybe you need to make it a good experience for him so that he forgets about the first time. Loads of praise and treats so that he looks forward to going into the tent.

xoopsx

One of the big mistakes people do with dogs is comfort them when they have a problem like this.  I'm not sure if you do this but if he gets agitated, then ignore him and carry on as normal.  If you cuddle him or 'speak' to him it reinforces the fact something is wrong.  For example there is a lady who walks her dog near me, her dog will run away if another dog comes near so she picks it up.  What she doesn't realise is that by picking her dog up she reinforces to the dog that if it's not picked up then it's in trouble so it flees.  The more you fuss your dog the more chance you have of reinforcing the problem.

You should start as someone has said by putting the tent up in the garden.  You could always leave the tent in it's bag where the dog can sniff it first and then put it up in the garden.  Leave it there for a while till doggy if comfortable with it there and then try and make games for it.  Throw a ball down the garden a few times and then on one occasion throw it in the tent.  If it's a food loving dog then start feeding the dog in there.  If he doesn't go in straight away then once he gets a bit more peckish he'll go in.  Do all you can to associate the tent with good times for him.

Thanks everyone for your advice .  We hope he becomes to enjoy camping as much as we do!

Kaz

Quote: Originally posted by Crazyplace on 17/7/2008

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Have you tried a crate so he has somewhere he can feel safe like it is his little house. If you use it at home then he will assocciate it as being cosy then when you are away he will still have his cosy crate. If you dont have room for a crate then gwt one of these material ones. anything really that he can assocciate with and feel safe.

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Absolutely what I was going to suggest - get him used to a crate at home, then take it with you. It'll be his "den" and he'll feel more at home.

We take 3 - they have one each that they travel in, which stay in the car, and a bigger one in the tent that they both go in if we both need to go to the shower at the same time or anything like that. It was invaluable during the 12 very wet days we've just got back from.

They fold flat, so don't take up much room except when they're in use. I prefer the metal ones to the fabric ones - they don't get smelly!

I've got terriers, and both mine adore camping. They even love people traipsing across our pitch - it means they get a lot of fuss from the passing trade!

 

Quote: Originally posted by fran1000 on 19/7/2008

Quote: Originally posted by Crazyplace on 17/7/2008

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Have you tried a crate so he has somewhere he can feel safe like it is his little house. If you use it at home then he will assocciate it as being cosy then when you are away he will still have his cosy crate. If you dont have room for a crate then gwt one of these material ones. anything really that he can assocciate with and feel safe.

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Absolutely what I was going to suggest - get him used to a crate at home, then take it with you. It'll be his "den" and he'll feel more at home.

We take 3 - they have one each that they travel in, which stay in the car, and a bigger one in the tent that they both go in if we both need to go to the shower at the same time or anything like that. It was invaluable during the 12 very wet days we've just got back from.

They fold flat, so don't take up much room except when they're in use. I prefer the metal ones to the fabric ones - they don't get smelly!

I've got terriers, and both mine adore camping. They even love people traipsing across our pitch - it means they get a lot of fuss from the passing trade!

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