What are we in for?

[camperforlife]

We haven't had a dog in years. We are the proud parents of a 17 week old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We decided on the Corgi because it is a big dog in a small package that is sturdy enough to keep up with our outdoor activities yet small enough to be a travel companion.

She has been easy to house train, easy to teach that the cat is off limits and easy to control barking in the house. Corgis are notorious barkers and usually barks 3-5 minutes when left crated. I don't want to be "That Guy" with the barking dog when we have to leave her crated in the trailer.

I'm looking for advise on keeping the dog quiet when left alone and any items that you have found to be must haves for the traveling dog that you might not need at home.

Here are the partners in crime, still working on getting the Corgi's ears up.

[camperforlife]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
As a lover of herding breeds - all I can add is "A tired dog is a good dog"; and as the pup matures, find "jobs". These jobs can be as ridiculous as "carry my socks downstairs so I can put them on my feet" or "carry the junk mail back to the house for me". They need to do something for you. If you don't find them a job, they'll invent one, and sometimes those don't go well......LOL!!

So true!! We wanted the Corgi as we knew that the average compact dog would never be able to keep up with us. At roughly 18 weeks she walks on a leash like a pro and certainly enjoys it. We normally do a minimum of 3 miles a day and she of course isn't up to that but is doing very well.

[camperforlife]

DwnSth wrote:
If you really want to know if your pup is barking, this has worked wonderfully for us. Plus the additional temp sensor been very nice to have.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28024059.cfm

Very interesting app. I may very well look into this.

[DwnSth]

If you really want to know if your pup is barking, this has worked wonderfully for us. Plus the additional temp sensor been very nice to have.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28024059.cfm

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

As a lover of herding breeds - all I can add is "A tired dog is a good dog"; and as the pup matures, find "jobs". These jobs can be as ridiculous as "carry my socks downstairs so I can put them on my feet" or "carry the junk mail back to the house for me". They need to do something for you. If you don't find them a job, they'll invent one, and sometimes those don't go well......LOL!!

[raindove]

Pawz4me wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
TV works. Our dog watches animal planet. Dog toys work. Our dog doesn't seem to mind being left alone. We never put our dog in jail i.e. crate. Maybe that is the reason your dog barks. Our dog was crate trained when we got him. Breeders big selling point. :h. Once we threw away the crate and made him part of the family training was real easy. JMHO crates are for breeders and dog show people transporting dogs that aren't part of their family. BTW when Jake (our ACD)isn't watching animal planet he lays on the dash board and watches the people walk by.

Every dog needs at a minimum to know how to tolerate being crated. 'Cause life happens and sometimes dogs have to be crated (either at the vet's or at home) due to injury or illness.

I'm helping a lady on another board deal with this. Her Doxie has a serious back problem and needs to be on strict rest for the next six weeks or so in order to have a chance to avoid euthanasia. The dog is six years old and isn't familiar with being crated. It's a bad situation. The owner's failure to crate train the dog may cost him his life.

Exactly. I've always crate trained my dogs. It is a huge help when they have some problem that requires them being confined. Makes life easier for the owners, and the pup. What really stood out in my mind was one time Cowboy had a bad vestibular attack. He was crated at the Emergency vet. They allowed us to walk back and see him before we left. Some of the dogs in there were so stressed at being confined, I really felt bad for them. When we left, I told my husband I was glad that our boy was used to being crated. He was calm. Being wound up would have only exacerbated things for him.

Crates should never be used as punishment or for hours on end, day after day... but it is a definite plus for a dog to be comfortable with it.

[xteacher]

Pawz4me wrote:

WyoTraveler wrote:
TV works. Our dog watches animal planet. Dog toys work. Our dog doesn't seem to mind being left alone. We never put our dog in jail i.e. crate. Maybe that is the reason your dog barks. Our dog was crate trained when we got him. Breeders big selling point. :h. Once we threw away the crate and made him part of the family training was real easy. JMHO crates are for breeders and dog show people transporting dogs that aren't part of their family. BTW when Jake (our ACD)isn't watching animal planet he lays on the dash board and watches the people walk by.

Every dog needs at a minimum to know how to tolerate being crated. 'Cause life happens and sometimes dogs have to be crated (either at the vet's or at home) due to injury or illness.

I'm helping a lady on another board deal with this. Her Doxie has a serious back problem and needs to be on strict rest for the next six weeks or so in order to have a chance to avoid euthanasia. The dog is six years old and isn't familiar with being crated. It's a bad situation. The owner's failure to crate train the dog may cost him his life.

^Yes!!^
My dogs are all crate trained. I feed them in their crates, so they love them and run into them to wait when they see me preparing their meals! They also only get yummy treats, such as bully sticks in their crates. In multi-dog households, this helps avoid resource guarding problems, which can turn nasty in a hurry. It also prevents my resident piggy, Maddie, from stealing the other dogs' food/treats (yes, she owns the boxer...). Crates keep them out of trouble when I have to leave them alone. When they're boarded or groomed, they have to be crated, so I'd prefer that they're used to it.

Back to the OP's concern, we leave our camper's radio on loud enough to mask outside noises, without being loud enough to annoy the neighbors. We also shut all the shades, so that they don't get any visual stimulation. You could also leave a stuffed Kong with your pup, to provide something for him to do while you're gone. I just smear the inside with peanut butter and freeze it, which makes it last longer. I don't completely stuff it, b/c of the calorie/fat overload it would provide.

[magnusfide]

camperforlife wrote:

magnusfide wrote:
Thank you for adopting. Double ditto on radio/tv.

Be careful that your kitty doesn't get crushed by the slide out. I see she's cowering right next to it. Tragedies have happened in that way.

The pic is at home so no slide danger and never in the trailer during set up or tear down. BTW she isn't cowering, she is squeezing her entire body on top of the register!:B

Thank you for the clarification. Then it may be a book case edge in the photo that I'm seeing? It's hard to tell.

Nevertheless, thank you for adopting them both. Good man!:C

[camperforlife]

magnusfide wrote:
Thank you for adopting. Double ditto on radio/tv.

Be careful that your kitty doesn't get crushed by the slide out. I see she's cowering right next to it. Tragedies have happened in that way.

The pic is at home so no slide danger and never in the trailer during set up or tear down. BTW she isn't cowering, she is squeezing her entire body on top of the register!:B

[magnusfide]

Thank you for adopting. Double ditto on radio/tv.

Be careful that your kitty doesn't get crushed by the slide out. I see she's cowering right next to it. Tragedies have happened in that way.

[Go_Dogs]

The OP sounds as if they have a good handle on initial training. I'm not sure why they chose this breed. There are lots of sturdy small dogs, without the breed instincts of a corgi. The same traits that make them a fearless cattle herder, might make them a less than desirable house/RV companion.
I personally have crate trained my dogs. They look at the crate as a safe den. It aides in housebreaking, too.

[brewjaz]

camperforlife wrote:
brewjaz I've have seen those collars but for me that would be the last resort. She is very intelligent and learns very quickly.

Then, as others said, I'd try the white noise and the TV or radio on while you're away from the camper. When you're on one of your short trips to see how she does, ask a camping neighbor to call you on your cell when you're not there to see if they hear her barking.

BTW---she is adorable!!

[Vet_Man]

Ask a neighbor if your dog barks when you leave, they would rather let you know then listen to it bark. People think there dog does not bark when they leave because they can no longer hear it.

[DownTheAvenue]

TucsonJim wrote:
The Corgi pup simply needs correction when she does something she's not supposed to such as barking.

Being a dog trainer is about communicating with the dog. It is about being an instructor, not a disciplinarian.

[camperforlife]

brewjaz I've have seen those collars but for me that would be the last resort. She is very intelligent and learns very quickly. We have been able to completely eliminate any barking at the cat. She does not bark at outside noises when in the house but our house is very well insulated and has triple pane windows so we don't hear much outside noise. We also decided that she would not sleep in our bedroom to help prevent separation anxiety especially since she is with one of us most of the day. Other than the initial 3-5 minutes at bed time, she settles down for the night.

I don't see us leaving her alone in the trailer very often but we know at times it will be necessary. We do plan on taking some early short camping trips this spring when we can put some space between us and other campers and see how she reacts to being in the trailer by herself with outside noises.

Any transporting tips for keeping her safe yet giving her some freedom in the truck on longer trips?