Summer is the perfect season to head outdoors and enjoy various activities with your canine companion. Whether you are just taking advantage of the longer days and more daylight after coming home from work, or are making use of your vacation time to plan a trip with the family, include your well-trained, well-mannered canine companion in your plans! From camping or hiking to trips to the beach or local lake, opportunities to include your dog abound.

Camping with Your German Shepherd

Camping is one of America’s favorite summer pastimes. What better adventure is there than to head out into the woods or to the beach with your family and your dog, enjoying some quiet time surrounded by the beauty of nature? Most dogs love camping as well, with all its different sights and smells. Fortunately, many camping areas are welcoming to dogs (check out a list of dog-friendly camping places on BringFido.com).

Because most campgrounds require that dogs are on leash at all times within the grounds, be sure that your dog is comfortable on leash and on a tie-out before heading out to the campground (note: never use anything other than a flat buckle collar or a harness to tie out your dog!).  Brush up on his obedience training as well. A well-mannered and well-trained dog is a joy for your family and your camping neighbors, and sets a very positive impression among the campground. An unruly, wild, disobedient, barking dog, on the other hand, can make everyone’s camping experience dismal, and can ruin a campground’s pet-friendly policy for everyone else. Be sure to pack your dog’s food in a container that is chew-proof and bear-proof, as chipmunks, squirrels, raccoon, and bears also enjoy pet food. Feed raw? Then pack meals in individual Ziploc bags, freeze them solid, and pack an ice chest for your dog. Feed the food as it thaws.

Hiking with Your Watch Dog

Hiking is another enjoyable activity for both dog and owner. Hiking trails abound in various parts of the country, and differ by level of difficulty as well as objective (hiking to a mountain peak, to a lake, through a Redwood forest, along the beach, etc.). Before embarking on your hike, make sure the trail you choose will allow dogs, as not all do (check out these dog-friendly hiking trails by state). Your dog should also be in good physical condition; taking a sedentary dog out for a weekend hike of several miles will result in soreness, injury, or possibly even “quitting”—a tired dog that is too footsore to walk any further may simply lay down in the trail and refuse to move, requiring you to pack it back out to the car.

Some people hike with their dog off-leash, allowing the dog to range and go forward at their own pace. Unless your dog has a PERFECT recall—not just a “good” recall—and excellent obedience, he or she should not be off-leash in the wilderness, if at all. The dog must be under your physical or verbal control at all times, and not left to terrorize wildlife (chasing a deer into the woods has caused many a dog to get lost, never to return to its owners!) or other hikers or even mountain bikers that you meet on the trail. Not all hikers are dog-friendly, and meeting an unattended, loose, strange dog on the trail can cause much anxiety and fear, and in the case of mountain bikers, this can cause an accident!

A Day at the Beach

Beach visits are also a popular summer pastime. Sunny days, a soft ocean breeze, the crashing waves and cries of the shorebirds, and cooler temperatures make for an enjoyable day on the coast. Many dogs also enjoy the beach, running along the wet sand and splashing in the waves. However, because of the actions of inconsiderate, irresponsible dog owners, the number of beaches open to dogs is continually shrinking. Do not take your dog to a beach that clearly says dogs are not allowed! If you are looking for a specific dog beach, you can check out a listing of dog-friendly beaches by state.

Most beaches that do allow dogs require them to be on leash. Beaches that allow dogs off-leash require that dogs be under total verbal control of their owners; once again, do not let your dog off-leash unless you have a PERFECT recall, even under intense distraction and while the dog is “in drive” (meaning, he could be chasing down an endangered snowy plover, and one “Here!” command is all it takes for him to abandon his chase and sprint back to you). Always clean up after your dog so as to keep our beaches clean and safe for all who use them.

Swimming

This is many a dog’s favorite activity! If you have a water-loving hound, then taking them out to a lake or river for a swim will make them the happiest dog in the world. Bring along a leash, a towel or two, some poop baggies, and a few floating fetching toys for your dog to retrieve in the water. It’s never a bad idea to pack a camp chair and some sunscreen for yourself, either. Again, make sure that the area you are visiting allows dogs, and always clean up after your dog.

We will discuss swimming safety in greater detail in the next blog. But for now, make sure that the place you take your dog swimming is clean and free from any toxic algae blooms. This means avoiding murky, swampy, scummy water that clearly has algae slicks across the top.

Take advantage of the long summer days, and get out there with your dog!