Spring is here; soon it will be warm enough that many people (and their dogs ) will be going out into the mountains and lakes to go camping. I think that dogs love to go along when we go places like camping; but they can also wander off into the woods and become lost, and then are very hard, if not impossible, to find again.
When a dogs wanders off in town, you can drive up and down the streets and probably find them; but if they are out in hundreds of acres of forest, then it is not very likely that you will find them before a predator (like a pack of coyotes) gets your puppy and kills him.
One way to protect your dog is to have a tracking collar for them. It has a GPS built in to the collar, and if your dog is out wandering and gets lost, you can just tell exactly where he is at.
I can also see this as being a great thing to have for hunters, who take dogs along to help hunt in the fall. They are pretty expensive, at least in my budget; but would be very much worth it if you have a dog that is apt to wander, and you are out camping a lot in the summer months.
Good training is also very important before you take your dog out to the woods. If your dog is well trained to stay with you, they will probably not wander off by themself. I think these devices should never replace good training because depending on where you are, your dog could get into serious trouble before you realize they are more missing. It's important to be able to trust your dog to obey when you are out in the wilderness or you run the risk of all sorts of problems.
It is also good thing to ensure that your dogs are well fed before you take them out for camping. Dogs have a keen appetite, and they are likely to wander off in exploration for niceties. What about harnessing it to a post with a long rope that would be easy on their necks and long enough as to not inhibit their freedom?
I got excited with this thread's title. We sometimes go camping in the mountain resort near the Taal Volcano. There were several times that we camped overnight with our dogs who slept inside the tent with us. And I remember that it rained one night so my husband and I huddled at midnight inside the tent together with our 2 dogs who were feeling cold like us.
Our dogs are on a leash when we bring them along to a camp out. I cannot imagine losing my dog in such an affair. That is why we also bring along at least 1 housemaid to help us in handling our dogs.
