Basically this. If you don’t have a backyard, push all the furniture aside and pitch in the living room. It’s all about acclimatization.
First time poster, long time lurker. My best doggo friend (above) died last October at 7 years old from lymphoma. She was a great best adventure dog, always up for anything. She was just the best.
Our new rescue (have had her for about 6mo) is great, but is just a very different dog. She has a lot of anxiety about being in enclosed spaces (hates a crate). Thankfully she loves hiking and being outdoors. I hope to start backpacking with her here soon, so I set up our tent indoors to try it out, and as soon as I close the tent door a few minutes later she is pacing and trying to escape, and just won't settle. She will go in on her own without issue if the door is open though.
We've tried to sleep in it twice now, and both times after about 5 minutes from closing the door she is on escape mode. If I open the door she leaves, jumps up on our bed where she normally sleeps, and won't come back in.
Should I try sleeping in it outside with her? More treats? Just more desensitization training? Any insight is much appreciated!
Edited to add: Should have mentioned, while my dog hates her crate, she is at the point where she tolerates it now for about 4 hours without throwing a fit. Thanks!
Try sleeping [in the back yard] with her before out in the woods? Yes. Extra treats [positive reinforcement]? Yes. Desensitizing with normalizing? Yes.
I'm in the same boat with my wonderful pup. He always cowers in the corner of the tent overnight. It has taken a lot of work just to get that far. :( Good luck! Takes time.
Yeah, several overnights in the back yard, with the flap open, and both of them inside.
Leave the tent at up, and keep her water in it.
Take a long hike together, and then nap in it afterwards.
Would she stay longer if you didn't zip up the tent door? Maybe try getting her used sleeping in it with door open first
What steps have you taken to crate train? I don't want to assume that you haven't done something, but I will say that you usually just need to make the place more fun. Same with the tent. What's her favourite treat? She should get that every single time that you close the door. If she can't eat the treat, then she's too high over her anxiety threshold. Try just closing it part way. Just practice going in and out of the tent many, many times before even attempting to do a full night. Increase the time. But start really slowly, open that door before she gets uncomfortable. You say that it's about 5 minutes so start opening it after just 30 seconds. Or just close it, treat her, and then open it again. If she's not treat motivated, you can just use toys or praise.
Since she can handle 5 min, try scaling way back on the goal. Start by zipping the door halfway closed and immediately unzipping and rewarding. Do that maybe 3 times and then be done for the day, and repeat for a couple days. Then close the door all the way. Then leave it closed for 5 seconds. Take her cues on how quickly to progress.
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This really isn't safe for dogs. Most places in the US have coyotes, which do see dogs as prey. As do bears and mountain lions.
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Coyotes in particular are very clever and opportunistic. There have been countless cases of them preying on or even luring away dogs when humans back are turned. Both people who live nomadically AND people who hike in the backcountry regularly all agree and constantly warn people that while coyotes are almost never a danger to humans, they will eat a dog the first chance they get if they're hungry. It literally happens in Southern California all the time. Bears and mountain lions also won't typically enter a tent unless you either you as a human made a mistake (having food/scented items in the tent when you shouldn't) or if they're already starving. They will eat a dog that's left alone however, especially in the backcountry. It's a huge misconception that dogs ward off predators like bears, a wildlife biologist has a long video breaking it down with case evidence on YouTube. His name is Mike something and the channel is called At Home in Wild Spaces.
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Hun, coyotes can mess up livestock guardian dogs one of the larger breeds. My area posts warnings to not let your dog or kids out of your sight when there are known mountain lions in an area for a reason.
It may make you feel safer to tell yourself your dog will protect you but the truth is you are bringing a domesticated animal with no experience protecting themselves into the wilderness. You are responsible for keeping them safe not the other way around.
I used to be terrified of mountain lions. If I was hiking alone and heard even the most innocuous sound, I’d become convinced one was stalking me.
Then I saw one, and the fear went away. It was a trial I did a lot with lots of cougar scat (that I’d assumed was coyote scat.) The realization that I’d probably been watched a half-dozen times and the cat could care less really helped. Suddenly, they were there and I was there and it was all good.
Then I got a dog. And you know what? I’m fucking terrified again. She’s a way more appetizing snack than I am, and when she’s off-leash (where allowed and where it wouldn’t be rude, of course) she zips around in a way that could definitely trigger prey drive. I’ve stopped doing dawn and dusk hikes cos I don’t want to have her out during peak predator time.
The trail is way scarier when you have someone to protect.
Deal with crate training first as it will help you and will help the dog tolerate smaller spaces generally.
Going from no enclosed spaces to an entire overnight in one shot is probably too much - for the crate or the tent. Start with 5 minutes while feeding treats. Then let the dog out and play. Then 10 minutes while feeding treats. Etc etc until you're able to do a few hours with only intermittent treats.
Do that first for the crate, then the tent. It could take a few weeks.
This. When I adopted my dog I was told he loved his crate, but something about moving to a new environment he HATED it. Would whine and claw for a solid 30 minutes before calming down. Any strange noises and the whining would start up again. His foster mom told me I just needed to leave him in there and he would adjust, which while not bad advice is not the best way to get them used to that space.
I found it helpful to leave the crate open and consistently feed my dog treats only when he’d go in the crate, but I wouldn’t close the door. Eventually he laid down and wait in the crate, at which point I could close the door. I’d stay in the room with him for a while, then let him out. Gradually building up to leaving him alone in the crate a few hours at a time. Also helps to consistently feed them only in their crate, and always have them sleep in the crate in a separate room from you.
My dog rarely has to be in a crate now, and he sleeps on my bed, but when I do have to crate him once or twice a year he goes in willingly. Also helps to have a frozen Kong to distract him, and some old unwashed sheets so he has my smell
Textbook
Exhaustion.
yeh my dog was so tired after the hike, she just plopped herself in there, rolled over and passed out. for anxiety, backyard tent pitching with the exact setup you're gonna have + a bone or bully stick could help too!
I had the opposite problem. I'd take my boy out into the field. Back at camp, I'd give him food and water while I started my dinner. Next thing you know he'd be sitting by the tent staring longingly at me and his bed.
I miss the big guy.
Same. My girl loves to sleep at our feet which is great when it’s cold af. She also loves loafing by the fire and hiking. I hope you get a good doggie soon 💖
My dog responded really well to “relaxation time” in the tent. I used bones, lickimats, frozen bowls, snuffle mats and shade on hot days to make it a fun place to chill with me in the yard. Her training mode is pretty high strung (working breed focus) so training for relaxation looks different for her than me handing her individual treats. Tent flapping and other noises put her on high alert. I would read a book and offer things that she wants to lay down and focus on. We crate trained in a similar way prior to the tent training so that might have contributed as she didn’t even want to enter the crate at first. Once she was sleeping through the night car camping I took her on her first tent overnight with a friend who’s dog who is very chill at camp. That transition was super smooth and we haven’t had any trouble since :)
Every dog’s pace and triggers are different but I hope that gives you some ideas!
FWIW, some dogs just never get over and aren’t for the trail. That was mine despite my hardest most honest effort. Having a trail dog was the whole reason I got a dog, but she just never fell in love with it as I did.
My older dog has been backpacking and camping her whole life. She seems to only feel safe when I have the rain fly on and she can't see out. She's always super antsy otherwise.
I think there are some great suggestions in the thread, but what helps my dog the most is just his mat (he hates beds, so we just have a thin mat. It smells like him, and whether we're in a hotel room or a tent, the mat is his safe spot.
Hi! I saw this late — my dog went from no tent anxiety to severe tent anxiety after a camping trip when she was a pup where she waited just a smidge too long to wake me up to go out to pee. She put a little hole in my tent and has refused to come back inside since.
After a year of cowboy camping with her on backpacking trips or putting her in the car overnight when car camping, I bought a beater tent ($40) and set it up on top of my bed with all the doors and vestibules open. After about two weeks her clinginess won out and she started sleeping inside it with me. I didn’t try closing the door until she’d slept with me in it for over three weeks, and it really helped.
So if your dog needs more practice than a few backyard overnighters, the tent bed might be a solid option! I got her very used to sleeping with it before I started closing doors again, and I think that helped.
Yep, like all others said, look more into crate training tips and tricks. Stuff like giving them their favorite treat before putting them in their crate, and occasionally hiding kibble or treats in there for them to find.
My dog once crate trained no longer needs the door to hers closed. She will go in it when told, and even by herself to sleep sometimes. And....she just so happens to be amazing at tent camping. Very first time she was ever in a tent, I could tell she felt at home and went right to sleep.
My sister gives her dog Xanax for anxiety (he’s prescribed)
They make cbd dosed for dogs.
They also sell anxiety treats over the counter.
Make it a good place. Give treats. Bring a fav toy
I took this question wrong because I have anxiety every time I let my dog in the tent.
Once every couple years, she'll break out overnight if she hears an animal russelling around outside.
She just pushes her nose into the tent until it breaks.
I fear for my tent and her. What if it is a bear or coyote?
I have a big black pup that came with anxieties with being in a closed place like a tent. We practiced a lot of positive experiences in the backyard and eventually came to the understanding that I will leave the flap a bit unzipped (enough for him to get out, like the bottom 1/3) all night and in return he will be content to just check that by sticking out his head a few times a night, otherwise hang out with me. It’s a good deal. He reminds me that I am comfortable all zipped in just because I have thumbs.
Bring their favorite toy
Try starting out with a crate in the tent. Hear me out: the Coleman sundome 6p and the Coleman hooligan 4p are both large enough for my giant dog's travel crate to fit in it. You can either set this up at home in the yard or go car camping. Spend a day hiking or swimming or something that makes the dog exhausted, then when it's time to go to bed have the dog sleep in the crate inside the tent. We have a st Bernard Husky rescue and this is what works best for him. Eventually she should relax and get used to sleeping in the tent, and then you can transition to smaller backpacking tents.
Get her fully crate trained, get her comfortable in the tent but dont close the door. Its probably important that you dont make it a big deal because she will sense your anxiety. I would them take her on a hike and get her tired then go into the tent like replicate the day but maybe dont sleep. You could try doing this inside then do the same process but have it outside. I would also practice in a tent you dont care about because my dog out holes in my brand new huba huba the first time. Side note, my dog will sleep in the tent but prefers the vestibule which honestly works better.
Set the tent up in your living room and watch a movie from inside it along with other normal daily lounging/relaxing energy, once you feel she's comfortable with that, move to back yard, and back and forth until it's part of a routine she can recognize. Plan for shorter semi frequent trips away from home and it should settle her and teach her to actually enjoy it. Lots of work but some dogs just need it.
My hound is very nervous and has a hard time in new places, also isn’t crate trained as well as I would like. Although, vets, daycares, and short periods are tolerated. He actually does great in a tent though! He sleeps in bed with me at home most nights, and when we started out camping we would sleep in the back of my 4runner. I always bring blankets from home that smell like us, and leave the flap open so he can go in and out as he chooses.I set it up like my car was, ( air mattress, blankets, backpacks) and I would go lay in there with him to get him used to it. He now puts himself to bed around 7 pm and wakes up every few hours to do a perimeter check while the rest of us are still up. He is a pretty nervous dog, so I tend to sleep pretty light in case he tries to explore outside in the middle of the night.. I think the transition from the car that he’s comfortable with, to the same bedding in the tent was key.
Set up a tarp by a good leash tree where you can see him and put his bed underneath. You can even get him his own Alcott pup tent if you want :) I put my dogs under a tarp all the time.
Have your tried not making your dog sleep in a tent
Crate train the dog first. It will pay dividends if the dog ever has to fly or stay overnight at the veterinarian.
I tent-trained my dog by pitching the big 6-person car-camping tent in the back yard with a queen mattress in it.
For the dog, it’s a more intermediate step.
Then slowly transition to backpacking set up by swapping out mattress for sleeping bags, and then finally swap to smaller tent.