Spots & Brindle Campground Criteria for Reactive Dogs

Porter having zero fun on his 2nd camping trip.

Since we are traveling with 4 dogs who do not like various things (kids, other dogs, lots of people, etc.,) there are a few criteria that our campgrounds need to meet for everybody (humans included) to have a good time.

This list may look different for you depending on the preferences of your hoomans & furbabies, but this is our list of "must-haves":

Spots & Brindle Campground "Must Haves"

	Car Camping I have to be able to have the car at the campsite. Hike-in sites are cool, but not for us right now with the dogs and all their gear and kibble.
	Campsites have decent space. We usually like to camp at state parks, so we are not asking for 1/2 acre plots, but we can't be on top of our neighbors. The more space and privacy we have, the easier it is to keep the dogs calm.
	6-8 ft wide walking trails accessible from the campground. Once we get to the campground, we do not want to have to load the dogs back into the car to take them on a walk. I need my morning walk and my evening walk (and so do the dogs), so no one is happy without some trails. Since we travel with a pack, wide trails (6-8 ft) are a huge plus. This allows us space to get out of other people's way AND, in general, we can stay together as opposed to being spaced out on a single track trail.
	Rangers enforcing leash requirements. Sorry, I know everyone hates this one, but it's necessary. Most campgrounds require that dogs be on a leash. Lots of people ignore this and it becomes a huge problem when that dog runs straight (like literally-not metaphorically-) into my pack of dog-reactive dogs while the owner is chasing behind them yelling "Sparky-come!COME!!!!!!!"(*Sparky does NOT come.*) To give reactive dogs a chance to be calm in the world, they need practice. In order to give them practice, we need to go out into the world. In order for them to want to go back out into the world, they have to know that more often than not, they won't be accosted by an off-leash dog that scares the living shit out of them, stresses them out, and triggers a reaction. Unfortunately, we (nice dogs and scared dogs, humans and children) are all in this park together and have to make compromises so that everyone can have a fun, safe time. Without park rangers going to around to enforce leash laws, we always have a problem with dogs running at us.
	Quiet Not that the dogs care about this one, but I do. If I can hear cars whizzing by on the nearby highway, I am not happy. Quiet, in my opinion, is a main draw of camping. If mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
	Fire Pit on Campsite One time we arrived at a campsite in Delaware to find that the campsites did not have individual fire pits. They had communal fire pits, which is not helpful if others are around and you'd like to give your rescue dogs a modicum of space. The campground sites were right on top of each other and it was an overall negative camping experience.
	Site Cleaned Prior to Arrival Last but not least, the site has been cleaned before we arrived. This is one that you don't really think of until you experience arriving at a dirty or unkempt site with a pack of dogs. If someone left behind chicken bones or old food, the dogs will immediately find it and scarf it done and then your trip is over before it begins. One time a bunch of wasps flew out of a grill when we arrived and stung my husband and a dog or two. It's a terrible way to start what should be a relaxing jaunt.

That's my checklist for now, but I am sure it will evolve over time. If one of these items is missing, one of us is not having a good time, and the goal is for all members of the family (human and doggo) to have fun. The above 5 items are the "must-haves," but, of course, there are also some things that can turn the camping trip into the luxury setup.

Spots & Brindle Campground "Nice to Have"

(Basically we are glamping at this point-at least in our eyes)

	Electric Hook-Up/Temperature Control The electric hook-up is especially nice to have in the summer so that we can plug in the camper and cool the dogs off in the heat of the day.
	Close-ish Bathrooms The dogs are already a little nervous when we are traveling and if one person has to go, the other person has to watch all 4 dogs, so it helps if the person needing to pee does not have to go on an odyssey.
	Natural Shade Trees give us privacy and temperature control in the summer. We can set up the shade tent, but the less equipment the better.
	Flat-ish Site We are still not that comfortable parking the camper on an angle, so it's helpful if the site is on the flatter side and we do not have to do too much to level it. Plus, we want to keep the camper as close to the ground as possible since we have 4 dogs flying around the inside and that thing can shake depending on how high we had to crank the front of it.

This is our current list of Campground Criteria in Order to Have a Good Time. I'm sure this will evolve over the years and months but this is where we are right now.

Let us know in the comments what you look for in a campsite!

Jess Judy Group Site, West Virginia