Looking for dog breed the travels well while Rving

Our navigator was a toy poodle, wonderful companion. It is not so much the breed as the individual dog's temperament which varies a lot. My current Shih-Tzu does not like riding in the vehicle yet friends have the same breed with no problems.

While certain breeds have a predisposition to certain behaviors, every dog is an individual. More critical than the breed is the dog's socialization very early in life to different situations. A dog who only wet in the car to the vet every 6 months may learn the car equals a bad experience, but a dog that went everywhere in the car and always had a good experience will probably like the car. Adopting an older dog from a quality rescue will tell you more about a dog, especially if you foster to adopt.

Golden retrievers are great. About as calm a dog as you can find. But 70-80 lbs on avg.

More critical than the breed is the dog's socialization very early in life to different situations.

Most definitely. While you can make SOME generalizations it's mostly up to you. Ran into a woman with a Springer a few months ago and the dog was not aggressive but not comfortable meeting new people. Mine will knock you over trying to get your attention. I'd be more concerned with temperament and personality than breed.

We have two female Golden retrievers ( about 55 lbs each ) that love people and rarely bark. A little hairy and take up their share of room in the motorhome, but great companions.

Crowe wrote:
More critical than the breed is the dog's socialization very early in life to different situations.

Most definitely. While you can make SOME generalizations it's mostly up to you. Ran into a woman with a Springer a few months ago and the dog was not aggressive but not comfortable meeting new people. Mine will knock you over trying to get your attention. I'd be more concerned with temperament and personality than breed.

I agree with this. It's the temperament that matters.

And remember that if the temperament is right, you can overcome a negative experience. I fostered a young adult mix. She got car sick every day I had her. I adopted her out and she got car sick every day for a year. When I saw them two years later, they were fulltiming and traveling all over the continent. She no longer got car sick.

I agree that much has to do with the individual dog's personality, and the level and type of socialization the dog receives. You certainly can overcome negative experiences, but most people don't want to have to do that, and especially if they haven't had significant dog experience. And I think it's good to stack the deck in your own favor. All that said --

Our Shih Tzu is an excellent traveler. They're low energy and are commonly said to be the least barky of the toy breeds (which is absolutely true for him--he's a very quiet dog). He gets in the RV, curls up and goes to sleep. He's always eager to explore wherever we stop, but when we hit the road again he goes back to sleep. He almost never barks. He's very friendly to people and other dogs, but mostly he only really cares about me and so doesn't see the need to be bothered by other stuff. He only needs short walks for exercise, so it's not hard to tire him out for travel or when we'll be out sightseeing. Although he doesn't *need* a lot of exercise, in good (cool) weather he can easily handle three to four mile walks or hikes. You do have to be very careful with them in hot weather, though. So a good genny and AC is a must when traveling in the summer in most areas.

And this is perhaps an exception, but our former beagle was a very good traveler. She'd also curl up and go to sleep as soon as we hit the road, and rarely barked. She was pretty darn lazy.

My concern with another Sheltie would be that they are known for being one of the more vocal breeds, which of course can be challenging to deal with in a campground. And many I've met have been rather high strung. Although I will say that one of my best friends had one that I believe would have made an excellent RV dog. She was calm and easy going.

Good luck, and thank you for doing your homework!

When you mention Chihuahua, most people think of a yipping, yapping annoying little dog.
We inherited one, it's very quiet and likes everyone. She travels well and is no problem.

It's the temperament of the dog. Not just the breed.
One thing to consider is the size of the animal you are considering. Some CG's have weight limits along with breed limits.
Don't buy a dog from a breeder. Go to a couple animal shelters and see what is available. There are a lot of really good dogs of all breeds that need a home.

Look at Cavaliers, they were bred to be lap dogs. Small and easy to please disposition. With any dog you decide on, get a professional trainer and it’ll make a world of difference!

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