Dogs and hammocks...

[Huweth]

Hi all,
my lovely lady got me a HH explorer asym for my birthday and now I'm itching to take it out for a test sleep. Some of you may have read that I took a bunch of kids from the school I teach to Dartmoor to do some bivvying a few weeks ago and took my dog too. So the plan is to go to the moors again next week with the same kids, new hammock and dog. The concern is about how the dog will do. He was fine sleeping under the tarp next to me on the ground, but what about sleeping under me when I'm in the hammock?

What do you do with your dog if you're hammocking?
He's an 8 year old Border Collie and pretty hardy, but I don't want him to get to the point where he's shivering cold so any ideas as to what I could do to keep him warm are welcome. Ideas in my head at the moment are things like taking a small tent or even a beach shelter with a blanket for him, but that kind of adds a lot of extra bulk/weight to carry. How about just getting him a nice thick coat, he's never worn one before and I've only seen him shiver once when he was left in the car for a while last winter at -12...

Am I just being cruel expecting him to sleep on the floor beneath me?

 

[Miyagi]

I'm sure I saw a "bushcraft" dog igloo being highlighted the other day.

Can't remember if it was on here or BushcraftUSA?

Google may help.

Liam

 

[Mick w.]

I took mine out with me last weekend, and had the same concerns regarding the cold. I got him an insulated coat for the night time, so he could curl up next to me in my bivvy bag and stay warm. He had no problems with it at all. If it got really cold, I was ready just to drape my coat over him as well, but that wasn't necessary.
Mind you, we were both on the ground; I don't know what he'd make of me in a hammock and him on the floor. But at least in his warm 'pyjamas' he wouldn't be cold!

 

[Mick w.]

...That reads a bit wrong; I was in the bivvy bag, not the dog! He was curled up next to the bag...

 

[Miyagi]

Hahahahaha Mick I was trying to imagine how big the bivvy bag had to be to take you both.

Liam

 

[Huweth]

Thanks chaps. Have just been looking for dog igloo's with no success apart from rigid foam ones - hardly portable!
Something the search made me think about was a lightweight single skin pop-up tent. Might see what's about later, but seems like it could be small/light enough to carry and should be fine under the tarp. Either that or it's back to the nice warm coat idea.

 

[garethw]

Hi there
I've found that if you set your tarp (mine's a DD 3x3) up diamond style and guy it out to the ground you have a fairly large & closed in living space. As your hammock is only likely to be 18 inches off the ground, a small camping mat or doggy blanket on the floor under you should be ok. My brittany spaniel was fine this summer just curling up under the hammock.. A few reasuring pats once I was in the hammock was all I needed.
cheers
Gareth

 

[treefrog]

Doggy Jervens bag

 

[treadlightly]

Almost every time I'm out for the night my dog is with me and because of that we are ground dwellers. He is happy to burrow in under the blanket.

I have a hammock which I rarely use because of my dog as I know he would not be happy sleeping under the hammock with me in it.

I did try it once and as expected he climbed in and then fell fast asleep on top of me. Not the most comfortable of nights.

I'll be watching this thread with interest for any possible solutions.

 

[spandit]

My dog climbed in the hammock with me - I'd tied him to a loop that went all the way round the hammock so if he jumped out the other side, it meant he wouldn't tie me in knots! He was very cosy until I needed the loo and had to move him. After that, he got too hot, so jumped out, then got too cold so jumped back in (each time rocking the hammock and waking me up). He also jolted awake at every tiny sound. I've now made a waterproof bed for him and intend on rigging a small poncho as a tarp for a temporary kennel, with him secured so he can't jump in (but close enough to be near me), the next time we camp out

 

[Miyagi]

Thanks chaps. Have just been looking for dog igloo's with no success apart from rigid foam ones - hardly portable!
Something the search made me think about was a lightweight single skin pop-up tent. Might see what's about later, but seems like it could be small/light enough to carry and should be fine under the tarp. Either that or it's back to the nice warm coat idea.

The one I saw was like a mini basha for a dog, perhaps igloo was the wrong word to suggest...

Liam

 

[Bushwhacker]

Dogs have fur, they can sleep on the floor. You could treat them a bit by putting a bit of bedding down maybe. Much the same as on the farm, it's a big no no having a dog indoors. They're yard dogs, they stay outside and that's it, they cope fine.

 

[Huweth]

Dogs have fur, they can sleep on the floor. You could treat them a bit by putting a bit of bedding down maybe. Much the same as on the farm, it's a big no no having a dog indoors. They're yard dogs, they stay outside and that's it, they cope fine.

I agree with that. George (the dog) lived outside on a farm for the first year of his life before I got him so should be used to it, but since then has been an indoor dog so isn't so hard anymore. Like I said, I only saw him shiver once after a few hours in the car outside at -12.
I've been looking at beach shelters for a tenner that can be zipped up. If they're small and light enough I may just go that route, but for about £20 I could get a waterproof insulated dog rug for him which might be better and more useful elsewhere. They're made by Weatherbeeta that mainly make horse rugs. The dog rugs are just smaller versions of the same construction. If it's good enough for my GFs horse to live outside in the winter it should be good enough for the dog too. I think for next week I'll just try him out without anything bar perhaps a bit of old CCF. I doubt he'll get cold, but I'll just chuck a coat over if he does. Maybe a coat/shelter for him will only be needed if it's below zero.
Miyagi - I guess I could just cut up a bit of old tarp and make something custom for him.
So long as he isn't going to suffer a cold night I think I'll just experiment. I'll try to remember to take some photos of whatever I set up and post back here.

 

[greensurfingbear]

First and only time I took pooch camping when I used a hammock I didn't tie him to a tree or anything so he did wander off from time to time, but always came back. He's a lab collie cross so didn't want him climbing in with me. Plus he's not allowed on the furniture at home so didn't want to encourage it when away. I don't think he slept at all. When ever I stuck my head out to see what he was up too he was sitting next to me....like he was on guard duty or something lol. When I got him home the next day he flaked out for hours.

Taking him away again this weekend. Packing an extra tarp for him and figured I might even bring his sleeping bag.....it's a old one of mine that I passed onto him when the zip finally went.

 

[Miyagi]

Huweth & Bushwhacker,

My dog Treacle spends all day outside on the farm in all weathers. If there's visitors with clean posh clothes on (???) or there's machinery on the go he's tied next to the farm kitchen.

The residents and volunteers gifted the dog a sheepskin lined bodywarmer - it's like something Ian Cuthbertson from Charles Endell Esq would wear, bless them they mean well.

Many's the time I've walked along to find him gone from his spot because someone's moved him out of the heavy rain, sleet, snow etc and into the barn - "But he looked so cold/forlorn/cute/and his eyes - oh you should've seen the look"

SLAP!!!

Message to any visitors/volunteers/softies and bleeding hearts to Edinburgh Cyrenians Farm

Treacle's a dog, he has a fur coat, it's made by nature to do a job. The rain, the brambles, pond and sea water are good for it and saves me brushing him.

Don't mollycoddle nor coochy coo him because it'll make him soft and the other dogs will laugh and call him names.

Don't feed him tidbits or he'll just play with his tea and push it around the plate.

That look he gives you is "designed" to tug at your heart strings - LEAVE HIM TETHERED!

Thank you.


**cough**

Rant over...

Having said all that;

He has his own old battered couch at home, he sleeps at the end of my bed, but he only bivvies in the tent when "I'm" cold.


Liam

 

[Miyagi]

Greensurfingbear,

Sounds like the dog was on watch all night...

or he was afraid of the night noises and couldn't sleep LOL

Liam

 

[Bushwhacker]

That's just it. Treat a dog like a dog. I'm not a fan of anthropomorphism.

 

[harrisp]

I know for a fact my dog wouldn't sleep on the floor, he would be in the hammock with me.
Even in a tent he will lay across me and the missus.

 

[Miyagi]

That's just it. Treat a dog like a dog. I'm not a fan of anthropomorphism.

Even as kids we'd get bollocked off my Gran if we soft soaped, baby talked or cuddled the dogs.

In her view they're animals/working dogs first and pets second and beleived that folk make that mistake at their peril.

Having said that, she'd laugh like a drain when we dressed them up in balaclavas and cardigans and raced them about in wheel barrows/prams etc.

Liam

 

[Huweth]

Still totally agree with you, BUT, your dog is accustomed to it, mine isn't anymore. In the same way as it takes you a while to get used to the heat in a hot climate when you first arrive it's the same for cold - human or dog.
It just means the difference between what is comfortable/acceptable for your dog and the winter air and my dog are different. A dog is a dog, but it also has physiological requirements like a human or any other organism. If I can do something to make sure my dog doesn't get hypothermia I will, and if I can let him have a not unenjoyable camping experience I will. But whatever I do he won't be wearing any designer sunglasses on a sunny day or Gucci shoes to visit the parents!
Another reason to at least make some effort to make the dog comfortable is to keep irritating people from saying I'm mistreating my dog. Much as I like to have the argument with them I don't want it if I can help it as it'll spoil my weekend. When people have confronted me about my dog while camping before they seem to overlook the fact that were in the woods, I have an axe, knives, a machete, a shovel and a bad temper.
BTW - those Jeven bags look really nice but expensive. I like the idea. Maybe I'll look into the design more and see if I can make one.