Dog won't go into RV

Carry him on inside a kennel ?

It actually may not be "stubborn" on his part.
It might be actual fear.
He might hear or smell something he interprets as danger that humans don't notice.
It also might remind him of a previous home where things were really BAD...like where he was beaten or starved.

Alas, there might not BE a good solution.

Are the stairs 'open' ....holes in thread and open back?

ramp.has Cruiser used a ramp before?


We had to start using a ramp for our dog to get into truck.....she loved the truck but couldn't jump in any more
Ramp ....wasn't having anything to do with that contraption

So I laid it on the ground flat and using leash lead her back forth on/off never forcing just walking by it, around it, then on it ----standing then off
Repeat couple times a day for couple days
Then set it up so she could use it to get into back seat of truck and voila---she was up/down it like she owned it.

Stairs....had to carpet them so holes were covered.
Was going to place flaps across open back if that didn't work but covering the holes up did the trick

patience just sit on the steps and play with him get him used to the area . takes time for him to get over his fear.

Pick him up and put him in as helping him up the steps he is scared of the movement of the stairs and the void between them.Once he sees it OK he will gradually do them

Thanks for the replies so quickly! The trailer has 3 steps..open. He has never used a ramp before, so I like the idea from Old-Biscuit about laying the ramp flat and having him walk on it that way.

My husband has a truck and Cruiser will jump up in it just fine. I just think he is scared of this trailer and maybe not knowing what is in there.

He had been picked up as a stray and so I don't know his history, but he has been "leery" of men since we got him. He will ride on the front seat with my husband in the truck, but any other time, he just shies away. I suspect he may have been mistreated in the past.

Our Vet is the one who suggested the ramp...she also suggested putting his food in the trailer and see if that works.

Our dog, Amy, is old enough now her arthritis makes going up steps difficult, and jumping up into the car is impossible. I got her a ramp, but it is very steep up into the back seat of the TV, so we did the flat thing @Old-Biscuit describes to get her used to it. She is too old and afflicted to climb that steep ramp, but she will climb it as long as I stand next to her behind and "help." She's no longer afraid of it, it's just hard on her hips.

I agree carpeting the steps to block holes would be a good idea, if there are holes. Good luck.

The dog can wag his/her tail and you can follow or you can pickup this “good dog”...and put him/her in the trailer. I won’t let humans tell me what to do but you are willing to have a dog...?

Why does it need to go into the trailer? I don't argue with mine about it, and don't feel the need to have to dog at my side, or underfoot in the tiny trailer.

I'd never lock mine in the trailer, never seen a point to that.

GordonThree wrote:
Why does it need to go into the trailer? I don't argue with mine about it, and don't feel the need to have to dog at my side, or underfoot in the tiny trailer.

I'd never lock mine in the trailer, never seen a point to that.

Because many RV parks prohibit unattended dogs outside. And we would not leave ours outside by herself anyway. And since we sleep in our RV our dog is always inside at night.

To OP, you might try a harness with a handle on top that you can help the dog up the ramp without him being able to pull out of the harness. We also use a ramp.

Velcro some cloth backing to the backside of the steps. One of our dogs had a similar issue and once we blocked out the gap he goes right up and in.