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Well what can I say thanks for your responses.  Think we will go for the stake or two in the ground.  Just want to make sure the first time we take them ( they are 10 years old but think they are 2) that we can get the tent up without getting thrown off the campsite.   Liked the idea of tying them to the tow part of the car but we may not be able to park near the pitch..........Now if I could get them to understand that not everybody likes dogs, no matter how big their eyes are, and most people don't like being licked so much........

Cheers Nina

Had my springer in training again last night (someone comes round and works with me) it was brilliant fun.  Sara is a doggy behaviorist too - anyway Stitch did everything expected from him on the long lead and also for a short time without lead... then he decided it was laugh at us time.

Anyway interestingly Sara said ok we will play him at his own game and she guaranteed the confusion will bring him back.

Basically we sat at the side of the field chatting (never a problem...) and making nothing of Stitch, he ran around, dug a little watched us a lot and gradually made his way nearer, we continued to ignore until he was much closer - even I could see his confusion.  Then we talked 'doggy' lots of calling praise etc and damn me he came back!  To start with we were to reward him but not touch - he is not fussed about treats so spat most out, but curiosity got the better of him and within a few minutes he was back to recall sit stay... Initially the wait took about half an hour! Now I am sure if I went back to the field we'd have to go through all of this again but it was well worth the wait I am still really amazed.

I suppose it is a totally different thing if you have a dog who would just bolt off and obviously this sort of training couldn't be carried out on a camp site!

We're taking our daft cocker spaniel away with us this weekend. The owners of the campsite have two cockers of their own, so I'm hoping between them they don't bark the place down in excitement!!!

Normally on a very strict diet (having suffered from Pancreatitis in the past) we are taking lots of small, low-fat doggy treats with us just incase we have to bribe her to shut up. She's fine as long as she's in the camper, or on our laps lol, but if we are outside with lots of kids playing about she will bark with excitement. Oh gosh I hope the campsite bans ball-games this weekend else we'll be going home with a large selection of other people's balls that have been retrieved!  Nah, seriously our cocker will be on a stake with a chain. Whatever you do don't be tempted to tie your dog out on one of those stretch leads - I've seen a very nasty gash that severed the tendons in a lady's ankle after her dog leapt up and the lead cut through the back of her ankle....

Why not get cages for them. We travel all over Uk with dogs and we use large fold flat cages so the dogs do not get into trouble when we are setting up or annoy other campers. The dogs are happy in them as they get used to them and have their toys/bone in ith them. Also they can sleep in  them at night. You can cover them with a tarp or make covers for them to keep them warm. We even put up a 4 man tent when at shows in Ireland and put four cages in it for them to sleep at night in summer.

Erine