Winter Camping With Dogs

Start with the dog you actually have

The biggest variable on a cold camping trip is not the forecast, it is the breed, size, coat, and age of your dog. Two dogs at the same campsite on the same 28 degree night can have completely different experiences.

• Built for it. Huskies, malamutes, Samoyeds, Bernese mountain dogs, Great Pyrenees, Newfoundlands, and most heavy double-coated dogs. These dogs often prefer a cold night to a warm one, and the main job is keeping them dry and giving them something to lie on.
• Fine with help. Labs, goldens, shepherds, and most medium to large mixed breeds with a normal coat. Comfortable into the 30s, and happy below that with an insulated pad and a spot in the tent.
• Needs a real plan. Dogs under about 25 pounds, short-haired breeds, greyhounds, whippets, pointers, vizslas, pit mixes, and any breed without an undercoat. Add puppies, seniors, and dogs with arthritis, heart disease, or thyroid problems. These dogs get cold around freezing, need a coat in camp, and usually end up sleeping in someone's sleeping bag.

If this is also the dog's first time camping at all, read our camping with dogs for the first time guide before anything here. Leash rules, campground choice, and tent manners all matter more when everyone is cold and the nights are long, and a first trip in summer or early fall is a kinder introduction than a first trip in December.

Book a campground that still takes dogs in winter

Fewer campgrounds are open after Halloween, and the ones that stay open sometimes change their rules. A few things to check before you commit:

• Whether the loop is open at all. Many campgrounds close or shrink to a single loop for the season. Our when do campgrounds close guide covers how to tell what is actually open.
• Pet rules for cabins and yurts. A heated camper cabin is a great cold-season option, but many state park cabins do not allow pets, and the ones that do often limit you to certain units. Check the specific cabin listing, not just the park.
• Trail rules. Most national parks keep dogs off nearly all trails year round. National forests and many state parks allow leashed dogs on trails, which matters when the best part of a winter trip is a midday walk.
• Water and bathrooms. Winterized campgrounds often shut off water spigots. Plan to bring all of your water, including the dog's, which is more than people expect.

Where the dog sleeps decides the whole night

A cold dog is a restless dog, and a restless dog in a family tent means nobody sleeps. Almost all of the warmth comes from what is underneath the dog, not what is on top of it.

1. Inside the tent, always. Not in the vestibule, not tied out by the fire, and not in the car. The tent holds a surprising amount of body heat with a family and a dog in it.
2. Its own insulated pad. A closed-cell foam pad folded or cut to the dog's size goes down first. Our sleeping pad R-value guide explains why the ground is the real enemy on a cold night, and the same physics applies to a dog lying on a tent floor.
3. Something soft on top of that. The dog's own bed, a folded wool blanket, or an old sleeping bag. A familiar bed also helps an anxious dog settle in a strange place.
4. Away from the walls. Tent walls collect condensation and frost on cold nights, and a dog pressed against one wakes up damp. Put the dog bed toward the middle.
5. A dry dog before bed. Towel off snow, mud, and wet fur before the dog comes in for the night. Wet fur loses most of its insulating value, and the moisture ends up on everyone's gear.

Small and short-haired dogs often climb into an adult's sleeping bag by the middle of the night. That is normal and it works. Never solve a cold dog by running a propane heater in the tent overnight, or by leaving the dog in a car with the engine idling for heat; our tent heater safety guide explains why carbon monoxide is the real risk on cold nights.

Paws take the beating

Frozen ground, crusty snow, sharp ice, and road salt in the campground parking lot are all harder on paws than summer dirt. Paw problems are the most common reason a winter dog trip goes sideways.

• Paw wax before every outing. A thin layer rubbed into the pads and between the toes keeps snow from packing into ice balls and protects against salt and rough ice. It is the cheapest, easiest fix and most dogs ignore it.
• Boots, if you practice first. Boots protect better on crust and ice, but a dog wearing them for the first time at camp will high-step, shake, and try to chew them off. Practice at home in short sessions with treats.
• Trim the fur between the toes. Long hair between the pads is where ice balls form. A quick trim before the trip helps a lot on long-haired dogs.
• Check at every break. Look for ice packed between the toes, cracked or bleeding pads, and limping. Give a kid the job of being the paw inspector.
• Wipe off salt and de-icer. Dogs lick their feet, and the chemicals used on roads and parking lots are not something you want them swallowing. A damp towel at the tent door handles it.

Coats, food, and water

A dog in cold weather burns noticeably more energy just staying warm, and a dog that is hungry or dehydrated gets cold faster.

• A coat for the dogs that need one. Small, short-haired, lean, and senior dogs should wear an insulated, water-resistant coat that covers the chest and belly, especially in camp when they are sitting still. Double-coated breeds usually do not need one and can overheat in one on a hike.
• Feed a little more. Bring roughly a quarter to a third more food than usual for an active cold-weather trip, plus extra treats. A small snack before bed helps a dog stay warm overnight, the same way it does for kids.
• Keep water liquid. Dogs drink less when water is ice cold and often try to eat snow instead, which costs them body heat. Fill the bowl with lukewarm water from the stove at meals, and store the water jug inside the tent or the car overnight so it does not freeze solid.
• Keep the dog away from antifreeze. Spilled antifreeze in a parking lot tastes sweet to dogs and is extremely toxic. Keep the dog leashed in parking areas.

Our how to keep kids warm camping guide covers the same layering, snack, and ground insulation logic for the humans in the tent.

Hunting season: orange on the dog, too

Firearm deer seasons run through much of November and into December in many states, and they overlap with exactly the woods families like to camp in. A brown or gray dog moving through brush is the wrong shape and color at the wrong time of year.

• Put a blaze orange vest or bandana on the dog any time it is outside the campsite.
• Keep the dog leashed, so it stays on the trail and close to the family.
• Do your walks in the middle of the day instead of at dawn and dusk.
• Check whether the land you are camping on is open to hunting at all; our camping during hunting season guide walks through how to look it up.

Know the signs of a cold dog

Dogs do not complain the way kids do, so you have to watch for it. Plan to check the dog the same way you check the kids, and decide in daylight what will make you pack up.

• Early cold. Shivering, a hunched back with the tail tucked, lifting paws off the ground, whining, and trying to get into the tent or car. Warm the dog up now with a pad, a coat or blanket, shelter from the wind, and a snack.
• Hypothermia. Slow movement, stumbling, unusual sleepiness, and shivering that stops while the dog still feels cold. This is the point to leave and call a vet.
• Frostbite. Pale or gray skin on the ear tips, tail, or paws that turns red and painful as it warms. Warm it gently, never rub it, and have a vet look at it.

For a first winter trip with a dog, a reasonable plan is overnight lows in the 30s or warmer, a campsite within easy driving distance of home, and a clear rule that you leave if the dog keeps shivering after it has had time to warm up. Our camping in 30 and 40 degree weather guide covers the rest of the family's cold-night setup, and winter camping for beginners covers what changes once the lows drop well below freezing.

Frequently asked

How cold is too cold to camp with a dog?

It depends on the dog. Heavy double-coated breeds are comfortable well below freezing with a dry place to sleep. Small, short-haired, senior, and lean dogs start struggling around freezing and need a coat and a spot in the tent. For a first trip, plan for lows in the 30s, and call it below about 20 degrees for any dog that is not a true cold-weather breed.

Where should my dog sleep when winter camping?

Inside the tent, on its own closed-cell foam pad with its bed or a blanket on top, away from the damp tent walls. Small dogs often end up in a sleeping bag, which is fine. Never leave a dog in an idling car for heat, and never run a fuel-burning heater in a tent overnight.

Do dogs need boots or paw wax for winter camping?

Most dogs benefit from one or the other once snow, ice, or road salt is involved. Paw wax is the easy start and prevents ice balls between the toes. Boots protect more but need practice at home first. Check paws at every break and wipe off salt and de-icer back at camp.

What are the signs a dog is too cold?

Shivering, a tucked tail, lifting paws, whining, and trying to get inside mean warm the dog up now. Slow movement, stumbling, unusual sleepiness, or shivering that stops while the dog still feels cold point to hypothermia, which means leave and call a vet. Pale or gray ear tips, tail, or paws can be frostbite.