I keep a leash on the dog while in the camper, for the just in case. He doesn't bolt when the door is opened, and he does wait, but if he sees that squirrel before I do, he just "may" go chase it.
Something to try - at home. When your dog is running away from you, instead of chasing it, run away from it, calling it's name happily. If he starts chasing you, you can probably catch it, then give him a good treat. When at home, have 2 people in opposite rooms. One call the dog, give a treat when it comes, then have the other call the dog, give a treat. Do this a couple minutes a day, a couple times a day. Your dog will get it.
I'm glad no harm came to your dog, or another dog. Stuff happens.
I think it's the combination of the original post, plus the charging dog/broken chain post, and if you also read the suggestion of using a shotgun to teach a dog to come on the other thread, you might be feeling like the world's gone insane.
Nevertheless, the advice stands. Dogs should certainly be able to camp with their humans, but they need to be trained first and plans, procedures and equipment need to be employed to keep them from being a nuisance to others.
"Nuisance" behavior includes not only running loose and into other people's sites, but... and this is in reference to the other story... repeatedly charging passersby and hitting the end of a chain. People shouldn't have to worry if the chain will hold an aggressive dog when they pass, and if the dog isn't aggressive, then it shouldn't be acting that way. If it is, then it shouldn't be in a campground, period.
With all that being said, often first runs involve a learning curve, and everyone seems to have survived in one piece. Hopefully the OP will start training and have a better controlled, better mannered camper-doodle on the next trip.
Dual's advice is good on doors, and should be drilled on the TT, the TV, and the doors at home. Over and over again. This is a rule that can really save a lot of grief. As in, dead dog grief. Also, he should never exit the TT until you've gone out, gotten down the stairs, had a look around for threats/targets (or something like a skunk, which would qualify as "both"). Until the training is really solid, the dog should be leashed and on a "sit" before the door opens, every time, unless crated or otherwise restrained away from the door. When you enter the trailer with the dog, the dog is sent up the stairs and inside first. If you leave him loose in the TT when you are out, you have to come up with a protocol for teaching him to back away from the door and let you in without crowding/attempting to leave. Train, train, train, and train some more. If you can keep the TT at the house and train daily on it specifically, that's awesome.
Even then, it's important to remember that dogs are "place specific." That is, they associate a behavior with the place it was tought to them, until you teach them to generalize it. So training at home will not immediately transfer to the campground, until you get them there and reinforce the lessons. A few minutes of obedience drills, and practice exits/entries on arrival will do a lot to get the weekend off to a better start. By doing that, the dog knows that "this camping place is a place where I listen," instead of thinking "Oh, DISNEYLAND!!!" and ignoring you.
Again, camping with dogs is great fun, but only if the dog has manners. Otherwise it is a PITA for you and everyone around you. Training takes effort, but it pays off huge dividends as well.
* This post was
edited 04/24/12 02:12pm by Code2High *
susan
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a wabbit, Fuzzy Wuzzy had a dandelion habit! RIP little Wuz... don't go far.
Our Shiba jumped out of the car at Devils Lake SP 2 weeks ago... luckily during the week and empty...I was still embarrassed as the gate guard laughed at me trying to capture her. We now buckle her in...
It happens, let it go and learn from it.
Fred & Jodie, dogs, Zoey & Mika
RIP Bella
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and
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The funniest (yes, it was funny!) loose dog story repeated itself MANY times when we stayed oceanfront on Beverly Beach/FLA - a family had a big rambunctious yellow-lab mix who apparently wasn't trained in the slightest bit. Every time one of the kids would open the RV door,"charlie" would go blasting out - and fortunately for everyone - would head for the ocean (as opposed to visiting campers or crossing the street) where he'd bark and chase waves - all the while staying JUST out of the reach of the entire family who would be chasing him down the beach. This slapstick comedy would be repeated over and over.....
Our little beagle Leo had been camping several times already and was only a couple of months old when he had his first escape. We could BARELY get him to walk up the steps into the trailer and there was no way he would go down them... So we just left the door open and the screen door "latched" on a fairly warm day up in the mountains.
We have a rear lounge on our trailer and he LOVES looking out the windows. We let him have the run of the place and, being a beagle, he gets a little excited when he sees squirrels outside. This one morning he saw one and got really excited to the point where he ran to the door and just jumped right out of the trailer to go chase the squirrels... I was sitting there drinking my coffee in my PJ's and slippers and HAD to go running after him. My slippers kept falling off. It's a good thing he was really young at the time.... He only got about 100ft away on a dead run and he was out of breath.
Now, he's much better trained (NOT PERFECT) and I still don't trust him off leash... Hundreds of years of breeding can't be totally undone.
Jeff
2002 GMC Sierra 2500HD 8.1/Allison/4:10/Prodigy brake controler/Dual Cam HP
Deb and Ed M wrote: The funniest (yes, it was funny!) loose dog story repeated itself MANY times when we stayed oceanfront on Beverly Beach/FLA - a family had a big rambunctious yellow-lab mix who apparently wasn't trained in the slightest bit. Every time one of the kids would open the RV door,"charlie" would go blasting out - and fortunately for everyone - would head for the ocean (as opposed to visiting campers or crossing the street) where he'd bark and chase waves - all the while staying JUST out of the reach of the entire family who would be chasing him down the beach. This slapstick comedy would be repeated over and over.....
Thank you for sharing. I can imagine the funny chaos of Charlie's antics.
It's great to have a sense of humor, isn't it?
Cat (Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
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Yes a sense of humor that many people lack. I agree about the unruly kids, you probably think it's cute I don't. I would never go camping without my dog. Would you leave your children at home? Lighten up people it happens.
My Dad was a very wise man and he said,"You HAVE to be smarter than the dog!". Dogs can and should be trained in obedience. Classes are offered at many locations. BTW: You can substitute the last word in my Dad's quote to fit the situation ie: 2 year old, teen-ager, kitchen appliance, lawn mower, etc. If you simply are NOT smarter that the thing that you are trying to manage give the job to someone that can.
lol! This brings back memories of our first cross-country trip with our new rescue dog, Miss Daisy. She is a 20 pound Welsh Terrier with unlimited spirit. We were about 50 miles from home and stopped at a truck stop in central Maine for gas. My wife took Daisy out on leash to do some "useful business". I was at the gas pump watching as, unbeknownst to my wife, Miss Daisy slipped out of her collar and took off across the very busy truck stop. I yelled to my wife, who finally saw what had happened...but it was too late. Daisy was running, fast and free, from side-to-side of the station. People were yelling, we were both chasing her, cars were slamming on their brakes, truckers were swerving to avoid her, etc. It was a major scene, to say the least. She would probably still be running had someone not opened the door to an adjacent Subway sandwich shop. She apparently smelled the cheese and smoked turkey, for she headed inside, where she was finally captured. Needless to say, we tightened her collar once we had her back in the truck. MaineDon
Take your dog with you camping. Get a Martindale collar for it so he can't back out of the collar and get him used to being on the end of a leash at all times.
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