The workweek is over, the weekend is here and you can finally get off the grid for some much-needed R&R. Camping or hiking can be fun with your buds, but nothing compares to a few days in nature with man’s best friend, your dog!
Before going away with your furry friend, the first thing you need to pick is the location. The bush, the outback and the near-urban nature reserves all present different challenges and offer different benefits. But while you’re considering all the places you can go, let’s get down to the basics supplies you’ll want to bring for both you and your four-legged companion. And if you want to go a step further, we’re also going to list some cool accessories that can make your stay safer and more fun.
Basic Supplies
For starters, the basic needs are always the same, whether you’re camping with a dog or not. A tent for shelter from the elements, a sleeping bag or pillow for comfort and warmth, must-have camping tools, lighting, water and a few days’ worth of food. Oh, and a first aid kit would be good, after all, better be safe than sorry.
This takes care of you, but what about your canine camping buddy? It’s always recommended to see if your dog is up to date on his vaccines. Anti-tick and flea sprays or pills are also not a bad thing to pack, you never know what type of mini-life looms outside your door. Basic doggy supplies should include dog food, of course, a pillow or blanket for comfort, water naturally, doggy waste bags, a leash and an identification tag.
GPS Watch
With the advent of smart technology, you no longer need to carry your phone or laptop everywhere with you to get their benefits. Fit-bits and smart-watches can now do most of the things your phone does, but smaller, lighter and more useful for going off the grid. A modern GPS watch, such as the Garmin watch range, is essentially a smartwatch built for rougher terrain and environments, offering tracking, water resistance, longer battery life and biometric tracking software for all your needs and many more features.
But the thing that sets Garmin watches aside from other GPS devices is that they give you the option to track your dog. Dogs are curious creatures and love to run around, which makes them especially prone to getting lost. So, with the help of an innovative Garmin watch you can ensure that neither you nor your dog will ever get lost in the woods. Most Garmin models feature software that pairs with dog tracking collars so instead of carrying a large handheld receiver, all the information on the location of your dog is conveniently available on your wrist.
With battery power that can last up to 14 days on a single charge, the Garmin watch features software that monitors location, height, distance, speed, heart rate, steps taken, calories used and can analyze several sources of data to give you a full picture of your activities during home exercises, working out in the gym, or in this case, your outing. All of this is to say that, with a single item, have a smartwatch, an outdoor GPS fitness watch and a dog tracking watch all packed up in one all-purpose wrist gadget.
Electric Dog Fence
Having a GPS tracker on your pet is great in case they get lost during the day, but even so, you still don’t want to let your dog go too far from the campsite, especially during the night. Forces of nature can happen and you don’t want curiosity to kill the metaphorical cat by chasing some squirrel past the point of getting lost. Regular leashes are usually used and regarded as basic supplies, but, you can still go for an upgrade that will be more comfortable for your dog.
Instead of having a limited range of motion on a leash, an electric dog fence is a device that helps keep your dog safe while giving him enough space to roam around in comfortably. Despite the name, most electric dog fences work via vibrations. A small collar is attached to your dog, and then via a transmitter, an area is allocated in which your furry friend can run, jump and play. But when he gets too close to the “fence”, the collar vibrates, deterring the animal from leaving the area. With up to 40 acres of area to go about, such a wireless fence will prevent your dog from wandering away and give you peace of mind during your time in the bush.
GoPro Fetch
This is another cool piece of tech that dog owners will love to have when exploring the vast outdoors. The GoPro Fetch is designed to give you some really cool footage of the places your dog visits whilst he’s roaming around the hills and woods. A small waterproof 60fps GoPro camera attached to a harness will allow you to virtually see through your dog’s eyes. Whether for safety purposes or just a collection of cool videos, how you use this is totally up to you, we’re just pointing out its existence.
