Keeping pets safe in travel trailer while “home alone”

[Jas1317]

Tell me about keeping dogs safe in the travel trailer when they are alone (as in if the humans go out somewhere for a while and want the dogs to stay back and be safe and comfortable). We are new to camping, we have 2 40ish pound dogs, planning a few months on the road, and while we will likely take them lots of places there will surely be times that we need to leave them in the camper. We plan to crate them and we plan to have a generator as back up in hot/cold weather. Please give me the tips! Thank you in advance.

[colliehauler]

ford truck guy wrote:
Been traveling with a dog, or dogs for 30+ years...

Like already stated, how they react at home is usually how they will be in the RV... Take a drive, park away and sneak back to see what they are going....

Get a monitor and keep a watch..

^^^This, to a dog the RV becomes home. My Collies like the RV because we go on more walks.

[ford_truck_guy]

Been traveling with a dog, or dogs for 30+ years...

Like already stated, how they react at home is usually how they will be in the RV... Take a drive, park away and sneak back to see what they are going....

Get a monitor and keep a watch..

[Jas1317]

colliehauler wrote:
I have always traveled with full size Collies. I never crate don't want large crates in the RV to deal with. None of my Collies have ever damaged anything in the RV's. Do you crate at home? Along with the A/C I run a fan. I leave the TV or radio on so outside noise is not as much of a distraction. I don't leave them alone for extended periods. They sleep when left alone in the RV. I usually just take the Collies with me when exploring the area but understand some areas it's not possible.

Now more controversy, I always leave my RV unlocked when gone with pets inside. If a fire would break out there would be a possibility of a rescue. A RV can burn to the ground in very little time.

I also give the campground my phone number if they need to contact me.

This is smart I never thought about the fire issue!
We don’t crate at home anymore, used to when they were younger and they sometimes go it a crate to sleep by choice (it’s open and cozy).

[colliehauler]

I have always traveled with full size Collies. I never crate don't want large crates in the RV to deal with. None of my Collies have ever damaged anything in the RV's. Do you crate at home? Along with the A/C I run a fan. I leave the TV or radio on so outside noise is not as much of a distraction. I don't leave them alone for extended periods. They sleep when left alone in the RV. I usually just take the Collies with me when exploring the area but understand some areas it's not possible.

Now more controversy, I always leave my RV unlocked when gone with pets inside. If a fire would break out there would be a possibility of a rescue. A RV can burn to the ground in very little time.

I also give the campground my phone number if they need to contact me.

[Jas1317]

Sjm9911 wrote:
I dont have dogs. But to add, i would do a few dry runs in the driveway. Get the dogs used to the camper. Then get the dogs used to your leaving the camper for a bit. No real way to know how they will respond to a new environment unless you try it out first. Some will take to it well. Some will need to be trained a bit or learn the new system and some will not do it at all. Good luck !

100%

[Sjm9911]

I dont have dogs. But to add, i would do a few dry runs in the driveway. Get the dogs used to the camper. Then get the dogs used to your leaving the camper for a bit. No real way to know how they will respond to a new environment unless you try it out first. Some will take to it well. Some will need to be trained a bit or learn the new system and some will not do it at all. Good luck !

[Jas1317]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Do they BARK when let alone?
*Sneak back and check on them

Do they have 'separation anxiety?
*are they wound-up/over exuberant when you come back home

How to they behave when left alone at home?


We traveled FT for 7 yrs with a Big Border Collie/Lab (78#)
She was high energy so when she was not going with us we took her for a brisk walk/ply time prior to us leaving
Then turned radio/TV on low for company and off she went to bed when we told her
***Yes we have snuck back and check on her
***Yes we have spoken with neighbors and asked about her...that had no complaints and some were not even aware their was a dog in the RV


How your dogs behave NOW is most likely how they will behave in trailer
Barkers are NOT appreciated!



And this is NOT what you want to return to!

Thank you for these thoughtful questions. It will definitely be a lot of experimentation in the beginning and we plan to have video audio and temperature monitoring happening at all times. They are used to being home alone for several hours on a regular basis. They bark if someone comes to the door or if they see another dog out the window. We plan to bring them most everywhere with us, but there may be times when we want to grab a bite to eat or go for a swim etc. Thanks for all your advice!

[Jas1317]

Campinghoss@51 wrote:
Yes you can do it safely and know whether they bark or not. We use a Cloud Cam camera which has video and audio. We have a temp stik that monitors temp and humidity. I have the camera wired into the inverter so if the power goes off we can still see, hear and if necessary talk to our dogs. The temp stik will let us know if the fiver is getting too hot since we have it set to check every 15 mins. The cloud cam is also positioned to show us a night light which will not burn if the cg lost power. Lastly we use a Verizon mifi which is not dependent on the cg's internet and is secure. All this info is monitored by our smart phones.

With all that being said, most of our trips without Lucky and Lucie are not over 30 mins away generally speaking. The longest we have stayed away was 3 hours and that was at a Triumph Quartet concert in P. Forge. We were only 30 mins with traffic away.

It can be done with today's technology safely.

This is so helpful thank you!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

You've received good advice about monitoring systems! I had a large Aussie and a Cattle Dog when we drove to Alaska. Before we left them alone so we could take a 1/2-day Glacier Tour in Valdez, we walked them a LONG way. Miles. They were still passed out on our bed when we returned....LOL! They had learned to be good campers and didn't bark unless someone actually knocked on our door. They weren't crated because our small RV didn't have that kind of space (and they were old enough that they simply were good dogs) - but if you have the space, it's a good idea

[Campinghoss]

Yes you can do it safely and know whether they bark or not. We use a Cloud Cam camera which has video and audio. We have a temp stik that monitors temp and humidity. I have the camera wired into the inverter so if the power goes off we can still see, hear and if necessary talk to our dogs. The temp stik will let us know if the fiver is getting too hot since we have it set to check every 15 mins. The cloud cam is also positioned to show us a night light which will not burn if the cg lost power. Lastly we use a Verizon mifi which is not dependent on the cg's internet and is secure. All this info is monitored by our smart phones.

With all that being said, most of our trips without Lucky and Lucie are not over 30 mins away generally speaking. The longest we have stayed away was 3 hours and that was at a Triumph Quartet concert in P. Forge. We were only 30 mins with traffic away.

It can be done with today's technology safely.

[Old-Biscuit]

Do they BARK when let alone?
*Sneak back and check on them

Do they have 'separation anxiety?
*are they wound-up/over exuberant when you come back home

How to they behave when left alone at home?


We traveled FT for 7 yrs with a Big Border Collie/Lab (78#)
She was high energy so when she was not going with us we took her for a brisk walk/ply time prior to us leaving
Then turned radio/TV on low for company and off she went to bed when we told her to 'Watch'

***Yes we have snuck back and check on her
***Yes we have spoken with neighbors and asked about her...that had no complaints and some were not even aware their was a dog in the RV


How your dogs behave NOW is most likely how they will behave in trailer
Barkers are NOT appreciated!



And this is NOT what you want to return to!

[Jas1317]

dturm wrote:
I've had to delete several posts because of flaming. Please stay on topic without unnecessary vitriol.

It is your responsibility to insure that you follow the campground rules and make sure your pets are not bothering others around you. Monitors can be a great tool to make sure your dogs are well behaved while you are out.

Thanks so much - I see this is a touchy subject - I got some great tips and we will absolutely have monitors and thermometers, and by no means would I leave my dogs all day or in a dangerous situation. Thank you for monitoring!

[dturm]

I've had to delete several posts because of flaming. Please stay on topic without unnecessary vitriol.

It is your responsibility to insure that you follow the campground rules and make sure your pets are not bothering others around you. Monitors can be a great tool to make sure your dogs are well behaved while you are out.

[rav]

We have been full time for 4 1/2 years now, we like to camp host and do that half of the year. In all that time we have had about 4 complaints about barking dogs and never has anyone been kicked out by a ranger or the owner of the private campground we enjoy. JMHO

[Jas1317]

rav wrote:
Here's what we do.
We have a Visible Wireless phone we use as hotspot for our router. We use a GoVee wifi temp sensor to monitor trailer temps.
We have the Alfred camera app on the phones so we can se in real time what is going on with the dogs. You can do multiple cameras so we have Alfred on the tablet too and the app allows you to use the front and rear cameras on the phone and tablet. You can even use an old phone too. Just have to connect it to the router.
Make sure to keep the devices on the charger so they don't run out of charge.
I need to change my sig, we have 2 small dogs

This is so helpful thank you!