Difficulties with Pets and RVing

[Floridastorm]

There are quite a few messages referencing pets and traveling in RV's. However, not many that advise the problems that ensue when taking a dog on a trip. We are considering purchasing a fairly small Class C, not over 26 feet so that we can utilize it as we would a car for getting around and can take our dog with us as I do not like leaving a pet at home with a sitter, for various reasons. We have a 9 month old Lab mix that we adopted from the Humane Society. What I would appreciate knowing is what are the major difficulties traveling with a dog, especially in a medium sized Class C? Is it any better in a good sized Class A. There is just my wife and myself, both senior citizens. Thanks, in advance, for any assistance provided.

[silverfz]

We travel with a lab. She is a very very hyper dog.
I walk her a few times a day .At least one long walk.
Usually have her go to day care locally when we need a day off to do stuff with kids.
I also now have started using Rover.com to find sitters.

As long she gets her work out and is good. I usually use yelp to find a day care or Rover .Com for a sitter.

Again She is good for 5 hrs if we have to leave her alone .

[myredracer]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
They also recognize the packing routine. The minute you start - they are generally glued to your side; and if they manage to get inside the RV - they aren't coming out.

So true, lol!! Our Springer somehow knows what we are up to when getting ready to head out with the TT. He may be cute and cuddly, but is definitely way smarter than he looks... 🙂 We put him in the truck while we're loading up and he won't budge once in, even with a door wide open because he's so afraid he'll get left behind.

We've usually had someone board our dog in the past on weekends or on long trips. But this year we took him on a 3 week trip for the first time. Was really nice to have him with us but it severely restricts what you can do, especially in warm/hot summer periods. We don't leave him alone in the TT and can't leave him alone in the truck to do grocery shopping, sightseeing, go to events, etc. To get groceries, one of us stays in the truck with him while the other goes inside to grab stuff.

Have seen all sizes and types of dogs and RVs in CGs and combinations thereof. Even camped next to a single guy full timing with a miniature pig. FWIW, some CGs are poor at enforcing leash rules so need to be on the lookout for off-leash dogs. Ours got attacked by an off-leash bulldog once. You might consider having a portable fence you can put up next to your RV.

Biggest concern I would have with a Class C would be what would you do if you have to go inside a store to do food or other shopping. A dog can die in minutes if left alone in a vehicle in warm weather.

[tatest]

It depends on the dog. Many dogs travel well, others don't. My daughter has one dog that needs to be tranquilized for a 15 minute trip, another that loves to travel (most of the time the dog sleeps).

My wife got one dog so well paper trained that it was miserable going potty outdoors, particularly in strange places.

Some dogs can be left alone (a frequent situation traveling) but others go berserk.

If your Lab is only nine months old, you probably haven't worked any of this out. I suggest making sure that the dog is regularly exposed to a wide range of experiences including what might be encountered when traveling. My experience is young dogs adapt to what they learn early, while those that become "difficult" will be those that have adapted to narrow strict routines and living experiences and become frightened by change.

For RVing, one of the things you will need to teach your dog to do will be to get used to being around strangers, human and canine.

[Matt_Colie]

There is a lot of very good (imho) advice here. We had the coach when we got the current big dog. We didn't travel much, but I used the coach in business so she got very used to the passenger seat. Sitting up and watching the world go by. I got so that if I got the keys, she would not let me out of her sight. She is now an 80# Lab Rottie mix by our best guess and the only problem he have had and that was when she was still kind of new in the house/MH, was that we went into a museum and she shredded the door curtain.

We now travel with 2, but her little sister is half the size. The BIG allowance that had to be made was what we call "Grass Stops". Both we and the coach have the ability to run 8+ hours at a stretch, but the girls don't. If we forget, one or both will start making noise to remind us. So, we get out the leach and the bags. (Get the little jobby to attach a roll of bags to the leash. Much more convenient.)

Matt

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

There are a few problems with taking your dog RVing, though (assuming they are among the 95% who LOVE to travel with their owners)

You start referring to your RV in oblique terms: my dogs fully understood what the motorhome was, so we referred to it, when planning trips, as the " big white recreational vehicle"

They also recognize the packing routine. The minute you start - they are generally glued to your side; and if they manage to get inside the RV - they aren't coming out. My dogs even recognize the set of keys to the RV. For final packing, it was easier to simply put the dogs in the RV, rather than listen to them pace and whine softly. My Aussie was the worst - he knew the whole routine, including the phone call to make reservations for the evening's stay. If we were still driving, say, an hour after the magic phone call, he'd sit next to the driver and bump their arm with his head, as if to say "Are we there yet?"

And upon arrival at your site - the first chore is walk the dogs so they can have a good sniff of everything and check the place out. After that, then you can finish setting up the RV.....LOL!

[Community Alumni]

We travel with a German Shepard, American Bulldog mix (with Pit), and a Jack Russell mix in a 31' Class C. All travel well in the RV except the German Shepard gets car sick every now and then. We have a crate for the Pit mix when we are away from the RV. The German Shepard and Jack Russell are free to roam inside the RV but chill in the bedroom or coach until we get back. We make sure all the windows and blinds are closed so they don't get distracted and bark. AC or heat is on depending on the outside temperature. We purchased a 40" tall temporary fencing (16 panels) so they can be off leashes when we are outside hanging around the campsite. This has been a wonderful purchase since it keeps their mess in one area and easier to clean up and we don't have to struggle with leashes while we are just sitting around the campfire.

As far as campgrounds restricting animals or certain breeds of dogs, we have not encountered any as of yet. When making the reservations, we do not lie about the breeds IF ASKED. In our limited cases, we have had only one campground comment about the dogs but it was about having 3 dogs. They didn't ask about the breeds.

I have found that most other campers do not care about your breed or dog as long as it is well behaved and trained (same goes for children). Most dogs will bark when they see someone new around the campsite. But ours will listen when we tell them to "hush" and "easy". Trained dogs are great when camping and make the trip less stressful since you typically are not bothered by the host or other campers. Trained dogs also make walking the dogs easier for exercise and potty breaks. Just pick it up.

One advantage of having a "big" dog or dogs is that most people won't cut thru your site.

[IBcarguy]

As most have already said, the hardest part is taking the dog for frequent potty walks and exercise. You have to be willing to get dressed and take out the dog the minute you wake up on those chilly damp mornings.

[Halmfamily]

We travel with our 110 lb. Chow/Rot mix. He has the entire back seat of the truck when traveling. At the campground he gets walked constantly and he has no issues staying alone in the RV while we are out exploring. We do leave the radio on for background noise and shades up so he can see outside when we're gone. Zero issues in four years.

[Campinghoss]

We have always travelled with our dogs. Lucky is 90 lbs and Lucie is 18 lbs. We have never boarded them. We have a temp stick to monitor the temp when we go out. They have always travelled and they do not bark while we are gone. CG's will sometimes have breed restrictions due to insurance liability but unless you have one on the list it will not apply to you. You will need to stop and let them go to the bathroom every few hours but I have to stop for me to go anyway so that is not a big deal. Enjoy your fur baby!

[Atlee]

Our dog traveled everywhere with us. He was well traveled. Probably over 30k miles, including a 7900 mile trip cross country from Virginia to the Pacific Ocean in downtown Los Angeles. We would never have left him in a kennel while we traveled. If he (long haired Dachshund) wasn't allowed in a campground, I didn't want to be in that campground.

Did traveling with Duffy cramp our style some, of course. Our rule, when out site seeing was to stay away no more than 5 hours. Same rule we had at home, when we went to visit friends. A healthy dog can hold it's water that long easily. They sleep through the night with no problem.

Our 5 hour rule was a pita sometimes. Without the dog when in LA we would have left in the morning and not come back until after dark.

From everything I've read, Yellowstone seems to be the most pet unfriendly NP there is. Because of that, we're taking at least a year off from owning another dog. We plan on doing Yellowstone next June.

We lost our wonderful 4 legged traveler in June of this year.

[BizmarksMom]

My trailer's name is the Portable Pibble Palace. The 11 year old is a Staffordshire terrier (the meatball), the 6 month old is some sort of weird bully mix. Both come with me when I camp. Yes, if I am going to National Parks, they have to stay home and be boarded. Yes, their breed and size means that I cannot stay at some commercial rv parks - I prefer boondocking and forest service sites anyway. Yes, I have to plan shopping and museums around the dog's very real needs.

I still bring them with me 95% of the time. We hike. We fish. We kayak. We prowl around ghost towns and explore dirt roads. It all depends on what you like to do. My dogs fit right into what I do for fun, so it's seamless for me. I also tend to go high into the mountains in the summer and save the desert for winter, so the temperatures stay comfortable.

[Floridastorm]

ncrowley wrote:
We started with a 29 foot trailer with 2 dogs. It had a shallow slide and it got much too crowded in there. We were always walking over and around the dogs. We now have a 39 foot class A and are very happy with it. So is the one dog we have now. We love traveling with our dog. He is well behaved and well socialized. We have not had any problems.

Now you have me thinking. Possibly a class A may be a compromise. I am not really in favor of a Class A due to the inability to maneuver and to park just anywhere. Also, do not want to tow another 10 to 12 feet behind an already long motor home.

[Floridastorm]

farmer's daughter wrote:
As I got my trailer a few years after I got the dog, she is not used to traveling. I tried to take her a couple of times, but she is more comfortable at home. Dogs like consistency and routines--at least my lab does. I'd reserved a space at a campground for a month and took her for a 4-day stay. She is not used to being on a leash or tied up (CG rules), and was well-behaved, but I couldn't leave her to even walk a few feet to the camp store--she became very anxious. And rightly so-she was in a completely new environment and felt insecure. it wasn't fair to her. She loved being able to swim and loved that part. However, she wasn't used to being walked on a leash to 'do her business' and didn't poop for 3 days! She was used to roaming a huge backyard. So now I leave her at home (I have an adult son who stays at my house while I go camping). The dog is happy and I am, too.

We also have an adult son who lives with us. However, he works full time and is away from the house for at least 9 hours sometimes more when there is overtime. He also has a life and goes out on the weekends. Don't know if I would want to leave a dog unattended for 5 hours much less 9 hours. One of the reasons I am planning on a motor home is to be able to take the dog with us. Otherwise we would just travel by car or plane and stay in hotels.

[ncrowley]

We started with a 29 foot trailer with 2 dogs. It had a shallow slide and it got much too crowded in there. We were always walking over and around the dogs. We now have a 39 foot class A and are very happy with it. So is the one dog we have now. We love traveling with our dog. He is well behaved and well socialized. We have not had any problems.