Taking dog with us on a cross country tour

There is nothing wrong with leaving your dog alone in your camper anywhere as long as he/she is quiet and it is temperature controlled. Over the years, I have traveled all over the US and Canada with three different dogs without issue. Of course, they laid down and quietly waited for my return. You know your dog, and if he/she also waits quietly, there is no problem. Rarely, my current dog may bark a few times as I leave to say, "Hey, you forgot me!" but is quiet before I leave the campsite. Border collies are very smart and high energy, so you need to satisfy those needs.

Thank you all. Now is the time to get it all sorted out. It's a 9 week trip so honestly I hate to leave her with my mom for that long. She is a lazy thing (it's shocking as she is a bc) but when we are out she is happiest in her crate. So much so we don't shut the door. Will have to do a few trial runs with her but hoping she can be a travle mate. She is an awsome trailer.

We take our dogs with us everywhere we go. I would say about 90% of the time we let the camp host know we are going out and Lucky and Lucie are in the motor home. I generally give them an extra key and make sure they have both our cell numbers. Sometimes I give them a tip if they will accept it. Our dogs have been travelling with us all their lives and do not bark nor raise cane when we are gone. Leaving them home is not an option for us.

First off....our dog (and the ones before) have NEVER been in a crate. We simply don't believe in it. Our dog is a member of the family and is treated as such. Full run of the house and RV at all times. That's OUR way. Maybe lucky: no chewing or anything destructive and housebroken...only 3 accidents in 4 years...due to ....whatever. A perfect traveling companion.

When she (dog) new to camping, and our first time leaving her alone we thought she might be calm(er) if we shut the plastic blinds and kept the lights low (it was evening). Upon our return, we found that one plastic blind destroyed. We then realized she likes to look out the window(s) all the time. Replaced the blind for $30. A really cheap "learning experience") Of course during that trip...and others, we've asked our next door neighbors to tell us if our dog barks/cries during our absence. No complaints.

We always have our dogs with us. We've found some great apps that we've installed on an extra phone to monitor while out. We can track temperature, noise and even open a video feed if needed. We'll get texts if barking or if temperature hits certain marks. Never had a temperature message but plenty of barks. The noise starts a recording I can check. In all but one case, the 'bark' was a lone 'woof' for whatever reason. Only once did they really bark for a few minutes - a ranger had knocked on our door to warn us about storms coming in that evening.

jerseyjim wrote:
First off....our dog (and the ones before) have NEVER been in a crate. We simply don't believe in it. Our dog is a member of the family and is treated as such. Full run of the house and RV at all times. That's OUR way. Maybe lucky: no chewing or anything destructive and housebroken...only 3 accidents in 4 years...due to ....whatever. A perfect traveling companion.

When she (dog) new to camping, and our first time leaving her alone we thought she might be calm(er) if we shut the plastic blinds and kept the lights low (it was evening). Upon our return, we found that one plastic blind destroyed. We then realized she likes to look out the window(s) all the time. Replaced the blind for $30. A really cheap "learning experience") Of course during that trip...and others, we've asked our next door neighbors to tell us if our dog barks/cries during our absence. No complaints.

Amen, no crates

Our dog has 20,000+ miles 8 states 450+ nights not one problem. Our rig is his second home he has no problem being left for the day when needed, same as leaving him at home to go to work????? No barking no fuss no mess. Some days he will let us know he doesn't want to go hiking or sightseeing by jumping up on the bed as we get ready to go and he just looks at us like "you have a great day dad Im taking a day long nap". If your dog is part of your family he or she will love to explore the country with you.

Don't get me wrong, I am a dog person, but believe that not all dogs are fit to travel. Everyone who owns a dog thinks their pet doesn't bark, and if it's a "dangerous breed" they never bite nor been aggressive towards anyone.

Sure, some dogs truly don't bark, butI've been to many campgrounds where they bark at every passerby and the owner does nothing. Some owners are so used to their dog barking they simply don't hear them anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I am a dog person, but believe that not all dogs are fit to travel. Everyone who owns a dog thinks their pet doesn't bark, and if it's a "dangerous breed" they never bite nor been aggressive towards anyone.

Have to agree. If you aren't there, how do you really know that the dog doesn't bark? Just because no one complained? If the rule states no unattended pets, then all should follow the rules so that the rule doesn't become "no dogs".

Amen, no crates

Why? Many vets recommend this, provided they get adequate exercise and attention. Some dogs don't need it-mine prefer it. After watching the aftermath of my BIL's dog eat a battery we decided crate training is a much better alternative. I'm sure I'll get blasted by the "I never make a mistake" crowd but none of us can foresee every little possibility.

Crowe wrote:
If you aren't there, how do you really know that the dog doesn't bark?

Not speaking for others, but in my case, I've ran a video recorder for hours when I've been gone for like a dozen different trips. Our dog just hangs out in the bedroom until we get home. So, Im supremely confident she does just fine while we're gone.

I do agree every dog is different, but for those that are well behaved and acclimated (like mine), I have no problem leaving her for a period of time. I generally will try to limit it to not more than a couple of hours at a time.

The places I've been don't say anything about not leaving your pet inside unattended. I've seen it say no unattended outside, but nothing about inside.

Mike