Should I Allow My Dog to Sleep Inside my Tent?
For many backpackers and campers, a dog makes a great companion during the day but once night falls the question of sleeping arrangements hits you. Do I let my dog sleep inside the tent or outside? Will he damage my expensive tent? It’s undoubtedly a dilemma so did quite a bit of research into this issue.
It seems that over many hiking forums it is collectively agreed that letting dogs sleep inside tents is the safest option for both yourself, your dog and other campers. Issues such as your dog accidentally damaging your tent is definitely outweighed by health and safety concerns for your dog, for example, the desire to hunt wildlife at night, exposure to ticks and mosquitoes and security issues.
Where should my dog sleep when camping? Your dog should sleep inside your tent while camping. If he is used to sleeping in a dog bed, bring it along and put it inside your tent. If your dog sleeps in a crate, make sure you have a tent that is large enough to accomodate it.
Can my dog sleep outside while camping? If the weather is good, your dog can sleep outside while camping if they are tethered and can not wander away. However it is best practice to make your dog sleep inside a tent, in a car or in a RV.
Table of Contents
Training Your Dog To Sleep Inside A Tent
How do I train my dog to sleep inside a tent? To train your dog to sleep inside a tent, first introduce the tent at home, allowing your dog to explore inside it. Next, set up a sleeping area inside the tent and then spend time inside the tent with your dog.
Step By Step Guide For Training Your Dog To Sleep Inside A Tent
- Introduce the tent to your dog at home
- Set up a sleeping area inside the tent
- Spend time inside the tent with your dog with the doors open
- Teach your dog that they can scratch the flaps, walls or fly screens
- Close the flaps of your tent so your dog gets used to the confined space
Pros & Cons of Letting Your Dog Sleep Inside Your Tent
| Pros | Cons |
| You know where your dog is, proximity, security | Dog’s sharp nails could potentially rip tent floor and walls |
| Keeps yourself and your dog warm, shared body heat | Dog can be restless or excited at night by new noises outside and disrupt your sleep |
| Shelter for dog | |
| Protects dog from bugs e.g. mosquitoes and ticks | |
| Prevents dog from wandering off and hunting wildlife |
How to Prevent Dog’s Nails Ripping The Tent
1. Keep your dog’s nails short
Make sure you cut your dog’s nails before leaving for your camping trip. Often after cutting, nails are quite sharp on the corners. You can either file the sharp edges or walk your dog on a concrete footpath and they will eventually go smooth.
2. Lay a blanket or ground sheet down
Laying a blanket or ground sheet down will give an extra layer of protection for your tent. If you are hiking and are concerned about the extra weight of a blanket you can carry a small lightweight blanket instead and train your dog to only sleep on that spot instead of bringing a blanket that covers the whole floor.
3. Tire your dog out
Tire your dog out before entering the tent so she/he is less likely to run around all excited and accidentally rip the tent. If you are hiking and then setting up camp, give your dog a load to carry in a dog hiking bag during the day. If you are driving to a camping site you could play a game of fetch or go explore the area with your dog off-leash. This will make sure your dog sleeps through the night.
4. Don’t leave your dog unattended in a tent
If you leave your dog by himself/herself in a tent he/she might panic at waking up and finding you gone. This may result in a nice hole in your tent. So if you need to go out to the bathroom at night either be really really quick or bring your dog with you.
5. Buy a dog specific tent
Purchase a tent that will specifically purpose a camping trip for you and your canine friend. You can buy a tent that is made out of stronger material or just buy a cheaper tent that you won’t mind getting dirty and developing a few holes over time. Some tents are even floor-less if you are that concerned about holes.
What To Do If My Dog’s Nails Rip My Tent?
Sometimes even if you take all measures to prevent your dog’s nails ripping your tent it can happen by accident. It important to bring tent patching supplies or even just duct tape to fix your tent for the time being.
What Do I Do With a Wet Dog When Camping?
Check the weather forecast before embarking on a camping trip. If it is going to rain bring a lightweight towel to dry your dog. If your dog has long fur and you are concerned that a towel won’t dry him/her quick enough you can use techniques such as brushing while towel drying to maximise airflow and drying speed.
Also consider bringing some deodorising spray because wet-dog smell isn’t very pleasant in a tent.
How To Choose An Appropriate Dog Tent
1. What Breed of Dog Do You Own?
The breed of your dog is really important to take into consideration when shopping around for a dog friendly tent.
The size of your dog will affect the size of the tent you will buy. You might have to go up a whole person size for a larger dog while you might be able to squeeze a small dog into your normal person capacity tent.
Also you will need to take into consideration the special needs of your dog breed. For example, thicker coat breeds will need a tent with good ventilation for summer camping trips while short-haired dogs will need tents with good insulation for winter trips.
2. How Many Dogs & People Will Be In The Tent?
You need to consider how much space each person and dog will take up and buy a tent that will comfortably fit everyone. One dog will need 0.5 – 1 whole extra capacity of space.
3. Where Are You Going and How Are You Getting There?
Ask yourself these questions before looking for a tent:
- Am I car camping or backpacking?
- What is the climate like where I am going?
If you are backpacking you would want to opt for the lightest weight of tent you can find since you have to carry it everywhere. On the other hand, if you are car camping you can pretty much bring any size of tent you want as long as it fits inside your vehicle.
If you are camping in winter in a cold climate you need a tent with good insulation and if you are camping in summer you need a tent with good ventilation.
A good multi-purpose tent is a 3-season tent. These tents offer good ventilation but also insulation in cooler weather.
4. What To Look For In A Dog Friendly Tent
Size
Go a bit bigger than what you would normally buy for the number of people. The amount of extra space depends on the size of your dog. A small dog like a Chihuahua won’t need much more space and could probably fit inside the normal number of people requirement. On the other hand, a Labrador would need the space of 0.5 to 1 whole extra person.
Look for a tent that is a dome or rectangular shape. A low profile tent or a tapered tent can scare dogs because it’s quite a confined area and many dogs won’t get inside a tent like that.
Floor
Look for a tent with a strong floor so it won’t get ripped by sharp dog nails.
Doors
Look for tents with two doors. This is important so your dog doesn’t have to climb over you if she/he needs to go out to the toilet or vice versa.
Ventilation
The airflow of your tent is important especially if you are camping when it’s hot. Generally dogs do not like hot and humid spaces and without ventilation, condensation will build up inside and it will quickly become uncomfortable. If you pack up a wet tent in the morning it will get mouldy. Look for tents with 2 doors on either side to maximise airflow.
Insulation
If you are camping during autumn or winter, you should consider getting a tent with good insulation because it can get quite cold at night even with the extra shared body heat of your dog.
If you want your dog to be even warmer you can purchase a dog sleeping bag.
My Dog Tent Recommendations
2 Person Tent
Mountainsmith Morrison 2 Person 3 Season Tent
Rating:
5 ½ stars on Amazon
Price:
Check out the current price here
Review:
The Mountain-smith Morrison 2 person tent is the best tent for one person and a dog. It is a free standing tent, citron green in colour and features a two door and vestibule layout with tent fly ventilation windows.
| Size | 234 cm x 142 cm x 109 cm Floor area: 3.25 square metres Vestibule area: 1.6 square metres Peak height: 109 cm |
| Weight | 2.5 kg packed |
| Season | 3 seasons |
| Floor | Bathtub floor construction |
| Ventilation | Fly screen ventilation windows |
| Insulation | n/a |
| Doors | 2 doors |
| Other | Clip pole attachment |
4 Person Tent
Mountainsmith Genesee 4 Tent
Rating:
4 ½ stars on Amazon
Price:
Review:
The Mountainsmith Genesee 4 person tent is the best tent for either 3 people and one dog or 2 people and two dogs. It is a free standing tent, blue in colour and features a two door and vestibule layout with tent fly ventilation windows.
| Size | 243 cm x 213 cm x 132 cm Floor Area: 5.2 square metres Vestibule Area: 1.9 square metres Peak Height: 132cm |
| Weight | 3.1kg packed |
| Season | 3 seasons |
| Floor | Bathtub floor construction |
| Ventilation | Fly screen ventilation windows |
| Insulation | n/a |
| Doors | 2 doors |
| Other | Ceiling loft pocket Reflective guy lines with tension lock |
6 Person Tent
Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room
Rating:
4 stars on Amazon
Price:
Review:
The Coleman Dome Tent is a spacious 6 person tent which is emerald green in colour. It features a screened in porch room. This tent can fit either 5 people and one dog, 4 people and two dogs, 3 people and 3 dogs, 2 people and 4 dogs, 1 person and 5 dogs or just 6 dogs if you really wanted.
| Size | Floor: 10 x 9 feet Vestibule: 10 x 5 feet Peak Height: 172cm |
| Weight | 9.4 kg packed |
| Season | 3 seasons |
| Floor | Strong waterproof floor |
| Ventilation | Fly screen ventilation windows |
| Insulation | Protected Seams |
| Doors | 1 door |
| Other | Polyester taffeta 75D Screen Room Storage pockets |
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