What about the Dogs?

[Sweetpea]

My 95lb chocolate lab is used to sleeping in a tent with us. So when we started hanging, he was curious, but not curious enough to hop in. Now, he likes sleeping directly under me and b/c I hang low, he likes leaning on me. Not sure why, but I think it's to make sure I'm still there.

I don't even know if I could sleep with him in a hammock. He would take up all the space just stretching out!

[DeeGore]

I've slept very comfortably with my 75lb German shepherd mix next to me. The extra warmth is great on a cold night. I bring a small towel just for him if he gets wet. The only problem is his nails. He has ripped through one of my hammocks trying to stand up in the middle of the night. Not a very good way to wake up at 4a.m.

[WV]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hammoc...unt=20&dir=asc
My dog weighs 70 lbs. He also doesn't have a very thick coat, so when he's cold and/or wet he trys to get in the hammock with me. In self defense I made him an insulated hammock of his own.
David

[Triptease]

I am bought a Clark NX 250 yesterday and have been worrying about the same things you are with my dog. After MUCH searching online, I think I found the perfect solution here. My dog is 85 pds so I needed the Large, which from looking at several websites states it weighs 3.3 pds. They also carry a Medium for smaller dogs which is supposedly around 2.2 pds. It's a little heavy, but I figure I'll carry the poles and she can carry the tent so it's only an extra pound or so to bring her along, which is of course priceless!

Also, Kyjen.com has them on sale right now. I got mine for $10.99, more than half than any other place I found! But they are on clearance right now so act fast if you are interested!

[Doctari]

Somewhere, either here or on WB, I saw a kids play tent. If I remember right from the days I had kids its very breathable nylon. If you don't want the dog inside your hammock, get one of these & set it up under your tarp. The play tents I have seen had no door (just a hole), so no worries about Fido not being able to get in/out. That and a suitable sized CCf pad & you got dog heaven, with an enclosed space, it may cut down on any barking, esp once the dog starts to think of it as his "Safe place".

My cat used to like laying in the hammock with me, she would come & go as she wanted. I Miss her!!

[Triptease]

Somewhere, either here or on WB, I saw a kids play tent. If I remember right from the days I had kids its very breathable nylon. If you don't want the dog inside your hammock, get one of these & set it up under your tarp. The play tents I have seen had no door (just a hole), so no worries about Fido not being able to get in/out. That and a suitable sized CCf pad & you got dog heaven, with an enclosed space, it may cut down on any barking, esp once the dog starts to think of it as his "Safe place".

My cat used to like laying in the hammock with me, she would come & go as she wanted. I Miss her!!

Just thinking out loud... but what about setting up an underhammock directly beneath yours? I don't think I'll do it since i just ordered this tent, but it's an idea. I also looked at kids tents, but they are actually larger than the tent that I ordered which is made specifically for dogs. I am also planning on setting it up under my tarp with me. There are tents like you mentioned out there. IKEA actually has some for about $8, but I wanted to have a tent that was fully enclosed so that I didn't have to keep her on a leash all night and also to be protected from bugs, mosquitos, snakes, rodents, etc. while sleeping. It was also important for me to have the option of having just the bug net or the full sides in case we hit really cold weather to keep her warm or to protect her from rain,sleet, etc. Many of the others that I saw only had the bug netting.

[Booya]

Also, Kyjen.com has them on sale right now. I got mine for $10.99, more than half than any other place I found! But they are on clearance right now so act fast if you are interested!

Thanks for the tip! I just got one too.

[Nest]

My dog was actually comforted by being out in the open and seeing all around him at night. He would sleep under his tarp which was pitched against mine at night, but in the mornings I woke up to him outside the tarps. Just something to keep in mind when you pick a dog shelter. Something that blocks a lot of their view might cause them to bark a lot more. Ben would only bark if something on the other side of his tarp made a big enough noise for him to be concerned. If he could see it he was fine. So I always pitched his tarp so he could see the trail, shelter, or any area that had the highest likelihood of traffic.

[LyttleBryan]

I know Weisenber travels with his dogs and let's the Chihuahua sleep in the hammock with him.

[WV]

My dog was actually comforted by being out in the open and seeing all around him at night. He would sleep under his tarp which was pitched against mine at night, but in the mornings I woke up to him outside the tarps. Just something to keep in mind when you pick a dog shelter. Something that blocks a lot of their view might cause them to bark a lot more. Ben would only bark if something on the other side of his tarp made a big enough noise for him to be concerned. If he could see it he was fine. So I always pitched his tarp so he could see the trail, shelter, or any area that had the highest likelihood of traffic.

My dog is more likely to bark at noises or smells during the night when he's sleeping on the ground under a tarp or in his dog hammock. In a tent he's cut off from the outside enough that he's likely to be quieter. I've seen posts from others that had the same reactions from their dogs, but dogs are individuals. YMMV. At Trail Days in Damascus last year my dog voiced grave concerns about late night revelers. In popular areas like Dolly Sods, WV, I try to camp several hundred feet off of trails and away from regularly used campsites. This has seemed to work, but then he may just be growing up.
David