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freestoneangler's avatar
freestoneangler
Explorer
May 14, 2013

5th Wheel Travel with Large Dogs

Hi All,
We've been researching various options for full time RV travel and have been back and forth (more times than I can recall) on 5th wheel or Class A. No doubt, the Class A makes travel with large breed dogs easier, but we really like more aspects of 5ver's. We will have either a golden retriever or lab as a travel companion. I would like to hear from others on the forum who own 5th wheels and travel full time or seasonally with larger breed dogs. We have a Dodge Quad Cab and I was planning to either keep a crate in the back or buy a seat cover let him lounge.

From what I've read (and somewhat suspected) having animals ride in the 5ver is not a good idea. In truck bed crates also seem limited and have issues with access and emergency egress. Any advice and tricks for managing travel with a dog would be appreciated.

Thanks

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  • 74vette's avatar
    74vette
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    We have a large black lab and a 5th wheel. Dogs like labs and retrievers are usually pretty good travelers. We make the rounds at dock diving events and the dog has it better than we do. I will suggest one thing,(soap box time) take the time to train your animal and have control. You will find the time spent with the basics of obedience is well worth it. We are around a lot of dogs and campgrounds, It is nice to have a trained dog and others appreciate it. Another tip for the larger dogs is find the time for exercise. Other than that we have a great time traveling with Charlie.
  • deleted-2's avatar
    deleted-2
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    We go with 3 small dawgs and one 75 pound yellow lab named Mia.

    Mia is actually the easiest of the four to deal with.
    We do all this in a quad cab RAM.

    Lots of stopping and dawg walking...a chore at times.
    All worth it tho.
  • rasteck's avatar
    rasteck
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    Our Akita rides on the back bench seat between the kids in their booster seats. I'm sure she wishes we had a mega-cab, but so far so good for 3+ years. I have a boonie box that fills in the spot between the seat and the console and put a dog bed on top of that. She curls up and rests her head on the console. She is on the small side for an Akita, only 85lbs.
  • gjwarneke's avatar
    gjwarneke
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    Our boy "Quinn" (border collie/golden retreiver mix 80lbs) Has the full backseat of our crew cab w/blankie & pillow he goes everywhere with us.
  • silvercorvette's avatar
    silvercorvette
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    My two Boston Terriers (30 and 35 pounds) go with me wherever I go. They are very well behaved and depending on the length of the trip and other things they either sit on the passenger seat or the floor on the passenger side or if necessary I put them in a crate in the back seat. I travel with two crates in case I want to keep them separated. If I have to leave them if the 5th wheel I keep them in the crates to prevent them from getting into trouble. When they are left alone I make sure it isn't long, if something happens to the power and the A/C stops working things can get bad real fast, I want to make sure I am there to prevent them from dying from the heat.
  • MARKW8's avatar
    MARKW8
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    Our Mountain Dog rides in/on the rear seat of our crew cab truck. I built a platform to fill in behind the center console and driver seat. I left it just low enogh to put a small old folded quilt on top. She can sit on the seat, or lay down and put her head on the console. I keep a "Seat Savers" cover on the rear seat.

    This has worked for 5yrs including a trip to Alaska.

    Mark
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    May 14, 2013
    With our Lab we simply drop the rear seats and put one of his beds down. He loves to ride and travels up to 10 hours at a stretch well. We are sure to pay attention to his needs and stop several times a day for him and me. We do carry a water dish and normally have a small ice chest full of water for us. With the power sliding rear window I can open it and he can stick his nose out for some fresh air without too much noise.
  • Goostoff's avatar
    Goostoff
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    We are not full timers but Gus rides up in the bedroom area. He just crashes on the bed and is happy as a pig in the mud. I bought an extra tall pet gate at Menards.

    Here is a link to the gate on Wal-Mart web site.
    extra tall dog gate

    Here is a pic of it in use.

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