Camping: Rules for taking your dogs with you to campgrounds

PILTON,UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 20: The sun sets over pre-erected tents in fields at Worthy Pastures on the site of the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, Pilton on July 20, 2021 in Glastonbury, England. After the Glastonbury Festival - which as been held on the Somerset farm since 1970 - was cancelled in 2021 for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival organisers decided to open a family friendly campsite called Worthy Pastures on the festival site instead. Campers can chose from a range of pre-erected bell tents and scout tents which will allow people, for one year only, to experience the farm in a totally unique way. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
PILTON,UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 20: The sun sets over pre-erected tents in fields at Worthy Pastures on the site of the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, Pilton on July 20, 2021 in Glastonbury, England. After the Glastonbury Festival - which as been held on the Somerset farm since 1970 - was cancelled in 2021 for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival organisers decided to open a family friendly campsite called Worthy Pastures on the festival site instead. Campers can chose from a range of pre-erected bell tents and scout tents which will allow people, for one year only, to experience the farm in a totally unique way. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Are you planning a camping trip and want to bring your dog along for the adventure? Then you may want to pay attention to some rules of the road.

As someone who has spent a lot of time camping in the last few years, you learn a bit about campground etiquette along the way. And while not every campground is going to be dog-friendly, there are plenty of places that will let you camp with your canine.

However, just because these places are dog-friendly, that doesn’t mean that there are not rules that you and your pup need to abide by. In fact, most campgrounds have rules for camping with your dog.

Across the board, most of rules of camping with your dog are pretty straightforward and tend to be the same from campground to campground. And yes, that is why we can come up with a list of general rules for camping with your dog, but we also recommend checking with your destination so that you can follow any addition rules they may have. In fact, states like Florida have their pet policies across the state right on the Florida State Parks website to help pet parents planning their next camping trip.

Rules for camping with your dog

  • Pet owners should always pick up after their pets, keeping the campground and their campsite clean.
  • Keep your dog away from areas where they are prohibited, including beaches. Most parks will inform you where your dog is not allowed.
  • Dogs should be on leashes at all times and their leash should be no more than six feet long.
  • Your dog should only be in your designated camping area, and they should not be running free during the park’s quiet hours.
  • Your pet should always be up to date on their vaccinations when going on a road trip, particularly outside of their home states, and this includes when they are spending the night at a campground.

Remember, just because you love your dog doesn’t mean that other people do. And the best way to enjoy a camping trip with your dog is to make sure that they aren’t causing problems for other campers.