Re: Camping pet peeves
I agree with all of this. On #4, I would add that it's OK to have a dog that's not perfect as long as you make the effort to improve on the dog's behavior.
When I started bringing Bat-dog camping, she was 2 years old and had had a very traumatic experience that left her with a serious fear of people issue. She barked as soon as she saw a person - no matter how far away they were - and it took every trick in the book to get her settled back down. But I didn't leave her at home because she wasn't "a proper camping dog" - I kept bringing her and working with her. I picked my campgrounds carefully, I didn't outstay her comfort zone (when she's cranky her behavior deteriorates), and I ALWAYS had her on a leash and in my control, as well as having my attention on her completely when people came near. When we started she was "a bad camper", after a couple years, she was "a pretty good camper considering" (considering her past trauma), now she's "a pretty good camper". She'll never win the award for "best camper" but she improves all the time.
Just like people, dogs can be newbies too and deserve some understanding for not "getting it" right from the start.
Oh, and she saw her very first raccoon this past November - I think she still dreams about that strange critter.
Originally posted by MWcamper
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When I started bringing Bat-dog camping, she was 2 years old and had had a very traumatic experience that left her with a serious fear of people issue. She barked as soon as she saw a person - no matter how far away they were - and it took every trick in the book to get her settled back down. But I didn't leave her at home because she wasn't "a proper camping dog" - I kept bringing her and working with her. I picked my campgrounds carefully, I didn't outstay her comfort zone (when she's cranky her behavior deteriorates), and I ALWAYS had her on a leash and in my control, as well as having my attention on her completely when people came near. When we started she was "a bad camper", after a couple years, she was "a pretty good camper considering" (considering her past trauma), now she's "a pretty good camper". She'll never win the award for "best camper" but she improves all the time.
Just like people, dogs can be newbies too and deserve some understanding for not "getting it" right from the start.
Oh, and she saw her very first raccoon this past November - I think she still dreams about that strange critter.
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