Does anyone have tips for introducing their nervous puppy to camping? I have a 13 week old australian shepherd who barks at new objects in the house, and is overall scared of everything (except dogs). I've been working on his confidence every day – taking him to home depot, he gets short walks around the apartment complex where he sees people and dogs, goes in the car everyday, goes through the drive thru, and goes to a puppy class twice a week. Obviously, he is not fully vaccinated and not going to the woods to camp. I just want to introduce him to "camping" in the house. I used to have a rescue dog who was terrified of camping gear to the point of attacking it out of fear, and I don't want that to happen to my puppy too.
Currently, I have sleeping bags, inflatable sleeping pads, and a tent in the living room that I kind of shuffle around, open/close during the day while he's in his pen. Currently, he is barking bloody murder at the inflatable sleeping pad because it inflates, which is understandably scary to a new puppy. I haven't even started constructing the tent because I know he will be terrified of it.
How did you adjust your nervous puppy to camping gear? I want him to be able to camp with me when he grows up and not be terrified of all the gear like my last dog was.
Thanks!
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