Camping with a high-energy dog

[Doug33]

It has been over a year since we lost our previous dog. We've been debating a long time to get a new dog, but finally went ahead and brought a puppy home this past week. It is a Jack Russell terrier, and while it is the cutest puppy in the world, it is also a handful because of its high energy level. We are in the process of potty training him, which is going fairly well. We also crate him when we leave the house, but only for a couple hours at a time at this point. He is vocal that he does not like the crate in any way shape or form, even though we try to make this not appear as a punishment.

The puppy is about 9 pounds and 11 weeks old. I estimate that by the time we camp again in April, he will be about 18 pounds and 7 months old.

Does anyone here camp with a Jack Russell or other high-energy dog? We only got this dog because we have a backyard he can run around in and use up his energy. We also try to walk him whenever the weather and time permits. With our previous dog we tried a pen when camping, but she hated it and just barked the whole time. So we just kept her on a leash on site. I suspect this guy would react the same way to a pen.

Also, when you leave the CG, do you crate your dog or let them have free reign in the TT? We will likely have to crate our dog because I'd be afraid of what he could get into. I'm thinking the crate would go under the dinette so as to provide the least amount of distraction to the dog. And obviously we'd keep either the heater or A/C on when applicable.

So far he has only barked two times, and only in response to hearing other dogs barking. When we previously camped in a PU, I was always concerned about our dog barking when we were away from the site. But with a TT, the sound of barking is controlled significantly better.

There is obviously a lot of trial and error upcoming, but I was curious what other's experience has been on this topic.

[hohenwald48]

Yeah, we thought about those dog seat belts but decided to simply train the dog to stay in the back seat. I did put one of those cargo nets between the front seats too. In the event of a crash we decided it would be best if the dog was not attached to the vehicle.

[CavemanCharlie]

My Lab is high energy beyond belief. But, he has been Kennel Trained since he was a pup. When we are sleeping at night. Or, when I have to leave him in the TT I put him in the kennel. He loves it in there , lays down, and goes peacefully to sleep. It's like his home. I have a folding wire kennel and I put a rug on top of it. He feels protected this way. (At my house he sleeps under the kitchen table. )

When going down the road I have a dog seat belt to keep him belted in the back seat. I don't believe that this thing will help him in a crash but, it keeps him settled down and setting in the back seat , rather then him jumping around causing problems.

[Houston_Remodel]

One important part of taking the dogs out in public -

Don't make the dog the center of attention. They are with you, not the other way around. Otherwise they learn they get attention 24 hours a day. Give them occasional attention when walking or when sitting.

We prefer to park about 2 blocks away from the final destination, further if its a nice day. This gives them time to settle down.

[B_O__Plenty]

With all of the breeds of dogs available why would you not choose one that is a little more laid back? Sounds like you are making a lot of extra work for yourself.

B.O.

[camperforlife]

We have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Corgi's generally can wear out a JRT and are notorious barkers. We decided on the Corgi because we wanted an active dog for our camping and hiking trips. As others have said, expose them to everyone and everything.

Our Corgi was 7 months on its first camping trip. It already went to puppy preschool and basic obedience. She was walked daily in high people, high traffic areas. She was exposed to many animals besides cats and dogs. She experienced firetrucks, UPS trucks and many children. As a result our notorious barker breed walks past campsites with yapping dogs without a peep looking at the yapper like "whats his problem". Nothing bothers her and she is silent in the crate. She quietly sits with us at the campfire and hikes up to 5 miles with us. Now if we are at home or in the TT and she is not in the crate and thinks something is amiss she sounds off.

Keep em busy, keep them socialized and they will be great little campers.

[Houston_Remodel]

We travel with our 2 JRTs.

The above statements are correct;

1- Lots of walks,even if you don't want to.
2- Take them everywhere you can. We find most places are dog friendly
3- Get them used to the trailer before a long trip
4- They are never allowed off leash or out of their crate. If they got loose we'd never see them again. After killing everything in the forest, they'd go after the fish.
5- The retractable leashes have a large carabiner on the handle allowing us to hook the leash to all manner of objects which includes;
6- Where possible, we string an overhead line between 2 trees and hook the leashes to the line. They seem to enjoy this set up most.
7- While they much prefer to ride in the TV, when it's cool enough they ride in the trailer, free range. Normally they curl up in the bed which is at the hitch and a fairly smooth ride for them. Every two hours we stop for a group potty break.
8- They learned to open the blinds and ruined one window screen.
9- If there are lots of delicious critters in sight, the dogs have to be crated. This is rare but something to consider. We have no experience with bears or buffalo. We assume the encounter will not be as entertaining as it sounds.
10- A chest harness works best for the mental comfort of everyone, particularly those people fearful of every dog they see.
11- No one has complained of barking yet, but they are 6 years old and we've trained them to be fat and lazy. Or maybe they picked that up from watching us. Not really sure about that one.

[IdaD]

I don't have any experience with JRTs specifically, but I definitely have years of experience with breeds that have that difficult combination of high energy and high intelligence. Namely Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs and Labs - also breeds that can do a lot of damage when they get bored.

My best advice is you need to run them hard to get that energy out and find something they enjoy so it keeps their interest. Tennis balls and those launcher arm deals have worked wonders for me (into a lake if possible in the case of the Lab). Also take them out of runs/walks or hikes.

And don't give up on the crate training, either - in my experience having crate trained dogs is important.

[rbpru]

My friend refers to hers as a Jack Russell Terrorist as it is quite active. The DW and I have a Golden Doodle who is the opposite.

I believe the advice about taking the dog everywhere and teaching them the limits is the correct way to go. We almost never leave our dog home or in a crate. We are part of his pack he simply wants to be part of the herd. The smarter the dog the faster they learn.

When we camp he gets a good walk every night and he stays on a lead next to us in camp. Like a small child they do not do well penned up for any length of time.

He travels in the back seat and sleeps on the TT sofa.

[2012Coleman]

We have a high energy terrier - not a JRT, but I still thought I'd share our camping experience with this dog.

We raised the dog from a puppy and crate trained her. This means that when we were not paying attention to her, she was in the crate - never alone by herself, but frequent bathroom/play breaks and high praise when done outside. This is not punishment, nor is it cruel. We didn't go camping until after she was crate trained - although this was mostly due to scheduling.

We did make the mistake of getting a pee pad - DW's idea which I objected to. Do not do this. Now our pup thinks that if she has a towel/rug in the crate, it is there to pee on.

I would not leave her loose in the house for extended periods as she is still into chewing stuff up - irregardless of the multitudes of stuff meant for her to chew on. However, she was recently left in an unlocked crate, and was found sleeping in it - door ajar. It's where she feels safe.

We bought a collapsible soft sided crate for camping, and as we like to sample local cuisine on our trips, she sometimes has to stay behind. We also leave the radio on for her, and she seems to be content to go to her crate when told to do so. If not, then we could not go to places such as the naval air museum at Pensacola, Snow Mountain at Stone Mountain, etc. We did take her to Sea World with us as they had a great kennel for a low rate so we could enjoy the park.

Of course we take her on our hikes, but she can't go canoeing. We keep her on a retractable lead on site - found at CW or loose in the screen tent when eating outside. She also goes running with either me or DW, so the advice given above to exhaust them is good. An excellent chew toy is a deer antler. You can get them at pet stores - although expensive, but they last long and chewing is good stress relief.

I love all my animals but I don't treat them like a human. They are used to a routine and they are happy to follow it. We allow her on the bed until we put our books down, which is her cue to jump down and go to her own bed.

I believe you can train your dog to behave as you see fit. I would not leave a young dog uncrated in a TT. I'm sure people do - just not going to happen in mine. I've replaced lots of interior trim in my home due to the pet habits of the previous owners.

[michigansandzil]

We have a rottweiler, average energy level, and an English Mastiff, low energy level.

For us, it's pretty simple. I walk them every morning after breakfast, before we head out to go to the beach, sight seeing, hiking, etc.

Seriously, they sleep on my bed the entire time. If I'm gone for 1 hour or 6, they're still asleep on my bed when we return.

I did learn they MUST be exercised first, and I have to close all of my blinds bc my rottie would see us leave and become upset and scratch at the windows. He's fine as long as the blinds are closed and the AC is on. You could also leave the TV on to help block out any outside noises.

Good luck.

[Mr__Camper]

You might consider getting this posted to the RV Pet Stop forum. Not that these answers aren't good and some here also post there so it's just a suggestion.

[ksg5000]

I wish you luck. I have friends who own JR's and even they admit that they can be a challenge - and that's with a big yard.

[hohenwald48]

I agree with everything Dutchmen said above.

We're on our third JRT. They are very smart and quick to learn. For that reason they get bored easily. This makes for a difficult travelling dog. We got our present one while full timing. She is now 12 years old. Which, by the way, is the oldest one we've had.

She does not bark while we're gone (I've left a recorder running to find out) but we don't leave her very often. Since she has been an RV dog all her life we simply take her in the car when we go somewhere (temperature permitting of course) and leave her in the back seat. She's happy with that arrangement simply sleeps in the truck.

About the smartest thing I've done with her is to teach her to not get out of a vehicle on her own. Not the TT or the TV. She will stand at the door and wait to be lifted to the ground. By teaching her this I don't have to worry about her bolting at a rest area, gas station or anywhere else. She will only get out of a vehicle if you lift her up and place her on the ground. I also have taught her to come immediately when called and to drop whatever she has in her mouth immediately when told to do so. All of these are valuable dog camping skills in my book.

Housebreaking does take some time and about a year and a half before you can reliably leave them alone for extended periods. They're good dogs but are high maintenance and need a lot of interaction with their human family. When this one is gone we likely will not be getting another. I would have to say that a JRT is probably one of the worst breeds for RV travel.

And a barking dog in your TT will eventually PO a neighbor enough for them to make a complaint. Bet on it.

[DutchmenSport]

Every dog we have owned has been a high energy - highly sensitive - highly crazy nutso dog! They've all made GREAT camping dogs and this is how we did it! First all of our dogs barked at everything when we first got them. Camping was awful initially, they'd bark at every thing, even if the wind blew the grass!

Solution: And this works: Over stimulation! We kept all our dogs right in the middle of everything! We never sheltered them from anything. People, other dogs, noise, traffic, traveling, kids on bicycles, noises, everything! We would not let the dogs sleep. They stayed awake. We stayed right with them. If we were sitting outside, they were in a chair right beside us. They were exposed to absolutely everything.

Especially in a busy campground, the dogs (all of them) because so over stimulated at everything, they eventually exhausted themselves completely out. (usually by the end of the first day). Yes, it challenging to mommy and daddy, but necessary. Every day get a little better, until one day, they are so accustom to all the activity, they simply just lay around like good old Duke on the Beverly Hillbillies. It's worked for every dog we've ever owned.

Another thing, we have never left the dogs behind. Our camping and sight seeing activities all revolve around the dog. If the dog can't go inside, we go elsewhere, or else only one of us go inside while the other stays with the dog. It becomes a lifestyle, and after a while, it's never a problem.

If we go camping where we absolutely cannot take the dog, we leave the dog with relatives and don't take him then.

Bottom line is, if you're going to take a dog camping with you, you really need to accommodate the dog too. It's not fun for the dog to be left behind, caged, crated, tucked away, out-of-site, out-of-mind, going hysterical, and scare their mommy and daddy will never come back.

The solution for high energy dogs is simple: lots of exercise, lots of stimulation, and lots of personal attention. These will wear them down.

[Drew_K]

JRT's are awesome dogs but very high energy, as you said. We had one that we had to put down several years ago. This was before we got into RVing, so not sure how he would have reacted to it. We do have 2 terriers now that we always take with us, and they do pretty well.

We follow the same routine in the RV as at home. When our younger dog was still kept in a crate, she stayed in a crate in the RV. She's older now and has free roam of our bedroom when we leave the house, so we leave her out in the RV now as well. We leave the radio on talk radio when we leave for background noise. I think it helps keep down the barking. They don't bark incessantly but will if they hear another dog barking nearby.

We also walk / run with the dogs in the morning if we're going to leave for a while to try to tire them out. However, having had a JRT, that might help a little but ultimately their personality is their personality, no matter how much you exercise them. What I mean is, if the JRT is a barker, he's going to be a barker regardless of how much you try to tire him out. I could NOT tire mine out. I'm a marathon runner and I'd take my JRT for 1+ hour jogs and he wouldn't get tired unless it was 90+ degrees and sunny. I remember many times taking him for long runs, then taking him to a dog park to run around. When we would get home, he'd look at me like "okay so now what are we going to do?" Don't get me wrong - he wasn't destructive and was pretty calm inside the house. But I rarely could tire him out.

Ultimately, the only way to know for sure how your dog will react is to try it out, as you said. Have fun with him, and he will calm down as he gets older.