At most campsites, rules call for dogs to be leashed and to sleep either in your tent or in your vehicle. Obviously, you can’t cook or build a campfire with a leash in your hand, so unless your pooch is a couch potato, you’ll want to think ahead about how to temporarily tether her so she won’t run into the road or take off after a squirrel while your back is turned
Cable tie-outs, widely available at pet stores, can be secured between two trees and will keep Daisy safe and happy (once she gets used to it) while you putter around. An option popular with hunters, and especially handy at sites without trees, is a stake-out post with a 30-inch chain attached to a swivel. Think of it as a large crate without walls: Daisy can move freely within a five-foot circle, and you can position the stake almost anywhere (just don’t forget to pack a mallet to hammer the post into the ground). A tip: pet-store stake-outs that screw into the ground might work well in lawns, but good luck getting them into the dirt at a campground. MORE
Something else to consider while camping: critters, including those big ones at the top of the food chain. Tens of thousands of bears roam the Sierra Nevada, and their presence should be a constant concern for campers. Keeping a clean camp is the most important element of being bear aware. Dog food, like people food, should be kept in bear-proof steel storage boxes, not in your vehicle, on a table or in the dog bowl.
