Our first trek in the RV. Bring the Dog? Yes or No?

[ChrisFMA]

We are going on a three week trek and I really would like to take the dog. My wife is concerned about leaving her in the rv when we are out for the day exploring sites where the dog can't come. I get her concern, but am thinking that with the generator and AC on the dog will be fine and also a good burglar alarm. My wife is telling me there are a lot of campgrounds that don't allow pets but I am seeing almost every Good Sam on the map is pet friendly. My biggest concern is we have a planned stop at the Mall of America (God help me), I would volunteer to spend the day at the RV with the dog, but the wife won't like that. Looking for advice. Past experience, etc to help us make the right decision. Thanks!

[doxiemom11]

Has your dog ever been in the rv. If it's something new, then you need to spend some time with him/her in the motorhome so they can adjust to that - even some overnights in the driveway.

If however you plan on being gone a lot and will just be leaving the dog alone in the rv, then do the dog a favor and leave it home with someone.

If you are going camping and will be enjoying time around the campsite, then take the dog.

[donn0128]

If she is a barker, leave her home. Nothing worse for other campers than to have to listen to a yapping dog stuck in someones RV all day.

[dewey02]

ChrisFMA wrote:
Thank you all for these replies. All good feedback. We will definitely do some trial runs with the dog in the camper. She is not a barker in the house, however she is a morning barker in the yard. She barks for about 10 minutes every morning when we let her out, but if we have her on a leash or are playing with her she's fine. We will see how it works out.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip, whatever you decide to do.
If you are in Minnesota for any length of time, try to convince the family to get away from MOA and visit the north shore of Lake Superior (about 3 hours north of Minneapolis). It will be a great experience for the family AND the dog! 🙂

[ChrisFMA]

Thank you all for these replies. All good feedback. We will definitely do some trial runs with the dog in the camper. She is not a barker in the house, however she is a morning barker in the yard. She barks for about 10 minutes every morning when we let her out, but if we have her on a leash or are playing with her she's fine. We will see how it works out.

[brewjaz]

Ask a camping neighbor to keep and eye on your camper. Keep an outside (electric) light on so they can see it. If it's hot out and the AC and fan go out because of the electrical outage---have them call you immediately on your cell or, if you trust them enough--have them get your dogs. They could die from the heat in high temps. There is a phone app you can get to monitor temps when you're away, but I don't have one and don't know what to recommend.

[Hondavalk]

Tyler0215 wrote:
How would you like to be left alone in the camper all day? A bored dog is an unhappy dog.
I think your dog will be much happier left at home with family or boarded.

First off I would LOVE to be left alone all day in the camper. :B That said, our dog is left alone every day when we go to work.

[ChrisFMA]

dewey02 wrote:
There are several pet boarding services near MOA.



Whether you take your dog or not really depends on the type of 3 week vacation you are planning. If you are planning to be in locations that offer natural areas (state parks, national forests, etc), you plan on doing a lot of hiking or being outdoors where the dog can be with you, then it might be ok.

However, if you are planning on doing a lot of indoor things (museums, shopping, historical building visits, etc.) then it may not be the best idea to take your dog.

We are definitely going to be outdoor visits. Mall of America is the only City stop we are considering.

[sher9570]

Tyler0215 wrote:
How would you like to be left alone in the camper all day? A bored dog is an unhappy dog.
I think your dog will be much happier left at home with family or boarded.

Beg to differ with this statement...a well trained and behaved dog enjoys it as much as we do and being with you is all that matters to them...
I will say, lots of walks and activity...a good dog is a tired dog!

Sher

[ChrisFMA]

K Charles wrote:
Have you ever left the dog on the camper alone before? Put the dog in the camper in your driveway some day and see what happens.

Great idea Thank you!

[sher9570]

Most every RV'er has a pet, if someone actually has any stats you'd find it's a very high percentage.
My dogs are the reason we bought the rv...
Ok, many parks say you cannot leave your dog unattended, when questioned they usually always tell you that is meant for leaving your dogs tethered outside and leaving.
But it also helps them evict people that have loud obnoxious dogs that are left for hours on end.
Best thing you can do is see how your dog behaves in the rv alone while you are still at home.
We always find parks that allow our dogs, some of the more difficult ones with rules are in New England and specifically Cape Cod...other than that we have never had a problem.
When we leave them it's usually anywhere from two to six hours max.
We leave the air on, sunshades down so they can't see activity, we also leave the tv on for noise.
When we first started this we also had a recorder going just out of curiosity.
Go Enjoy just prepare your dog well.

Sher
PS..we have on many occasions asked neighbors if they were disturbed at all with our dogs, we've been asked many times if they ever bark...

[Tyler0215]

How would you like to be left alone in the camper all day? A bored dog is an unhappy dog.
I think your dog will be much happier left at home with family or boarded.

[dewey02]

There are several pet boarding services near MOA.



Whether you take your dog or not really depends on the type of 3 week vacation you are planning. If you are planning to be in locations that offer natural areas (state parks, national forests, etc), you plan on doing a lot of hiking or being outdoors where the dog can be with you, then it might be ok.

However, if you are planning on doing a lot of indoor things (museums, shopping, historical building visits, etc.) then it may not be the best idea to take your dog.

[tbred]

One of the reasons we bought our trailer is so we can bring our pups along. That being said, we would never leave them unattended for more than a very brief period. We usually have a group of a few families and 4-6 dogs on our trips so it generally works out for activities that may not interest someone. We'll take turns hanging out at the campsites with the critters.

Have been around too many campgrounds with dogs left barking for hours, unfair to other folks.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

Does your dog bark constantly when you're gone? If so, I'd leave her home. You should also be aware that dogs aren't allowed on trails in National Parks. FYI, the Twin Cities have some great parks and a very nice trail system.

[Crowe]

They might allow pets but do they allow unattended pets? If you are going to leave the dog in the RV for long days I'd suggest either hiring a pet sitter at home or boarding. Some campgrounds offer pet walking services-this would be another thing to consider.