Pup on Ferry in rv....

[dcason]

So we have a new rescue and want to take her to Newfoundland with us (we've been there before).
The ferry poses questions...
But first...Mali is a female mix doberman (think smaller and a bit less polished...lol)...46 lbs. She is used to a crate, about 18 months old (at most and maybe a year), energetic but can chill. Day crossing (for my sake...didn't like the night and don't want to pay for a bed).

Would sedation be recommended? (not sure how I feel about this but want her voyage to be satisfactory). We have a crate to put her in. I do NOT trust her to not get into mischief while we are not in the rv:B if she is not in crate.
Do I feed her breakfast or not? SHE would not appreciate that as she is an eater! Might make her mess with her bedding...not sure.

We can run her the morning of the crossing and up until it is time to move onto ferry to get some jiggles out. BUT, when we get off, we are hoping that she will settle after awhile and after some more chuckit fun (we are not going far after the ferry due to her needs for exercise). She is good at holding her pee/poop so even though it could be a long time I am pretty sure she won't have accident.

Anything else I need to know? Paperwork yes...anyone have website for that....going into canada or I can google it.
Thanks!
Donna

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

dcason wrote:

She goes into her crate voluntarily so it is not punishment.

Another thought: if she's comfortable in her crate, it might calm her, given the strange noises she will probably hear during the course of loading onto the ferry, while underway, etc. My little guy Ben (now 4 yrs old) isn't normally crated now that he's past the puppy years; but when something's "scary" - he likes to be in one, even if it's a "fake crate" I've made by draping a blanket over a table or desk....LOL!

[colliehauler]

Can't speak for your dog but to my Collies the RV is home, same as the stick & brick. They would just sleep until I came back. Like others have said exercise before and after.

If it was me I would do the night crossing because the Collies are use to sleeping anyway and it would not disrupt their routine.

[Crowe]

5-7hrs in a crate is not too long. Many of ours sleep in their crates overnight at home.

Definitely. As long as the pup is properly exercised and cared for a crate serves as a "safe space" for them. I fully understand the issues that go with a rescue but that's a different story. I also understand that a relaxed doggie mom and dad make better doggie parents and sometimes we just need time to ourselves. There's no shame in not being with your furkids 7x24.

[BCSnob]

5-7hrs in a crate is not too long. Many of ours sleep in their crates overnight at home. Most of ours sleep in their crates in the van when we are at herding trials.

[dcason]

Mali has just come off spending two months with us out west...going everywhere with us (even walmarts and national parks). She is very familiar with the rv. We are about to leave for 3 months in Florida so she will be ready.

When we left for west we had had her for just 4 weeks...with fingers crossed we took off.
She loves the car and had been trialed in the rv (not sleeping overnight though). She didn't skip a beat. She was mostly quiet (okay except for the first time hearing coyotes and when we were in city of vegas with barking dogs but she did get used to that too).

She goes into her crate voluntarily so it is not punishment. She doesn't get punished. She is a rescue so only positive reinforcement. If we didn't crate her the rare times we go out for a couple hours here and there, we would come home to chewed shoes and not sure what else she would entertain herself with.

I do understand your not using a crate if your dog lived in one; but I do think it is a small price for her to pay (if she is used to rv) and will spend the next couple of months with you enjoying each other and exploring.
Donna

[Ramp_Digger]

doxiemom11 wrote:
I'd rather not take the trip if the dog could not be with us. I also have not and never will crate a dog. Our rescues came from years of living in crates continuously( 7 and 8 years in one) and I will never use one.

x2 Our little dog would never forgive us. She might think she had been abandoned again. For her to possibly think that is not acceptable. When we first got her she would not go near a car,if we forced the issue she would refuse to get out at the destination for fear we would leave without her.

[dcason]

Excellent points. She will love exploring and sniffing...running on a sandy beach if we can find one.
Donna

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I agree with Crowe - tire her out, then take the ferry, and be prepared to deal with all the excitement when she's let out again....LOL! I would put some towels in her crate, so that if she did have an accident, it would be easy to deal with. While nobody would prefer to crate their dog for a long time period - they DO deal OK with it and the pleasure of having her along for the rest of the trip will be worth it.

[doxiemom11]

I'd rather not take the trip if the dog could not be with us. I also have not and never will crate a dog. Our rescues came from years of living in crates continuously( 7 and 8 years in one) and I will never use one.

[dcason]

We are retired so we don't leave her for that long and I wouldn't dream of it anyway.
She is a people person.
Donna

[DownTheAvenue]

Can you leave your dog now, crated, for the same length of time? If yes, then no issue. If no, then nothing will magically change on board a ship!

[dcason]

I agree that visiting her would stress her or make her wonder why she wasn't allowed out.
Chuckit play before and she should be tired enough.
Thanks everyone for input!
Donna

[dks]

We took our golden a few years ago on the same ferry. At the time we put her in one of the supplied crates the ferry provided. We fed our dog as usual, since she is a pooper after eating type of dog. You can visit the dog during the crossing, but, I think it is less stressful for your dog if you don't. The fact that your dog is used to a crate is a big plus. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[Crowe]

Did that years ago with a nine month old Gordon setter, loose in our truck, with no issue. He slept the entire time but sure was madder than heck when we got back to the truck! Exercise her well prior to wear her out. If you are concerned then sedate her. Personally I don't see a problem with that or with her being crated for that amount of time-if you crate her at night she'd be in there at least that amount of time. The key, though, is to make sure she is good and tired before you put her in there.