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3 Essential Skills to Teach Your Dog Before Camping (and Exactly How to Train Them)

Person standing beside a black and white dog at a scenic overlook during a camping trip with dogs.
Adventuring together—camping builds connection, confidence, and joy for both you and your dog.

Camping with your dog can be an incredible way to build connection, confidence, and enrichment.


But a successful trip takes more than just packing the right gear. The best adventures happen when your dog has the skills to handle freedom, novelty, and safety challenges in the outdoors.


Here are three skills I taught my own dog, Remi, that make our camping trips smoother and safer:

  1. Stationing/Place – for setting up camp and fire safety

  2. Leave It – for impulse control and Leave No Trace principles

  3. Recall – for freedom and safety during off-leash or long-line adventures


Below, I’ll walk you through why each skill matters while camping and step-by-step instructions on how to teach them.



Black and white dog lying calmly on a raised bed near a campfire at a campsite, practicing place training.
Using the place cue to stay safe and settled while relaxing near the campfire.

Skill 1: Stationing and Place Training


Why It’s Useful for Camping

When you’re setting up camp or cooking over a fire, having your dog calmly resting on a mat or bed makes life easier (and safer).


Stationing builds a foundation for the place cue, teaching your dog to go to a specific spot and settle there until released.


How to Teach It

  1. Pick a station – an elevated bed, mat, or towel. Choose something with a different texture so it feels distinct to your dog.

  2. Create positive associations – scatter a few treats on the station (“find it!”) to encourage your dog to step on it.

  3. Mark and reward progress – as soon as your dog puts a paw on the station, mark with “yes” and reward. Gradually wait for them to put all four paws on.

  4. Shape a sit or down – once they’re comfortable standing on the station, use a treat lure to guide them into a sit or down. Mark and reward.

  5. Add a release cue – after each repetition, release with “free!” and encourage them to come back for another rep.

  6. Build duration – slowly increase how long they stay on the station before marking and rewarding. Don’t rush. Success comes from small, positive steps.


Once your dog understands stationing, you can add the place cue:

  • Warm up with a few stationing reps.

  • As your dog moves toward the station, say “place” just before they step on.

  • Mark and reward when they settle.

  • Gradually increase duration, distance, and distractions (the 3 Ds) while rewarding generously.


This skill is invaluable for camp setup, meal times, and fire safety.




Skill 2: Leave It & IMPULSE Control


Why It’s Useful for Camping

From dropped food scraps to wildlife encounters, leave it can be life-saving. It teaches your dog to ignore something completely.


How to Teach It

  1. Start easy – Hold a treat in a closed fist. Say “leave it.” The moment your dog stops sniffing or pawing at your hand, mark “yes” and reward with a treat from your other hand.

  2. Place the treat on a surface – Put a treat on the floor or table. Cover it with your hand if your dog goes for it. Mark and reward with a different treat when they ignore it.

  3. Increase difficulty – Make it harder by waiting longer before marking, placing the treat closer to your dog, or using more tempting items.

  4. Add movement – Drop the treat from a small height, giving the cue before you drop it. Mark and reward when your dog ignores it.


Always remember: if you say “leave it,” your dog never gets that item. It’s about building impulse control and trust, especially in exciting environments.


An important note: If your dog has resource guarding tendencies, you should be very careful with your approach for impulse control training. I would suggest working directly with a qualified professional.



Black and white dog being recalled from a distance during camping training.
Start your recall small and then teach your dog to return to you even in exciting environments.

Skill 3: Recall


Why It’s Useful for Camping

A reliable recall is non-negotiable for safety. Whether you’re giving your dog some freedom on a long line or hiking in an open area, being able to call your dog back to you could save their life.


How to Teach It

  1. Pick a special recall word – If “come” has lost meaning, choose something new like “here!” or “to me!”

  2. Use a long line – Start with a 15–20 ft line so you can guide your dog to you if needed.

  3. Pay every single time – Recall should always lead to a reward, never punishment or the end of fun.

  4. Start close – Call your dog from just a couple of feet away. Use a cheerful voice: “Come!” Reel them in if needed, mark “yes,” and reward.

  5. Release back to fun – After rewarding, let them go explore again. Recall should never only mean the fun is over.

  6. Build up gradually – Increase distance, add distractions, and reward generously for success. Practice often so recall becomes automatic.


For emergency recall, add a collar grab before rewarding so your dog is comfortable with you reaching for their collar when they return.



“Black and white dog walking down a grassy trail toward their person after being recalled during camping practice.
Rewarding a successful recall helps build reliability for safe off-leash freedom.

Why These Skills Matter for Camping


Camping can be unpredictable. These three skills make life safer, calmer, and more enjoyable for both you and your dog.


They allow you to:

  • Safely manage your dog while setting up camp or cooking

  • Prevent dangerous or destructive behaviors in nature

  • Give your dog freedom without losing peace of mind


Teaching these skills takes time and consistency, but the payoff is huge. When your dog can settle, ignore temptations, and come back when called, you’ll both be able to relax and enjoy the adventure together.



Person sitting on a blanket with a black and white dog at a lakeside campsite during sunset with a firepit nearby.
Peaceful evenings by the fire. Camping with your dog can be calm, safe, and fun!


Looking for your next step?


→ Book a free consult call — Let’s talk about your dog, what’s going on, and where you want to go. Whether it’s 1:1 training or finding the right resource, we’ll figure it out together.


→ Join me on Patreon — For just $5/month, you get access to hundreds of training and behavior videos, curated by a certified trainer who gets it.


Mattison Skoog-Simpson, multi-certified dog trainer and dog behavior expert with her floofy dog, Remington Steele


About Mattison Skoog-Simpson

Mattison Skoog-Simpson is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who helps overwhelmed dog guardians create calmer, more connected lives with their sensitive or complex dogs. She’s the founder of Freed by Training, a values-driven dog behavior practice rooted in science, compassion, and second chances.


Mattison’s approach is shaped by her own transformative journey, which began in a prison dog training program. Today, she’s known for helping people feel capable, supported, and confident as they navigate behavior challenges using humane, relationship-based methods.


Through her virtual programs, courses, podcasts, and writing, Mattison is on a mission to make ethical, sustainable training more accessible—and to prove that both dogs and their humans are capable of lasting change.


Learn more at freedbytraining.com or follow her on Instagram @freedbytraining.

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